Egypt Opp. Leader Claims Gov Harassment09/04 09:56

   CAIRO (AP) -- Egypt's most prominent democracy advocate accused President 
Hosni Mubarak's government Saturday of posting Facebook photos of his daughter 
in swimsuits and at events where alcohol was served in an attempt to discredit 
him.

   Mohammed ElBaradei, the Nobel Peace Prize winner and former U.N. nuclear 
chief, was quoted in the independent Al-Dustour newspaper as saying the 
government is "waging a campaign of sheer lies" by using the photos to portray 
him and his family as nonbelievers --- a politically damaging accusation in an 
increasingly conservative Muslim country.

   The Facebook photos were an unusual personal attack on him and his family.

   The more than 30 photos were posted under the title: "Secrets of the 
ElBaradei family." Some show his daughter in swimsuits at the beach and sitting 
at events in front of what appeared to be bottles of alcohol. Drinking is 
forbidden in Islam and conservative Muslims would generally consider a woman 
appearing publicly in a bathing suit to be immodest.

   "This just shows how desperate the forces against change have become by 
resorting to a smear campaign based on lies and fabrication," ElBaradei told 
The Associated Press through a spokeswoman.

   A spokesman for Mubarak's National Democratic Party said it had no 
connection to the Facebook campaign, which he called an attempt at "character 
assassination."

   "I think this is a very grave mistake, violating the privacy of others," 
said Ali Eddin Helal.

   ElBaradei has drawn the government's anger with a campaign he started early 
this year boldly calling for electoral reform and constitutional amendments 
that would allow a credible candidate to challenge the ruling party in next 
year's presidential election.

   Respected internationally and untouched by the corruption tainting much of 
Egypt's regime, ElBaradei brought together a coalition of young activists and 
opposition groups to push for change.

   On Wednesday, he called on Egyptians to boycott this year's parliamentary 
election. In a post on Twitter, he said a "total boycott of the elections and 
signing petitions are the first steps to unmask the shameful democracy."

   Government-controlled media have tried to undermine him by describing him as 
out of touch with Egyptian society because he lived abroad for many years and 
accusing him of being an American stooge.

   The Facebook site also says his daughter is married to a Christian and shows 
an image of what it purports is her real profile from the social networking 
site listing her religious status as agnostic.

   The Facebook site also accuses ElBaradei himself of being an atheist and of 
seeking to deceive Egyptians by touring mosques and being photographed praying.


(CZ)