Bothaina Kamel ( arz, بثينة كامل; born 18 April 1962, in

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...

) is an Egyptian television anchor, activist, and politician. A long-time pro-democracy advocate, particularly in

Shayfeencom Shayfeencom (Egyptian Arabic: ''We are watching you'') is an initiative that started with three Egyptian women (a prominent TV newscaster, a university professor, and a marketing consultant) to help bring political reform and democracy to Egypt. ...

, her professional career has been marked by repeated conflict with authorities. In June 2011 she announced her candidacy for the Egyptian presidency, although she did not receive enough signatures to make the ballot. She announced on 12 April 2014 that she would run in the 2014 presidential election though she was unable to collect enough endorsements to run. Kamel hosted an Egyptian radio program called ''Nighttime Confessions'' from 1992 to 1998. She later worked as a new presenter for Egyptian state television, and hosted a show called ''Please Understand Me'' on the Saudi Arabian-owned Orbit satellite TV network. In each assignment, she eventually encountered official resistance: ''Confessions'' was cancelled after outcries by religious conservatives; she took a leave of absence from Egyptian state television rather than participate in propaganda surrounding the 2005 elections; and ''Understand Me'' was taken off the air by the Saudi producers when they became concerned that its coverage of the

2011 Egyptian revolution The 2011 Egyptian revolution, also known as the 25 January revolution ( ar, ثورة ٢٥ يناير; ), began on 25 January 2011 and spread across Egypt. The date was set by various youth groups to coincide with the annual Egyptian "Police ho ...

would implicate Saudi interests. She has long been active in pro-democracy activities, often present a pro-democracy rallies, forming the election monitoring group Shayfeencom, in 2005, and immediately taking to the streets during the 2011 revolution. She is a self-described social democrat, and ran as an independent. A

Sunni Muslim Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word ''Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagree ...

, she has taken anti-sectarian stances, endorsing proposals for equal treatment of

Coptic Coptic may refer to: Afro-Asia * Copts, an ethnoreligious group mainly in the area of modern Egypt but also in Sudan and Libya * Coptic language, a Northern Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Egypt until at least the 17th century * Coptic alphabet ...

and Muslim places of worship and for trying those who incite sectarian violence. Additionally, she wears a

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

crescent and a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

cross necklace __NOTOC__ A cross necklace is any necklace featuring a Christian cross or crucifix. Crosses are often worn as an indication of commitment to the Christian faith, and are sometimes received as gifts for rites such as baptism and confirmation. Com ...

both are symbols of Egyptian unity and also were the symbol of the

1919 Egyptian Revolution The Egyptian Revolution of 1919 ( ''Thawra 1919'') was a countrywide revolution against the British occupation of Egypt and Sudan. It was carried out by Egyptians from different walks of life in the wake of the British-ordered exile of the rev ...

. She criticized the military, rather than either sect, for sectarian clashes that have erupted in the wake of the revolution. Other positions include reducing the minimum age of parliamentarians from 30 to 22 in view of the youth participation in the revolution.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kamel, Bothaina People of the Egyptian revolution of 2011 Egyptian democracy activists Candidates for President of Egypt 21st-century Egyptian women politicians 21st-century Egyptian politicians Egyptian revolutionaries Living people 1962 births Egyptian Sunni Muslims Independent politicians in Egypt Female revolutionaries