Bothaina Kamel
Encyclopedia
Bothaina Kamel (born in Cairo
, April 18, 1962) is an Egypt
ian television anchor, activist, and politician. A long time pro-democracy advocate, her professional career has been marked by repeated conflict with authorities. She recently announced her candidacy for the Egyptian presidency
.
Kamel hosted a popular Egyptian radio program called "Nightime Confessions" from 1992 to 1998. She later worked as a new presenter for Egyptian state television, and hosted a show called "Please Understand Me" on the Saudi Arabian-owned Orbit satellite TV network. In each assignment, she eventually encountered official resistance: "Confessions" was cancelled after outcries by religious conservatives, she took a leave of absence from Egyptian state television rather than participate in propaganda surrounding the 2005 elections, and "Understand Me" was taken off the air by the Saudi producers when they became concerned that its coverage of the 2011 Egyptian revolution
would implicate Saudi interests.
She has long been active in pro-democracy activities, often present a pro-democracy rallies, forming an election monitoring group in 2005, and immediately taking to the streets during the 2011 revolution.
She is a self-described social democrat
, and is running as an independent. A Muslim
, she has taken anti-sectarian stances, endorsing proposals for equal treatment of Coptic and Muslim places of worship and for trying those who incite sectarian violence. Additionally, she wears a crescent
and cross
necklace and criticised the military, rather than one or the other sect, for sectarian clashes that have erupted in the wake of the revolution. Other positions include reducing the minimum age of parliamentarians from 30 to 22 in view of the youth participation in the revolution.
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, April 18, 1962) is an Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian television anchor, activist, and politician. A long time pro-democracy advocate, her professional career has been marked by repeated conflict with authorities. She recently announced her candidacy for the Egyptian presidency
President of Egypt
The President of the Arab Republic of Egypt is the head of state of Egypt.Under the Constitution of Egypt, the president is also the supreme commander of the armed forces and head of the executive branch of the Egyptian government....
.
Kamel hosted a popular Egyptian radio program called "Nightime Confessions" from 1992 to 1998. She later worked as a new presenter for Egyptian state television, and hosted a show called "Please Understand Me" on the Saudi Arabian-owned Orbit satellite TV network. In each assignment, she eventually encountered official resistance: "Confessions" was cancelled after outcries by religious conservatives, she took a leave of absence from Egyptian state television rather than participate in propaganda surrounding the 2005 elections, and "Understand Me" was taken off the air by the Saudi producers when they became concerned that its coverage of the 2011 Egyptian revolution
2011 Egyptian revolution
The 2011 Egyptian revolution took place following a popular uprising that began on Tuesday, 25 January 2011 and is still continuing as of November 2011. The uprising was mainly a campaign of non-violent civil resistance, which featured a series of demonstrations, marches, acts of civil...
would implicate Saudi interests.
She has long been active in pro-democracy activities, often present a pro-democracy rallies, forming an election monitoring group in 2005, and immediately taking to the streets during the 2011 revolution.
She is a self-described social democrat
Social democracy
Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism...
, and is running as an independent. A Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
, she has taken anti-sectarian stances, endorsing proposals for equal treatment of Coptic and Muslim places of worship and for trying those who incite sectarian violence. Additionally, she wears a crescent
Crescent
In art and symbolism, a crescent is generally the shape produced when a circular disk has a segment of another circle removed from its edge, so that what remains is a shape enclosed by two circular arcs of different diameters which intersect at two points .In astronomy, a crescent...
and cross
Christian cross
The Christian cross, seen as a representation of the instrument of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, is the best-known religious symbol of Christianity...
necklace and criticised the military, rather than one or the other sect, for sectarian clashes that have erupted in the wake of the revolution. Other positions include reducing the minimum age of parliamentarians from 30 to 22 in view of the youth participation in the revolution.