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Leila Fadel Leila Fadel is a host of Morning Edition, as well as NPR's morning news podcast Up First.
Leila Fadel, photographed for NPR, 2 May 2022, in Washington DC. Photo by Mike Morgan for NPR.
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Leila Fadel

Monday

Islamists Say They Are Filling Vacuum Left By Egyptian State

Egyptian men and boys pray at a mosque in Assiut, southern Egypt, that serves as the headquarters for Gamaa al-Islamiya, a group that once waged a bloody insurgency, attacking police and Christians in a campaign to create an Islamic state. Now the Islamist group says it's determined to ensure law and order in the area. Nariman El-Mofty/AP hide caption

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Nariman El-Mofty/AP

Africa

Islamists Say They Are Filling Vacuum Left By Egyptian State

The Islamist group Gamaa al-Islamiya recently agreed to handle security during a strike by police in the city of Assiut; the police returned to work the next day. But the group says it will continue to provide services such as trash pickup, reflecting the larger problem of a deteriorating Egyptian government.

Islamists Say They Are Filling Vacuum Left By Egyptian State

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Friday

Africa

Police Officers Caught In The Middle Go On Strike In Egypt

There is a growing strike by police officers in Egypt. Long accused of brutality before and after the fall of the Mubarak regime, police commanders say they are ill-equipped to handle the ongoing protests, many of them violent, in Port Said and other cities. They are demanding the ouster of the new Interior Minister, appointed by President Mohammed Morsi. The strike comes amid fears of more violence on Saturday when a court in Cairo is scheduled to hand down a second group of verdicts and sentences in connection with a soccer riot that left 70 dead last year.

Police Officers Caught In The Middle Go On Strike In Egypt

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Thursday

In Post-Revolution Egypt, Fears Of Police Abuse Deepening

An Egyptian military police officer argues with protesters during a demonstration on June 14, 2012, outside the Supreme Constitutional Court in Cairo. Marwan Naamani/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Marwan Naamani/AFP/Getty Images

Africa

In Post-Revolution Egypt, Fears Of Police Abuse Deepening

Widespread police brutality under Hosni Mubarak helped fuel the uprising of 2011. But two years later, many say the police have begun to act like armed gangs, meting out collective punishment in restive areas. The police say they are the victims, under attack by anti-government protesters.

In Post-Revolution Egypt, Fears Of Police Abuse Deepening

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Thursday

Africa

Egyptian Women Speak Out Against Sexual Violence At Protests

In Egypt, sexual violence against women is on the rise. It has become a chronic problem in a state where security is breaking down and mass protests are not policed. And as the number of assaults increase, many women say they will no longer be silent.

Egyptian Women Speak Out Against Sexual Violence At Protests

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Wednesday

Africa

Group Of Violent Anarchists Emerges Amid Egypt's Political Turmoil

A group of anarchic young men and women in Egypt roam through protests, faces covered, and refuse to speak to media. They bill themselves as armed resistance and have flooded YouTube with videos of themselves making Molotov cocktails and threatening Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood. The country's prosecutor general designated them a home-grown terrorist group on Tuesday. Seasoned activists who blame the government for the root of the violence over the past five days say the group is counter-productive and their methods hurt the cause.

Group Of Violent Anarchists Emerges Amid Egypt's Political Turmoil

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Thursday

Middle East

Criticism Against Egypt's Opposition Coalition Grows

Critics say Egypt's umbrellas opposition group, the National Salvation Front, or NSF, is slowly becoming a national joke. Protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square say the opposition leadership is trying to manipulate popular anger in order to gain power.

Criticism Against Egypt's Opposition Coalition Grows

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Tuesday

For The First Time In Decades, Iran's President Visits Egypt

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visits an Islamic shrine Tuesday in Cairo. He became the first Iranian leader to visit Egypt since the 1970s. Amr Nabil/AP hide caption

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Amr Nabil/AP

Middle East

For The First Time In Decades, Iran's President Visits Egypt

The hostility between Iran and Egypt dates to the 1970s, and the Muslim nations remain wary of one another. However, tensions have thawed in recent months.

For The First Time In Decades, Iran's President Visits Egypt

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Friday

Review

Religion

Egyptian Cleric's Mission: Spread Salafi Doctrine

In the final part of Morning Edition's series on ultra-conservative Muslims known as Salafis, we meet an Egyptian cleric who has made it his mission to spread the Salafi doctrine throughout the country. Hesham al Ashry is a firm believer in the strictest interpretation of Islamic law.

Egyptian Cleric's Mission: Spread Salafi Doctrine

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Thursday

Africa

Egyptians Grown Weary Of Ongoing Political Clashes

Thousands of people have flooded the streets to protest Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi's government. But millions more are at home, trying to get through each day. Some blame protesters for stalling the transition, the nation and making Egypt an even less attractive place to invest.

Egyptians Grown Weary Of Ongoing Political Clashes

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Africa

Former Salafi Sings About His Identity Crisis

Former Salafi, turned rapper, Omar Kamal left the Salafi fold during Egypt's revolution. He says that when Salafis came out of the dark they showed their hypocrisy. To the rhythm of beat boxing, he uses his lyrics to chronicle his own identity crisis — a crisis that reflects Egypt's struggle to find itself.

Former Salafi Sings About His Identity Crisis

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Wednesday

Africa

Tunisia's Veil Ban: Frontline Of Identity War

At Manouba University on the outskirts of the Tunisian capital Tunis, the school's dean has vowed to uphold a rule that bars women from wearing a face veil in the classroom. Salafi students oppose the ban, and see this as a battle for freedom of religion. The issue is a microcosm of a much larger battle between the staunchly secular and the deeply pious in Tunisia.

Tunisia's Veil Ban: Frontline Of Identity War

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Tuesday

Africa

Egypt's Military Chief Warns That Protests Could Lead To Collapse Of The State

Egypt's Defense Minister has warned that the country is on the brink of collapse amid continued rioting and clashes between police and protesters in several major cities. More than 50 people have died over the past four days, most of them in Port Said, at the northern end of the Suez Canal.

Egypt's Military Chief Warns That Protests Could Lead To Collapse Of The State

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Tunisia's Salafis: 'A Danger' Or Preachers Of God's Law?

A demonstrator shouts anti-government slogans as he stands in front of the Justice Ministry in the Tunisian capital, Tunis, on Nov. 6, 2012, as part of a demonstration by radical Salafi Muslims protesting against the imprisonment of hundreds of Salafist militants. Amine Landoulsi/AP hide caption

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Amine Landoulsi/AP

Africa

Tunisia's Salafis: 'A Danger' Or Preachers Of God's Law?

Critics call the country's Salafis a threat to the ideals of economic prosperity, civil liberties and gender equality. The Salafis insist that only their rigid interpretation of Islamic law can govern Muslims. Their stand puts Tunisia's moderate Islamist leaders in a difficult position.

Tunisia's Salafis: 'A Danger' Or Preachers Of God's Law?

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Monday

Africa

At Least 40 People Dead In Egypt As Violent Protests Continue

Amid continuing turmoil and violence in Egypt, the main opposition alliance has rejected dialogue with the government of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi. Over the weekend, Morsi announced a state of emergency in the three main cities along the Suez Canal. One of those, Port Said, was the scene of major violence and there was more on Monday with police battling protesters.

At Least 40 People Dead In Egypt As Violent Protests Continue

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Africa

Egypt's Morsi Declares State Of Emergency

Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi has declared a state of emergency after a deadly bout of violence over the weekend left at least 50 dead in three cities the Suez Canal.

Egypt's Morsi Declares State Of Emergency

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