Sohag

Mohamed proceeded saying that the residents of other villages in Sohag governorate look down on him.

Global Voices in English » Egypt: Interviewing a Baha’i Assailant 2009

Despite Mr. Hammadi's confidence that the old, violent order will once again carry him to parliament, few voters in the impoverished Nasser City district of Sohag appeared to count themselves among his supporters.

Vote Tests Egypt's Old Regime Matt Bradley 2011

On the other hand, a shift away from the old order could unsettle old family rivalries and sectarian tensions that simmer just below the calm surface of impoverished Upper Egyptian cities like Sohag.

Vote Tests Egypt's Old Regime Matt Bradley 2011

"We do not want to make the church to be a bloc and a country within a country because we're one people," said Father Kirolos Binyamin, the pastor at Sohag's main Saint George's Church.

Christians Face Murky Future After Egypt Polls Matt Bradley 2011

Islamist politicians and the newly minted liberal candidates don't know the first thing about satisfying the competing clan interests that define Sohag's local politics, Mr. Hammadi said.

Vote Tests Egypt's Old Regime Matt Bradley 2011

Few could point to one thing Mr. Hammadi has done to benefit Sohag and fewer still had reported ever having met him.

Vote Tests Egypt's Old Regime Matt Bradley 2011

"The only problem with Sohag is revenge and vengeance," said Yasser Mohammed, the owner of a popular coffee shop within sight of a nearby polling station.

Vote Tests Egypt's Old Regime Matt Bradley 2011

Indeed, violence between Christians and Egypt's Muslim majority regularly break out in cities such as Sohag, as do score-settling fights between sprawling clans.

Vote Tests Egypt's Old Regime Matt Bradley 2011

"Over here, the most dominant factor in the elections is the family and tribal factors rather than political ideologies and the relations between individuals," said Hazem Hammadi, a NDP member who has represented Sohag in Parliament since 2000 and is again a candidate.

Vote Tests Egypt's Old Regime Matt Bradley 2011

In Sohag, feloul candidates are more than members of the former regime: They are scions of family systems whose roots reach beyond the Mubarak regime to an agrarian past in which a landed gentry exercised sole political power, meted out favors and punishment, and kept the peace among clans.

Vote Tests Egypt's Old Regime Matt Bradley 2011