The Million Person March in Alexandria

 

 

We just came back from the protests. It was amazing! It was just amazing! A large section of the protesters were in front of the house so Mansour & I went down to join them. Mansour wearing his kufiyah and I in a sweater and jeans. There was a call for Asr prayers and many protesters stopped to pray. People started to throw newspapers from their balcony so protesters could put them on the streets to pray on.  What I saw was amazing. In the front of the prayers everyone was mixed, men and women. There was a section of women in the back as well (mostly older women and women in hijab), but even then, two rows of young men came and stood behind them to protect them and watch their bags, just in case there were pickpocket, or just for general protection really. It is not true what the media is saying about the Brotherhood leading these demonstrations. People are just praying. No one is leading, it is just everyone cooperating with each other peacefully and equally. It's just an amazing feeling.  

We were singing Biladi Biladi (the national anthem). We chanted "Imshee ba2a ya 3am. Khaleee 3andak shawat dam" (Leave Mubarak, Have some shame). People had a lot of signs and banners demanding that Mubarak leaves. People were handing out leaflets that said we won't stop until he goes. People were adamant that they would not leave the streets. 

When we walked by Roushdie Street we saw my cousin and walked with him until we reached Sidi Gaber (Alexandria Train Station). He had just finished talking to one of his friends in the same demonstration who was standing next to Nadi Itihad (Union Club at the opposite end of the city). If that is the demonstrations stretch than it was easily, 1 million people in that part of Alexandria. 

Later, we were told that al-Jazeera showed shots of a large demo on al-Kornaish (the coastline). In that case, we must have had more than a million protesters in Alex alone. 

One man, who looked like he had suffered a lot and had really had enough, was walking in the opposite direction of all the protestors. He was screaming, "I've been a donkey for 30 years. I can't feed my kids. I can't give them a proper education. I have no dignity. But not anymore. I'm going to be free!"

All along the main street in Alexandria, Abu Eer, the young men were standing in front of stores and houses to protect them, just in case there were any looters. Whenever people saw those young men, everyone would cheer and chant in favor of civil protection and civil resistance.Earlier this morning, in Zazinya neighborhood we saw a couple of teenage girls wearing gloves collecting all the garbage on the streets. Other youth were finding trucks to collect the garbage and help them clean the street. Even after the prayer I told you about, everyone picked up their own newspaper. You couldn't even tell that a second ago there had been thousands of newspapers on the streets. It was so clean.  

We were passing by tanks and even cheering for the army. They aren't stopping anyone at all. It's just amazing. All age groups, all classes, all men and women, kids, children. There are very old people walking, people are holding chairs to stop and rest. I've seen many people, young and old, on wheelchairs. No way the army would attack such a protest. There were so many women carrying their kids. I talked to a couple of young girls and I asked them why they were demonstrating. They said, this is our country and we want it back. These girls were with their parents, who are walking along with them - there are no objections to kids taking part in these demonstrations, actually the opposite is true. 

Mubarak is going to talk tonight. I think this is it. I think its the end. Amr Moussa is telling him to leave. Ahmad Zowail told him to leave. Farouk El-Baz told him to leave. Al-Baradei, everyone is on TV publicly telling him to leave. They just said the protesters are having a sit in until he goes - a sit in until Friday. We'll see.

I don't know how to explain how I feel. It's so overwhelming. Its a feeling of euphoria. I can't remember anything like this before. I remember things in the 60's but it was a certain age group, mostly students. Never ever have there been numbers like this. And like I said, all the ages and classes are united. 

The middle and upper-middle class who have businesses, who's businesses are  loosing a lot now, are there too. Those are people who are pretty comfortable under Mubarak, but they are equally angry about what Egypt has become under his rule. Everyone is on the streets.

I'm so so happy I am here. Okay, the first night, I was a bit scared. But now I wouldn't miss it for the world. I am so happy I am here. 

The TV said there is a pro-Mubarak protest. The highest estimates are 1000 people. Hahaha.  

I don't see any fear. That's the big difference. Any fear people had is gone. Everyone feels this is their country. Before everyone knew there was a small group of people who are in charge of everything, but now no one is scared. Everyone is doing what they can, helping in any way. Giving people water, distributing leaflets, everyone is so involved. The country is really in a standstill until something happens. When family was calling us earlier in the week they were telling us be careful be careful. Now everyone who calls us are saying we are so jealous of you! 

I picked up extra leaflets and I took a lot of pictures and videos. I can't wait to put them on the internet.

Picture courtesy of my cousin Mohamed.

Morning of Jan 28th

My husband & I arrived in Alex from Cairo right just after the Friday prayers.  We were staying with my parents who live in an apartment building on Horria Avenue (between a Police Station & a Gas Station). The streets where deserted. I actually made a bet with my husband. He said, I don’t think anything is going to happen. I said, no something will. Half an hour later I began feeling really embarrassed because it looked like he won. The streets where deserted. There were no officers or cars.

Around 2pm, while we were sitting and having lunch, we started hearing noises. We ran to the balcony. We saw a group coming from the west towards the police station close to our house.  There were about 2,000-3,000 people. They stopped in front of the police station and chanted: “Al sha3b Youreed an yasqot al nezam” (the people want the regime to step down).  Then they continued on eastward on Horria Avenue.

By 2:15-2:20 we heard even louder chants, the second wave of demonstrators had no end. There was a minimum of 50,000-to 100,000 passing by us. They were chanting “selmeya selmeya” (peaceful peaceful) “Hosni Mubarek ya kharib’ha, itla3 bara yala w sibha” (Hosni Mubarak who destroyed it, go out and leave).

There were people of all classes, ages, religions, etc..(but mainly young men and women between 15-30) I saw a twenty year old demonstrating with his mom on a wheelchair. I was so happy it looked like this. The demonstrators would start chanting for people they saw watching from the balcony to come down.  Most people did.  Those who did not were cheering and sharing food and water. It was being passed around for all.

The chants "Egyptians!! Join us!!" slowly changed to "Mansour!! Join us!!". I was really impressed. Did not know my hubby was that famous.  The we saw a man jumping and waving to call us. We realized it was my brother-in-law Mohamed and a group of his friends. My husband left to join him 10 minutes ago. It's not scary though, it's amazingly peaceful. We heard that the police are refusing to fire tear gas. We called Mohamed's wife to tell her not to worry about her husband cause he joined the demo directly from the mosque.He couldn't reach her since the cell phones are not working. Only landlines.

The demonstrators stopped outside the police station again. I couldn’t see what happened but everyone in the demonstration started to cheer. I think that some officers must have joined because all the protesters where so happy, and moved on. Their numbers kept growing as people joined them from the neighboring buildings and streets as they passed by. The pictures they are carrying are national icons, Mustafa Kamal, Saed Zaglool, Tal3at Harb, etc. And every now and then people will start singing national songs, Beladi (My country),  Masr heya Omi (Egypt is my mother). You couldn't see any signs of the Muslim Brotherhood, everyone is just protesting together. 

No internet, no phones, no TV stations that show what is going on (specifically AlJazeera), and Egyptian stations are playing movies and music. And in spite of all of this, the protests are so strong. I’m so happy, I can’t describe it.  It is the first time I see hope in peoples eyes. I am sure something will happen.

.... there are more protesters coming, but from the opposite direction. They are a different protest that will all probably join at the east point of Alexandria.”

I don’t know what will happen next. Rumor has it that the Minister of industry and trade was called back from the World Economic Forum in Switzerland. So there is a rumor that he may be forming the new government.

Demonstrators have signs saying “Jeddah is waiting for you (Mubarak)” hahaha. 

My mother comes in from the balcony laughing:

Two security vehicles were going down the street slowly, I think they were coming back to the police station near our house. When the rank and file officers came out the protesters started giving them cigarettes and water. And they are smoking, and they are not supposed to do so while they are on duty. (laughter). I want to make them coffee and tea.  It is really peaceful, its so peaceful, it's amazing.

Photo courtesy of my dear cousin Mohammed.

هشام الجخ

معنديش أي مبرر أن إمبارح يكون أول يوم أشوف وأسمع وأنبهر بشاعر مصري عبقري إسمه هشام الجخ.ء

زوروا الصفحة دي على الفيس بوك، وصوتوله (يعني إدوله صوتكم) في مسابقة أمير الشعراء المقامة في أبوظبي،ء

ومش بطلب الطلب دة من المصريين علشان هو مصري،ء

ولكن من كل العرب علشان هو يستحق اللقب.ء

أستمتعوا بأشعارة على الصفحة دي.ء

أو زوروا الموقع الرسمي هنا

إقرأ

 لو ماكنتش مسلمة، وكنت متسابقة في برنامج من سيريح المليون، وكان السؤال الأخير هو:ء

 ما هي أول كلمة وأول أمر أوحى به إلى رسول الإسلام؟    كنت لا يمكن أعرف الإجابة من معرفتي بأحوال المسلمين (بتكلم عن الأيام المهببة اللي إحنا فيها دي)ء

وحتى لو الإختيارات بعد حذف ثلاث إجابت (أصل جورج قرداحي كان معجب بية وعايز يساعدني)، هي: إقرأ

كنت برضة حأستعين بالجمهور

ولو الجمهور كله أجمع إن إقرأ هي الإجابة الصحيحة،ء

كنت برضة حأكلم شيخ الأزهر أتأكد منه الأول،ء

وبعد مايأكدلي إن الإجابة هي إقرأ،ء

كنت برضة حنسحب وأخد النص مليون وأروح!!!!ء

معقول يكون في أمة في العالم، تقول على نفسها أكثر شعوب العالم تدينآ، ويكون أول أمر أمرها به ألله عز وجل هو إقرأ، ومع هذا تكون من التخلف وسوء فهم لدينها لدرجة أن يصفها المتنبي بقوله:ء

!! يا أمة ضحكت من جهلها الأمم

Proud to be originally Tunisian

What can we do?

A few ideas for action by us, Egyptian Muslims:

• Take turns acting as human shields around Churches,  especially on the 6th & 7th of January (I know this would take a lot of courage, but it would be useful to know how Christians feel every time they go to their churches to pray to the same God we worship). 
• Start a campaign with the slogan "In Egypt, the crescent protects the cross" 
• Speak out against hate talk, whether it is by a member of our family, a friend, a sheikh, or a public figure
• Create a Facebook groups & websites to promote love between all Egyptians & to expose anyone guilty of hate talk.
• Support Christians in gaining equal rights as full citizens (it's true that we Muslims are not treated as full citizens either, but that's a different story).

I am sure each one of us can come up with more ideas, meaning there's a lot to do.

مصر هي أمي. يعني جرجس هو أخويا و فاطمة هي أختي.

 إذا كان طلاب وأهالي كلية النصر للبنات على درجة من الوعي والشجاعة جعلتهم يتظاهرون وينظمون الاعتصامات لإنقاذ اسم مدرستهم وتاريخها ، وإذا كانت جماعات كثيرة من المصريين يفعلون الشيء نفسه لأسباب مختلفة ، فالأولى أن نهب جميعآ وأن تفعل كل ما بوسعنا في وجه ما حدث في صباح أول يوم من أيام 2011.ء

 
إن تفجير سيارة ملغومة أو تفجير إنتحاري بالقرب من كنيسة القديسين في الأسكندرية هو حدث خطير لا يمكن أن نتجاهله أونشاهد أحداثة من بعيد.ء

علينا مسؤولية ليس فقط بالشجب والإدانة بعد وقوع الحوادث ، ولكن للوقوف في وجه خطباء الكراهية والمنادين بالعنف من أي جماعة.  وكلي إيمان أن مواطني مصر، مسيحيها ومسلميها، سوف ينفضون رمال التشدد والكراهية التي هبت عليهم،  وسيظهر معدنهم الأصيل ولن يقعوا كفريسة سهلة لأهداف الذين يقفون وراء الانفجار.ء

أدعو أن نحول الغضب إلى تحرك واسع  يدعو إلى الوقوف جنبا إلى جنب كمواطنين مصريين ، في مواجهة عدونا الأخطير، ألا وهو الانقسام الطائفي.ء

حبوا وأدعموا أخواتكم في الوطن قبل فوات الاوان.  اذا خسرنا هذه الحرب ، فالفوز بكل المعارك الصغيرة بعد هذا، لن يعني شيئا.ء

مصر هي أمي. يعني جرجس هو أخويا و فاطمة هي أختي.ء

"Gergis is my brother, and Fatma is my sister"

If the EGC students and parents are conscientious enough to organized sit-ins and demonstrations to save their school’s name and history, and if other groups do the same for various causes that they care about, then I expect all Egyptians to rise to the occasion and stand together in the face of  the horror the hit us all at the early morning hours of the first day of 2011.

The attack on the Saints Church in Alexandria, whether it's a car bomb or a suicide bomber,  is a serious and dangerous event that we cannot ignore or just watch from afar.

We have the responsibility not only to denounce and condemn after the fact, but to proactively stand in the face of any hate talk or violent action from any group.  I know that Egyptians can & will shake off the sands of extremism & hatred, so that Egypt does not becomes the next Sudan, Iraq, or Yemen.

Christians and Muslims are required to show wisdom and not naively play into the hands of those behind the attack. We must turn the anger into activism which brings us all side by side in the face of our most dangerous enemy, sectarian divide.

Love and support your fellow citizens before it’s too late. If we lose this war, then all the small battles that we win, won't mean a thing.

Egypt is my mother, means Gergis is my brother, and Fatma is my sister.

كلية النصر للبنات

كنت أتابع عن قرب لردود الأفعال لقرار وزير التربية والتعليم بتغيير الإسم والنظام التعليمي لعدة مدارس في الاسكندرية ، والهرج والمرج الذي تلى حكم المحكمة بإلغاء المرسوم. 

وبالتأكيد فأنه أمر جيد جدآ أن تكون هناك معارضة عاقلة تقف في وجه القرارات العشوائية من قبل أي سلطة ، ومع هذا، لم أكن متحمسة جدا للأحداث لأني شعرت أن هذا التحرك جاء متأخرا بعض الشئ.  

تمنيت لو أن الوقفة الإحتجاجية والإعتصامات جائت من سنوات، قبل أن تطول هذ المدارس، والتي تحتوي على مبان رائعة وحدئق خضراء خلابة، أيادي التشويه و الهدم.

 وحيث أن ثقتي في حكوماتنا المتتالية شبه معدومة، فعندي إعتقاد أن تغيير اسم المدرسة والنظام التعليمي ليس المشكلة الحقيقية، ولكن الدافع الحقيقي وراء هذا المرسوم هو مقدمة لخطة خفية لبيع اراضي المدارس الواسعة بمواقعها الراقية إلى من يدفع أكثر (او من عنده واسطة أو رشوة أكبر).

English Girls' College (EGC)

I was following the reaction to the education minister's decree to change the name & educational system of several schools in Alexandria, and the hoopla that followed the court verdict which revoked the decree. 

And while I felt it was a good thing to have activism that stands in the face of random decisions by any authority, I wasn't too excited since I felt it was too little too late. Wish the schools were saved years ago before "they paved paradise to put up a parking lot .....".

Also, and since my level of mistrust of our government is truly high, I thought that the reaction concentrated on the change to the school’s name & educational system, when the real motive behind this whole fiasco decree could have been an introduction to a covert plan to sell the schools’ vast & prime location grounds to the highest bidders (our highest bribe payers).

كلمة حق أم كلمة حقد

بعث صديق برابط لفيديو على اليو تيوب يوضح تصورات ومجسمات لخمسة ملاعب كروية - أقل ما يقال عنها إنها قطع فنية خلابة- قدمتها قطر في إيطار ملفها لإستضافة كاس العلم لسنة 2022 وكانت بلا شك أحد أسباب تفوقها على كل من اليابان وبريطانيا لنيل هذا الشرف

 ردت صديقة تعلن سعادتها بفوز دولة عربية بتنظيم كاس العالم ولكنها عبرت عن بعض المرارة (وقعت الرسالة: قاسم السماوي) لما يعنيه هذا الفوز خاصة إذا ما قورن بالصفر الذي نالته مصر في محاولتنا البائسة لنيل شرف تنظيم كأس 2010. وللتذكير نلنا الصفر بالرغم من حصر المنافسة في تلك الدورة بين الدول الأفريقية!!!ء

كان هذا هو نفس إحساسي. فأنا أيضآ أشعربالحزن للتدهور المستمر لمكانة مصر لا الدولية فقط ولكن إ يضآ العربية والأفريقية.ء

فكرت في سبب هذا الشعور عند المصريين خاصة من هم من جيلي. هل ما نشعر به نعرة مصرية ككل النعرات القومية التي لا معنى ولا وجود لمبرر لها. أم أننا على حق في الشعور بالحسرة والمرارة؟

أعتقد إنه شعور مبرر لأنه ليس من نوعية البكاء على أطلال الحضارة الفرعونية، ولا الإغريقية، ولا الإسلامية، ولكن نحن نتحدث عن مصر رأيناها بأعيننا منذ أقل من خمسون سنة. مصر لم تكن تعرف الريادة بين الدول العربية والأفريقية في مجال الرياضة فقط (أول إتحادات رياضية في أغلب الألعاب، أول تنظيم لدورات، أول أبطال على مستوى عالمي،....) ولكن الريادة والتفوق كانا في مجالات أهم كأول جامعة، وأول شركة طيران، وأول إذاعة، وأول إرسال تلفزيوني، وأول سكة حديدية، وأكبر نسبة تعليم، وأكثر الصحف توزيعآ، دة حتى أول وأكبر حديقة حيوان. (جائز تكون دي الحاجة الوحيدة اللي لسة محافظين عليها، صحيح الحديقة مافيهاش حيوانات لكن دة علشان البلد كلها أصبحت غابة)ء

طيب لو إتفقنا إن حالنا تقهقر وتدهور، على الأقل نفرح بتقدم أشقاء عرب في الخليج، خاصة دبي وقطر، أصبحوا يتنافسون فيما بينهم على أفعل التفضيل. فهذا أطول برج في العالم، وهذا أكبر مول تجاري، دة أفضل مهرجان سينمائي، وهذة أحسن بطولة دولية، أفضل خدمة حكومية لإنشاء شركات أو أعمال حرة، وأسهل وأعلي مستوى معيشة ، أفضل شركة طيران مدني،...........ء

ولكن، السؤال هو، هل هذة حقا حداثة؟ هل هذة البلاد أصبحت بحق متقدمة حضاريآ؟

في إعتقادي أن الحداثة لا تتحقق إلا بتحقق مبدأيين أساسيين. الإستقلال و الإبتكار.ء

الإستقلال يكون سياسيآ، وعسكريآ وإقتصاديآ، وثقافيآ، ودينيآ.ء

أما الإبتكار فلا يعني إستيراد وإستخدام أحدث ما وصل إليه العلم والتكنولوجيا، ولا إستيراد العمالة التي تستطيع أن تتعامل مع هذة التقنيات الحديثة.ء

وياريت أكون غلطانة.ء

Gilad Atzamon: The Burning Bush

Disaster in the North of Israel, at least 40 dead as fire rages across the Carmel Mountains. A mass evacuation has begun.

As I am writing these lines, Israeli Fire fighting crews are battling with the flames. They also express no hope of controlling the fire soon. "We lost all control of the fire," said the Haifa Fire fighting services spokesman. "There aren't enough fire fighting resources in Israel in order to put out the fire."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hurried to the scene of the fire on Thursday. He requested the help of the U.S, Greece, Italy, Russia, and Cyprus to send additional forces to aid the Israeli firemen. A normal country would probably ask for the help of its neighbours, but the Jewish state doesn’t have neighbours. It made all its neighbours into enemies.

But the story here goes far deeper.  The fire in northern Israel is far from being a coincidence. Israel’s rural landscape is saturated with pine trees. These trees are totally new to the region. They were not there until the 1930’s. The pine trees were introduced to  the Palestinians landscape in the early 1930s  by the Jewish National Fund (JNF) in an attempt to  ‘reclaim the land’ . By 1935, JNF had planted 1.7 million trees over a total area of 1,750 acres. Over fifty years, the JNF planted over 260 million trees largely on confiscated Palestinian land. It did it all in a desperate attempt to hide the ruins of the ethnically cleansed Palestinian villages and their history.

Along the years the JNF performed a crude attempt to eliminate Palestinian civilisation and their past but it also tried to make Palestine look like Europe. The Palestinian natural forest was eradicated. Similarly the olive trees were uprooted. The pine trees took their place. On the southern part of mount Carmel the Israelis named an area as ‘Little Switzerland’. I have learned tonight that Little Switzerland is burned.

However, the facts on the ground were pretty devastating for the JNF. The pine tree didn’t adapt to the Israeli climate as much as the Israelis failed to adapt to the  Middle East. According to JNF statistics, six out of every 10 saplings planted did not survive. Those few trees that did survive formed nothing but a firetrap. By the end of each Israeli summer each of the Israeli pine forests become a potential deadly zone.

In spite of its nuclear power, its criminal army, the occupation, the Mossad and its lobbies all over the world, Israel seems to be very vulnerable. It is devastatingly alienated  from the land it claims to own. Like the pine tree, Israel and the Israeli are foreign to the region.

For more, visit Gilad Atzamon blog.

"Knowledge is the Solution"

I oppose the Brotherhood's "Islam is the Solution" slogan because I don't want to see a religious state in Egypt. As I strongly reject the Zionists' practices of hiding behind religion to justify illegal land appropriation & committing atrocities against the Palestinians, I equally reject an Islamic state in Egypt were non-Muslims could be considered second class citizens or where any opposition could be accused of heresy.

And although I have no problem with the slogan "Democracy is the Solution", launched by Alaa al-Aswani in a dual rejection of the Brotherhood's & the government's non-democratic practices but, and despite the increasing number of voices calling for change, I think that we are still years away from seeing a truly democratic political system in Egypt. This is due to the lack of a collective will to implement or force change coupled by the government's systematic and sometimes brutal crackdown on  opposition.

Accordingly, I propose adopting the slogan "Knowledge is the Solution." And as a first step to  spread and propagate knowledge in Egypt, I call upon Egyptian intellectuals and scholars living in Egypt or abroad to develop integrated curricula for all school grades and also for all university programs. This will give Egyptians the long awaited common national project which has been absent from our lives for years.

I am hopeful that this peaceful project which proposes working with and not against the government would gain the support of all the Egyptians. Why not when it is inline with every Egyptian's aspirations and dreams, is not in conflict with the principles and believes of any political, religious, or intellectual group, and does not cross into the complexities of domestic & international politics.

My evidence that in knowledge lies the desired solution is the stunning prosperity achieved by the Muslims in the Middle Ages. The Abbasids in Baghdad, the Umayyads in Damascus and Spain, and the Fatimids in Egypt understood and believed in the importance of science and knowledge. They did not see any contradiction or incompatibility between faith and science, but on the contrary, the need to face the exact direction of the Qibla, to accurately calculate prayer times, and to locate the shortest route to Mecca to perform pilgrimage from any location in the vast Muslim empire, was the primary motivation for the translation and understanding of the works of the earlier scholars of Persia, India, China, and Greece. They then corrected and add to those sciences and by doing so they the whole human civilization to a new level of enlightenment.

When the sciences of the Arabs (studia Arabum) reached Europe via Spain, Sicily and Palestine, European students embarked on learning Arabic, then translated and studied the Arabic books, inventions, and research. Those students and translators transferred this knowledge to dedicated science centers, and accordingly became the beacons that illuminated Europe's road to the Renaissance.  Unfortunately, Arabs gradually lost interest in the sciences, and we all known the outcome of this fatal mistake.

This slogan and associated project formalized in my head after reading two books covering the scientific achievements of the Islamic civilization and the scientists & scholars who lead this Awakening. We should shed light on these top-level scientists, who have excelled in more than one field, so they would emerge as role models & bright examples for our children. al-Khwarizmi, Ibn Sina, Ibn Rushd, al-Birouni, al-Idrisi, al-Kindi, al-Farabi, Almajriti, Ibn Hayyan, al-Razi, Omar al-Khayyam, and many others are just a few examples of those scholars and should become household names in every Egyptian family.

We must also remind ourselves and our children that reviving the glory of those greats is not impossible as demonstrated by the likes of Samira Moussa, Mustafa Musharafa, Taha Hussein, Yehia al-Mashad, Ahmed Mostageer, Magdi Yaqoub, Farouk El-Baz, Ahmed Zowail, Mohamed Ghoneim, Mustafa al-Sayyid and others who have excelled and succeeded, no matter what difficulties they faced, because they had believed that knowledge is the solution.

Books I have mentioned above are:

Lost History -Michael Hamilton Morgan
The House of Wisdom - Jonathan Lyons

I salute both authors for their remarkable courage in highlighting the western debt to medieval Arabic learning and for their extremely positive portrayals of Muslims in an age when the media is filled with negative stereotypes of Arabs and the Islamic world.

المعرفة هي الحل

 أختلف مع شعار"الإسلام هو الحل" لأني أؤمن بالدولة المدنية لا الدينية. فكما أرفض بشدة إستخدام  الكيان الصهيوني للدين لتبرير سلب الأرض وإقتراف الأعمال الوحشية ضد الفلسطينين، أرفض أيضآ أي نظام قد يعامل غير المسلمين في مصر كمواطنين من الدرجة الثانية.  فضلآ على إن القائمين على نظم الدول الدينية يدعون إمتلاك الحقيقة المطلقة وعليه فإنهم دائمآ يتهمون معارضيهم، أي كانت ديانتهم، لا بالخيانة فقط وإنما أيضآ بالكفر.ء

وإن كنت أتفق مع شعار الديمقراطية هي الحل، والذي أطلقه علاء الأسواني في رفض مزدوج للأوضاع الحالية وللإخوان المسلمين، ولكني أرى أنه من الناحية العملية، وعلى الرغم من تزايد أعداد المطالبين بالتغيير، لا توجد مؤاشرات على أن التغير سيتحقق في أي وقت قريب نتيجة إنعدام الإرادة الجماعية للشعب، وللرهبة من البطش المعنوي والفعلي الذي تمارسة أجهزة الدولة ضد معارضيها.ء

وعليه، فأنا أقترح تبنى شعار "المعرفة هي الحل"، وكخطوة أولى لنشر المعرفة في مصر، أطالب أن يجتمع مثقفينا وعلمائنا في الداخل والخارج لوضع منهج متكامل لكافة مراحل التعليم المدرسي والجامعي، وأن يقدموا هذا المشروع عند إكتماله كهدف القومي موحد للمصريين جميعآ.ء

وكلي أمل أن يجد هذا المشروع تأييد كافة المصريين، شعبآ وحكومة. ولم لا وهو مشروع سلمي يدعو إلى العمل مع وليس ضد الحكومة وعليه لايعرض من يتبناه لأي أخطار. كما إنه لايتعارض مع مبادئ إي تيار سياسي أو فكري أوديني.  والأهم إنه بعيد عن تعقيدات السياسيات الداخلية والدولية التي تصاحب دعوات الإصلاح الأخرى.ء

ودليلي على أن المعرفة هي فعلآ الحل المنشود لمصرنا هو الإزدهار المذهل الذي حققة المسلمون عندما وعوا أهمية العلم والمعرفة وأمنوا بعدم تناقَض أو تنافر الإيمان و العلم، بل على العكس كان الحرص على حساب مواقيت الصلاة ومواقع القبلة وأقصر الطرق إلى مكة لأداء الحج في بلاد المسلمين المترامية الأطراف، هوالسبب الرئيسي لتبجيل العلم والعلماء، والدافع الأول لجمع وحفظ وترجمة وفهم علوم وإختراعات السابقين من علماء الفرس والهند والصين واليونان، ثم للتفوق في هذه العلوم وتصحيحها وتطويرها والإضافة إليها وإستحداث كل ما هو ناقص. وبهذا نبغ علماء الحضارة الإسلامية ( ومنهم مسيحيون ويهود ومجوس) في علوم الفلك والخرائط والجبر والطب والفلسفة والهندسة وحساب المثلثات والكيمياء والفيزياء والزراعة والري والشعر والموسيقى والعمارة.ء

وفي العصور الوسطى، وعندما إختلط أبناء أوروبا المتخلفين علميآ بالعرب في أسبانيا وصقلية وفلسطين، قدر طلاب العلم فيهم تفوق العلوم عند المسلمين، فأتقنوا العربية وشرعوا في دراسة وترجمة كتبهم وأختراعاتهم وأبحاثهم حتى برعوا فيها و درّسوها في مراكزهم العلمية فإنتقلوا بهذا من عصر الظلام إلى عصر النهضة. ولأنهم إستمروا في تقدير العلم وصلوا لما هم علية الأن، بينما وللأسف الشديد، تضائلت أهمية العلم تدريجيا عند المسلمين، والنتيجة معروفة لنا جميعآ.ء

جائني هذا الخاطر بعد قراءة كتابين عن أعلام الحضارة الإسلامية. هؤلاء العلماء الأفذاذ والذين برع  كل منهم في أكثر من مجال، هم أفضل من نسلط عليهم الضوء كقدوة ومثل يحتذى به. فيصبح قدوة أبنائنا هم  الخوارزمي، وإبن سيناء وإبن رشد والبيروني والإدريسي والكندي والفرابي والمدريدي وإبن حيان والرازي وعمر الخيام وغيرهم.ء

  وعلينا أيضآ أن نذكر أنفسنا وأبنائنا أن ما نصبو إليه من إحياء لمجد الأولين ليس بالمستحيل والدليل على هذا هو ما حققة أمثال سميرة موسى ومصطفى مشرفة وطه حسين ويحيى المشد وأحمد مستجير ومجدي يعقوب وفاروق الباز وأحمد زويل ومحمد النشاقي ومحمد غنيم ومصطفي السيد وغيرهم ممن برعوا وتفوقوا ونجحوا، مهما واجهوا من صعاب، لأنهم أمنوا أن المعرفة هي الحل. ء

الكتابان اللذان أشرت لهما أعلاه هما:ء

Lost History -Michael Hamilton Morgan

The House of Wisdom - Jonathan Lyons

 والكاتبان يستحقان التحية للمجهود الرائع الذي قاما به في جمع مادة الكتابين ولشجاعتهم في تأليف كتاب يقديم أنماط شديدة الإجابية للمسلمين على عكس النمط السائد في وسائل الإعلام، ولقيامهم بالتذكير بفضل الحضارة الإسلاميه على العالم أجمع وخاصة على الحضارة الغربيه في زمن إتفق فيه الجميع (بما فيهم نحن العرب والمسلمون)  على نسيان أو إنكارهذة الحقيقة.ء

The Story of the Cracked Pot

An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots , each hung on the ends of a pole , which she carried across her neck. One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water , at the end of the long walk from the stream to the house , the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily , with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water. Of course , the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection , and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do.

After 2 years of what it perceived to be bitter failure , it spoke to the woman one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself , because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house."

The old woman smiled , "Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path , but not on the other pot's side?" "That's because I have always known about your flaw , so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path , and every day while we walk back , you water them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are , there would not be this beauty to grace the house."

Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You've just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them.

(From The Buddhist Blog)

Nahoul: Isn't it a beautiful story? Reading it, made me wish I wasn't all that perfect ;)

Kalam from The Economist

From an article discussing the logic behind the gift the US administration is willing to offer Israel in exchange for three months of construction freeze in the settlements  :


Paying for peace negotiations in fighter planes is a bit like paying for carbon offsets in Hummers.

(Read the complete article @ The Economist)

غرفة العناية المركزة و سفينة نوح

‎سبقني كثيرون إلي نقد الكتابان كعملان منفصلان، ولكني أحببت أن ألفت الإنتباه إلى وجود عدة أوجه للتشابه بين غرفة العناية المركزة لعز الدين شكري و سفينة نوح لخالد الخميسي.ء

‎أولآ، إستخدام إسلوب الجزء أو الفصل الخاص بكل شخصية.ء

‎وثانيآ، العرض الصادق والدقيق - من وجهة نظري - لأحوال المجتمع المصري

‎وثالثآ، التحذير من إسمرار الحال على ما هو عليه لأن الخطر أصبح وشيك.ء

‎ إسلوب الفصل الخاص بكل شخصية:  إستخدم الخميسي أسلوب الرؤية المتعددة  للأحداث. ويتطلب هذا الإسلوب مهارة خاصه كالتي أبداها نجيب محفوظ في رواية ميرامار حيث عرض علينا الحدث الرئيسي - قيام ثورة \ إنقلاب يوليو  - و الأحداث التي تلتها من وجهة نظر أربع شخصيات لهم توجهات متباينة وأحيانآ متنافرة. وعلي الرغم من العرض المتكرر لنفس الأحداث، تتمثل عبقرية محفوظ في قدرتة على الا يشعر القارئ بأي نوع من الملل من هذا التكرار لأنه يضيف أبعاد جديدة خاصة بشخصية الراوي‫.‬

‎
في رأيي أن شكري قد نجح بشكل كبير في إستخدام هذا الإسلوب في عرض الأحداث التي تمر بأربعة شخصيات والتي أدت إلى تواجدهم في السفارة المصرية في الخرطوم لحظة تعرضها لتفجير إرهابي، الحدث الذي تبدأ وتنتهي به الرواية.ء

‎ أما الخميسي‫،‬ ففي رواية سفينة نوح ‫-‬ والتي تدورأحداثها حول فكرة الهجرة - والتي يدل عليها عنوان الكتاب، هو يستخدم إسلوب السلسلة البشرية حيث تسلمنا كل شخصية إلى شخصية قابلناها سريعآ في الفصل السابق فنتعرف أكثر على دورها كسبب أو كضحية لمشهد الطوفان‫.‬

‎العرض الصادق والدقيق لأحوال المجتمع المصري:‬ هنا يكمن أكبر تشابه بين الرواياتين‫.‬ فالكاتبان إتفقا أن تباعد وتنافر أفراد المجتمع  وغياب الأمل عند الشباب وتفشي الفساد وثقافة التدين الظاهري كلها ستؤدي لا محالة إلي الأنفجار أو الطوفان‫.‬

‎التحذير من إستمرار الحال على ما هو عليه‫:‬ يرمي الكاتبان بمسؤولية كتابة النهاية على عاتقنا نحن المصريين.  فالنهاية الوحيدة المؤكدة هي نهاية مأساوية إذا إستمرينا في العيش كمتفرجين ونقاد ودون الإشتراك الفعلي في تغيير واقعنا. هذة النهاية والتي يجب أن نعمل سويآ لتجنبها هي الموت تحت الأنقاض (غرفة العناية المركزة) أو اليأس لدرجة السعي وراء الهجرة مهما كانت المخاطر أو التنازلات (سفينة نوح).ء  

In support of Arundhati Roy

Arundhati Roy, renowned Indian novelist and activist, may be charged with "sedition" by the Indian government for speeches she made recently in militarily-occupied Kashmir.

I publish her response as a gesture of support:

Pity the Nation
by Arundhati Roy

Kashmir, Oct. 26 -- I write this from Srinagar, Kashmir. This morning's papers say that I may be arrested on charges of sedition for what I have said at recent public meetings on Kashmir. I said what millions of people here say every day. I said what I, as well as other commentators, have written and said for years. Anybody who cares to read the transcripts of my speeches will see that they were fundamentally a call for justice. I spoke about justice for the people of Kashmir who live under one of the most brutal military occupations in the world; for Kashmiri Pandits who live out the tragedy of having been driven out of their homeland; for Dalit soldiers killed in Kashmir whose graves I visited on garbage heaps in their villages in Cuddalore; for the Indian poor who pay the price of this occupation in material ways and who are now learning to live in the terror of what is becoming a police state.

Yesterday I traveled to Shopian, the apple-town in South Kashmir which had remained closed for 47 days last year in protest against the brutal rape and murder of Asiya and Nilofer, the young women whose bodies were found in a shallow stream near their homes and whose murderers have still not been brought to justice. I met Shakeel, who is Nilofer's husband and Asiya's brother. We sat in a circle of people crazed with grief and anger who had lost hope that they would ever get insaf -- justice -- from India, and now believed that Azadi -- freedom -- was their only hope. I met young stone pelters who had been shot through their eyes. I traveled with a young man who told me how three of his friends, teenagers in Anantnag district, had been taken into custody and had their finger-nails pulled out as punishment for throwing stones.

In the papers some have accused me of giving 'hate-speeches', of wanting India to break up. On the contrary, what I say comes from love and pride. It comes from not wanting people to be killed, raped, imprisoned or have their finger-nails pulled out in order to force them to say they are Indians. It comes from wanting to live in a society that is striving to be a just one. Pity the nation that has to silence its writers for speaking their minds. Pity the nation that needs to jail those who ask for justice, while communal killers, mass murderers, corporate scamsters, looters, rapists, and those who prey on the poorest of the poor, roam free.

Arundhati Roy is the author of the novel The God of Small Things, for which she received the 1997 Booker Prize. Her newest book, published by Haymarket, is Field Notes on Democracy: Listening to Grasshoppers, a series of essays examining the dark side of democracy in contemporary India. More on the ongoing debate in India over Roy's comments on Kashmir: <ibnlive.in.com/news/sedition-case-civil-rights-groups-back-arundhati/133762-37-64.html>.

The crack down on bloggers

My son, out of love and concern for my well being, sent me this article from
the Economist

After he read the article, my husband, out of love and concern for HIS own freedom, is encouraging me to blog more often and more boldly.

الفرق بين تشيلي و مصر

المساحة: ء

تشيلي: طويلة ورفيعة

مصر: مربعة

السكان: ء

تشيلي: 17 مليون

مصر: 80 مليون

من الكوارث: ء

تشيلي: إنهيار منجم وإحتباس 33 عامل تحت الأرض

مصر: إنهيار ثماني كتل صخرية فوق 50 منزلا في الدويقة، مصرع 22 شخصا، وأصابة 35 آخرون، بينما لا يزال عدد غير معروف من السكان تحت الأنقاض

تصريحات المسؤلون: ء

تشيلي: نعد بإنقاذ جميع العمال سالمين ونعد بتحقيق ذلك في أقرب وقت ممكن

مصر: خدوا الشر وراحوا

ما قل ودل

روى صديق أن الأوتوبيس الصحراوي الذي كان يقله من القاهرة إلى الأسكندرية قد توقف لأخذ بعض الركاب الذين تعطلت بهم السياره. 

لاحظ السائق بين الركاب فلاح مصري بسيط في الغالب تصادف مروره في هذا المكان في ذلك التوقيت.

قال السائق للفلاح الذي كان قد هم بالركوب: لاموأخذة يا بلديتنا، الأتوبيس دا غالي حبتين

نظرالفلاح للسائق بعزة وقال: إيه يعني!!

قال السائق:  التذكرة بخمسين جنيه يابا

بانت الدهشة على وجه الفلاح وقال : ليه يعني؟؟

ونزل فلاح ما قل ودل من الأتوبيس.ء

تذكرت هذا الموقف موأخراً.

عندما تم إبعاد إبراهيم عيسى من أو تي في، ثم تم إغلاق ستوديوهات الأوربت فأنحبست أصوات كل من عمرأديب، وجمال عنايت، وبثينة كامل. ومع ذلك وعملاً بالأيه "إن بعض الظن إثم"، صدقت ما قيل من أسباب حميدة لهذا كله وقلت: إيه يعني!!

أما بعد إبعاد عيسى من الدستور، ومنع الأسواني من الكتابة في الشروق كمان، فلا مفر من الترديد وراء الفلاح الفصيح: 
ليه يعني؟؟

Kalam by Cicero

"Not to know what happened before you were born is to be a child forever."

Cicero, a Roman statesman and orator.

The Last Word

I was enjoying an oversees electronic conversation between my husband and my children, regarding the illegitimate marriage between money and politics. They all agreed that the first offspring of this ungodly union is unlimited power and the ability to get away with murder. They were also discussing what looked like the one and only exception to this rule.

I was wondering how long will this go on when suddenly, the conversation came to an abrupt end. The reason was not an interruption in internet services, nor a dramatic change in the current business and political power balance in Egypt, but rather because  my eldest son has decided to join the conversation.

He had the last word when in his signature concise and sarcastic manner, he wrote:

"Moral of the story for wealthy businessmen/politicians in our beloved country is: 

Only commit crimes within Egypt's international borders."

Both Right and Left Handed

Bouthaina Shaaban holds a PhD in English Literature from the University of Warwick and has served as the first Minister of Expatriates in the Syrian government. She is currently the political and media adviser to President Bashar al-Assad and has been described as the Syrian "regime's face to the outside world.

Shabaan's book Both Right and Left Handed: Arab Women Talk About Their Lives, published in 1988, is based on interviews with Lebanese, Syrian, Palestinian, and Algerian women expressing a wide range of opinions on the Arab traditions and mores and how they shape their lives and control their roles as daughters, sisters, wives, mothers, professionals, activists, and even guerrilla fighters, in the Arab society.

Neither a surprise nor a secret, yet it was still heart breaking to read about the dire conditions of Arab women regardless of the social or economic backgrounds they come from. But the most depressing fact repeated by the women interviewed was that - even as early as the 80s of last century - it was clear to them that the social gains won by women in the 50s and the 60s are systematically lost to the wave of Superficial Islam that is sweeping the Arab World.

By the time I reached page 221 and seeing that there were only a few pages left, I had given up any hope of finding a single Arab society where women were treated with the respect and appreciation they deserve. So I was happily surprised when the exception to the rule came from the least likely location in the Arab World.

The light at the end of the tunnel came from the reddish Sahara of southern Algeria. Shaaban explains: "As a woman I found in Al Tuareg society a unique type of women's emancipation which derives its mores and logic directly from the same historical source as all Arab countries' laws, namely the Koran and the sayings of Prophet Mohamed."

I suggest that Arab women read this book to find out why most of them should be extremely envious of the Tuareg women. I also recommend that all women whose fathers, brothers, husbands, or sons are typical male chauvinists spend any money they can spare on one-way tickets for those men to spend a year in Tigmar, Dirhinanen, or Askaram living among and learning the customs and traditions of the Tuareg tribe.

Return tickets will only be granted to the men who, at the end of the year, pass a thorough an extensive exam to ensure that they have fully understood and adopted the Tuareg mores. Flunking the exam means walking home.

دستور يا أسيادنا

إبراهيم عيسى يتحدث للجزيرة عن إختطاف جريدة الدستور

Issa dismissed from Dostor

The first word that came to mind when I read Wednesday's manchette was: "ManChette!!!"

فقه النكد

لن أذكر إسم المدينة التي جرت فيها الأحداث التالية، مش خوف، لكن مجرد جبن اللى هو سيد الأخلاق في بلادنا.  لأ بجد مش مهم المكان خالص، لأن اللي حصل يتكرر بشكل أو أخر في كل بلد عربي، وفي الغالب في كل بلد إسلامي كمان.ء

كنا في أجازة قصيرة مع أصدقاء، وكنا قد قررنا أن نقضي اليوم على شاطئ البحر. ولأننا كنا في نهار يوم الجمعة، أقترح زوجي أن نتوقف بالمسجد الكبير بالمدينة ليصلي الجمعة هو وأبني صديقتي اللذان لا يتجاوز عمرهما السبع سنوات.ء

وفعلآ نزلوا هم عند مدخل الجامع وإنطلقنا أنا و صديقتي بالسيارة لنجلس في مكان قريب حتى إنتهاء الصلاة. كانت صديقتي سعيدة لأن الولدان لم يبديا أي أعتراض على تأجيل الذهاب إلى البحر بل على العكس، كانا فرحين بالذهاب إلى الجامع لأداء صلاة الجمعة.ء

لحد هنا والقصة تنفع فيلم عائلي نهايتة سعيدة.ء
ماتستعجلوش. دلوقت حيقلب فيلم رعب.ء

وإحنا في وسط حديث شيق، فجأة إتنفضت صديقتي في مكانها، وفتحت شنطتها لتفحص تليفونها الجوال. وفعلآ لقيناه علي سيلنت ووجدنا ميسد كولز من زوجي ورسالة تطلب منا العودة إليهم فورآ. طبعآ مافيش تفسير للي حصل إلا إن قلب الأم دليلها. طب ما جوزي معاهم، أمال أنا مانطيتش وماتفزعتش ليه؟دة طبعاً لإن مافيش حاجة إسمها قلب الزوجة!!ء
 المهم، لقيناهم قاعدين قدام الجامع على الرصيف زي الغلابة.ء

ماصليتوش ليه ياشباب؟
علشان فيه واحد واقف على باب الجامع - مركزه الوظيفي غير محدد - رفض إنه يسمح لأحد الولدين بالدخول.ء
ليه؟ لأن الشورت اللي لابسه مش مغطي إلا نصف ركبته.ء
 ياسلام!! طب ماأخوه لابس نفس الشورت.ء
يمكن علشان .............................ء
ولا علشان................................ء
 لأ جائز ....................................ء
بااااااااااااااااااااااااس، أرجوكم ماتحاولوش تلاقوا تفسير منطقي لتصرف غير منطقي.ء
عندك حق.ء

للأسف التفسيرالوحيد لتصرف حارس الجامع - اللى فاكر نفسه حارس الإسلام - هو ما كان يطلق علية فرج فودة (ألله يرحمه) فقه النكد.ء

 أعاننا ألله وأعان أبنائنا وأطفالنا على التمسك بصحيح ديننا السمح السهل الجميل في هذا الجو الخانق من الغلظة والتشدد والجهل.ء

Oh Man!!

By the end of my second visit to the Sultanate of Oman, I decided to officially change its name to the Sultanate of Oh Man!! (exclamation marks included).

Oh Man!! earned its new name not only because I enjoyed visiting a dear friend who recently moved there, but also because of its natural beauty - which needs a more poetic writer than moi to do it justice - its impressive cleanliness, its homogeneous white  buildings, and the friendly nature of its people.  On two different occasions, and when we asked for directions, instead of the familiar Egyptian di wasfa sahla di wasfa hayla which translates into I have no idea but I will still tell you how to get there, the Oh Manis!! literally escorted us to our destination.

Not impressed? How about if I added that the second Oh Mani!! was originally driving in the opposite direction and he turned around and drove away from his destination to show us the way? 

Only half impressed?  What if you find out that, making a U-turn was no easy task since we were on a narrow mountain road?

Now you might be thinking that this is too good to be true, and that we are too naive or even stupid to trust someone who literally goes out of his way to help two lost tourists.

I fully agree, and I am typically suspicious and  scared of my shadow (as we say in Egypt) but on this occasion I was calm and had full trust in our Oh Mani!! guide Why? Because of what happened on our first visit. 

After asking the concierge of our hotel for directions to the famous al-Bustan Hotel, my hubby drove the rented car to the intersection just outside the hotel premises, and then he asked me whether to turn right or left?

"I don't know. You asked the concierge. YOU are the one driving."

"Exactly, I am the one doing all the driving, so YOU should have paid attention to be able to give me directions."

"Then why didn't you say so earlier?

"......................."

"......................@#%^*$@"

I will spare you the marital dispute and just say that too embarrassed to go back and ask the same guy for directions again, my hubby parked the car and approached a number of young men playing football in a nearby field. Instead of returning with directions, he came back with the Goalie!! He had asked him  to come give ME the directions, I guess so that if we are lost, I would be the one to blame.

Mr. Goalie started giving me directions, then he stopped in the middle of a sentence, asked my hubby to wait, went and talked to his friends in a language I could not recognize, and then came back with another player and asked us to follow his car. He had decided to take us there. My hubby tried to dissuade him from leaving the game, reminding him that his heroic efforts are needed to defend the den of his team, but Mr. Goalie insisted.

We followed him through valleys and mountains, populated areas and deserted ones. That was fine while we could see our surroundings aided by the last light before sunset. But when it became pitch dark, I started panicking.

After following them for over twenty minutes, I couldn't believe that our destination was so far away from where we started our journey, and the fact that Mr. Goalie asked a friend to accompany him, and remembering that they spoke in a strange language (I later I found out that it is called Balushi) was enough evidence that we have been abducted. So I started pleading with hubby to turn around to try to lose our kidnappers. But as usual, he never listens.

Since no matter how hard I try, I can't remember any other indecent  when I was wrong and  hubby was right, you can imagine how happily surprised I was when a few minutes later we arrived safely at al-Boustan. Unfortunately, Mr Goalie and Mr. Left-Back did not wave and leave as I was hoping they would, no they had to rub it in. They walked up to us to bid us farewell and apologized for not being able to come in with us to buy us dinner or to have a conversation over a cup of tea cause they were still in their football shorts and cleats.

We thanked them for their kindness, and walked towards the hotel lobby.  As hubby was basking in his one and only, once in a lifetime, good judgment triumph, we heard them running after us. My wicked soul wished they would say or do anything nasty, so I can later brag: "See, I was right after all!!" But instead, Mr. Goalie informed us that he remembered that he has a cousin who works at al-Boustan, and that he called him and found him on duty. So guess what?  This cousin was coming to meet us at the main entrance to show us around, and to escort us to the Hotel's best restaurant.

As I was looking around waiting for the crew of "Candid Camera" to come out of hiding, cause there was no way those guys were for real, Mr. Goalie gave hubby his card so that we can call him if we needed him to return in a few hours to escort us back to our hotel!!!  Oh-Man!! Oh-Man!! Oh-Man!!

Arab Women Writers

Visit the Arab Women Writers site by clicking on this image:

Women Who Run With The Wolves

I've never struggled with a book as I did with this one. As I start each new chapter, Clarissa Pinkola Estes' use of folktales and her interpretation of the universal and profound themes hidden underneath the layers of seemingly simple stories assured me that I was absolutely right when I decided to read this book. I even get the feeling that the remarkable idioms the writer highlights will help me better enjoy the novels I read, and the movies I watch.

But after she has highlighted and reviewed every lesson that could possibly be acquired from the literary and mythological archetype of the "wild woman", and instead of moving on to the next chapter/story, Estes insisted on squeezing in a few more pages of Jungian psychoanalysis jargon and talking about a couple more  remotely related lessons, that the book would have been much more effective and enjoyable without. 

So basically, I've decided to stop this self-torture and I will return the book to the library right away. Well maybe as soon as I finish this next story.

By the way, my favorite quote from the book is:

"Tears are a river that takes you somewhere…Tears lift your boat off the rocks, off dry ground, carrying it downriver to someplace better."

So dear family, please stop making fun of me for crying while watching movies, listening to songs, reading books, dicing onions,.....

عندما يكون الألم نعمة

عرفته منذ الصغر، ولكن لم تتوطد علاقتنا أو تتكرر لقائتنا إلا منذ ستة عشر عامآ، كانت أكثر من كافية لكي أكرهه وأتوجس من زيارته القادمة، والتي تأتي دائمآ بغير ميعاد مسبق.  فأفضل وصف  لعلاقتنا هو حب من طرف واحد. طرفه هو

قبل أن يشت بكم التفكير إلى أفلام حسن الإمام، إسمحولي أن أصدمكم أو أريحكم بأن أكشف عن هوية الزائر الثقيل. أتكلم عن الألم. وخاصة ألم الظهر

كان الألم في زيارتي بالأمس، وكالعادة، منعتني زيارته، وما أتناوله من أدوية تعينني على تحمل  إستضافته، من القيام بالأشياء التي أحبها كالقراءة، أو تصفح الإنترنت. فلم يبقى أمامي إلا الجلوس أمام التلفزيون. قررت أن أتابع قناة حكومية على أمل أن ينسيني ألم السخافات التى تبثها - على غرار العلاج بالكي - ألم ظهري.ء 

كان المتحدث أحد قيادات الحزب الحاكم، وكان يصب اللعنات على المعارضة ووسائل الإعلام المكتوبة و المسموعة و المرئية لكثرة مهاجمتهم للحكومة وتركيزهم على إبراز العيوب دون الحسنات. وكان من رأيه إن هذا الإتجاه يشوه صورة مصر ويبث سموم التمرد واليأس بين المواطنين.  إستغرقت في التفكير  - دا طبعآ مع فرض إن المساطيل  يبعرفوا يستغرقوا في أي حاجة غير النوم - ولثوان معدودة تعاطفت مع القيادي، لإن المعارضة والإعلام المستقل تجسدا لي كألم  في ظهر االحزب والحكومة.

وقبل أن يحصلي غسيل مخ وأشارك القيادي في صب اللعنات على الجميع، أنقذني صوت زوجي العزيز يسأل: أيه رأيك في الكلام دة؟

ولسبب أجهله، إسترجعت ذاكرتي من أرشيفها ملف قديم ومتهالك لحلقة تلفزيونيه عن طبيب والحالات التي يقوم بعلاجها . تذكرت إحدى الحلقات التي قام فيها الطبيب بتعطيل عصب الألم في قدم مريضتة، لكي تعيش ولو لفترة في سلام بعيدآ عن شبح الألم. وبينما كانا يمشيان على شاطئ البحر، لاحظ وجود أثار لدماء تتبع خطواتها. ولما نبهها لذلك، إكتشفا أنها قد جرحت قدمها على صخرة، ولكن ولغياب الألم، لم تتنبه هي للجرح، وكانت معرضة لفقدان حياتها.

 ذكرتني الحلقة أن الألم قد يكون في بعض الأحيان نعمه وليس نقمة لإنه ينبهنا لمواقع العطب حتى نأخذ حزرنا، ونسارع بعلاجها. ولذلك،  فعلى أعضاء الحكومة والحزب وبدلآ من إستهداف المعارضين الشرفاء، عليهم شكرهم لإظهارهم مواطن الفساد والتقصير. وليقوموا هم بواجبهم في توجيه الطاقات المتوفرة لديهم للقضاء على المفسدين وإصلاح مواقع العطب.ء

وإلا فمن واجب الاهل(الشعب) أن يبحث عن طبيب أخر (حزب تاني بس مش الإخوان وحياة أبوكو) أكثر كفاءة ونزاهه لإنقاذ حياة المريضة الغالية (مصر).ء

ثورة الصمت

لقراءة الخبر من مصراوي، إضغط هنا

التليفزيون العربي

بمناسبة مرور خمسون عامآ على إنطلاق أول بث تليفزيوني في مصر و العالم العربي، أطلق إتحاد الإذاعة واللفيزيون المصري قناة جديدة بإسم التليفزيون العربي.

يمكنكم مشاهدة برامجها القديمة والممتعة ,هنا.

والدة خالد سعيد تتقدم المسيرة الصامتة بالإسكندرية فى ذكرى الثورة

لقراءة الخبر، إضغط هنا.