Tuesday March 19th, 2024
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Video: Egypt's New Justice Minister Just As Offensive As The Last

After the recent resignation of the former Justice Minister Mahfouz Saber for his classist statements, his replacement Ahmed El Zend seems to be equally offensive as videos have resurfaced of him making some very offensive comments in past interviews...

Staff Writer

Those in positions of power continue to show their disdain for the people they serve. Egypt has appointed a new Justice Minister and already the appointment has been met with backlash on social media platforms over comments made a year ago.

The head of Egypt’s Judges Club, Ahmed El-Zend, has replaced former Justice Minister Mahfouz Saber who was forced to resign after publicly dismissing the idea of a garbage man’s son becoming a judge, believing that "a judge should come from a social class that is neither too high nor too low." The offensively classist statement quickly caused an uproar prompting his resignation. However, his replacement seems to be as equally offensive; a video has resurfaced of the newly appointed minister telling Tawfik Okasha in a television interview that, “We in this country are masters and all the rest are slaves. Whoever burns a judge’s picture will have his heart, memory and imagination burnt for defiling the nation. All these childish things don't matter to us; superiors don't look to inferiors; they only look up and forward.”

Acting as head of the Judges Club, a powerful unofficial body that represents 90% of Egypt’s judges, Ahmed El Zend is known for being key player in conflicts between the judiciary and Islamist parties. He is know for being successful in blocking the passing of an amendment that would have changed retirement age of judges from 70 to 60 years of age, a decision which would have forced 13,000 judges into early retirement.  

However, this is also the same judge who in 2012 claimed that “I never insulted the protesters/rebellions or call them traitors; I've always been pro-revolution,” only to flip flop in 2014 openly saying “I wish January 2011's Revolution didn't happen cause it never got into my head/convinced me anyways.”

As of late Egypt has been cracking down on ministers with verbal diarrhea. Earlier this year forensic authority spokesman Hisham Abdel Hamid was removed for saying that an activist killed by birdshot died because she was too thin. Following suit was the Justice Minister who resigned for his recent classist remark about garbage men and their sons. How replacing this minister with another equally offensive one makes sense is beyond us, as El Zend is went on record in 2012 to say “employing every judge's son will continue (he means the judge position/job is inherited) and no power in Egypt will be able to stop this ‘sacred crusade’ and whoever stands in its way is a ‘hater’.”

That being said the appointment of Ahmed El-Zend may prove to be as short lived as this minister clearly has a history of putting his foot in his mouth.

Here is how Twitter is reacting to his appointment and the video spreading virally.