I don't really think they hate us!

I felt deeply offended and insulted by Mona Eltahawy's latest article in Foreign Policy, titled Why Do They Hate Us?   I follow Eltahawy's columns quite regularly and I accept many of her arguments, even if I do not agree with her views on Islam and veiling. But for her to claim that "they" hate Arab women is in my view complete nonsense. 

And before I go any further, I realize of course that I will be accused by some (which already happened on the FP comments sections) that I am in denial and that I refuse to air my dirty linen in public. Well, I'm NOT in denial; I am well aware that Arab women have their fair share of problems. But I refuse to be lumped into this monolithic group of oppressed, abused and hated victims. Arab women's problems are not the same across the board. Even within one country like Egypt, what I see as a problem, might not be the most pressing issue for the woman next door. So, I refuse to have Eltahawy talk on my behalf as if she is the expert who can accurately identify my plight.

In her column, Eltahawy cleverly weaves a web of torture and oppression against Arab women, with pictures of black-painted covered-up women planted throughout the article, to accentuate this image of oppression. Everything, from virginity tests, to sexual deprivation, female genital mutilation, sexual harassment and child marriage, is included in this article to produce a column that will surely be welcomed by many Western feminists and anti-Islamists, who for years have been telling us that Muslim women are weak, oppressed victims of misogyny and rigid Islamic rules that force them to hide behind their veils.

But for many Arab women (I say many based on the negative reaction Eltahawy's column has already stirred), this column is offensive and is nothing but a combination of old cultural practices and undemocratic government actions that are described in a way to represent women as the Oriental Other, weak, helpless and submissive, oppressed by Islam and the Muslim male, this ugly, barbaric monster. Yes, women everywhere face diverse challenges. Arab women have their own fair share of issues, but to claim that these are problems of hate is deceiving.  

 As a Muslim Arab woman, I therefore by no means see myself being represented fairly in Eltahawy's column, and here's why:

• From the very start of the article, Eltahawy introduces a disturbing account by author Alifa Rifaat in her fiction book Distant View of a Minaret to tell us what goes on in a bedroom between man and wife. Yet how can Eltahawy jump to this conclusion about misogyny in the Middle East merely by reciting quotes from Rifaat's fiction book?  How would you know or how can you claim to know that many Arab women are sexually deprived? Have you interviewed Arab wives who confirm this? Are you relying on a credible study? For someone like Eltahawy, whom I truly considered to be a veteran reporter, to make such generalized sensationalist claims is very disappointing!

• Additionally, some of the evidence Eltahawy relies on, such as virginity tests, criminal codes, etc are problems of undemocratic governing and have nothing to do with hate of women. These are problems that also impact men. There are numerous accounts of police brutality in Egypt, where men have been beaten, sexually abused or beaten to death. Have we forgotten about Khaled Said, the young Alexandrian, whose brutal death sparked the Jan25 Revolution? Or how about Essam Atta, the young man who was tortured to death in prison? Why do we always have to focus on violence against women?  And if you are going to mention unfair criminal codes, then out of fairness, let's examine Egypt's child custody laws, laws that empower mothers but are ridiculously unfair towards fathers. 

• I find Eltahawy's discussion of sexual harassment also problematic. Eltahawy, very candidly and on more than one occasion, has described in detail her ordeal with Egyptian riot police back in November 2011. She explained how she was groped everywhere by a number of police officers while in Cairo. Yet in this Foreign Policy column, she adds a new detail; she informs her audience that she was groped earlier that day by a fellow protester in Tahrir Square! But while Eltahawy details her groping ordeal, she fails to mention the heroic Egyptian women and men who are fighting this epidemic. There is no denial that sexual harassment is a disgusting and sick problem in Egypt that needs to be eradicated. Yet, there's also no denial that there are gutsy women who are already engaged in a battle against this epidemic. Tthese include the women who created HarassMap, and women who are blogging about harassment and others who are standing up to this problem and fighting for its eradication. Eltahawy also fails to give credit to men, who have on multiple occasions created a protective circle around protesting females to protect then and NOT to harass them. Is this the hate that Eltahawy refers to? 

• Then there is the female genital mutilation issue, which Eltahawy presents in such vagueness, mixing culture with quotes from distinguished Muslim cleric Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, thus, confirming ignorant claims that FGM is an Islamic practice. FGM is a cultural practice that predates Islam and if it is still commonly practiced in Egypt today, this is mainly in rural areas and traditional parts of the country, where it is in fact practiced by both Muslims and Christians alike. It is a problem of ignorance and reflects the prevalence of old cultural habits and beliefs that are hard to eliminate. While the Egyptian government banned FGM, it has done little to raise public awareness and educate people via health awareness campaigns. What is also problematic here is how Eltahawy quotes from Qaradawi's book to prove that he was all for FGM. Yet in that same paragraph, she mentions that he has since issued a fatwa to ban FGM! So why mention it in the first place? Wouldn't you at least give Al-Qaradawi credit for revising his opinion? Doesn't this action by a prominent Sheikh disprove your "hate" claim?

• As for Eltahawy's argument on child marriage in Yemen, and how Muslim clerics support the practice, I ask you to kindly refer to the Pulitzer article Too Young to Wed: The Secret World of Child Brides. It did not take the reporter too long to accurately clarify to her readers that child marriage is a cultural practice that relates to no religion. A practice that is widespread in India, Yemen, Afghanistan, Ethiopia and Nepal and is deeply rooted in cultural traditions and not Islam! I have to ask then, why does Eltahawy fail to offer this simple fact to her audience, rather than leading them to believe that child marriage is welcomed by Muslim clerics?

   It's pretty annoying for some of us Arab women when we read Western feminist declarations about our so-called plight. But it's worse when we read the same claims from a woman of Muslim and/or Arab descent. Eltahawy's column, similar to the works of Ayan Hirsi Ali and Irshad Manji, does more harm than good to Arab women. It does not, in my opinion, support these women, but it helps confirm the long held stereotypes of their oppression and victimization. 

Not surprisingly, these columns are embraced by many Western readers and feminists, because this is in line with their beliefs about Islam and Muslim women. In fact, it is taken as a credible confirmation of Arab women's plight, given that the author herself is a Muslim Egyptian American. Take one look at the comments below Eltahawy's Foreign Policy article, and you'll see what I mean.

It's really sad that Eltahawy's column hardly mentions the empowered Arab women of the Arab Spring. These are women who have forced the world to take them seriously and not look down upon them as the oppressed Other. These heroines include Nobel Peace Prize winner Tawakkul Karman, Syria's Razan Ghazzawi, and Egypt's female protesters, from Asmaa Mahfouz, Gigi Ibrahim, Nawara Negm, Samira Ibrahim, to Set el Banat, or Blue Bra girl (although I hate this term) and many others, who have once and for all proved to the world that Arab woman are not weak and cannot be silenced.

When I look at these Arab heroines, who have made their people proud, I don't see hate. I see love, compassion and understanding between young men and women who are wiling to work together to create better lives, more freedoms and more just governments for everyone.             

So, to Eltahawy, I say that your column does not represent me as I don't feel hated. I do have concerns, which might be similar or different to my sisters in Egypt. But I'm confident that whatever social, cultural, political and economic problems I personally face, these are challenges that can be fought instead of simply blaming them on misogyny. 

And so, I ask you to kindly stop talking on the behalf of all Arab women, because I’m not sure we all share your views on being hated.

Egyptians mourn massacred soccer fans

      Feb 1st 2012 turned into another bloodbath for many Egyptians. Instead of mourning those killed in the Battle of the Camels one year earlier, Egyptians witnessed yet another massacre! At least 73 Egyptian soccer fans were killed in a horrific bloodbath in the city of Port Said.

      There is enough evidence to suggest that this crime was not a soccer brawl as SCAF, the Muslim Brotherhood and the Minister of Interior would like the world to believe! Many witnesses say there was a clear absence of security forces since the start of the match. Others recall how the stadium lights were turned off, immediately following the end of the match. Thugs carrying knives, sticks and other weapons were allowed to make their way into the stadium, undisturbed. When the soccer fans tried to make their way down the stadium stairs towards the exit doors, they found all exit doors were locked and they were faced with thugs that beat them to death!

    This is a clear outrageous crime and someone must be held accountable! Presidential candidate Abdoul Moneim Aboul Fetouh points to SCAF as the murderers, and so do millions of angry Egyptians, who have put up with SCAF atrocities for one full year since Mubarak was ousted.

    What SCAF and the Ministry of Interior fail to realize is that, the more they inflict violence on the Egyptian people, the more united and committed the people are. Egyptians are so angry and so hurt by the injustice, by the lack of secuirty, the absence of fair trials and now they are even more furious.

   The streets of Cairo, Alexandria and Port Said, among other cities, have witnessed angry riots all morning. And it is probably just going to get uglier. In fact, less than an hour ago, protesters where clashing with security forces close to the Ministry of Interior. Tear gas was used in the clashes that are still ongoing.
   The question is, how many hundreds of innocent lives will SCAF sacrifice before they get the message that they are unwanted? How many more deaths and injuries will we have to put up with?

   This has got to stop!
   
   

I'm back and I'm not voting tomorrow!

   It's been a while since I posted anything new. Part of the reason was too much work but the other part as simply depression and lack of hope. I had reached a point of pessimism that was so low because I was beginning to thing we cannot get rid of SCAF no matter what we did.

  But then something amazing happened; protesters united in Tahrir Square once more on Nov. 19th to give SCAF a clear message that their rule is no longer welcome. The protests are still ongoing and with every day brave Egyptian men and women line up in the streets of Cairo and other cities, new victims are murdered by a brutal regime that has been quite generous in its use of dangerous tear gas, live bullets and other creative weapons to destroy their own people!

  Yet, SCAF's brutality is only strengthening the Tahrir spirit. Professor Firas al-Atraqchi describes what is happening in Egypt as "amazing" and I fully agree! But amid this miraculous revival of of the Tahrir spirit, Egyptians are facing a new challenge; a challenge that is creating divisions, disagreements and animosities. Monday, Nov. 28th, Egyptians will launch their first democratic parliamentary elections since former president Hosni Mubarak was ousted in February 2011. While many are looking forward to their first real taste of democracy, others have decided to abandon the ballots as long as SCAF still rules.

    I have to say I have been debating this dilemma for days now. I was one of the many Egyptians abroad who were fighting to be heard and pressuring the government to authorize Egyptians abroad to vote. When I finally won my right, I had to face this new challenge. Given that I am a strong opposer of SCAF rule, I have come to my decision; I have decided that I will NOT be participating in the current elections and here's why:

• I find it very contradicting to tell SCAF that I don't accept their military rule, yet I accept & participate in the elections they initiated and insist on carrying out, despite the protests that have spread across the country.

• I have seen nothing positive or democratic under the SCAF rule. In fact, I can clearly say that SCAF generals have outdone Mubarak with their brutality. They have beaten, abused, shot & unfairly put innocent Egyptians on military trial; they have humiliated women by forcing them to take virginity tests; they have failed to punish officials of the old regime starting with Mubarak, among many many other failures and examples of dictatorship. So Why would I possibly believe that their elections will be fair and democratic if there are no other signs to confirm this democratic change?

• The Alliance of the Revolutionaries of Egypt unified the people's demands and succeeded in creating a temporary civil government that can definitely set the country on the right democratic path. Even though they announced these demands in a memorandum, which SCAF has surely seen, the military council went against the people's wishes and instead, has chosen a former Mubarak minister to take over the government following Essam Sharaf's brief unproductive term. Kamal el-Ganzouri has regained his mid-1990s post as Prime Minister. I don't see SCAF or Ganzouri as Egypt's current leaders and agree with the temporary council created by the ARE, led by the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize winner Mohamed El Baradei. So how can I give my vote under a government I don't view as legal? 

• There are multiple other reasons, like the fact that this parliament will practically have no power under SCAF, so why bother? Military leaders are good for military decisions but, as we've seen and experienced in Egypt, they are failures when it comes to politics. Their failure lies in their dictatorship style and inability to encompass other voices. I see no change with my vote, because we are merely voting for a puppet parliament that will do as SCAF pleases and not what the people demand or need.

• I'm also convinced that SCAF is here to stay, despite multiple confirmations from Field Marshall Tantawi that he has no desire to rule Egypt and intends to leave with the presidential elections scheduled for June 2012. Tantawi might indeed leave, but that does not mean SCAF will too. There are many in Egypt who believe that Tantawi will likely be replaced by America's favorite Egyptian General, Sami Anan. So again, with my vote, I confirm that I respect & agree with SCAF as an entity. I would be agreeing to Anan's rule, which I clearly don't.

    I have many friends and relatives who have voted (Egyptians abroad) or who intend to vote and I respect their decision. My intention is not to impose my will on others, but to clarify to fellow Egyptian brothers and sisters, who might be as confused as I have been over the past few days, why NOT VOTING does not mean we are abandoning our country. 

   If anything, I believe by refusing to vote, I am confirming my love and respect for Egypt and my genuine desire to be able to live in a military-free Egypt with true democracy & not merely a claim of democratic rule given by brutal military leaders who have shown no compassion for the people of their country and who have been against January 25 all along.

It's time to take a stand

Let me start by making a generalization; one that I am most certain is accurate: I think it's fair to claim that if you are an Egyptian girl or woman, then at least once in your life you were a victim of sexual harassment.


If you haven't, then you are one lucky girl & I envy you!!! But even so, you surely have witnessed it in the street? Or maybe heard from a friend or female relative of her experience with sexual harassment?


The bottom line is, for Egyptian women, sexual harassment is a part of normal life in Egypt. Just like we put up with dirty habits such as men spitting or urinating in public or people littering the streets, we grow accustomed to and actually expect to be harassed every now and then.


I have lived in Egypt until 2000, and, like most women, I have experienced sexual harassment firsthand. Everything from annoying comments, to dirty stares and the occasional "accidental" brushing from a guy. Actions that would leave me feeling humiliated and dirty and in desperate need of a shower to eradicate any traces or memory of these incidents.


But what really frustrates me now, as a grown woman, is my passive reaction every time I was a victim of harassment! The most I would do is glare at the perpetrator. When I think of these incidents, I get really angry, mostly at myself for being so weak and passive.


So, today I want to change my passiveness into action. I want to join hands with the millions of Egyptian girls and women across Egypt to end this humiliation once and for all. To do so, I want to direct messages to four distinct groups: Egyptian women; Egyptian men; the government, and houses of worship. It's time we all unite to fight this epidemic that has become a part of life in Egypt. 

• To all the Egyptian women out there

I feel we have accomplished a lot on Jan 25. The most significant gain in my humble view, is that as Egyptians, we are no longer afraid to speak the truth and demand our rights. So as Egyptian women, we need to keep the Tahrir spirit going and we need to raise our voice against these vulgar actions.


This means, next time a young man whistles or shouts a dirty comment your way, you don't walk faster and ignore it. NO NO NO! Promise me you will stop and yell as loud as you can and tell that idiot off!


It also means when you're at the bank or airport, or any other crowded space and the fatherly-like figure with the poor eyesight brushes against your body, not once but twice or more, you will do something. You will not convince yourself it was a coincidence and you will not stay silent, in respect of the guy's age!! Remember, he has no respect for you and feels no shame in touching you, so you will yell as loud as you can and shame him in public!!!


We Egyptian women can no longer stay silent and accept harassment as part of life, because that is wrong. We are not the problem and the men who commit these dirty actions need to realize that they will not get away with it anymore!!

• To all the Egyptian men out there

If you're a guy who witnesses sexual harassment, you cannot walk away. Help us eradicate this bad symptom. Always remember that this victim being harassed could be your wife, mother, sister or daughter. Would you walk away then? Of course not! So, work with us to end this now!

If, on the other hand, you are one of the perpetrators who harass women and think nothing of it, then you need to wake up and realize that we live in a new era! The Jan 25 Revolution has changed the Egyptian people forever! We are no longer afraid to yell, to shame you and embarrass you for your dirty behavior or remarks. So, you either adopt the Tahrir spirit and rid yourself of your urge to harass, or be prepared for public embarrassment and humiliation!

• To the Egyptian Government

I feel there's a lot that the government can do to help us eradicate sexual harassment:

1. Let's start with some laws that hold harassers responsible for their actions. Egyptian women need to feel that they have your support and that you are willing to punish harassers and take sexual harassment cases seriously.
2. Create Public Service Announcements (PSAs) that educate men and women on sexual harassment. Egypt was successful in its PSA campaigns on birth control and bilharzia, & we can also spread awareness on how sexual harassment is hurtful, humiliating & embarrassing to women. We can also learn from other countries who have adopted PSAs on sexual harassment, such as the USA .
3. Let's work on solving some of the social and economic problems that lead some men to resort to harassment. I hate to give men excuses for such behavior, but there's no doubt that marriage in Egypt is expensive and few men can afford to offer a bride the apartment, appliances and dowry that her family expects. Add that to the increase in sexual scenes in Egyptian movies and music videos, and that's all these sexually-deprived young men need to go out and attack!! I feel the government can help create more jobs; offer newly graduates cheap housing options, and help alleviate the cost of living. This will surely allow more people to get married. 

• To leaders of Egypt's Churches & Mosques

Given that we live in a conservative society, I feel you guys have a vital role in our fight against sexual harassment. If priests use Sunday services to preach to men, young and old, on the wrongfulness of such acts, surely this will impact some men, right? The same could be said for imams and Friday prayers. Why not use Friday speeches to educate men on these sinful actions and on the pain and humiliation they inflict on women? Also, why not encourage all men to stand up to a harasser if they witness such incidents?

Sexual harassment is an epidemic and we need to unite forces to drive it out of the New Egypt. 

The world watched Egyptians protest peacefully for 18 days, days that instilled pride in all of us! Then came the embarrassing news of Lara Logan's abuse in Tahrir Square, the same place that was witness to peaceful & civilized protests for 18 days. 

Is this how we want the world to view the New Egypt? An Egypt where sexual harassment is part of daily life? Where women have no rights or laws to protect them? Where men can get away with any dirty action? 

I don't think so! So let's take a stand today and do something about this epidemic!

Why I stopped believing SCAF

This is a translation of the Arabic version of this blog entry in support of May 23, NO-SCAF day:

   This is the first time for me to write a blog entry in Arabic and the only reason is that I truly want my words to reach as many of my Egyptian brothers and sisters as possible.Today I am writing to tell you the truth about SCAF, which rules us now.

Let me start by admitting that I was one of the millions of Egyptians who, for a while, believed in this idea of "El Geysh wel Sha3b Ed Wa7da," or the Army & the people are one. Why, you might ask?

Because I was raised in a household that had the utmost respect for the Egyptian armed forces. My father is a former army general and he would always tell us great stories about the army's victories during wartime.And so, I had absolutely no doubt that the army's first and foremost role was to serve and protect the people.

But, bit by bit, I slowly started to come out of this coma. I believe it all started on the night of February 26 when the army attacked protesters, beating them up, electrifying them with Tasers and insulting them.

That night I was so shocked; I couldn't for a minute believe that our dear army would do this. And then SCAF came out with a statement denying their involvement and I felt so relieved. I convinced myself that the attackers were pro-Mubarak thugs who dressed up as army officials so as to break the trust between the people and the army.

But the same tragedy repeated itself on March 9. Only this time, the humiliation of protesters was far worse. In fact, many of us have watched the YouTube video of singer & activist Ramy Essam, where he explains and shows us evidence of the brutality of the members of our beloved armed forces.

Things went downhill fast after that and army brutality and humiliation became a normal part of life in Egypt. Everything from virginity tests on females to offensive insults & name-calling, to military trials of civilians and even the shooting of civilians with live ammunition, as we all witnessed during last week's protests outside the Israeli embassy.

And this is nothing compared to what is happening in the political arena. First, we find our respectable SCAF leaders appearing on various Egyptian television networks, promising the people that all corrupt officials, including Mubarak and his family, will face fair trials. The next thing we know is these same corrupt officials are being released one after the other!

Isn't it enough that several of Mubarak's corrupt officials still hold government posts today? And then of course, there's the governors appointed by SCAF all across Egypt; indeed something we should all be so proud of!

What else? Oh, I almost forgot to mention our dear Salafi brothers, who miraculously appeared out of no where to instill religious strife across the country. One time they cut off a Christian man's ear, and then another time they want to invade a church to save princess Camilia, followed by the burning of yet another church to rescue madame Abeer! All of these attacks take place as the police and army stand idle, watching! Why dear SCAF do you exercise brutality & military trials with some people and not with others who really deserve it?

I'm sure I could sit here till tomorrow morning listing other accounts and examples of SCAF's wrongdoings. But I'm sure that those who were in Tahrir on Jan25 and others who truly love Egypt know what I am talking about here.

I'm truly heartbroken SCAF, because you are slowly stealing away our pride and dignity that Jan25 finally restored after years of humiliation, oppression and terror.

And I would love to ask SCAF members and all of those who blindly defend SCAF, who is benefiting from all of these events? Who is benefiting from the chaos and lack of security all over Egypt? Who is benefiting from the lack of seriousness in the trials of Mubarak and his corrupt officials? And, who is benefiting from the humiliation and degrading of the Jan25 youth who restored our pride and allowed us, for the first time, to feel that an Egyptian person's blood is worth something?

Unfortunately I have no more confidence in SCAF. I no longer believe their empty promises and I have completely erased from my mind this joke that the army & the people are one! The people's path has been clear all throughout Jan25; they chose to bring down the corrupt regime. But the army's path has been mysterious and dark. Seriously, I fear that if I walk the army's path, I will find myself under the rule of a new Mubarak, or worse, Mubarak himself!

ليه بطلت اصدق المجلس العسكري

انا اول مرة اكتب مدونة بالعربي والسبب الوحيد اني قررت اكتب انهاردة بالعربي هو اني حقيقي نفسي كلامي يوصل اكبر عدد من اخواني واخواتى في مصر. انا انهاردة بكتب علشان احكيلكوا حقيقة المجلس العسكري اللي بيحكمنا الان.

في البداية لازم اعترف اني واحدة من الملايين اللي اتخدعوا في المجلس وفضلت فترة طويلة مصدقة فيلم الجيش والشعب ايد واحدة! ليه؟

 علشان انا اتربيت في بيت بيحترم ويقدر القوات المسلحة اشد احترام. ابويا لوإ جيش سابق وكان دايماً يحلكنا عن امجاد الجيش وقت الحرب. فبالتالي ماكنش عندى ادني شك 

                ان الجيش هدفه الاساسي هو خدمة وحماية الشعب..

بس وشوية شوية ابتديت افوق من االغيبوبة دي. البداية كانت يوم ٢٦ فبراير لما الجيش هجم علي االثوار بالضرب وصعق الكهربإ ووالشتايم.

انا كنت مصدومة الليلة دي، لكن لما المجلس نفي ان له اي علاقة بالي حصل انا ارتحت اقنعت نفسي ان اللي عمل كده اعوان نظام مبارك متنكرين في زي جيش علشان يوقعوا بين الشعب والجيش.

وباعدين اتكررت نفس المأساه يوم الأربعإ ٩ مارس. بس المرة دي الأهانة للثوار كانت اسوإ. كثير مننا شاف الفديو بتاع الفنان رامي عصام وهو بيحكي ويوريا عنف وبلطجة رجال جيشنا العظيم.

بعد كدة بأه العنف والأهانة بأقة حاجة عادية، اشي كشف عذرية للبنات علي حبة شتايم حلوين كدة، للمحكمات العسكرية واخرها كان الضرب بالرصاص زي ما كلنا شفنا وسمعنا يوم تظاهرات السفارة الأسرائلية.

كل ده كوم بأه واللي بيحصل علي الساحة السياسية كوم ثاني! الأول يطلعوا قادة المجلس الموقر علي كل القنوات يوعدواالشعب بمحاكمات عادلة لكل رموز الفساد وبعد كده كل 

 يوم نسمع عن واحد جديد من المسجونين بيفرجوا عنه!

وكفاية ان لسة في ناس كثير من حكومة مبارك الفاسدة في الحكومة الحالية. وخد عندك  

المحافظين اللي المجلس عينهم في جميع انحإ مصر، حاجة تفرح وتطمن بجد!

وايه كمان؟ اه نسيت افكركوا بأخونا السلفيين اللي ظهروا كدة فجأة وبعدها مصايب الفتنة

 الطائفية ابتدت تهل علينا واحدة وري الثانية! اشي مرة يقطعوا ودن واحد ماسيحي ومرة يهجموا علي كنيسة يدوروا عي السنيورة كامليا وبعدها يحرقوا كنيسة علشان مدام عبير. كل ده والجيش والشرطة ساكتين. يعني العنف والمحاكمات يا عزيزي المجلس له ناس وناس لأ؟

اكيد في بلاوي ثانية ممكن اقعد احكي فها للصبح. بس اعتقد اي حد شارك في الثورة وبيحب وبيخاف علي مصر بجد عارف انا بتكلم لي ايه

.بجد انا حزينة يا مجلس لأنك واحدة واحدة بتسرق مننا الكرامة والأعتزاز بالنفس اللي 

الثورة رجعتهولنا بعد سنين من الأرهاب و الذل والقمع.

ونفسي اسأل المجلس وكل اللي بيدافع عنه اللي بيحصل ده في مصلحة مين؟ مين المستفيد من الفوضي والأنفلات الأمني؟ مين المستفيد من عدم الجدية في محاكمة مبارك واعوانه؟ ومين المستفيد من اهانة وذل الشباب اللي رجعلنا كرامتنا وخلانا نحس لأول مرة ان البني أدم المصري دمه مش رخيص؟

انا للأسف معنديش ثقة في المجلس خلاص. مقدرش اصدق وعودهم ثاني وشلت من مخي تاماً اكذوبة الشعب والجيش ايد واحدة. الشعب طريقه كان واصح من يوم ثورة ٢٥ يناير واختار اسقاط النظام الفاسد. لكن الجيش بأه طريقه غامض ومخيف وبجد خايفة لو مشيت في طريق المجلس الاقي نفسي محكومة بمبارك جديد ولا مش بعيد يبقي مبارك نفسه!

SCAF unveils its true colors

I think I can safely say that SCAF is beginning to reveal its true colors! Bit by bit, the military council is withdrawing away from the revolution, and breaking promises that were made to unveil the true faces of our current men in power!

Let's start with today's article in Al Masry Al Youm where a military official announced that SCAF is backtracking from a previous decision that would have given Egyptians abroad the right to vote. What is more mind boggling than the sudden change of course is the justifications offered. This military official explained that: 1) it would be challenging and almost impossible to collect votes from Egyptians abroad as they reside in 139 countries; 2) given that these Egyptians are abroad, they know little about the candidates and, therefore, their votes can be bought by people with other interests.

How ridiculous is that? More important, how humiliating and frustrating for all of us Egyptians abroad to be perceived in such a narrow-minded way? This official is practically saying that we are ignorant of our own country and that we have no clue what's going on and who's running for what!

I know I am not the only Egyptian abroad who is practically glued to her TV, laptop or cell phone, in a daily struggle to keep up with events and developments back home. There are millions of Egyptian men and women, young and old, Christians and Muslims who do the same. I see them on Facebook & Twitter; they exchange ideas and dreams for Egypt; they discuss the pros and cons of potential presidential candidates, among other important issues.

So how can this so-called official generalize and oversimplify and claim that we are all a bunch of clueless idiots who are willing to sell our rights to vote for some quick cash?

Personally, for me, this was the last straw. I've been watching events unfold in Egypt over the past few weeks, and I wasn't happy. The Imbaba attacks of Sunday were a clear sign that there's more to SCAF and the government than what meets the eye. I mean, how can a group of thugs attack and burn a church amidst the absolute absence of our police force? More so, how come SCAF has not announced military trials for those arrested?

SCAF has been pretty swift with military trials when it comes to Tahrir protesters, who's biggest crime was trying to cleanse Egypt from 30 years of filth and corruption. Isn't it obvious that something's wrong when people like Michael Nabil are sentenced to 3 years in prison for merely criticizing the army, yet groups of thugs who destroy a house of worship, killing over 20 people and terrorizing scores of civilians get no such sentencing?

Honestly, I hate to say this, but I think it's time we hit Tahrir Square once again to redeem our dignity and demand our rights. SCAF has unveiled its true face and we as Egyptians need to tell the military council that we get it; we can see through the acts and broken promises and we've had it.

Afterall, if we truly want to cleanse our country from all traces of the Mubarak era, we can't do so if SCAF continues to control and govern our every move.