Liberal Wall

Obama’s Speech

2009-06-04T22:18:00.001+02:00

When it was announced that Obama would choose Cairo as the venue for his awaited Speech to the Muslim World, I was filled with rage. Here was another manifestation of Obama’s lack of interest in Democracy promotion and human rights. Appeasement was the word that came to my mind. My problem with his speech however was not limited to the venue alone. The idea of a speech to the Muslim World itself was problematic to begin with. In choosing to address the Muslim World, the Obama administration has signaled out its confirmation of the existence of such an entity in the first place and thus danced to the region’s propaganda tunes.

The ridiculous nature of such a choice can become clear when one imagines a similar address by a President, American or any other, to the Christian World. Such a speech would be greeted with utter disbelief. What is the Christian World anyway would be the question. No sensible politician would ignore differences between nations and categorize them according to religion. The only such example that would come to mind would be Osama Bin Laden’s addresses to the Christian World, since for him the world is such divided, but for an American President to do so!

In choosing to give this speech millions of diverse people were categorized by their religion and the region’s myth was accepted. Regardless of one’s nationality, diverse regional problems, or one’s adherence to the religious doctrine itself, all were united in this speech. Such a notion would include nations as far apart as Mali and Indonesia.

The second disturbing aspect of the speech itself is problem of Islam itself. The issue is simplified by some by the question of who speaks for Islam, but the question is much deeper: What is Islam in the first place? Like any religion Islam is a huge pool of ideas that can work in harmony or in conflict and like any other religion its traditions and in a great sense its set of beliefs has been shaped differently in various countries on the basis of history, geography and culture. In that sense there are many Islams and not just one which one can address. It is not only the extremist’s Islam and the moderate’s Islam, but the Egyptian version of Islam as opposed to that of Saudi Arabia. It is the version of Islam in Mali as opposed to that in Afghanistan. Again like any religion it is ridiculous to categorize it in one form or to address it as one entity. Bin Laden speaks for Islam just as Sheikh Tantawey speaks for it and both can find the supporting text for their ideas just as both the Crusaders and John Paul II could do the same. Perhaps Ali Ibn Abi Talib was the earliest to see this when he said referring to the Koran: “The Book has many Faces”.

Moving away from the idea of the address itself, one has to wonder what the goal is in the first place. Like any political action a certain goal is set and thus measured upon. I must say it utterly escapes me what the goal of such a speech is. Is the goal to inform the audience that America is not at war with Islam? Well who believes that such a war exists in the first place except the conspiracy theorists in the “Arab/ Mulsim World” and should one acknowledge their theories? It is of course besides the point to argue that such an audience would not be convinced. The minds that live on the conspiracy theory will not change their minds suddenly because of a few words by the ONE. The “Hate America crowd” will continue with their hatred for in reality their hatred is not based on substance but on ignorance, intolerance and a set of fascism that has overtaken a region since the 30’s. The speech thus is only a song for the choir, the internal and the external ones. The leftist audience in the US and their lunatic fellows in Europe will rejoice at the speech as a break from their imagined Bush policies and the external audience in the “Muslim World” will explode in joy at the ONE’s gesture towards them. Outside of that no clear goal was evident to my unintelligent eyes.

The venue itself is of course personally disturbing. As an Egyptian it is utterly disgusting to see the American President ignoring all American and universal values and appeasing an authoritarian regime. Mubarak’s regime which has been the cornerstone of the maintenance of the region’s continued state of repression was being given a gift of the first class. It is only ironic that Obama would choose to speak from a capital that embodies all the values that America stands against. Appeasement to such a regime is not only wrong but absolutely dangerous as 9/11 has taught us. It would be stupid of the American administration to think that such a speech is addressed to the Egyptian people who were besieged in their houses for his visit and who’s daily lives he disturbed. Those people who have been under a military dictatorship for the past 56 years whether in its totalitarian form under Nasser or in its authoritarian form under Sadat and Mubarak, were obviously the least suitable for his speech. If such a speech was to be delivered in the first place a better venue should have been chosen. A democratic country, where personal and religious freedoms were established would have been much more suited for his speech if he had intended to talk to the region’s people and not their authoritarian leaders and hate filled elites. Baghdad would of course had been perfect, but so would many others. The idea that the Muslim World consists only of dictatorships is naïve. There is no Islamic problem with democracy or a vacuum of freedom within it. Such a vacuum exists only in the so called “Arab World”. Many Muslim countries if countries can be categorized by religion are available from Albania to Indonesia and from Turkey to the Maldives. To ignore all these options and choose Egypt can only be viewed as a slap on the face to all the democracy activists in the region and to the values that Obama supposedly stands for.

With this anticipation or more precisely the lack thereof I awaited his speech and the impact it would have. Obama’s speech seemed to be generating a lot of results even before it began. The Egyptian regime whishing to look in its best form before the eyes of the ONE and the rest of the world embarked on a huge program of renovation and cleaning. Cairo University was cleaned as it had never been before and its dome shined as it had never shined. Every street that Obama would pass through was cleaned and decorated. The intense renovation program by the government led to Egyptians joking that they wanted Obama to visit every street and district in Cairo so that the whole city can be cleaned.

The speech itself of course held no surprises. Obama as a great speaker was the most suitable for his skeptical audience. This should not be however interpreted as a huge success. Obama received the numerous claps, but only when he played to the audiences previously held ideas or as the Sandmonkey once put it “when he gave them a hand job”. Their masturbation session was complete and the audience reached its orgasm with every line about Palestine or appeasement to their world view, but Obama received an utter silence when he discussed other issues. The parts on the Holocaust and 9/11 were met with a complete lack of reaction.

Obama’s speech was however disturbing to me in what he did say and what he chose to ignore. Let us begin by what he said.

Obama framed the tension between the West and Muslims as a tension rooted in history from religious wars to colonialism. Here Obama fell prey to the “Muslim World’s” interpretation of the conflict and not to the conflict as it is. To argue that the Crusades or the imperialist era is the root of the current conflict, Obama chose the Bin Laden vision of the world. The current conflict is not rooted in religious wars by any side nor is it rooted in occupation. The current conflict is rooted in modernity and the clash between a modern world and a pre modern fascist movement that is the child of Hitler and Mussolini. The Crusades are not part of the story here neither is the Islamic invasion of the region in the 6th century. Colonialism is also not related and was not in any term a religious conflict. As to the Cold War’s treatment of Muslim-majority countries as proxies without regard to their own aspirations, one has to wonder whether the same could not be said on his own actions ignoring those who aspire to be free in the region.

Obama’s second framework for his speech is that of a suspicion towards Islam that was built after 9/11. Here again Obama fell prey to such lunacy held ideas as the existence of Islamophobia. Such a notion only serves to crush any serious debate of actions undertaken by people and where they originate from. Such a term has been the easiest way out for oppressive regimes and fascist elites not interested in self examination and not capable of standing in front of a serious examination.

The third dominant idea throughout his speech is that of a new beginning. This new beginning would be based on respect and that America and Islam are not in competition. While the notion of a conflict between a Democratic State and a world wide religion is laughable in the first place as no such conflict can exist, Obama’s insistence on framing it as such only plays once again to the region’s conspiracy theories defining the Bush years as against Islam or as part of the Crusades.

Moving through the speech Obama chose to ignore facts and to invent ones when necessary. While Islamic centers of learning were indeed beacons of light in the Middle Ages, Al Azhar was certainly not. The Mosque and the School were both built after the decline of intellectual freedom and innovation in the Muslim world. Al Azhar did not play the role that Cordoba, Baghdad or Cyprus played in the exchange of culture and innovation. Al Azhar stood for the exact opposite. It stood for the repression of free thought and innovation.

In choosing the Tripoli Treaty of 1796 as his example, Obama also played freely with the facts. The Tripoli Treaty was a bribe paid by the young nation to pirates after their Ambassador in London informed Thomas Jefferson that “It was written in their Koran, that all nations which had not acknowledged the Prophet were sinners, whom it was the right and duty of the faithful to plunder and enslave; and that every Muslim who was slain in this warfare was sure to go to paradise.” Having no Navy capable of fighting those pirates the US paid them $1 million a year. The Treaty was broken after the US decided not to pay the bribe anymore and in reality the first relationship between America and that part of the world was war and not peace. The first war America fought after its independence was against Berber Pirates in Tripoli and was followed by the second Barbary War in 1815.

Obama also sited a number of American Muslims that is outside any factual estimate. The City University of New York has put the number at 1.1 milion, the Glenmary Research Center at 1.6 million, the World Factbook at 1.8 million, and the Pew Research Center as 2.4 million. The number of 7 million is only used by such organizations as CAIR.

Moving on to the 7 issues Obama discussed, one has to applaud his courageous words on 9/11. Obama words could not have been sharper when he said; “These are not opinions to be debated; these are facts to be dealt with”, but Obama has failed to give the intellectual moral framework for the conflict. Being no George Bush, Obama chose not to call it evil and to frame the conflict as Bush did as that of Islamofascism against the world. He thus failed to put the conflict in perspective of the world’s fight against its likes before from Nazism to Communism. Being also no Bush and lacking his clear perspective he choose to define the Iraq War as a war of choice and not as a fight against Fascism just as Afghanistan is. He also fell prey to the region’s fantasies regarding torture and double standards by America. The War on Islamofascism is not contrary to American ideals, it is the embodiment of those ideals.

On the question of Israel and Palestine, Obama was courageous enough in his first words on the unbreakable bond between America and Israel. Such words while true take a lot of courage to state in front of such an audience. Also courageous and clear was his statement on the Holocaust and his condemnation of its denial. What lacked however was the conclusion. Why did the Holocaust take place and how can we make sure it never happens again? How can we stop Anti Semitism from rising and how can we stop a nuclear Iran from repeating history? These are the questions Obama left unanswered. Also left unanswered is the major question of why the Palestinian people have suffered so much and the region’s role in that suffering? It is utterly hilarious to discuss the Palestinian intolerable situation in Gaza or the West Bank while ignoring their equally intolerable situation in Lebanon. Such set of thinking is all too common in the region, but that does not make it acceptable for Obama to follow suit. In a real discussion of the issue one has to question the region’s real interest in solving the conflict or helping the Palestinians. His statements on the two-state solution were clear enough although they ignored all the evidence proving such a solution unattainable currently. For a Palestinian State to be established Obama discussed institution building but was completely silent on democracy and combating extremism not in deeds alone but on the textbooks that ensure the continued cycle of violence. In using the term “Arab Israeli Conflict”, Obama again fell prey to the region’s version of history. While a Palestinian Israeli conflict exists and needs to be addressed, an Arab Israeli one is only an invented mechanism of the region’s authoritarian regimes to continue to ignore their people’s real needs and aspirations in pursuit of an invented conflict.

On the Iranian question Obama talked as little as possible, but his talk was troubling. The conflict between America and Iran is not one of decades of mistrust, it is between two ideas, two sets of values and two world views. Iran is not a case of a misunderstanding that leads to lack of trust. Iran has been very clear in where it stands and no illusions exist on that matter. The real question is what to do about it.

Perhaps shorter than his discussion of Iran was his mention of democracy. While it is true that no system of government can or should be imposed on one nation by another, it is also true that no system of government can or should be imposed on a nation by one man, one party or one ideology. While Obama was clear that ideas of democracy, the rule of law and a transparent government are not an American idea, but a human right, he fell silent on how he would support them.

In his Religious freedom paragraphs, Obama chose again to play with facts. While it is true that Andalusia had a proud history of tolerance such words can not be said on the whole Islamic history. Those centuries were filled with peaceful coexistence as they were also filled with religious intolerance, Dzimmi Status and persecutions. Indonesia, which Obama mentions is a current example of that with its religious conflicts between Christians and Muslims. To try to pass modern notions born out of modernity such as human rights, religious freedom and democracy on a pre modern religion is naïve. The idea that a modern ideal such as tolerance is part of Islam is as laughable as an argument that Jesus Christ’s answer on giving the coin to Caesar is a deeply rooted secularism in Christianity. Pre modern religions, ideologies and values are not related to modernity. As to his comments regarding charitable giving rules on America, one is left wondering what exactly he means. Should rules on one religion’s charitable organizations be different from the others? Also ambiguous is his comments on Muslims being barred from practicing religion in Western countries. While Turkey’s practices and laws against Hijab are disgusting and illiberal, one is left wondering on the lack of comment on forcing Hijab on girls that are 6 or 8 years old.

This brings us to women’s rights. While anyone viewing a veiled women as less equal is disgusting, one wonders where those people exist? Whom in the West has promoted such notions? While it is also true that Muslim countries have elected a Women President while the United States has not, such a measurement of women’s rights is extremely simplistic and naïve. Obama failed to address real issues that women face in the region from family killings, arranged marriages to violence and humiliation against women.

What Obama did not mention however is as important as what he did. He only touched on issues of democracy, human rights and religious freedom. He chose to ignore the plights of the people in the region whom can not choose their own lives and fortunes. He made no reference to the authoritarian and totalitarian regimes that rule the region and whose policies and ideologies destroyed not only its present people but generations to come. What he most ignored was a challenge to Muslims for self examination and thus an opportunity to reach a real understanding of one’s self and the world around him. In this Obama fell silent and in this he failed. Having no clear strategy in my view for his address, the address will fade away as soon as the realities on the ground become clear. Those who are living in the alternative universe of the conspiracy theories will not change their minds and those of us who seek a better world have gained little. One lesson however is absolutely clear. For those Egyptian, Syrian, Lebanese who fight for their freedoms in their countries, who believe in the values of democracy and the rule of law have lost a Friend in the White House and have gained an ENEMY. For someone who fights for his freedom there is only two options: You are either with me or against me.

The Grand Jewish Zionist Conspiracy

2008-03-29T22:01:00.001+02:00

In my attempt to follow the daily news, I am a member of various yahoo groups that include hundreds of members sending daily emails. These groups vary in terms of interest and political orientation. Usually you get hundreds of worthless emails, but from time to time you get some real items of news that are of interest to me.

Following the emails sent by people is however more interesting to tell their mentality and general mood. Of course they are not totally representative of Egypt and its population, but they are an interesting indication nonetheless as they are supposedly more educated and more aware of the world around them.

In one of these groups I received an email that was quite interesting to say the least. The email was quite short and read as follows: “Do you know that you carry the Star of Israel, God curse her, on your Computer? Did you know in the first place that your Computer had the Star of Israel in it? Go to my Computer, then go to the C Drive, Open Program Files, then open Microsoft Office, enter Media, then CAGCAT10. You will find the picture under the name JO285926. Remove this trash from your Computer and spread this message by all means possible.”

I followed the instructions given and indeed I found a picture of the Menorah and the background had the Star of David. Here was the greatest proof of all conspiracy theories. Finally the Arab Conspiracy Mind can rest assured that all its fears and theories are true. Microsoft has included a symbol on all its Computers to have a laugh at us. But wait a minute. What are those other pictures in the folder? There is a picture of the Eifel Tower! Yes the French must be part of the conspiracy. Isn’t Sarkozy’s mother half Jewish! Santa Clouse picture! So what the Christians are part of the Grand Conspiracy, aren’t they? A Hammer? Of course Communism is part of the Jewish Conspiracy. Buda? Well they are Pagans anyway and it wouldn’t be a surprise if they were part of the conspiracy. But what is this picture next to Buda. It is a squared black stone and around it is what looks like a ….. Mosque!!!!!!!!!! Could it be the Kaaba? How come????????? Is Islam part of the Jewish conspiracy? Well it must be an attempt to fool us by putting an Islamic symbol there. It must also be an insult to put a symbol of Islam next to those pagan symbols.

Of course it is a waste of time to try to explain to such idiots that Microsoft has simply included some pictures in the Office, 85 in total, for use. Such simple explanation is of course too naïve of me. It would also of course be too stupid of me to argue with such mentalities that the Star of David is a religious symbol and so is the Menorah and that they are not “trash” as the author of the email so eloquently wrote.

A smarter person that the one that sent this email replied to everyone with his warning to all of us that it might be a virus or a Trojan file that gathers info on us!!!!!!!!

Daniel Pipes has written an excellent book on Conspiracy Theories in the Arab world, but I think his book is too old by now. With the new technology advancement the Conspiracy Mind has found new unexplored rooms and venues. A Second part of his book is badly needed to cover the new conspiracy theories.

Al Ahram and the Holocaust

2008-03-18T17:37:00.003+02:00

Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor is in a historic visit to Israel. Her visit is in many terms historical. She will be the first German Chancellor to address the Israeli Knesset in a speech today. This speech has created a huge debate in Israel as many Israelis are still uncomfortable with the idea of a German Chancellor addressing the Knesset. Germany is after all the country that has produced to the world the likes of Hitler and the memory of the terrible atrocities he has done are still very much alive in the world’s memory and especially in the memories of the Jewish people. As David Hazony writes at Contentions: “And yet, one cannot really blame those few members of Knesset who have threatened to walk out in protest. There are certain things that neither time nor reason overcome. Nothing can ever make up for the Holocaust. The Jews are a people of exceptionally long memory, and we should be more surprised by the Knesset’s willingness to host Merkel than by the few who oppose the visit.”

Hazony goes on in analyzing the benefits of the visit and of closer Israeli German relations. He argues that “Israel should embrace the friendship Germany has offered, while at the same time continuing to study the Holocaust, hunt down the remaining Nazi criminals, and bring foreign dignitaries to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial, to reinforce the lessons of what humanity is capable of.”

The visit however had a different reading in the Arab press. That the visit would be attacked by Arab journalists is no surprise, but today Al Ahram really took this too far. Al Ahram ran a story on the visit with the following headline “Merkel submits to Blackmail and admits her country’s responsibility for the Holocaust”!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is of course laughable to try to mention to Al Ahram that Germany has admitted its responsibility before, but the headline raises more serious questions.

Is asking for Germany to admit its crime a Blackmail?

More importantly if Al Ahram thinks that Germany should not submit to such blackmail and admit its responsibility for the Holocaust, WHO SHOULD?

Was it perhaps the Americans who planned and executed the Holocaust? America is to be blamed for everything after all.

Or did the Jews execute and gas themselves?

Oh how could I forget, the Holocaust never took place. It is a myth and a propaganda by the Elders of Zion and a conspiracy.

Stupid Me!

Mubarak No. 8

2008-02-23T23:11:00.001+02:00

Analysts, Presidents, and ordinary people all over the world have had various thoughts on Fidel Castro’s decision not to seek another term as President. In Egypt however his decision had a different impact. Besides the usual news stories in the newspapers, Castro leaving power had another impact on Egypt.

Castro had for so many years maintained his position as the world’s longest serving President. Having taken over power in 1959, very few world leaders have remained for so long, but Castro’s decision helped President Mubarak a lot. Instead of being No. 9 on the list of the world’s longest serving Presidents, Mubarak has jumped to No. 8.

The list is quite entertaining to read. The current standing is as follows:

1. Gabon: Omar Bongo 1967
2. Libya: Moammar Gadhafi 1969
3. Yemen: Ali Abdullah Saleh
4. Maldives: Maumoon Abdul Gayoom 1978
5. Equatorial Guinea: Teodoro Obiang 1979
6. Angola: Jose Eduardo dos Santos 1979
7. Zimbabwe: Robert Mugabe 1980
8. Egypt: Hosni Mubarak 1981

Of course it is lovely to see all those countries rankings on the United Nations Human Development Index to get the full picture of those great leaders tremendous efforts on behalf of their countries.

Gabon (119)
Libya (56)
Yemen (153)
Maldives (100)
Equatorial Guinea (127)
Angola (162)
Zimbabwe (151)
Egypt (112)

Mubarak might be happy with his newly hard worked rank, but as an Egyptian I see it as a disgrace we should be No. 1. Why should Gabon be better than Egypt? Mubarak should send his intelligence and state security to do the job and give him his rightful place in history No. 1.

To make matters funnier, El Badeel newspaper in celebration of Egypt’s great victory in reaching No. 8 published a list of the public places that Mr. Mubarak has dedicated to himself and named after himself. The list is awesome and crystallizes how Egyptians love their President.

2600 Schools
400 Hospitals
52 Housing Project
300 Villages
90 Research Centers
180 Agricultural Projects
600 Conference Centers
62 Streets and Bus Stations

The Saudi Dynasty have renamed the whole country to their founders name, Egypt should not stand there watching them take that prestige. Let’s rename the country after Mubarak. Let Egypt’s name from now on be Al Mubarakia.

The Coptic Church and Anti Semitism

2008-02-13T23:11:00.002+02:00

Some people might think that ongoing Anti Semitism in Egypt is a phenomena that is restricted to Muslims. That is not really the case. Statements by Muslim religious leaders have been covered by the press, but little attention has been given to the Coptic Church, which has had its share of Anti Semitism.

Christian books are filled with Anti Semitic remarks and stories especially the “Sineksar”, the official Church book of Saints in which you can find stories that include Blood Libel.

Pope Shenouda II, the leader of the Coptic Church has made statements in the past that included many Anti Semitic views. In an interview on the Egyptian Television on the 8th of April 2007 he said: “the Western Churches were wrong to exonerate Jews for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, and criticized recent statements apologizing for Christian anti-Semitism.”

“Asked whether Jews were “Christ-killers”, responsible for the crucifixion, Shenouda stated, “The New Testament says that they are,” and asked rhetorically whether the Vatican was “against the teachings of the New Testament?”

He further added a hilarious statement on why he had banned Christians from going to pilgrimage to Jerusalem by saying: “Shenouda stated he had banned Copts from visiting Israel for fear they will “be influenced by the Israeli media, and we will not be able to prevent this. Who knows what ideas they will return with?”

Pope Shenouda is not the only Coptic Church leader that holds Anti Semitic views. Father Morcos Aziz Khalil in a recent article in Nahdet Masr Newspaper devoted his entire time to bashing the Jews. He said: “The Jews saw that the Church is their No. 1 Enemy and that without Priesthood the Church looses its most important component, thus the Masonic Movement was the secret Zionist hand to create revolution against the clergy. The Zionist Ideology has kept its conspiracies a secret buried in silence.”

He then added that the Zionist Movement has tried to work in Egypt through Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Seventh Day Adventists and that those organizations are merely a cover that has American Zionists behind it.”

A new element was added to this ongoing smear and hatred campaign after the decision by the Catholic Church to change a Prayer that was insulting to Jews. While Bishop Morcos dismissed the matter as an internal issue inside the Catholic Church and that the Catholic Church is free to change its internal rituals, Father Salib Matta Sawires was quick to express his disapproval. He said: “For us the fact remains that the Jews will be responsible for Christ’s blood as they themselves said in the Bible unless they convert to Christianity.”

It is of course a waste of time to argue with minds like these that believe that the Jews living after 2000 years after the crucifixion are responsible for that. More hilariously sad is the reason the Pope gave for banning pilgrimage. Fear of Israeli media influence!

While an explanation can be found in the Church’s attempt to position itself as patriotic as the rest of the country, it is sad that Christians that face an ongoing hate campaign and discrimination would show the same to others.

Truly Sad.

Egyptian Workers in Israel should be flogged

2008-02-13T22:16:00.001+02:00

The ongoing debate about Egyptians working in Israel has seen many accusations and variations, but little content. The number itself of these workers is a matter of myth. From a number of 600 given by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, 10,000 by the Media, to the hilarious 220,000 given by a Muslim Brotherhood Member of Parliament, the numbers have varied, but the uproar has continued.

The matter took a new twist in an interview given by Hussein Megawer to the daily Egyptian Newspaper El Masry El Youm. Hussein Megawer is amongst numerous jobs and titles that he holds, a NDP Member and Parliament and the Head of the official pro government Workers Union. Mr. Megawer said in this interview that “he will not interfere in any capacity to solve any problems that the Egyptian workers face in Israel.” To explain his decision Mr. Megawer said that “one can not call those people workers. They are traitors that deserve to be flogged for forgetting the blood of their fathers and grandfathers that were killed by Israel.”

Mr. Megawer added that “he requests that the Egyptian Citizenship be withdrawn from any Egyptian that betrays his country and works in Israel.”

Obviously no one told the NDP MP that flogging is not part of the Egyptian legal code of punishment, but that could be remedied very soon. Mr. Megawer you are an MP and you have the right to suggest laws. You are a leader in your governing party so I am sure that you can get this important piece of legislation passed. Why don’t you go ahead with your words Mr. Megawer?

Pass the law o flog people and earn your place in history.
Or shall I say in history’s garbage can.

Egyptian Journalism and Anti Semitism

2008-02-13T21:38:00.002+02:00

Egypt’s ongoing problem of Anti Semitism seems to be increasing lately. The last example was published just yesterday in El Gomhoria newspaper, which is a government, owned and run newspaper. Mohamed Abu Hadid writes a weekly column in the newspaper that covers nearly one whole page. He usually writes a long article on a topic and after that writes small one line comments on important news of the week. In his article on the 10th of January the comments section included this line that read as follows: “Insisting on confirming its bias, the US Congress has sent to us a member to visit Egypt by the name of Steve Israel”.

First of all it is quite sad that Mr. Mohamed Abu Hadid does not know that individual members of Congress visit countries on their own and are not sent in blocs based on a decision by the government as in other countries. Mr. Steve Israel is a member of Congress and he decided to visit Egypt. Congressman Israel is a member of the House Appropriations Committee and served previously on the House Armed Services Committee. Thus it is only natural that he would decide to pay Egypt a visit, with the growing debate about the AID to Egypt and the accusations on the Tunnels in Sinai. Thus he is not sent by Congress and there is contrary to the writer’s imagination no hidden or official message. It is not an attempt by Congress to prove anything let alone its bias.

More importantly however is the question of why the writer found the visit as a proof of bias or a confirmation of it. Is it perhaps the member’s name? The Congressman’s name is obviously provocative to the writer. Or might it be that the Congressman is indeed Jewish? In both cases why is that provocative? Israel is a biblical name that is used by both Christians and Jews. I personally have an Egyptian Christian friend whose family name is Israel.

Well for Congress to overcome creating such hard feelings and to destroy any claims of its bias I have a suggestion to make to American lawmakers. Do not send us any Jews. Whether they are Congressman, Diplomats or just Tourists just don’t send them. It obviously hurts our honorable writer’s feelings and while we are at it why elect them in the first place. Please people of America do not elect Jews. If you do we will consider it an insult!!!

The German Betrayal

2008-02-12T22:36:00.000+02:00

Germany and the rest of Europe have had a long standing policy of appeasement to Dictators and Tyrants all over the world. One would think that a country that has suffered so much from tyranny and that saw the results of dictatorship would have learned the lesson, but no such lesson was obviously been learnt. While the US has had its own share of support for tyranny and while a lot of its actions does not follow its rhetoric, the Europeans have been the masters in this field.

I was getting a bit optimistic on that after the recent European Parliament resolution condemning Human Rights violations by the Egyptian government, but the Europeans reactions afterwards left no room for optimism. No clearer example can be found than the recent statement by the German Ambassador in Egypt. During a recent meeting of the Egyptian European Council the German Ambassador stated the following: “Egypt is a country that enjoys enough freedom and democracy to overcome any negatives that take place in the Egyptian Society”. He then went on to argue that a clear indication of the freedom atmosphere in Egypt is Egyptian art and gave an example of two recent movies that were critical of the government. He also added that the European community respects Egypt’s special states in dealing with its internal problems as a strong country that aces its challenges in a constructive manner and on the highest level.

The Finnish ambassador was quick to add his endorsement to his colleagues statement.

To add insult to stupidity the German Chairman of the Egyptian German Chamber of Commerce said in an interview with El Masry El Yoom newspaper when asked about Gamal Mubarak inheriting the Presidency from his father that: “There is a Pharaohnic tradition that the son assumes power after his father”. He added that there are many countries that speak a lot about democracy and elections and have now disastrous conditions like Kenya and Brazil.

I suggest that Freedom House changes its category for identifying democratic countries to suit the new European standards. It is not free elections, it is not respect for Human Rights, it is not Religious Freedom, it is ………. Movies.

An Interesting Poll

2008-02-12T21:58:00.000+02:00

A recent poll was conducted by the Electronic Center for Public Opinion about which countries Egyptians consider as friends or enemies. While any poll in a dictatorship must be viewed with suspicion as it is only natural for people to be afraid of stating their opinions, this poll gave an interesting result.

As expected Saudi Arabia was the No. 1 friend in the eyes of Egyptians with 88% considering it a friendly nation. It was followed by Sudan, Palestine, Jordan and Lebanon.

In the non Arab countries Japan led with 58% followed by China.

The 2 most interesting numbers were those of Iran and Israel. Only 44% viewed Iran as a friend. This is a surprise after all the rhetoric lately and the worming of relations. It might have to do with the Sunni Shiite divide or with Iran’s handling of the Sadat’s murderer issue.

The other great surprise is that related to Israel. 56% viewed Israel as a great enemy and 22% viewed it as an enemy. The total is 78%. Israel led the list of countries that are viewed negatively by Egyptians. That is no surprise. Whether through the education books or the media, Egyptians have many stories to explain their hatred to Israel.

The real surprise however is that 22% of Egyptians do not view Israel as enemy. While people might argue that Christians are less likely than Muslims to have strong feelings of animosity towards Israel, the number exceeds any estimation of the Christian population in Egypt.

People in Israel should not open their champagne bottles yet, but it is an interesting number to watch.

Hamas wants us silenced

2008-02-12T21:42:00.000+02:00

The Muslim Brotherhood’s English website has published a statement by Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri in which he tried to justify the attacks on the Egyptian soldiers on the boarders with Gaza by saying: “what happened was as a result of an asphyxiating state suffered by one and a half million people in Gaza”

He went on to say: “that those who overstated the attacks on Egyptian soldiers did not talk about the position of Dr Mahmoud Al-Zahhar who went to apologize to the Egyptian officers and the Hamas delegation who handed gifts to the Egyptian security men.”

Now I fail to understand how one can overstate an attack on Egypt, its soldiers and boarders, but it seems that Hamas has another definition of the word attack.

This is all expected from a Hamas spokesman, but the real funny part came at the end of his statement when he said that: “The spokesman called on the Egyptian leadership to silence the "poisonous" voices that cause bitterness and pain to the Palestinian people.”

Now I don’t know how Mr. Abu Zuhri wants us silenced, but one can have images from the Hamas takeover of Gaza last summer to understand Hamas’s definition of silencing people.

Egyptian Journalism Ethics: Can it get any worse?

2008-02-03T22:13:00.000+02:00

I have written previously on Egyptian journalism and its deterioration, but this is probably the worst example I have seen.

The CEO of Al Ahram newspaper, the official government newspaper, Mosry Atallah, has written an article on the 24th of November 2007 expressing his disapproval of how Egyptian newspapers are highlighting the problems in Egypt. He stated that we exaggerate in blaming ourselves in the name of press freedom. He added that the Egyptian press has become only focused on the negatives and not on the positive things in Egypt. He claimed that he is not calling on the newspapers not to cover the negatives, but that real freedom is based on preaching hope.

Mr. Morsy Atallah then gave an example from the US to prove his point. He said that some years ago he was traveling with President Mubarak to Washington D.C. As usual, as he says foreign and Arab journalists flock to the Hotel where Mubarak is staying to learn of his opinions. Mr. Atallah says that an Arab journalist had met with him than and blamed Egyptian newspapers for covering on the front page a water pump explosion in Tahrir square, Egypt’s main square. The claimed Arab journalist had supposedly told him this happens all the time in the US and that it is not covered by US newspapers as they have an unwritten agreement between US newspapers to avoid highlighting such negative incidents so as not to shake the union of the American people. He then showed him a copy of the Washington Post and highlighted a little story in the internal pages about a plane crash that left 45 people dead and 53 injured. The claimed Arab journalist then asked him if such an incident had occurred in Egypt, would it receive such minor coverage or would all newspapers talk about it?

My first reaction was to write a strong article totally mocking the so called unwritten agreement and talking about the US newspapers in uncovering Watergate and Abu Ghrieb, but I cautioned myself not to jump on the guy’s throat and to research the matter further. I decided to look up in the Washington Post archives to find this plane crash and to analyze the coverage it received in US newspapers. My efforts failed totally as there was no mention of the plane crash in the Washington Post. That was quite a surprise to me and it seemed to support Mr. Atallah’s claims.

I then went on and searched the archive’s of all plane crash incidents in the world and my surprise was complete when I received confirmation that no incident anywhere in the world fits with Mr. Atallah’s description even if we go back to the 1930’s.

Mr. Atallah in an attempt to support his otherwise unbelievable argument and claims has totally made up his supporting evidence. This is not the first time for the highest ranking journalist in Egypt. In June 2007, Mr. Atallah wrote a whole series of articles in which he discussed the neoconservative ideology. The articles were typical of the Egyptian media’s ignorance, but that is not the issue here. Having been virtually ignored on the 2th of June, Mr. Atallah published an article in which he claimed that he had received a reply from Egyptian American political commentator Magdi Khalil defending neocons and the US government. Mr. Atallah went on to attack Magdi Khalil and his stands accusing him of calling for the cut of US Aid to Egypt. Magdi Khalil sent a reply to Al Ahram stating that he had not sent Morsi Atallah any reply whatsoever and asked for it to be published. Al Ahram of course did not publish his letter and Magdi was forced to publish it elsewhere.

This level of journalism can be expected from an unknown journalist in a tabloid newspaper, but not from Al Ahram’s CEO.

Anti Semitism Revisited

2008-02-03T22:02:00.000+02:00

My previous post on Anti-Semitism in Egypt created a lot of debate and was criticized by many people. That was not entirely unexpected.

I believe that people are blinded by their hatred to Israel and do not see that it has turned to hatred to Jews as Jews. This growing Anti-Semitism in Egypt and the Arab world in general largely remains unchallenged. The historical plight of Jews in the Arab world has largely remained unnoticed in the eyes of Arabs. From the massacre in Baghdad in 1828 to the Damascus Passover Bread massacre in 1840 the list is endless. The modern Jewish exodus from the Arab world is estimated to have included up to 856,000 Jews. It is a common myth that these Jews left Egypt by their own will. More than 3,000 Jews were imprisoned or detained. Their homes and properties were confiscated and the government media campaign made no effort to distinguish between Egyptian Jews, which had lived in Egypt for centuries and were an integral part of the Egyptian society and between Egypt’s wars at the time with Israel. This led to attacks on Jews and their life in Egypt became unbearable.

This media campaign has continued even after the Camp David Accords and the Peace Treaty with Israel. Even thought the government had officially made peace with Israel, it allowed Anti-Semitism to grow and flourish until it became impossible to distinguish between a person’s position towards Israel and his hatred to Jews. Myths like the Protocols of the Elders of Zion continued to be advocated reaching its climax in the October 2002 T.V. Drama.

The latest example of such failure to distinguish between the State of Israel and Judaism occurred in Rome. The leaders of the Muslim community in Rome, represented by the Islamic Cultural Center and its affiliated Rome Mosque, were scheduled to pay a visit to the Rome Synagogue. The visit was part of the continuous efforts on dialogue between religions. The visit was scheduled to take place on the 23rd of January, but was cancelled after Al Azhar intervened. While the Egyptian Ambassador to Italy denied such claims and stated that Al Azhar does not intervene in the administration of the Islamic Cultural Center, Al Azhar’s role was stated in an interview by Al Azhar’s Deputy Leader, Abdel Fattah Allam, in which he said that in Al Azhar we have a positive stand towards the dialogue between religions, but in regards to the dialogue between Islam and Judaism this is not an option until rights are returned to its rightful people.

It is of course eye catching that Al Azhar would intervene in the running of the main Islamic Center in Italy. This role of religious institutions in Egypt and Saudi Arabia has had a negative effect on Islamic centers and leaders in Europe and the US and has pushed them to more fundamentalist positions.

The question that haunts me is why Egyptians keep mixing up between their political position towards Israel and Jews. This failure to distinguish between a political stand and a hatred to Jews is a serious threat to all of us and should not be ignored.

As Martin Niemoller said in his famous poem:

First they came for the Communists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant
Then they came for me,
and by that time no one was left to speak up.

We all stood silent when they targeted the Jews. We all stood silent when Egypt lost its Jewish population. We felt it wasn’t our problem and we not only didn’t care, we participated actively.

We all stood silent as the Shiite’s were arrested and tortured. We all stood silent when the Christians were denied their rights to build Churches. We all stood silent when the elections were forged. We all stood silent when political prisoners were tortured. And we are all standing now silent as the Baha’is are being denied their basic rights.

The question is when are we going to stand up and speak???

Its Egypt’s Security Stupid!

2008-01-26T20:29:00.000+02:00

As an Egyptian I am totally frightened by the situation in the past couple of days in Sinai and along the border with Gaza. This is not an over alarmist position. The situation in Sinai now poses the greatest threat to Egypt’s national security.

Immediately after electricity was cut from Gaza we saw a movement by Palestinians towards the Egyptian borders. At first came the women and after them the militia men started blowing up holes in the border which led to the situation going totally out of control and an estimated 700,000 Palestinians entering Sinai.

The Egyptian President gave a speech in which he stated that Egypt would not allow the starvation of Palestinians. Although it was clearly a late attempt to show that he was in control and that he had let the Palestinians in, his words gave me no relief. The situation continued to escalate and more holes were blown on the border and more Palestinians came in. The border became a joke as it became a freeman’s land allowing even Egyptian bloggers to enter into Gaza and meet Ismail Haneya. This is in itself a joke. I mean the guy that is supposedly the second sought man by Israel after Nasrallah is easy to locate and sit with. Where are those supposed assassination attempts by Fatah that Hamas was screaming about just a few days ago? More hilarious is that Ismail Haneya, seems to be having a lot of free time to sit with bloggers. Instead of doing his job the guy is giving interviews.

I am honestly disgusted of those Arab Nationalists, Socialists and Islamists who have been screaming for decades about Egypt’s National Security. They have been giving us lectures in strategy and nationalism and that Egypt’s national security is not limited to its boarders. Whether they talked about Palestine as a national security issue for Egypt, or they reached the Pakistani boarders, they continued to argue for national security for Egypt and have made Egypt pay for 59 years with its own blood and wellbeing for the greater Arab Cause. What shocks me is that when Egypt is itself under threat they have shut up and called for demonstrations against the Egyptian government and its position in Gaza. I am the last person on earth to support the Egyptian government, but seriously what do you want them to do Mr. Heakal and the rest of the so called experts? Do you want us to take them all in???

It also is quite surprising that just 1 day after the electricity shut off, thousands were storming the borders. I mean with all due respect to everyone, people do not starve in 1 day!!!

I am not against letting people in. Egypt is bound by international law to take refugees fleeing, but I seriously question the way this was done. People crossing any border should be at least be registered and searched. Israel has been arguing lately that Egypt is not doing enough in stopping weapons smuggling through the tunnels. Now with the situation being complete chaos on the borders there is no way to stop the weapons going in or for this matter going out.

Any Palestinian crossing the border could take with him weapons and explosions and supply them to Al Qaeda affiliated groups in Sinai. With Al Qaeda reportedly being active in Gaza this scenario seems very possible. Even if it was not Al Qaeda, Gaza is full of weapons and not just by Hamas. Weapons are available there for every street gang and organized family crime. Can anyone take the risk of some El Kassam rockets being available to be fired at Hotels in Sharm El Sheikh. In addition to this it would be interesting to see how the situation on the borders is affecting Tourism in Sinai. Egypt is heavily dependent on Tourism income and any drop in Tourists would have a huge effect on the Egyptian economy.

Even if my fears of weapon smuggling and terrorist acts prove to be premature, there is no way to determine that the people crossing into Sinai do not include thugs and thieves.

Once again no one is saying that Palestinians should starve or die. If the situation inside Gaza proves to be a humanitarian crises, a humanitarian action should be considered not on the bases of Arab Nationalism but on pure humanity. In that case humanitarian assistance going to Gaza or some cases that need medical assistance going into Egypt is expected, but before they are let in an action plan needs to be formulated that takes into consideration the humanitarian situation and more importantly Egypt’s national interests and security.

Gaza should not be turned into Egypt’s problem. Israel since its disengagement and withdrawal from Gaza has been looking for ways to deal with it. With the world viewing Gaza as still Israel’s problem, Israel has been looking for ways to officially disengage from Gaza. Noah Pollak and David Hazony have written excellent articles on the matter in contentions. Although worth reading is Alex Fishman’s piece.

Is Egypt ready to take responsibility not just for a short period, but permanently for Gaza? Are we ready to deal with the situation there?

The current situation allows Israel and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank to go on with the Peace process and reach a 2 State solution, while Egypt willingly or unwillingly is left to deal with Gaza, whether by assuming control there as it did before 1967 or by taking a huge number of refugees on a permanent basis inside Sinai, from the already overpopulated Gaza.

In whose interest is this?

It defiantly is not in Egypt’s best interests.

The Muslim Brotherhood congratulates Christians on Christmas

2008-01-10T23:14:00.000+02:00

The Muslim Brotherhood has issued a very nice statement this year to congratulate Christians on the occasion of Christmas. Unlike previous years the letter is very clear and strong in its words. It is written and sent by Mahdi Akef and the entire Executive Council of the Muslim Brotherhood. It sends its greetings not only to Copts in Egypt, but also abroad. More importantly it has some very strong words on religious freedom, tolerance and equality and state that the Muslim Brotherhood is committed to these basic principles.

I was quite taken aback by the statement. It is to my knowledge one of the strongest worded statements by the Muslim Brotherhood to congratulate Christians, but before anyone jumps to conclusions the statement was issued and published in English and on the Muslim Brotherhood’s English website. When I searched the Muslim Brotherhood’s Arabic website the result was nothing, zero, non. The statement was not published there at all.

This leaves me with a couple of possibilities to explain this.

The Muslim Brotherhood Chairman and Executive Council do not speak Arabic, but rather English. This is why they wrote it in their native tongue.
Christians in Egypt do not speak Arabic, but rather English. Thus the Muslim Brotherhood leadership thought it appropriate to congratulate Christians in their own language.
The audience and target of this letter are not the Christians, but the outside world and especially the West. This is why the statement was issued and published in English to show a moderate face of the Brotherhood.

Which possibility do you think makes more sense???

Shisha is 7aram

2008-01-10T23:01:00.000+02:00

On the 6th of January, just like every year I travel with my family to Quesna in Monofeya. Quesna is the city where my Father was born and we still have many relatives there. On the 2 occasions of Christmas and Easter, the whole family gathers to celebrate together.

Quesna is quite a huge city with more than 150,000 residents and over the years I have come to know most of the streets there. It is worth mentioning that it is very close to the village where Mubarak was born and raised and also to where Sadat was born.

Being a Shisha addict, I usually find some time to skip part of the family reunion and go to smoke a Shisha. Over the years and like all of the Egyptian cities Shisha places grew in number. I have smoked in a couple of Shisha places there and although the Shisha is not great it serves the purpose.

This year I went to the Shisha place just 2 blocks from my family’s house. I entered the place as usual and greeted people there and took a seat. A waiter came to me and asked me what I wanted to order and I told him an Apple Shisha. His response was “There is Non”. I thought that was weird, but told him to bring me any other flavor he had. His response again was “There is Non”. I became quite confused. I thought the Egyptian Police must have raided this Shisha Place, as they do in Cairo, and took the Shisha’s. I asked him why there were non and a man sitting next to me answered by “Its 7aram” (Religiously Forbidden in Arabic) . At first I thought the guy was joking. I mean I am sitting after all in a Shisha place! I asked jokingly who maid it 7aram and both the waiter and the guy looked at me seriously and said “Its 7aram”. Fearing that the conversation might lead to dangerous grounds I got my stuff said Salam 3aliekom and left.

Now I am not discussing here if Shisha is 7aram or not. Frankly for me that doesn’t matter. If religious leaders want to forbid people from smoking Shisha, that’s their issue and that of the people that follow them. What really leaves me puzzled is why someone opens a Shisha place, when he believes that Shisha is 7aram??? It is as if you enter a whorehouse to be greeted by the owner saying that adultery is 7aram! Why doesn’t the owner go into another kind of business? Isn’t it ironic to waste his money on a place that is 7aram in itself and that probably would not generate any income?

If anyone can explain the logic to me, please do.

And by the way for those wondering, I went to another Shisha place and smoked there.

Totally Bewildered

A Letter To President Bush

2008-01-08T20:30:00.000+02:00

I have thought a lot about writing this letter. I know that by writing it I am opening the gates of hell and that accusations of being a foreign agent and treason will flow in the air, but after considering all option, I felt compelled to write it anyway.

Dear President Bush,

You are visiting the Middle East starting tomorrow and in the brief week of your visit you will visit many countries and meet with many leaders. I am sure your advisors prepared you well for this visit. I am sure they gave you many briefings on the Peace Process and how to solve the deadlock in the conflict in the Holy Land. I am positive you will discuss Iran with the Presidents, Princes, Prime Ministers and Kings in the region. I am sure you will mention combating terrorism during those meetings. These are all important issues that touch the lives of the people in the region and in the US, but this is not what I am writing you about Mr. President.

I am writing you today to talk about Democracy, Human Rights and Freedom.

“We have seen our vulnerability - and we have seen its deepest source. For as long as whole regions of the world simmer in resentment and tyranny - prone to ideologies that feed hatred and excuse murder - violence will gather, and multiply in destructive power, and cross the most defended borders, and raise a mortal threat. There is only one force of history that can break the reign of hatred and resentment, and expose the pretensions of tyrants, and reward the hopes of the decent and tolerant, and that is the force of human freedom.”

“We are led, by events and common sense, to one conclusion: The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands. The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world.”

These are the words of a very brave man Mr. President. A man that sees beyond the urgencies of today and faces the challenges of tomorrow. These are your words Mr. President in your inaugural speech. Do you remember that day Mr. President? Do you remember your strong commitment to Freedom? Do you remember your promise that “So it is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world.”?

I urge you to remember them Mr. President. Your advisors might have forgotten them, your Secretary of State might have ignored them, and your diplomats probably never believed in them, but what about you Mr. President? Do you still remember those words? The people in the region haven’t. They have seen your administration ignore democracy and freedom time after time, but they have not forgotten those words. They do, as you said, believe in freedom. For them as for you, freedom transcends all boundaries, breaks all chains and defeats the mightiest walls of oppression and tyranny.

I would like to question you Mr. President about freedom. Where is democracy promotion in the region? Where is telling them that “those that deny freedom to others deserve it not to themselves.”? Where is your promise to me and to my countrymen that “the US will not ignore your oppression, or excuse your oppressors”? Egyptians are standing for their liberty Mr. President, where do you stand? Are you standing with them or are your standing with those that oppress them?

Your diplomats will tell you that Democracy is a hopeless case in the Middle East and that stability is your only and best option. Do not believe them Mr. President. They are as wrong now as they were in the past. Their so called realism was chattered to pieces the minute the World Trade Center was hit. Do not revive their world view again. Do not repeat the same mistakes yet again and do not wait for another 9/11 to realize that something is wrong.

Your advisors have urged you to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They have told you as they have told your predecessors that solving it will solve all the region’s problems. They have told you that people in the streets of Cairo care more about what happens in the West Bank than they care about what happens in their own neighborhoods. Do not believe them Mr. President. They are as wrong now as they were wrong in the past. Your so called experts with their realist view have failed yet again to understand that people care about their own livelihood than that of the Palestinians.

Mr. President try to solve the situation in the Holy Land as much as you want, but do not think that by doing so you have solved the Egyptian people’s problem.

Mr. President when you meet Mubarak and talk to him about the Peace process, the weapons tunnels and Iran, please take some of your time to talk to him about Democracy, please spare a moment of yours and discuss Human Rights and please while you are leaving the room or having dinner with him do not forget to mention Freedom. Do not forget me and my fellow countrymen Mr. President during your visit. Remind everyone that you stand with us in our struggle and that we are not alone in our quest for freedom.

Do you remember Ayman Nour Mr. President? Do you remember that man that dared to challenge tyranny? Ayman Nour sits rotting in his jail cell for the third year. You remembered him in Prague during your speech there. Could you please remember him in Egypt.

Mr. President have you read your State Department’s yearly published report on Religious Freedom? Have you realized that in the 21st century people in the Middle East are still being denied their right to worship? Do you know that in Egypt a women was sentenced in 2007 for wanting to remain a Christian? Do you realize that Baha’is are denied their most simple and basic rights? Are you aware Mr. President that people get arrested in Egypt and tortured for no reason other than their calls for freedom? Whether they are Liberals, Muslim Brotherhood leaders or Socialists, the Egyptian regime has spared no one.

Mr. President I urge you to take the bold step and discuss democracy with the rulers of the Middle East. I urge you to talk about human rights conditions with them, but more importantly I urge you to take an action.

In Prague you said in your speech that: “I look forward to the day when a conference like this one include Alexander Kozulin of Belarus, Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma, Oscar Elias Biscet of Cuba, Father Nguyen Van Ly of Vietnam, Ayman Nour of Egypt.” Mr. President you do not need to wait for another conference in Prague to meet Ayman Nour. He is in an Egyptian Prison cell. Is it to much to ask you to pay him a visit?

Mr. President, I leave you with your own words to think about.

“The most powerful weapon in the struggle against extremism is not bullets or bombs -- it is the universal appeal of freedom. Freedom is the design of our Maker, and the longing of every soul. Freedom is the best way to unleash the creativity and economic potential of a nation. Freedom is the only ordering of a society that leads to justice. And human freedom is the only way to achieve human rights.”

Essam El Erian and Ignorance

2007-11-15T23:15:00.000+02:00

Abdel Monem Mahmoud, the active and well respected Muslim Brotherhood Blogger met with Essam El Erian, a political leader of the Muslim Brotherhood just as he was released from Prison on the 9th of October. Abdel Monem discussed many issues with Essam El Erian most importantly of course was the Muslim Brotherhood political platform that was issued while Essam El Erian was held behind bars.

Essam El Erian had some insightful points regarding the program that deserve an analysis. What I found alarming however is his response to a question regarding Christians and Women being allowed to run for President. El Erian said that this issue should be left to the regulating customs in the Constitution that might not be written, but they are more powerful in practice than the written articles of the Constitution.

El Erian gave an example of the American Constitution which can not be ruled by a Catholic according to the Customary regulations and rules of the US Constitution and the one time that a Catholic ruled America, and that was Kennedy he was killed 1 and a half years after he became President.

Now I have studied the US Constitution in University and I know of no such Customary regulation or rule, but since Mr. El Erian is an authority on political issues he might be able to guide me to those rules.

More importantly however Mr. El Erian, Kennedy was the President of the United States from the 20th of January 1961 till the 22nd of November 1963. He was President for 2 years and 10 months Mr. El Erian and not 1 and a half years.

It is also worth mentioning that John Kerry, the Democratic Nominee for President in 2004 is Catholic and that Michael Dukakis, the Democratic Nominee for President in 1988 is Greek Orthodox, Al Smith, the Democratic Nominee for President in 1928 was Catholic.

Joe Lieberman, the Democratic Nominee for Vice President in 2000 is Jewish, Geraldine Ferraro, the Democratic Nominee for Vice President in 1984 is Roman Catholic, Sargent Shriver, the Democratic Nominee for Vice President in 1972 is Roman Catholic, Edmund Muskie, the Democratic Nominee for Vice President in 1968 is Catholic.

The 2008 Presidential Elections has Catholic candidates on both Parties. Bill Richardson, the Democratic candidate is Catholic and so are Christopher Dodd and Joe Biden. On the Republican side, Rudy Giuliani, the leading Republican candidate in polls is also Catholic.

Doesn’t look like a customary regulation banning Catholics to me.

Mahdi Akef and Ignorance

2007-11-15T22:19:00.000+02:00

Mahdi Akef, the Supreme Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood, gave a statement to Ikhwan Online, the Muslim Brotherhood’s Arabic Website regarding the Muslim Brotherhood’s Political Platform and the banning of Christians and Women from running for President.

This issue of banning Christians and Women has sparked a lot of debate and needs a full review, but that is not my interest in this article.

What interests me however is the justification that Mahdi Akef gave for this decision. In an attempt to justify this decision, Mahdi Akef used the US as an example. He said that, and I quote, America itself refuses that its Presidency is taken by a Protestant or a Catholic. As John Kennedy, who was a Catholic was killed and he was the only non Evangelical President of the US.

Yes ladies and gentleman, No Protestant President!!!

The Supreme Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood does not know what Protestant is or obviously Evangelical.

This is no surprise from Mahdi Akef. The guy is obviously old and we can not expect from him to know such basic information. What is surprising however is that this statement was given on the 6th of November, 9 days ago and during those 9 days members of the Muslim Brotherhood Political Bureau, Guidance Council and many Muslim Brotherhood members have read this statement and no one noticed the obvious ignorance.

If Mahdi Akef does not know what Protestant is, doesn’t anyone in the Muslim Brotherhood know?

An MP with a lot of imagination

2007-11-15T21:58:00.000+02:00

The issue of Egyptians being married to Israeli citizens has been discussed very heavily in the Egyptian newspapers recently. Various T.V. programs were done about this issue and various articles written. Calls have been made to take the Egyptian citizenship from those Egyptians and many accusations have been made against them accusing them of being traitors and spies. Almost all those reports have talked about the number of these cases as being 10,000 Egyptians and most of them have mentioned that they are married to Israeli Jews in some cases but in most to 1948 Arabs that hold an Israeli passport.

The issue seems to be the hot issue of the week and a Muslim Brotherhood member of Parliament by the name of Dr. Farid Ismail has presented a question in Parliament to the Prime Minister regarding this issue. In his question he stated that 220,000 Egyptians are married to Zionists and have received the Israeli passport as a result. He said that the Peace Treaty between Egypt and Israel has made this easier. He said that those Egyptians have fallen to temptations and were married to Zionist sluts. He added that the government had to do something to stop those spies that were all over Egypt and that worked for the Zionist enemy.

The honorable member of Parliament seems to have a very wild imagination.

220,000 men married to Zionists!!!

I guess Israel would be an Arab majority country by now if the number was true.

And then Zionists!

Does this include 1948 Arabs???

Are all Jews Zionists???

More than that the honorable member of Parliament has accused these women of being sluts. Are these accusations easy to say Dr. Farid Ismail? Have you concrete proof that they are sluts or is it just some words in the air? How can a person who claims to be a religious Muslim accuse 220,000 women of that without even blinking?

And the men are spies Dr. Farid Ismail? All of them? Do you have proof for that or is it just some fancy words you use?

Sir, when you accuse people with such words you better have proof for it or just shut up. For staying silent is much better than accusing people unjustly.

Lack of Journalism Ethics or lack of Talent?

2007-11-15T21:36:00.000+02:00

Yesterday the Egyptian President made his annual visit to Parliament to deliver his speech at the opening of the Parliament’s session for this year.

His speech was expected and had the usual slogans and promises, thus it was received with a general lack of mention except in the official newspapers that gave it 3 pages.

What is of interest however is the coverage that the Muslim Brotherhood Arabic Website and Al Masreyoon website had. Al Masrreyoon website published a report on the session and an analysis of the audience and some rumors. The report was written by Salah El Deen Ahmed.

Ikhwan Online published a report on the session by Ahmed Saleh.

The two reports are nearly identical. They both talk about the Pope attending, Political Parties Presidents greeting him, El Azhar Sheikh and the Mufti being late, Ein Shams University President attending, sitting besides Momtaz El Kot, the rumor of him being the next High Education Minister, Kamal Badr attending, the Journalists Syndicate elections being the major topic of discussion, Moustafa El Fiqy sitting there, Osama Saraya sitting there, Farouk Hosny being absent, Suzanne Mubarak not attending and thus other Officials wives being absent and so on.

This was not just a mere coincidence of coverage. Both reports used the same words and the same order of mentioning people. As an observer I am left to conclude that one of these websites just copied the other.

The question is which of these websites copied the other? Was it Ikhwan Online, or El Masreyoon? And which reporter claimed to have written the report while in reality he just plagiarized?

Any answers?

Robert Mugabe, Al Ahram and the Axis of Comedy

2007-11-10T21:12:00.000+02:00

On the 3rd of October 2007, Al Ahram reporter conducted an interview with Robert Mugabe, President of Zimbabwe. In her interview introduction the reporter said that the West had accused Mugabe of being a bloody Dictator and Human Rights violator, but that she had found him to be a simple, humble and nice person. The interview was clearly target towards showing him as the victim of the West’s campaign against him.

In the interview Mugabe claimed that there was no economic crises in Zimbabwe and that the high unemployment rate was an exaggeration by his enemies. He also said that the situation in Zimbabwe was much better than that in many other countries and that services and health care was better than many other cases.

Mugabe who is the eternal Head of Government in Zimbabwe since 1980 is one of the world’s most notorious Dictators. According to human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch the government of Zimbabwe violates the rights to shelter, food, freedom of movement and residence, freedom of assembly and the protection of the law. There are assaults on the media, the political opposition, civil society activists, and human rights defenders.

He has also led his country to economic collapse and massive starvation. Zimbabwe has the highest inflation rate in the world predicted to hit 1.5 million % by the end of 2007, and is, according to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Africa's worst economic performer. With a record 85 % unemployment and ~8000 % inflation rates, Zimbabwe is in its worst economic crisis since Mugabe took power.

All of this interview is expected as Al Ahram’s definitions of Human Rights violations and economic crises are those of the Egyptian regime. That is to say very loose. The interview can be fairly seen as a Dictator’s gift to another.

What is hilarious however is the reporter’s following question:

Bush has said that Iran, Syria and Zimbabwe are the Axis of Evil and should be destroyed. What is your comment to that?

Zimbabwe ….. Axis of Evil?

Last I heard the term Axis of Evil was used by President Bush in his State of the Union Address on the 29th of January 2002 to describe governments that he accused of sponsoring terrorism and seeking weapons of mass destruction. Bush named Iraq, Iran, and North Korea in his speech. He defiantly did not name Zimbabwe in that.

On the 6th of May 2002, the United States, then Under Secretary of State, John Bolton gave a speech titled “Beyond the Axis of Evil” in which he added Cuba, Libya and Syria to the list. Again no mention of Zimbabwe.

The fact that the reporter had no idea what the Axis of Evil is, is a sad reflection of the quality of journalism that Egypt has now. The reporter had obviously no idea what the term meant or who was included. More frightening is the quality of editing in Al Ahram. No one in Al Ahram’s Editorial Team had obviously noticed such a grave mistake.

What is more frightening and laughable however is Mugabe’s answer. Mugabe said:

My comment is that George Bush is not God. He is the furthest from that. He is the man that represents the Axis of Evil in the world. Look at the lies that he has said and his occupation of Iraq and what he did to the prisoners in Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo, these are not simple accusations, they are a crime against Humanity. How can a man like that dare to accuse others. At least I haven’t killed anyone, his hands however are full of the blood of the innocent in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Robert Mugabe as it seems like the reporter had no clue of what the Axis of Evil was. I wouldn’t be surprised if very soon he will give a speech to the Zimbabwean people denouncing the Devil George Bush who said that Zimbabwe is in the Axis of Evil.

Truly an Axis of Comedy.

You are Anti Semitic: Admit It even if just for Yourselves

2007-11-08T18:53:00.000+02:00

The Jewish Synagogue in Cairo was reopened just a couple of days ago. The Synagogue had been closed for some time for renovation. This celebration should have been a great celebration of this historic building’s opening and a time to celebrate the long Jewish presence in Egypt. Many articles could have been written, and many lectures could have been held to celebrate this opening and to remember the rich history that Egyptian Jewish citizens had in this country. The Jewish community in Egypt may number close to 100 people currently, but before 1952, Egypt had had a vibrant and culturally rich Jewish community that numbered around 80,000.

Egyptian Jews constituted the oldest Jewish community outside Israel in the world. The community’s leaders included such famous Egyptian national as René Qattawi and famous writer Yaqub Sanu.

Unfortunately this celebration was marked by controversy. Gaber El Beltagy, a Professor of Music at the Arts Academy and an Opera singer, sang a few poems at the opening of the Synagogue in what should have been a perfectly normal event. An uproar automatically followed and the Head of the Musicians Syndicate denounced the singing as an act of normalization with Israel. He added that the Musicians Syndicate will call the Singer to an investigation that would probably end up in him being kicked out of the Syndicate and thus banning him from singing. The Egyptian Opera house also issued a statement denouncing the Singer.

Gaber El Beltagy had not sung the Israeli National Anthem nor has he sang at an Israeli Embassy party. All he did was sing at the opening of the Synagogue, thus the issue has nothing to do with the State of Israel and whether you agree to normalizing relations with it or not. It is related however to Egyptian intellectuals and people not being able to differentiate between their political stands against Israel and their internal hatred for Jews as Jews.

A Synagogue is a religious place that has nothing to do with politics or with how one feels towards Israel. The fact that people can not differentiate between these 2 things shows that Anti Semitism is deeply rooted in their hearts.

Ladies and Gentleman hate Jews as much as you want, that’s your own prejudice inside of your hearts, but don’t you dare state that you are not Anti Semitic.

The Copts Abroad: Begging for Understanding

2007-11-01T20:54:00.000+02:00

Many things were written about Copts that live outside of Egypt and many accusations were leveled against them from treason, collaborating with Zionists, calling for Aid to Egypt to be cut and generally being fanatic Christians that exaggerate about the situation in Egypt.

When I was invited to attend the Coptic Conference being organized by the Coptic Assembly of America in Chicago, I had mixed feelings about it and felt hesitant to accept. My own experience in meeting some of the Coptic Political leaders abroad had not been very encouraging and I knew that if I attended I was going to be automatically labeled with all sorts of terms.

I thought a lot about it and decided to attend. Part of that decision was based on my interest in meeting those people that are so much hated by the Egyptian media and forming my own opinion about them.

I traveled to Chicago for 4 days and can claim to have met most of the Coptic activists there and my own conclusions are quite different from what has been written about them.

I met extremely patriotic Egyptians that loved their country very deeply and that hoped for the best for it. It was extremely painful to see them one by one talking about how much they loved their country and how much they were proud of their Egyptian heritage.

Cameel Halim, who heads the Coptic Assembly of America, is a very successful businessman in Chicago. He had emigrated from Egypt in 1968 and built his life in the States from there on. As a successful businessman in his elder years a very easy decision is to relax after so many struggles and enjoy life to the fullest, yet he very passionately talked about his homeland and as an Egyptian American urged the US to increase its AID to Egypt.

Rebecca Michaels, a very successful young lawyer represented the Coptic youth in America in her speech and although she represented a generation that was not born in Egypt, her passion for Egypt and her hopes for a better future for the country were no less than Cameel’s. She had the same pride in being Egyptian and the same dreams for Egypt.

Outside the Conference I had a chance to go out with some of the younger Egyptian Americans. I met Joseph, Paul and Bassem who were all young Egyptians that were struggling to build a future for them and their families in a very competitive environment, but this made them no less patriotic.

I had the pleasure of meeting Atef Mackar, who is the President of a consulting company in Chicago and in his middle years. I was quite impressed by his calmness and his wisdom. His hopes for Egypt and his determination to improve it are remarkable.

I can go on and on about all those young and old Egyptian Americans and how they destroyed all those myths associated with Copts abroad one after the other. Whether young or old, whether they have succeeded in their adopted country or were still struggling to build their future, they all shared a deep passion and compassion to plight of the Egyptian people and also a lot of sadness. You could see that very clearly in their eyes. Whether they left Egypt willingly or unwillingly they still loved it very much and it hurt them deeply to be labeled as traitors.

I do not deny that I saw some crazy men that were full of hatred to Islam and that could not distinguish between Islam and Muslims, and between the painful incidents that they had suffered from in Egypt, but I can clearly state that they are not in any way the majority and that the Copts Abroad are much more patriotic than many Egyptians that I have met in Egypt.

The Copts Abroad have succeeded in building their lives and careers in the US, Europe, Canada and Australia. They are doctors, lawyers, businessmen, university professors and engineers. Isn’t it time that Egypt benefits from this strong pool of resources???

The International Religious Freedom Report Part 5: The Muslim Brotherhood

2007-09-24T03:08:00.000+02:00

As the public attack on the State Department’s International Religious Freedom Report started the Muslim Brotherhood could not waste this chance to join.

In an interview on the 20th of September 2007 with the Muslim Brotherhood’s English website, Dr. Abdel Moneim Abul Fotouh, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Executive Office rejected the content of this report.

He said that America should rather condemn itself first before it attacks other countries and that we reject any intervention from the US administration for a blackmail.

He said he didn’t want to comment of such a US report because the truth and neutrality of the US administration in issuing the reports is questioned and because it also exploits such reports to blackmail regimes in various countries.

As for the religious freedoms in Egypt, he said: Egyptian regime persecutes all Egyptians in general- Muslims, Copts or any other. It exercises a political and social exclusion against all political and social powers in Egypt.

Regarding the effect of such reports, Dr. Abd Al-Moneim said: Undoubtedly, this report may increase the gap between Muslims and other sects in Egypt. This is because the report contains a flagrant exaggeration which is divorced from reality. There is no shred of accuracy in this report.

Some parties in Egypt may exploit such a report to achieve their interests, also through showing Copts in Egypt as oppressed, which is actually divorced from reality.

The most hilarious part in his interview was when he said that if we compare between rights given to our Coptic brothers in Egypt, with rights given to Muslims in France or any other western country in general, we will find that situations in Egypt are much better that many other countries.

He wondered about rights of the Muslim minority in America itself where there is no mosque in Washington or New York, while churches and mosques are simultaneously in Egypt.

He then said that there were no Muslim US secretaries or under secretaries in the US government. All of us remember when a Muslim reached a certain post in the US State Department, a state of fury and rage was unleashed at that time!!

He added that we also differ between that a human being has a freedom of choice of religion and the creed he wants, and between absurdities. What is currently taking place in Egypt is absurd and an offensive to religions. The misunderstanding comes from here.

Mr. Abul Fetouh’s comments constitute a complete negligence of the facts on the ground and an intentional ignorance.

Mr. Abul Fetouh compares the situation of Christians in Egypt, who are historic inhabitants of Egypt to Muslim minorities in the US or France whom have immigrated there in recent years.

Mr. Abul Fetouh seems completely ignorant on the fact that there is a Muslim member of the US Congress, and that the US’s Ambassador to the UN is also a Muslim.

He also chooses to ignore the fact that France has a Muslim Minister in its cabinet.

As to his hilarious comment regarding there being no mosques in New York or Washington, I do not know if I should laugh or cry. I don’t know where this guy gets his information?

As to the state of fury and rage that he talked about, I am honestly at loss here having read nothing on such an instance. My personal assumption is that he is mistakenly talking about Keith Ellison, the Congressman from Minnesota.

The Myth that Mr. Abul Fetouh says that all Egyptians are persecuted is unfortunately shared by many Egyptians. This deserves a special article, but I can briefly say that while all Egyptians suffer under the current regime, Copts have endured an added persecution due to their religion.

Mr. Abul Fetouh’s conviction that there is no shred of accuracy in this report deserves a challenge to him to highlight this lack of accuracy.

Did the Bamha attack never take place Mr. Abul Fetouh?

Are Churches allowed to be built Mr. Abul Fetouh?

Are Baha’is allowed to worship Mr. Abul Fetouh?

Are there any Christian Presidents of Universities Mr. Abul Fetouh?

Are there any elected Christian Members of Parliament except Youssef Boutros Ghali Mr. Abul Fetouh?

Which part of this holds no shred of accuracy Mr. Abul Fetouh?

Which part of the report is a flagrant exaggeration which is divorced from reality Mr. Abul Fetouh?

Mr. Abul Fetouh warns us that this report may increase the gap between Muslims and other sects in Egypt. Mr. Abul Fetouh no one will use it in such a way except yourself and your followers.

I dedicate this story to a friend who still believes that Mr. Abul Fetouh is a Moderate.

Cheers for Moderates folks.

The International Religious Freedom Report Part 4: The Public Debate

2007-09-24T02:24:00.000+02:00

Some objective media reports were done after the State Department issued its International Religious Freedom Report.

Sameh Fawzy a writer in Watany commented on the report saying that in September every year the State Department issues its Religious Freedom Report and usually this report is met with 3 reactions; a complete attack, official ignoring and the government media highlighting the lines that say that Egypt is progressing.

This year there was an official condemnation from the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a campaign in the government media attacking the report.

He rightfully says that the report was mistaken in talking about the Muslim Brotherhood as the persecution that it suffers from is not an issue related to religious freedom, but instead to its political struggle with the Egyptian government.

He adds that this report constitutes a challenge to the National Council on Human Rights, which has been established for years and has failed to handle issues of religious freedom.

He also rightfully says that there are real problems facing Christians, Shites, Quranists and Baha’is that need to be addressed and solved regardless of their numbers and regardless of what the religious view of these groups is.

Watany newspaper also provided its readers with a summary of the report’s main points and interviewed 2 intellectuals regarding their opinion of the report.

Mr. Samir Morcos, whom is worth mentioning is a member of the NDP Party’s Policies Bureau headed by Gamal Mubarak said that it is the right of the Coptic Church to defend its faith against various sects such as Jehovah’s Witnesses and that this case has nothing to do with religious freedom because it surpasses religious freedom!!!!!

He said that the Church and the Ministry’s decision in 1960 to ban them is not out of refusing religious freedom, but out of refusing what threatens the existing Coptic faith and it’s the Church’s right to defend itself.

He added that there are no limitations on Christian’s freedoms but problems that are defined as religious problems.

For his part Gamal El Banna, the moderate Islamic Thinker, attacked the State Department saying that they don’t know our problems more than us. At the same time he attacked the Interior Ministry calling on it to lift its hands from religions and not to use violence.