Egypt

The Perennial Egyptian Protestor

The call today was for a demonstration in front of the Saudi Embassy in response to the treatment that befell Egyptians, at a Saudi airport, on their way to Egypt after performing Umrah. Someone might say, is this worth a demonstration amidst the upheaval Egypt is going through? Then, people on route to the Mediterranean Coast to spend Eid there were stalled for a good many hours because the Wadi Natroun townsfolk decided to block the Cairo/Alexandria route. A car had fatally injured a child pedestrian and sped along leaving the town in fury. The protestors also asked for a pedestrian overpass so that town folk can safely cross the intersection. Both reasons are legal rights, but how do those heading for the coast feel trapped for many hours at the mercy of others?

With Ramadan over, sit ins are returning to Tahrir once more—no one knows why this new wave of protests is occurring; that isn’t the point, but in the meantime, the police forces have also begun to congregate around the Square. End result, mayhem has restarted: clashes occurred already--rock throwing and a lot of foolishness seem to be the dominating picture of the last hour.

During the course of the last few months, we’ve seen protestors protest SCAF (Supreme Council of Armed Forces); the Israeli killings of Egyptian soldiers; and the Syrian, Libyan, and any government that is clashing with its people, in addition to the Israeli one, of course. We’ve witnessed sit ins complaining the lack of proper shelter and residency, the need for a traffic light—with protestors lying in the middle of the Corniche in Alexandria to convey their disgruntlement; low wages (and the high wages of some); and denouncements of deans, teachers, and surprisingly factory owners. The people in Qena protested against the appointment of a Christian governor and warned they would cut water and electricity supply from reaching Sinai. Two days ago, residents in Saft el Laban blocked traffic to the Ring Road in the hopes of regaining their water supplies.  And of course the families of prisoners have asked for the children’s freedom; whether they are guilty or not is not the issue.

The bottom line is that Egyptians have become perennial protestors. Protesting seems to have become the only solution to get a response from officials. The true Egyptian protestor is the one who stood his ground for 18 days after January 25. This protestor is long gone, and the copycats who believe they’ll get what they want by protesting are utilizing the same approach.

Many Egyptians want change, but they want it instantly. They congregate in an area and create havoc intentionally. They realize that, if they cause mayhem, the government would have to react and listen to them, which is true in most cases.  

The reasons as we saw are varied in breadth, veracity, and expectations. You have the political ones, but you also have the socioeconomic, the labour related, the personal, and the religious. It almost seems as though this is becoming a way of life in Egypt. I have this fear that some of these protestors have turned the protesting “life” into a regular daily job. And once one cause is overcome, they’ll start another cause and on we go.

Only a few minutes ago, the governor of Giza announced that indeed a pedestrian overpass will be built towards the entrance to the town of Wadi El Natroon. He is responding to the protests that closed off the Alexandria/Cairo road. Had protestors not closed off the road, no one would have thought of reacting. This is exactly what I am talking about. Nothing gets done; then protestors proclaim a street, an area, a ring road, and then, only then, officials react.

But this is a double-sword dilemma. It is becoming a perennial way of getting one’s rights, fair or not. True there are incidents which, for the welfare of Egyptians, it makes sense to comply to, but there are other incidents that should never be acceptable and should never be dealt with as a given. Think of the Qena governor who was asked to rescind his position because he is Christian. Once you give in to such drastically erroneous demands, you live to pay the price forever.

As much as I am happy that some people are getting their rights, apartments, dues, etc., I’m deeply worried about what is becoming the norm. The norm is not to protest. The norm is to present your case through legal and proper channels in case Egyptians have forgotten.

If officials fix issues without being pressured and if Egyptians learn to ask for their rights through the necessary channels, Egypt will return to normalcy—both ifs are indeed extremely difficult to accomplish in the atmosphere enveloping today’s Egypt.      

Update: September 4: Four protests occurring today: Engineering students, post office works, Mubarak's supports planning bus rides to trial to protest the trial, and Aswan Governorate workers burnt the building because Interim prime minister, Essam Sharf, did not meet them as seen in the photo below.

 

How ridiculous can we get? And how sidetracked can we be?

المبادئ فوق الدستورية واحترام الحريات الفردية

«البكيني والخمور ومثلها من الأمور قد تبدو للأستاذ فهمي (هويدي) ثانوية ولغيره من الأصوليين، لكن المسألة ليست فيها تماماً بل في رمزيتها: أي في أنها تمس الحريات الفردية للمواطنين وليس فقط السياح. أنا مصرية افتخر بمصر ولن أغادرها ولو بكل المغريات، وقضيت أسابيع الثورة في ميدان التحرير، لكنني ألبس البكيني وأسبح على شواطئ بلدي، فمن له الحق أن يقول لي لا؟ هذه مصر لنا جميعاً ويجب أن نحترم خياراتنا الفردية. أنا احترم حق السلفي والأصولي في ممارساته الدينية وعليه احترام حقي في ممارسة ما أشاء في وطني. ومن يتأذى من رؤية البكيني عليه أن لا يذهب للشواطئ». هذا تعليق موقع باسم «ناديا مصرية» ورد ضمن تعليقات عدة على مقالة للزميل فهمي هويدي منشورة على موقع «العربية نت» مؤخراً بعنوان «ليس دفاعاً عن البكيني».

المقالة المذكورة والتعليقات الواردة عليها ترد في نقاش أثارته تصريحات د. سعد الكتاتني الأمين العام لحزب الحرية والعدالة (الإخوان المسلمين) في مصر دعا فيها لمنع السياح في مصر من ارتداء لباس البحر وشرب الخمور. القلق والتخوف الذي استدعته دعوة الكتاتني عند كل من يعمل في قطاع السياحة في مصر وهو قطاع كبير وتشكل مداخيله جزءاً أساسياً من الدخل القومي في شكل عام، قلق مشروع بطبيعة الحال. لكن القلق والخطر الأكبر هو ما عبرت عنه «ناديا المصرية» ولا علاقة له بالسياح، بل بالمنطلق والفكر والرؤية الأبوية التي تصدر عنها هذه التصريحات. وقبل المضي في هذه المقالة من الإنصاف الإشارة إلى تصريحات لقيادات إخوانية أخرى كانت سابقة على تصريحات الكتاتني كانت معتدلة الى حد ما إزاء مسألة السياحة والحريات الفردية، وبخاصة الصادرة عن الدكتور عصام العريان.

via international.daralhayat.com

Thousands participate in online protest demanding end to military trials | Al-Masry Al-Youm

 
Reprinted from Al Masry El Youm

Over 130,000 activists on social networking sites Facebook and Twitter participated in an hour-long “electronic protest” against military trials for civilians, launched by a group of activists and members of the 6 April Youth Movement.

The online protest began at 10 pm on Saturday and focused on writing comments against military trials for civilians on the official Facebook pages of Prime Minister Essam Sharaf, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), the cabinet, and the Interior Ministry.

On the SCAF’s official Facebook page alone, more than 110,000 activists demanded an end to military trials.

Nearly 20,000 activists denounced military trials on the cabinet’s official page, and 4000 did the same on the Interior Ministry’s page.

Members of a number of political movements participated, including members of Facebook pages supporting presidential hopefuls Mohamed ElBaradei and Abdel Moneim Abul Fotouh, as well as members of the National Council, Egyptian Liberal Party and the "We are the ones who said no" Facebook pages.

The activists posted a number of slogans and imag

Over 130,000 activists on social networking sites Facebook and Twitter participated in an hour-long “electronic protest” against military trials for civilians, launched by a group of activists and members of the April 6 Youth Movement.

The online protest began at 10 pm on Saturday and focused on writing comments against military trials for civilians on the official Facebook pages of Prime Minister Essam Sharaf, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), the cabinet, and the Interior Ministry.

On the SCAF’s official Facebook page alone, more than 110,000 activists demanded an end to military trials.

Nearly 20,000 activists denounced military trials on the cabinet’s official page, and 4000 did the same on the Interior Ministry’s page.

Members of a number of political movements participated, including members of Facebook pages supporting presidential hopefuls Mohamed ElBaradei and Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh, as well as members of the National Council, Egyptian Liberal Party and the "We are the ones who said no" Facebook pages.

via www.almasryalyoum.com

ما الذى يريده الشعب؟ - التحرير

يا نوارة الانتصار أحمد فؤاد نجم، يا أختاه، أقدر حماسك الثورى، لكن لا يجب أن يجعلك هذا الحماس تكتبين ردا على كلام لم أقله أصلا، ألا ينبغى لكى نختلف أن نعرف ما الذى نحن مختلفون فيه أصلا. قرأت مقالك الذى أشرت فيه إلى بعض ماكتبته، وأعدت قراءة مقالاتى الأخيرة فلم أجد فيها أبدا أننى قلت أن إسرائيل دولة متحضرة، قلت أن إسرائيل دولة متقدمة، وهناك فرق بين التحضر والتقدم يشبه الفرق بين السما والإبصار. إسرائيل دولة غير متحضرة، دولة إستيطانية عنصرية بربرية غاشمة عدوانية حقيرة ملعونة، لكنها دولة متقدمة علميا وعسكريا وإقتصاديا، وإذا كان بعضنا يعتقد أن الحل أن يؤمن بأن «إسرائيل ليست دولة قوية وهيهات منا الذلة»، فأنصحه أن يقف أمام السفارة الإسرائيلية ليهتف بصوت عال «إسرائيل مش دولة قوية وهيهات منا الذلة «، ويخبرنى بعدها بشهر هل زالت إسرائيل أم أنها ظلت على قيد الحياة، وظللنا نحن على قيد حالة الإنكار.

من قال أن التبصر الواعى بحالة العدو ومقدراته يعنى الإنبهار به؟، أليست المعرفة شرطا للنصر؟، لماذا يحرص بعضنا على أن يزنق الوطن فى خانة من إثنتين: التصعيد المنفلت أو الإنبطاح المهين. أنت تعترضين على منطق المدعوق مبارك الذى ساد طيلة فترة حكمه «هو إحنا قد الحرب؟»، ولديك كل الحق، فلماذا تضعين من يرى عدم جدوى التصعيد الإنفعالى غير المحسوب ضد إسرائيل فى خانة مبارك وعمر سليمان؟، ألا يمكن لنا أن نصل إلى التحرر الوطنى من طريق جديد لم نجربه بدلا من أن نمشى فى نفس الطريق الذى أودى بنا كل مرة إلى الهزيمة؟. بالمناسبة أنا لم أقل أن أحمد الشحات يعيبه كونه نقاشا بل اعتبرت أن كونه كذلك إنجاز كبير حققته الثورة المصرية التى وسعت دائرة الفاعلين فى الوطن، لكن من حقى أن أراه جدعا فحسب، كما من حق غيرى أن يراه بطلا خارقا يستحق التكريم والإحتفاء الذى لم يحصل عليه فى هذه البلاد باحث جاد ولا مخترع مجتهد، وليس معنى أن أقوم بتذكير الناس بتقدم إسرائيل العلمى والتكنولوجى أننى أدعوهم للإنهزام، بل يمكن أن يكون ذلك دعوة منى لهم أن يدركوا أين تكمن مشكلتنا الحقيقية.

via tahrirnews.com

You mean to tell me that my voice, effort, and rights don't matter?”

One of the most outspoken and rational Egyptian tweeters is Mahmoud Salem, aka Sandmonkey. In January of this year, I began to follow Salem, and I found his blog informative and current. He introduced me to many other sources, which I still follow until today. 

Mahmoud Salem represents the young activists that changed the face of Egypt. He also ran for the Heliopolis seat in parliament. Though he didn’t win, he is thought highly of, and many would like to see him play an influential role in today’s Egyptian political scene. Salem also writes regularly and his editorials are exceptional. 

But today Salem, who could have become my parliament representative since I am from Heliopolis, bombarded Egyptians with a weird message: that 60-year-old Egyptians should not play a significant role in the future of Egypt. This sound writer has suddenly turned against those over 60. “The next Egyptian government should not include anyone over 60,” he says. “Minimum age to run for any political office: 21. Maximum age: 59. No exceptions,” he repeats.  His focus today is obvious; Egypt needs the younger generation to be in charge. “It doesn’t matter what your ideological direction is, just vote for someone young with new ideas. That’s all.” 

He continues, “So please, wake up and realize that this is a generation war: one generation looking under their feet and while the other is ready to fly.” Salem envisions a war then; he adds, “they got used to the way things are; they know they have 10 years or so b4 they die, and they don’t want any instability for their plans.” This tone exemplifies the arrogance of the activists of today. They believe they know better than anyone else and can dictate paths.

If Salem assumes that 60-year-olds embody the ways of the old regime, it may be understandable though incorrect; for him to assume that all those over sixty should be put to pasture is discriminatory.

Mahmoud Salem should understand that these 60+ hard-working members of society are usually totally with it. They can make major decisions, and they care about their country immensely. Besides, not only those younger than 60 have rights; everyone has the same rights.  In a democracy, everyone is equal, young and old.

In the West and other societies around the world, 60-year-olds are treated fairly and justly, for they are capable of performing and can give as much as the young. Many of them facebook, tweet, and maintain blogs if these are the guidelines by which Salem goes. Mandatory retirement has been eliminated in most parts of Canada; “The rules of the game have changed to allow employees to decide for themselves whether they’re ready to enter the golden years.” [1]

Again in Canada, university professors are choosing to work beyond age 65, and universities are happy to keep them on and profit from their experience and skills. While  in China, the authority of the elderly in many areas of social and political life is uncontested.

Then let’s look at 60-year-olds in Egypt. Can Salem compare Saad Zaghloul to the youngsters of today? Naguib Mahfouz was over 60 when he achieved the Nobel Prize. Would he retire Ahmed Zoweil, the 66-year-old Nobel Prize winner? Or how about Sir Magdi Yacoub who happens to be 78? There is no comparison between the rash, illogical decisions made by the younger generation to those made by Zoueil, Mahfouz, and their likes.

Had Salem said, “We need new ideas, new approaches, and people ready to grow and continue to change,” it would have made sense. But to say that Egypt doesn’t need anyone over 60 is unacceptable and prejudiced.

And today, Salem says, “We want to open the borders with Tunisia, Libya, and any other country that overthrows its regime.” Salem is unaware of how dangerous such a rash decision would be. As a member of the younger generation, he is thinking with a limited vision and not seeing the broader picture that an experienced person might see. 

Generalizations are evil. Neither all 60-year-olds are ready to die nor all 20-year-olds are sound and wise. In all fairness, Salem may end up being a great 60-year-old, and he will reach that age, before he knows it.

In the meantime, until this 60-year-old is unable to talk, voice her concern, or shed an opinion, no one has the right to shush her including Mahmoud Salem. 

She will continue to play a role in today’s Egypt. Hopefully Egypt will want to make good use of her abilities and skills. 

I rest my case.  

---

[1] Kershaw, Anne. “Faculty postpone retirement across Canada.” January 12, 2009.  http://bit.ly/12rWQ

 

 

 

Egypt’s Facebook revolution faces identity crisis - The Washington Post

Each night during the revolution in Tahrir Square, after the skirmishes, we talked with other youths and among ourselves,” said Kamal Samir Fargallah, 38, a business consultant, whose first act after the revolution was to create a Facebook group, as he had seen other groups do, calling for reform in the Brotherhood. “It was the first time we youths from different movements sat together. We learned from each other,” he said.

But even as they push to build a more modern, moderate Brotherhood, the group’s younger members know they risk alienating its leadership, which is still firmly in charge.

“It’s delicate,” said Mohammad al-Kassas, a youth leader in the Brotherhood. “For that reason, you see the overt attempt online, but underneath that are quiet efforts as well behind the scenes.”

Sitting at a downtown coffee shop in a slate-gray suit with a smartphone in each coat pocket, Samir spoke cautiously, playing down the divisions and being careful to avoid criticizing the old guard.

“We have the same goals. It is simply a difference in speed,” he said. “The old leaders are driving at 80 kilometers an hour because this used to be outlawed. We are pointing to the new speed limit, asking why not go 120?”

But half an hour into the conversation, in a moment of candor, he said: “In the future, the young people will be the leaders of Egypt, even in the Muslim Brotherhood. This is what the revolution showed all of us. The young are the only ones with the flexibility to adapt.”

via www.washingtonpost.com

Ousting Mubarak, from Westwood

by Colin Kielty

John Scott-Railton is a doctoral student at UCLA’s School of Public Affairs—where he spends virtually all of his spare time running a Twitter page dedicated to airing voices from the protests that broke out across Egypt on January 25th. Using a Blackberry and his laptop microphone, Railton has been relaying text, audio, and video messages from Egyptians on the ground to audiences both at home and abroad. Zócalo caught up with Railton between tweets to chat about the role of social media in the Egyptian uprisings, his own involvement from his Westwood office, and how media technology can both amplify and distort voices from half a world away.

Q. Your specialty is urban planning. Why do you have a relationship with Egypt?

A. I first went to Egypt in 2006, and it was somewhat of an accident. I had some friends in the Middle East who I wanted to see and we decided to pick a spot that all three of us could converge on. We chose Cairo. And I ended up building friendships there, ties that bind.

Q. How have you been in contact with people in Egypt during the protests?

A. During the first seventeen hours, I started reaching out to my Egyptian contacts on their cell phones. But I learned from them that the cell phone networks were going to go down. So I quickly collected landline numbers. Then cell phones came back, but the Internet was still down. As you can imagine, it’s very difficult to follow a protest with a landline, because if people are out protesting they aren’t near their landlines. So you wind up talking to their aunts.

via zocalopublicsquare.org

Betting on the democratic spirit

Amr Ezzat writes for Masr El Youm on August 25

What do we mean by a “civil state”? Is it the civil state of supra-constitutional principles advocated by the army and liberals that raises the hackles of Islamists who view it as an undemocratic attempt to install secularism? This is not the kind of civil state I support.  

It will not satisfy me one bit see the military stifling the ambitions of some Islamist groups that wish to establish an Islamic state. In a democracy, our best bet against the tyranny of the majority is the persistence of democratic struggles and the emergence of new revolutionary groups whose strength lies in adventurousness, not in their search for guarantees.    

I belong to a leftist  democratic party and have strong a bias towards revolutionary groups and independent activists. Rather than look to the military for protection, I would rather counter Islamist influence through political mobilization and coalition building.

In the early stages of the revolution, non-Islamist groups had a bold spirit of adventure and an ability to take risks without searching for guarantees from those in power. Meanwhile, many Islamists remained paralyzed by a fear of disobeying their rulers and a desire to maintain stability. Unfortunately, civil forces are now losing much of that early vigor.  

via www.almasryalyoum.com

 

Egyptian Budget Travel Guide: Cost of Traveling to Egypt

In comparison to Europe or North America, everyday expenses in Egypt are low.

From SE Asia, prices are quite similar with regards to food, accommodation and living expenses.

Vegetarian meals can be eaten for less than $1 per meal and beds can be bought for around $4 a night.

Travel in Egypt - Budget Travel Egypt

In comparison to Europe or North America, everyday expenses in Egypt are low.

Egypt is blessed with an abundance of magnificent ancient historical sites – but almost all charge entrance fees.  The normal fees for each site range from about 30 LE – 80 LE ($5.20-$13.85)(1/2 price for students), which seems like quite a bit when thinking in Egyptian terms, but is really quite reasonable considering the significance.

Egypt was a little bit of a different story from my usual traveling habits.  My budget was a little higher than usual, aiming to see first hand the ancient sites that I had dreamed about.

At the end of my stay, I managed to see almost everything I wanted to see, eat my fill of Egyptian street food and kept a reasonable budget.

 Travel in Egypt - Budget Travel Egypt

In comparison to Europe or North America, everyday expenses in Egypt are low.

NOTE: I will use 1 Egyptian Pound (LE) = $5.77 USD

via migrationology.com

Public opinion, political strategies and the new Egypt

Via El Masry El Youm, by H.A. Hellyer. Finally, someone discussing the constitution and the parliamentary elction. A sound analytical argument.

There’s a new Egypt now — an Egypt where public opinion actually matters. The country has gone through a tumultuous seven months, and Ramadan provides something of a break from politics, as Muslim communities engage in a month of fasting and spiritual contemplation.

But parliamentary elections are drawing closer — probably within the next few months — and political actors need to consider their strategies. It is clear that divisions already exist within the revolutionary ranks,  between those focused on being agitators and those focused on the elections. Ramadan gives these people the time to discuss, debate and, afterward, to regroup.

Public opinion cannot be ignored, like it was under the former regime, even while public opinion does not (yet) rule the country. While political factions are already speaking their minds in the new Egypt, good ideas alone do not make good leaders. Even when they disagree with the public mood, successful politicians must speak to the public’s concerns.

The economy, religion, the military and social media are four of the key issues politicians will need to understand and consider. The Abu Dhabi Gallup Center is now tracking the country’s pivotal transition on a monthly basis — and data from the last few months reveal some intriguing

via www.almasryalyoum.com