Jewish lobby behind Egypt's UNESCO loss: media

Mixed emotions swept through Egypt on Wednesday as the media accused the Jewish lobby of destroying culture minister Farouq Hosni's bid to head UNESCO but Egyptian bloggers celebrated as they slammed Hosni's "disrespect" for their culture.

Hosni's race for the top job at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization resulted in a win for the Bulgarian career diplomat Irina Bokova as accusations of anti-Semitism clouded his bid and fellow Egyptians accused him of failing at his job.

"A clash of civilizations determines the UNESCO fight," a headline on Egypt's independent daily Al-Masry Al-Youm reasoned as an explanation for the loss.

"America, Europe and the Jewish lobby brought down Faruq Hosni after an honorable competition by the Egyptian delegation," the paper read.

State-owned weekly Al-Ahram splashed "the Egyptian and Arabic candidate for the post was subjected to a ferocious campaign against him by the American administration, under Jewish pressure," on its front page.

"Faruq Hosni's campaign was met with an uncivilized attack by Jewish intellectuals in France," state-owned Al-Ahram Al-Messai wrote in its leader column.

"Efforts by the U.S. ambassador to UNESCO as well as the Zionist media in Europe and the United States succeeded in securing (his defeat)," it said.

Faruq Hosni's campaign was met with an uncivilized attack by Jewish intellectuals in France

Egyptian media

Other papers said the result was proof a growing trend of Islamophobia across the West.

The election showed "that the West stands against the others on the basis of religion in critical moments," the daily Rose al-Youssef wrote.

"All weapons were used (to bring about his defeat) including the continuous publishing of articles against him until the last minute," the paper said.

The Egyptian side "fought an honorable fight... in a race that was not honorable at all," Rose al-Youssef said.

The paper said the U.S. pressure on countries to vote against Hosni was so severe it was as if they were "voting at knifepoint."

The paper refers to the strong opposition from American and French commentators as well as from Auschwitz survivor and Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel, who said appointing Hosni would "shame" the global community.

All weapons were used to bring about his defeat including the continuous publishing of articles against him until the last minute

Egyptian media

Blogshpere

Meanwhile in direct contrast to the official stance, Egypt's blogsphere was rife with criticism and called for Hosni to lose not because of his "disrespect for Israeli culture" but "because of his much deeper, more damaging disrespect of Egyptian culture,” Ursula Lindsay worte on the Arabist.

Lindsay described Hosni as "the longest-serving minister in an autocratic state that does not respect freedom of expression."

As for her argument against his election she said: "because he presides over a corrupt and mediocre ministry and has acted in the interest of the regime rather than the interests of culture time and again; because he is generally loathed by Egyptian artists and writers of any standing.”

Another blogger said if Hosni won it would be like “fresh recognition of, and international support for, (Egyptian President Hosni) Mubarak’s criminal regime,” Egypt's Daily News quoted a blogger called Abbas as saying.

Abbas said if he had won it would have signified the "rejection of our freedom as Egyptians.”

Another blogger lamented how the “Egyptian culture was humiliated for two decades by the hands of this man.”

Despite Egypt's efforts to use the minister's campaign to publicize the cultural richness of the biggest Arab nation, the record five-round race for the post resulted in a defeat.

Cairo had hoped that Hosni's election as the first Arab to head the agency would send a positive signal from the West to the Muslim world.

In his lengthy political career, Hosni has often been accused of promoting anti-Semitism, in particular in 2008 when he told the Egyptian parliament: "I'd burn Israeli books myself if I found any in libraries in Egypt."

Hosni, who has been Egypt's culture minister for 22 years, insists his comment was made during an angry exchange with hardliners from the Muslim Brotherhood and had been taken out of context.

Egyptian culture was humiliated for two decades by the hands of this man

Blogger