CAIRO: Twenty-six students at Assuit University, along with others in a number of other national universities including Cairo University, were referred to a disciplinary committee for their affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood group, said Mahmoud Ezzat, a leading member of the group. Ezzat told Daily News Egypt that the students had not displayed any violent or "even political behavior. "They [the students] were only participating in social activities that will benefit their communities and train them to be useful in society, Ezzat added. He regretted the fact that student activities have been hijacked by the government. "Both the faculty and administration are hired by the president of the university who, in turn, is hired by the government and hence they are all expected to follow government policies, Ezzat added. These universities' administrative systems are undemocratic, paying no respect to privacy laws, he lamented, alleging that students are always being watched. Abdel-Aziz Mogahed, a lawyer representing some of the 28 students who were arrested at the Faculty of Commerce in Helwan University last year during the student union's presidential elections, told Daily News Egypt that national universities had meted out very harsh punishments to MB-affiliated students, disregarding their legal and constitutional rights. "The punishments of some of the Helwan students arrested last year ranged from suspension to jail sentences which, in some cases, reached up to three years, Mogahed added. When Mogahed filed a lawsuit against Helwan University asking for the re-admission of some of the dismissed students, the court ruled in their favor within two weeks. But the university did not implement the verdict immediately. Instead, it slowed down the admission process on purpose, which meant that they missed a whole semester. Mogahed sees the attitude of national universities towards students with political affiliations outside the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), as part of Minister of Higher Education Hani Hilal's campaign to eliminate any other political currents on university campuses. "The by-laws regulating the activities of new students directly prohibit any political activity to ensure that only the NDP has an influence, Mogahed added. The decision to punish students affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood came a week after the government released 120 detained members of the group. In a previous interview Mohamed Habib, deputy leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, told Daily News Egypt that the release did not signal a change in the government's attitude towards the group. "The government has always used the carrot and stick strategy when dealing with us, Habib said.
