Egyptian Minister of Culture Emad Abu Ghazi tendered his resignation on Sunday to protest the handling of ongoing clashes between security forces and protesters in Cairo’s Tahrir Square by the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) and the SCAF-appointed government.
Although Abu Ghazi’s resignation has been confirmed by multiple sources, the former minister has so far declined to comment on the move.
Abu Ghazi joined the Egyptian Cabinet in March 2011, when he received a warm welcome by Egyptian intellectuals and artists. Within recent months, however, a number of cultural figures have expressed concern regarding the ministry’s seeming inability to contend with the chronic problems facing Egypt’s cultural scene, including longstanding corruption and suppression of freedom of expression.
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