Wednesday’s papers focus on the alleged phenomenon of “Brotherhood-izing” the state via new mass appointments in governor positions, national councils and the state-owned press. Newspapers also cover the issue of police officers protesting outside the Council of Ministers to demand the right to keep their beards.

Other developments covered include the lawsuit filed by a lawyer from the Muslim Brotherhood against a cultural center for hosting “Satan-worshipping” heavy metal concerts and festivals; lawsuits against the Mubarak family for profiteering from lands dedicated to agricultural projects; and Mubarak’s former minister of culture standing trial on charges of illicit financial gains.

Topping the news are President Mohamed Morsy’s gubernatorial appointments. “Morsy issues presidential decree appointing 10 new governors, three of whom hail from the Brotherhood,” reads a headline in the independent Al-Watan newspaper.

In another series of appointments, the Brotherhood-dominated Shura Council selected eight new chief editors to preside over the state-owned press. The (nominally) independent Al-Dostour newspaper describes these appointments as being “an act of assault on press institutions at the hands of the Shura Council” in an “attempt to control and Brotherhood-ize the state-owned media.”

The Shura Council also handpicked a host of new officials to preside over the National Council for Human Rights and the Journalism Council. “The wave of Brotherhood-ization reaches the National Council for Human Rights, Supreme Council of Journalism and [the] chief editors of national papers,” reads another headline in Al-Watan. The article mentions that five members of the Brotherhood were appointed to preside over the Human Rights Council, while additional Brotherhood members, other Islamists, and pro-regime figures were appointed as newspaper editors or officials in the Supreme Council of Journalism.

Al-Dostour mockingly refers to the National Council for Human Rights as now being “The National Council for Brotherhood Rights.” The independent Al-Tahrir Newspaper runs a caricature on its front page of the word “Al-Tahrir” (Liberation), holding up a protest sign reading “No to the Brotherhood-ization of the state.”

In other news, dozens of bearded police officers protested outside the Council of Ministers and Interior Ministry on Tuesday demanding the right to not shave their beards – in compliance with Islamic Sunnah (the personal practices of the Prophet Mohamed). In the independent Al-Shorouk, “Bearded officers stage protest stand: We want to be like (the bearded President) Morsy and (the bearded Prime Minister Hesham) Qandil.”

This small protest, attended by tens of bearded policemen and officers, was organized by the “I’m a Bearded Officer Coalition,” which opposes the Interior Ministry code that police officers must be clean-shaven while in the service. In Al-Watan, “Bearded officers argue: The President is bearded and we will not part with the Prophet’s Sunnah.” In the independent Youm7, “The president and his ministers are bearded, why not us too?” This paper adds that an imam encouraged these police protesters with the pledge that the “Islamic Caliphate will be restored in Egypt.”

Renewed charges of “Satan worship” leveled against El Sawy Culture Wheel, heavy metal artists and hundreds of fans also captured headlines in today’s newspapers. On 1 September, Ismail al-Weshahi — a lawyer from the Muslim Brotherhood — filed charges against the cultural center accusing it of hosting heavy metal concerts and festivals where youth are engaged in acts of “Satanism.”

“Youth expose claims of ‘Satan-worship’ at El Sawy Culture Wheel,” reads Al-Tahrir, along with “Music doesn’t lead you to worship the devil or SpongeBob.” These articles urge readers not to point fingers at heavy metal music or to demonize metal fans. The article provides a history of metal music and a background behind its messages and imagery since 1969.

Other articles in this paper warn against witch-hunts targeting metal fans, as happened with the ‘heavy metal scare’ of 1997 when dozens of fans were arrested by State Security forces, and accused of involvement in satanic rituals as well as the proliferation of drugs, sexual deviance, animal sacrifices, and defaming heavenly religions, among other allegations.

Al-Watan also runs stories on the allegations, with one claiming the prosecution says it has photos of the satanic rituals.

This while members of bands performing at El Sawy Culture Wheel argued that the Brotherhood is “seeking to shut down this center as it is the only such cultural venue” that hosts rock and metal concerts. Meanwhile, Essam al-Erian — a leading figure within the Muslim Brotherhood and its political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party — sought to distance the Brotherhood and FJP from Weshahi’s charges. Erian, speaking to the state-owned Al-Akhbar newspaper said, “the Brotherhood has nothing to do with the ‘Satan-worship’ case,” and attributed the charges solely to Weshahi.

Youm7 runs the headline “Organized offensive against symbols of the Mubarak regime” over an article describing a multi-pronged legal campaign targeting figures from the ousted Mubarak regime, including the referral of Farouq Hosni (Mubarak’s culture minister) to court on illicit gains charges, an investigation into allegations of Suzanne Mubarak’s profiteering from land allocated for cooperative agricultural projects and criminal charges filed against (the now-retired) Field Marshall Hussein Tantawi and General Sami Anan.

Al-Akhbar writes, "Finally…Farouq Hosni stands before the Felonies Court on charges of illicit gains.” The ex-culture minister's wealth is reportedly estimated at LE18 million.

Regarding the Mubarak profiteering case, the Ministry of Justice is reportedly investigating his wife and sons on charges that they purchased over 64 acres of agricultural land in the Nile Delta town of Belbeis — at the cutthroat price of five piasters per acre. This land, along with other plots, was reportedly purchased by the Mubaraks for their own personal benefit — although these lands were supposed to be allocated for cooperative agricultural projects used by needy farmers and peasants.

Egypt’s papers:

Al-Ahram: Daily, state-run, largest distribution in Egypt

Al-Akhbar: Daily, state-run, second to Al-Ahram in institutional size

Al-Gomhurriya: Daily, state-run

Rose al-Youssef: Daily, state-run

Al-Dostour: Daily, privately owned

Al-Shorouk: Daily, privately owned

Al-Watan: Daily, privately owned

Al-Wafd: Daily, published by the liberal Wafd Party

Youm7: Daily, privately owned

Al-Tahrir: Daily, privately owned

Freedom and Justice: Daily, published by the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party

Sawt al-Umma: Weekly, privately owned

Al-Arabi: Weekly, published by the Nasserist Party

Al-Nour: Official paper of the Salafi Nour Party