#FreeSpeechStories #France accused of 'double standards'

Tens of thousands of fans of the French comic Dieudonne - often criticised as anti-Semitic - are making claims of hypocrisy and double standards after French authorities opened up dozens of cases against people accused of justifying terrorism.

Fans of the controversial comedian reacted angrily after he was arrested and charged with condoning terrorism for a remark on his a Facebook page: "je me sens Charlie Coulibaly" ("I feel like Charlie Coulibaly").

The remark, which has since been taken down, was a mash-up of the#JeSuisCharlie tag and the name of Amedy Coulibaly, the man who killed a policewoman near a Jewish school and four people at a Jewish supermarket in Paris. Dieudonne later defended the remark by saying he felt like he was being persecuted by authorities as if he were a terror suspect.

"Freedom of expression is dead, but its funeral on Sunday was pretty!!" said one of the comedian's Facebook fans, referring to the enormous march through Paris in support of Charlie Hebdo.

"WHAT HYPOCRISY!!!!!" shouted another commentator. "You can legally caricature and insult the prophet and the Muslim world: the oligarchy calls this freedom of expression ... We are in a pseudo-democratic dictatorship."

Dieudonne is a comedian with a history of making crude jokes about the Holocaust (and occasionally getting into legal trouble). He has a huge following on social media including more than 900,000 Facebook fans. Most of the comments on his page were in support of the comedian, and his name was trending briefly on Twitter earlier in the week, but there were a few fans who thought Dieudonne had crossed a line.

"There is a big difference between freedom of expression and incitement to hatred," said one fan. "He knew what to expect ... Charlie Hebdo made caricatures of the prophet that I haven't agreed with, it has made a mockery of the prophet, made some laugh, shocked others, but there was no incentive to hatred and this is a big difference."

The arrest of Dieudonne was just one of dozens of cases - up to 100according to one estimate - opened by the French authorities since the attacks. Some people have even been jailed already under fast-track legislation that was passed last year.

In a typical year, only one or two people are arrested for speaking out in favour of terrorism, said Emmanuel Pierrat, a French media lawyer and member of PEN International, which supports free expression.

Pierrat told BBC Trending that free speech is an idea at the core of the French nation, but one that in his view has been eroded over the years by exceptions for things including hate speech.

"We have weakened the principle of freedom of speech, for good intentions, but without thinking about the consequences. We need to think about how we can recover the idea of freedom of speech after an event that is so emotional, like the one in Paris (last week)," he said.

He cautioned however, that Dieudonne's statements could not be directly compared with the Charlie Hebdo cartoons showing the Prophet Muhammad.

"One thing is for sure, in France you can make drawings or speeches against ideology or against religion. The French revolution of 1789 abolished the crime of blasphemy" and courts have consistently upheld the legality of speech directed at religions or historical religious figures, he says.

Pierrat, who represented Michel Houellebecq when the author wascleared of charges of religious hate speech against Muslims in 2002, says the Dieudonne case will be difficult to judge given the ambiguity of the comedian's outburst. But he says he believes the authorities are made a mistake by arresting him. A trial is scheduled for next month.

"If Dieudonne wins, he will be like a hero," Pierrat says. "It will gives a lot of young people the idea that he is a champion of Muslims or immigrants ... he's no longer a comedian or an actor, but instead his audiences are far-right sympathisers."

"What makes me somewhat afraid is that French justice is speeding up when it comes to these questions," he says. "Like Americans after 11 September, the worry is that judgments are coming too quickly, and influenced by a very emotional event."

Blog by Mike Wendling

دول مين و دول مين 18+ free speech or free Insult!18

كراهية و عنصرية حتى النخاع ارهاب حرية الفكر 

دية مش اول كرتون لكن 

ة التانى دلوقتى كل الى عملتة انى قلبتة بس مش اكتر ركز بقى شوية فى صورة الوش و العمة!! هاة شايف اية ايوة عضو >كرى بس كدة 

اة مش اول مرة رسولك الكريم يترسم كرتون وسخ وانت بتتفرج على عرب ايدول و تقعد تحت البطانية وتدفى طيزك

الاخ مسلم ,سلفى , اخوانى,علمانى , ملحد

المهم تخاليك كول ومش ارهابى فى فكرك او داعشى اوعى اة لحسن تتلسع فى طيزك 

ومالة!!! بس حريتك تنتهى لم تدخل على حريتى فى معتقد و ايمانى وعدم احترامك وجهالك و المعرصينن يقولو حرية الراى والتعبير لا دة اسمة حرية الوقاحة  و الوساخة بلا حدود 

لية دلوقتى فرنسا تعمل كدة و مين المستفيد!!

يا ترى الاسلام استفد حاجة ! لا 

المسحيين استفدوا حاجة !! لا

الصهاينة اول مستفيد

 او خاليك فى صافيناز و الشلة و اوعى تفكر و تفتح عينك  

 انت جاى تستفز 3 مليار مسلم فى العالم فى الوقت الى الاسلام بتحارب حتى فى الدول العربية وانهيار اقوى دول عربية و تقسيم

سيكس بيكو جديد على حسبالبشرية كلة كل علشان خاطر عيونة!! كلهم فى خدمتة و سكوتك اكبر خدمة لية كل بيلعب دورة وبيجهز  

لية وبيخدمة كويس بعلم او بدون علم 

فرنسا هتبعت كل اسطولة البحرى الاسبوع الى جاى على سواحل سوريا لضرب وانهاء سوريا بالكامل!!

فرنسا بتاخد من ثارة من الدولة العثمانية وصلاح الدين  اية لسة الكلام مش واضح يا بهوات بجد  

قادريين ينسوة و هو عهد عليهم فى كل حرب صليبية انه تكون مدخلهم من سوريا من اول حرب صليبية لحد دلوقتى دور ف اقوى 

االادوار ديما فى مثلث الحروب الصليبية

 لو حرية تعبير كانا شوفنا مرة واحد فرنسا او الالمانية تعمل كارتون ضد الصهاينة 

و فى نفس الوقت و العالم كل مشغول فى داعش و كرتون فرنسا القدس بيتضيع اكتر و عرفت العالم اننا مسلمين و عرب ارهابيين !

 مكملين يا اولاد القحبة طول ما لسة فين نفس

مجموعة المنافقيين

و للتدوينة باقى ,,,,,,,,,

نهاية 2014 وبداية 2015

اممممممممم هتكلام على مصر الاول

احية طبعا على سنة 2014 من اولة لحد اخرة والى جاى اسود من الى فات و الى مش شايف دة اكيد ابن كلب اعمى اة او معرص و مستفيد من الى بيحصل و دول كتير اوى , طبعا فشخ الاخوان و مرسى والوسخة دية و السيسى و المجلس المعرص بتاع مبارك الى فعلا ركب على ثورة يناير 2011 الى شوفنا فية العجب و دم و عيون راحت للاسف ان الشعب ابن متناكة بطبعة طول عمرة شعب بيحي يعيش عبد ويعشق حياة العبودية و دة من ايام الفراعنة فا تقريبا دة فى الجينات المصريين انهم عبيد وبس.........

الى يزعل يخبطة فى الحيطة

يعنى بعد كل الى الى ماتوا والى راحت عيونهم و فى الاخر مبارك وعصابتة براة و الداخلية حمامة سلام, و احنا بقينا شعب بيتعاقب عقاب جماعى طبعا علشان شبابة فكر فى حريتة , كرامة ولقمة عيش لا اكتر ولا اقل بس ازى ما هما شعب عبيد

وطلع المعرصيين زى ما فى كل تاريخ طلع مبارك و عصابتة اطهر من الطاهرة نفسة والشعب هو المتهم اة هو كدة  ما هو قضاء مصر شامخ وعادل 

الى الواحد بيشوفة وبيسمعة وبقى يحصل و قطع الكهرباء  والقرف و الاشعار و عدم الامان و يا كدة يا هتبقى زى سوريا وليبيا ونجيب لك داعش هاة اختار انت بقى !! يا الوسخ يا الاوسخ

و الشعب دماغة اتغسلت وباقى تايهة و اتلعبت نفس اللعبة شعب ابن عرص بطبعة يا حب يكون عبد للفرعون وبس

الكرف التلات 

السيسى لم يحكم مصر أو أى عرص منهم هيفشخوا المصريين بسبب الثورة هيكدرونا و يفقرونا وهياخدو قروض من البنك الدولى و قروض من طوب الارض و دة هي سبب تتضخم  يعنى الدولار الى ب٦ هيبقى ب ٢٠ و ممكن ٣٠ جنية !!!!يعنى اكتر من ¾ سعر مصر يدخلوا الفقر....

غير شوية مشاريع وهمية فنكوش كبارى،مدن جديدة،مفاعل نووي أو والله لزوم تخليد فخامة الرئيس..

 و ممكن يدخلوا فى حرب وهمية مع دولة او مجموعات إرهابية مسلحة وهميةعلشان الى يفتح بقة يبقى عميل و خاين و من اعداء الوطن و طبعا هما مش هيفشخوا الشعب بس لا ابدا دة الهدف تدمير مصر و ثرواتة و ارضة تخيل لم الواقع يفشخ الخيال لم يتم بيع أرض مصر علشان نقدر نسدد ديون مصر 

و تجفيف كل موارد الدولة و اولهم النيل طبعا و الآثار هتكون للبيع عادى و شوية يتم إعلان إفلاس مصر و قتة الى هيحكم مصر هنا أصحاب الديون السيادية طبعا الامارات و السعودية و من خلف الستار اسرائيل 

و شعب مصر وقتة مش هتقدر يقول لا علشان بقى متعودة

هبقى اكمل بعدينا لحس اتبضنت ...............

Minha Husaini Girl form #Egypt work as tea boy! #women

Minha Husaini she girl 22 old i think,she finish her study in Tourism and because no security now work for must of egyptian people .

she  shift her hair to can deal with guys in st, and Most of the time, sexual harassment, and she go to work in tahrir Sq !!! in down town  ,,,, its dangers place , but she go bur the police come after her
and they asked her to give then money to let her work ;)

Man charged with spitting at Muslim woman as she walked through Bristol’s Cabot Circus

Police have charged a 26-year-old man with spitting at a Muslim woman as she walked through Cabot Circus.

As previously reported, Hasina Khan was on her way to work when she was allegedly attacked at about 9am on July 21. Ms Khan said she had was spat on and verbally abused by a stranger who approached her as she walked through the shopping centre.

Avon and Somerset police arrested Jack Hughes, of Upton Road, Southville. He has now been charged with racially- or religiously-aggravated common assault and is due to appear before Bristol magistrates on November 13.

Any witnesses to the incident who have not yet come forward should call PC Hannah King on 101, quoting crime reference number 74214/14.

A Muslim woman was left shocked and in tears when she was verbally abused and spat at by a stranger ranting about the Middle East.

Hasina Khan, who was born in Bristol, was on her way to work when she was attacked by a man in Cabot Circus at about 9am on Monday. Saliva ended up on her hijab and her left hand.

The 36-year-old, who lives in Horfield, said: “I’ve experienced hostility and racism many times, from being called Paki in the street to having alcohol thrown at me.

“I remember during the 1990 Iraq invasion being pushed by a boy at school followed by ‘haha we are bombing you’, to more recent years when the world turned to topple Libya and I experienced yet again a rise in racism. In fact, every time there is aggression towards Muslims outside of the UK, I experience aggression from within the UK.

“However, nothing could prepare me for what happened on Monday. Because of Israel’s bombardment of the mainly-Muslim population of Gaza, was I again being targeted?

“I had just past Pret A Manger and a man came charging towards me with such aggression I thought he was going to punch me in the face. He was ranting and he spat in my face. I felt it fall onto my left hand.

“I was in shock at what was happening. I asked him what his problem was, but he continued to rant and said something along the lines of ‘your people are killing’ and something about ‘Middle East’ and ‘killing Christians’. He spat at me again. It was terrifying. I thought he was going to attack me at any second.

“Then my defence mechanism just kicked in and I started to shout at him. What a coward – he then started to back away. He tried to say something else, but I continued to shout at him until he left Cabot Circus. I’ve read so many reports that hate crime towards Muslim women is increasing in the UK, but nothing really prepares you for what to do if it happens and how humiliating, terrifying and dirty it makes you feel.

“I hope he is caught so he cannot terrorise and traumatise other women.”

The attacker was white, with short-brown hair and a short beard, a dark-green T-shirt with a white pattern or writing on the front, and he had two silver necklaces with silver coin-shaped pendants.

When Hasina arrived at work near Temple Meads she found her hijab covered in spit. She washed it off, but was later told by police saliva can be used for DNA, so wants to warn others in case something similar happens to them. She said she hoped the city council, police and Muslim community could work together as much as possible to reduce religious and racial hate crimes.

Hasina was disappointed a call was turned down for a minute’s silence for the people of Palestine to be held at a Bristol City Council meeting this week.

Giving advice to other Muslim women, Hasina said: “Perhaps Muslim women should carry a spare scarf so they can have a clean one, should they be attacked. I would also suggest, if possible, Muslim women do not travel alone, even in the daylight, as these cowardly men seem to prey on what they perceive to be vulnerable looking young women.”

When she arrived at work, her colleagues rallied around her.

Heather Hatch said: “Thankfully, Hasina was not physically injured but mentally she was shocked, upset, shaking and tearful from the unprovoked attack.”

Carolyn Parker added: “When I saw Hasina rinsing clothing on Monday morning, I had assumed spilt coffee or similar, so was shocked when I realised that she was shaking and very upset. Asking if she was OK, I was even more shocked at her response which included expletives that I had never heard her utter before. When she told me that no one had tried to help, or even asked afterwards whether she was ok, I was truly sickened by the public’s lack of action towards her.”

Another colleague, Leanne Fletcher said: “I am so shocked by what happened to Hasina and can only imagine how terrified she would of felt when this man assaulted her in Cabot circus on her way to work. I can only hope that this will not make her afraid to walk around the city she was born in. This was a disgusting act and a violation to her.”

Avon and Somerset police spokesman Martin Dunscombe said: “Officers are investigating these allegations and taking them very seriously. We know there were other people in Cabot Circus at the time and we would appeal for anyone who witnessed what happened, or has any information that might help the investigation, to contact us on 101, quoting 74214/14.”

Victims of hate crimes can call Tell MAMA on 08004561226.

Bristol Post, 24 July 2014

For an earlier attack on a Muslim woman in Bristol, see “Muslim girl spat at and racially abused in Bristol city centre – and no one came to help”, Bristol Post, 17 July 2014

Update:  See “Muslim spitting incident: police release CCTV images of suspect”, Bristol Post, 28 July 2014

Update 2:  “Muslim woman who was spat on in Bristol speaks out”, BBC News, 30 July 2014

Update 3:  See “Arrest over racial spitting incident in Cabot Circus, Bristol”, Bristol Post, 31 July 2014

Egyptian actor #KhaledSaleh dies at 50 #Egypt

Renowned television and movie star Khaled Saleh has died following complications from an open heart surgery.

                     GOOD BYE Khaled ;(

Khaled saleh @ wikipedia

The popular actor passed away at the Magdi Yacoub Heart Centre in Aswan following a heart surgery. According to a representative, the star’s funeral will be held on Friday.

Born on January 23, 1964 in Cairo, Khaled Saleh graduated from Cairo University’s Faculty of Law before becoming a performance artist at Al-Hanager Theatre and the Cairo Opera House.

Mr Saleh commenced acting behind the silver screen in the year 2000 and starred in the internationally acclaimed The Yacoubian Building (2006) and other films such asHeya Fawda ‘This is Chaos’ (2007) and Alrayes Omar Harb (2008).

last VM Form Khaled Saleh

#RIPKhaledSaleh Tweets #KhaledSaleh Tweets

Yemen: Clashes Unsettle the Capital Sanaa

Fighting between Shia rebels and Sunni militias in Yemen has escalated, with clashes on the edge of the capital.

Armed rebels, known as Houthis, shelled buildings of the state TV and the main Sunni Islamist party, Islah, in Sanaa.

Hundreds of residents have fled their homes and international flights to the city have been suspended.

About 40 people have been killed since Tuesday, reports say. The rebels have staged protests for weeks, demanding political and economic reforms.

President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi has dismissed the government and promised to review a decision to cut fuel subsidies.

Over the past few weeks the rebels have occupied protest camps on the road to the airport and staged sit-ins at ministry buildings, as well as clashed with fighters loyal to Islah.

On Thursday night Houthi fighters attacked the state television headquarters in Sanaa.

"The Houthi group is continuing to shell the television building with all kinds of weapons until this moment," the channel said on Friday morning.

As fighting intensified, foreign airlines suspended flights to the Sanaa.

"Arab and foreign airlines have decided to suspend their flights to Sanaa for 24 hours because of developments in the capital," the Civil Aviation Authority said in a statement on state news agency Saba.

The measures could be extended depending on the security situation, the statement added.

update : 9/20/2014

More footage of fighting from today: https://t.co/CzpT1jPFzq While watching realised additional gunfire I was hearing was in realtime #Yemen
— Iona Craig أيونا (@ionacraig) September 19, 2014

Post by Middle East Monitor.

Post by Abu Hudhayfah.

Post by Abu Hudhayfah.

Post by Abu Hudhayfah.

The Egyptians Eid al-Fitr #Egypt 2014

R.I.P Bassem Sabry (1982-2014)

Bassem Sabry, a voice of Egypt's 2011 revolution, dies in accident

Cairo-based journalist and strategist for liberal party Dostour was respected for his analysis of regional politics

http://anarabcitizen.blogspot.com/

One of the voices of Egypt's 2011 revolution and its aftermath, Bassem Sabry, has died in an accident aged 31.

A Cairo-based journalist and political strategist, Sabry rose to prominence during the Arab uprisings of 2011, achieving widespread acclaim for his analysis of regional politics in several local and global outlets, including al-Monitor and the Huffington Post. He was frequently cited in international media, including the Guardian.

For a period, Sabry was also a strategist for Dostour, a new liberal party founded by Mohamed ElBaradei, a figurehead of Egypt's 2011 uprising who is now in exile.

But whatever his formal affiliations, Sabry was admired for rarely letting his personal preferences skew his commentary. In a deeply polarised and often vicious political environment in which many others abandoned the centre ground, Sabry won respect across the political spectrum for his principled, fair and insightful analysis.

Paying tribute to Sabry, the Cairo analyst HA Hellyer said: "I was honoured to call Bassem Sabry a companion, a colleague and most of all, a friend. At a time when Egypt sorely needed voices that rejected destructive polarisation and mutual hatred, Bassem was one of the few that insisted on standing for far loftier principles. He believed in a better Egypt for all Egyptians – and worked tirelessly, often very quietly and without taking credit, in pursuit of that goal."

Zeinobia, another well-known Egyptian blogger, wrote on her website: "I know that he did his best to change the world around him to a better place."

Sabry's death also sparked a wave of emotion on social media. "Only the good die young," wrote Ragia Omran, one of Egypt's leading human rights lawyers. "What a great loss for those who still have hope for a better Egypt."

Sabry's cause of death could not immediately be verified. His funeral will take place at west Cairo's Mostafa Mahmoud mosque on Wednesday, with a memorial at the nearby Hamdiyyah Shadhiliyya mosque at sunset on Saturday.

last tweet form him was ask for blood for lil girl

by http://goo.gl/T78yIf

Tweets about ""Bassem Sabry"" Tweets about "#باسم_صبري"

As #Egypt 's Tourism Industry Crumbles, Business Owners Look To Military General To Restore Security

When Egyptians rose up against their government three years ago, it wasn’t just dictator Hosni Mubarak’s reign that crumbled. The mass protests, political instability, and now, increasingly frequent terrorist attacks, have devastated Egypt’s once-thriving tourism sector.

For many Egyptians still working in the industry today, there is only one answer to their problems: Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, who is gearing up for a likely presidential bid and is seen as a leader who will bring back security to businesses.

"Sissi is the only man who can solve Egypt’s problems," said Emad Nour, a third-generation shopkeeper in Cairo’s sprawling Khan el-Khalili bazaar, where tourists used to flock before the unrest began. "He can fix the security problem here."

Nour once made a decent living making intricate tables, traditional lamps and other handmade items that often attract tourists. But nowadays he, like many other vendors, has barely anyone coming to his shop.

"We depend on tourism," he said with dismay. "If there are no tourists, our lives are not good." Lots of stores around him have closed down, he said, adding that many shop owners have given up and changed professions entirely.

At Cairo’s ancient Giza Pyramids, which used to be swarming with foreigners, desperate vendors and guides with skinny horses now harass the occasional straggling tourists. Buses carrying tourists from the capital to resort towns along the Red Sea now travel in armed convoys through the restive Sinai, where hardline militants have launched a campaign against security forces. Once bustling hotels and youth hostels are eerily quiet.

From 2009 to 2010, before the revolution, Egypt took in $11.6 billion from tourism,according to Reuters. But 2012 to 2013 were marked by a devastating dip in tourism, with Egypt only earning $9.75 billion from the industry. Following the military's ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi last year, tourism fell by a whopping 45 percent, Tourism Minister Hisham Zaazou told Reuters.

Under the military-backed government, unrest has surged. In recent weeks alone,gunmen assassinated a top government figure, a jihadist group targeted security forces in Cairo with four bombs, and dozens of anti-government protesters have been killed in clashes with police.

On Jan. 29, the U.S. Embassy in Cairo urged its citizens to "limit their movements to the near vicinity of their neighborhoods," warning against traveling outside of Egypt’s cities by car. And many governments, like the United States and the United Kingdom, have issued travel alerts for Egypt.

Thousands of dissidents have been imprisoned, and rights groups and critics have slammed the interim government as repressive and increasingly authoritarian. Yet despite a heavy-handed crackdown on what the state has labeled a "war on terrorism," many Egyptians, especially those working in tourism, say forceful rule is the only way to restore security.

"We need a man who can stabilize everything," said Abdel Rahman Aly, a tourism company owner. "I’m against a man with a military background, but there is no one else."

In Egypt, Sissi is portrayed as a national hero. Posters bearing his face are plastered everywhere. Pro-government protesters who rallied on Jan. 25, the three-year anniversary of the revolution, didn’t chant revolutionary slogans of "bread, freedom, and social justice." Instead, they wore Sissi masks and praised the military leader for cracking down on violence.

"This man is an idol," Aly said. "If that works for everyone else, that works for me."

Aly says the only reason his company is still afloat is because he has started coordinating international trips for Egyptians, having largely given up on foreigners coming to the country. But with military checkpoints everywhere and a very real fear of terrorist attacks, the success of even this venture seems improbable.

Unlike Aly, some have their doubts that Sissi can up live to the expectations of his cult-like followers.

"The notion that Sissi can curb terrorist attacks is odd in my view," said Shadi Hamid, a Middle East analyst and fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Saban Center. "Under Sissi, over the last seven months, terrorist attacks have increased significantly. Brute force seems to be his approach to dealing with things -- but that’s not how you defeat terrorism."

Dr. Kareem Eltamamy, the owner of Dahab Hostel, a once bustling youth hostel just a short walk from Tahrir Square, agrees with that sentiment.

"If Sissi became president, the Muslim Brotherhood or whoever is making these explosions will just become more angry," he said, mirroring popular consensus that the Islamist group is behind the attacks, even though a Sinai-based jihadist group has claimed responsibility for most of the recent terrorist attacks across Egypt.

Eltamamy said his hostel, which is widely known among backpackers and budget travelers in Egypt, doesn't come close to reaching capacity on a good day. He describes the past few months in a single word: "hell." Unlike many Egyptians who wholly believe in Sissi’s promise to quell the violence, he doesn’t think the current security situation, or the tourism sector, will turn around anytime soon.

But after three years of tumult, he said he doesn’t know how it could get much worse.

Eltamamy recently poured money into remodeling his hostel, hoping to draw in tourists from the "adventurous" crowd he says now occasionally comes through. But so far, it hasn’t helped.

"Nobody wants to go to a country that is exploding," he said with a sigh.

Tomb of ancient #Egyp t's beer maker to gods of the dead discovered

Imagine a warm brew of lager so heady you had to plunge a straw through the thick surface scum to get to the fermented liquor a.

Welcome to the favored brew of ancient Egypt's New Kingdom; a 3,200-year-old barley beer that a new archaeological find this month is shedding new light on.

A Japanese team headed by Jiro Kondo of Waseda University stumbled on the tomb of ancient beer-maker Khonso Em Heb while cleaning the courtyard of another tomb at the Thebes necropolis in the Egyptian city of Luxor.

The tomb, replete with highly colored frescoes, is being hailed as one of the most significant finds of recent times.

Egypt's antiquities minister Mohamed Ibrahim described Khonso Em Heb as the chief "maker of beer for gods of the dead" adding that the tomb's chambers contain "fabulous designs and colors, reflecting details of daily life... along with their religious rituals."

One fresco shows Khonso Em Heb -- who apart from being a brewer, headed the royal storehouses during the pharaonic Ramesside period (1,292--1,069 BC) -- making offerings to the gods along with his wife and daughter.

The newly discovered tomb is to be placed under tight security until the excavation work is completed, the ministry said in a press statement.

According to Professor Poo Mun Chou, a leading Egyptologist at Hong Kong's Chinese University, the discovery is not only significant in terms of what it tells archaeologists about life during the New Kingdom period of Ancient Egypt, but marks a new direction for Egypt's beleaguered antiquities ministry.

Still reeling from a disastrous break-in at the Cairo Museum in 2011 --- when looters smashed two mummies and made off with more than 50 artifacts --- Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities had slapped stringent restrictions on archaeological digs.

For Professor Poo, the latest discovery is a sign that archeology in Egypt may be returning to normal.

"The significance in this find is that for quite some time archaeologists haven't been able to excavate an intact tomb," he said.

This is a new find and is quite unexpected.
Poo Man Chou, Egyptologist

"An intact tomb will give us a more complete view of the funerary customs which can be compared with other tomb paintings."

He said the frescoes were well preserved.

"The Supreme Council of Antiquities has for some time had a policy of not excavating new tombs but preserving those tombs that have already been excavated.

"This is a new find and is quite unexpected."

Apart from the recent political turmoil in Egypt, which has led to a surge in the number of illegal digs and antiquities damaged by looters, Professor Poo said the sheer speed with which new discoveries were being made had meant the government was having difficulty keeping up with logging and preserving the finds.

Excavation around Thebes could be returning to normal.

Add to this the problem of protecting ancient tombs, which begin to degrade the moment they are opened, and Egypt's antiquities authorities have their work cut out for them.

"In Egypt, of course, the dry weather means the danger of this is less, but still after some time the color of the painting begins to fade away.

"That is why Egypt now has a stricter policy."

While foreign archaeological teams are still operating in Egypt, the political climate has made it more difficult for them to do their work.

Even the International Association of Egyptologists (IAE) was told late last year that Egypt --- because of the political situation --- was unable to host the 2014 International Congress of Egyptologists.

The IAE is currently seeking bids for a second country to host the prestigious congress.

Meanwhile, historians and archaeologists are making use of the latest find while it is still available to be studied.

"Alcohol in ancient Egypt was very important -- not just in terms of daily consumption but also as an offering to deities. Beer, in particular was very important," said Poo.

"Beer during the New Kingdom period was probably one-fifth or even one-tenth the price of wine making it a very popular drink for people of all social strata."

While the appeal of beer across all social classes remains to this day, Professor Poo says the modern drinker might struggle to recognize the barley or millet-based beverage of ancient times.

"While it's a close cousin to modern beer, it's manufacture was more primitive and they had to use a tube to extract the liquid from below which would have had a fermented layer of substance floating on the top of the jar," he said.

"It would have had bubbles," he added.