Letter from Cairo: Egyptians Full of Hope
March 1, 2011
Leaflets are being distributed in all
areas calling for people not to litter, pay bribes, break traffic laws
or harass girls in a campaign to build a cleaner new Egypt. People
finally feel a sense of ownership for their country.by Nancy S, in Cairo
(for henrymakow.com)
The morning after Mubarak stood down was a brand new day which felt so fresh and exhilarating for so many of us. It was like a weight was lifted from our collective shoulders.
I went with my children to Tahrir to join friends in maybe the first revolutionary clean up in history. Ever since, they have been joining cleaning up and street painting initiatives in our local neighborhood.
Leaflets are being distributed in all areas calling for people not to litter, pay bribes, break traffic laws or harass girls in a campaign to build a cleaner new Egypt. People finally feel a sense of ownership for their country.
There is a feeling of hope in the new Egypt as well as an unsettling feeling that what we are working for will be derailed. Of course all eyes are turned to the unfortunate events in Libya. I thought Mubarak was waging war at his own people (and thank God, the army didn't comply) but it was nothing compared to what is happening in Libya.
My husband was just saying that it is quite fishy that this is all happening at the same time.
Even though I do not regret taking part in an uprising against an oppressive and corrupt dictator, we have obviously been put into this situation by those who for the last half-century have been propping up these corrupt (and sometimes crazy) regimes; then suddenly withdrawing their support and publicizing their excesses in the international media. Why weren't the vast family fortunes of these dictators exposed before?
Our economic situation is quite difficult now. We have all been affected in varying degrees, and most feel that this is the time to work hard at building the nation.
I understand that the Illuminati and their associates have sinister plans for the Middle East and the world at large. I just pray that we can recognize their plots in our immediate situation so we can take appropriate action if possible.
I would appreciate any pointers or assistance in this respect. Like I mentioned before, I think it is more complex than just steering away from the Muslim Brotherhood.
I am sure the war is being waged on many fronts and lately there has been lots of talk about removing the mention of God from the Egyptian constitution. Also it is strange that Israel did an about turn from saying democracy is dangerous for Egypt and vehement support for Mubarak to now praising the call for democracy in Egypt.
I have attached an article I wrote for an Australian newspaper which was not published. I just thought you may be interested in how we feel about Egypt and the pride in the very civilized and peace loving Egyptian people as a whole. Many friends told me I spoke for them in this piece.
We hope and pray (and also work as hard as we can) so the very dramatic recent events end up positively and that the plots of the plotters are foiled.
Egypt: The Safest Place to Be
As life is slowly returning to normal in a city which has just witnessed a profound upheaval, something is missing. At my son's preschool today a number of his friends were significantly absent: Joseph from Ireland; Cyrus from the US and Louise from Canada. They had all gone back home in the exodus of expats and tourists who were frantically fleeing Egypt in fear of escalation of events which were begun by the January 25th demonstrations. In fact my parents in Melbourne called me on numerous occasions during the events which rocked the world begging me to hop on a plane with the children and come back home.
Despite the fact that those in authority decided to let loose criminal elements to cause havoc in the city, burning, looting and freeing prisoners, in an attempt to silence the good people of Egypt, I could not bring myself to leave. Even though the police had withdrawn their protection, people took it upon themselves to protect their homes, neighborhoods and even the historic Cairo museum. Vigilante neighborhood watch programs were forming all over the country. Although we felt stabbed in the back by those who were paid to protect us, for the first time since I lived here there was a wonderful feeling of neighborhood solidarity and community. While discussing the Australian government's offer of flights out of Cairo with one of my Australian friends she said that Cairo, even in these troubled times, is still safer than New York on a normal day.
Can you imagine a protest anywhere in the world with over 2 million in one area where no-one was assaulted - physically or verbally (except Mubarak) or harassed. You must commend the Egyptians for holding the most civilized protests in such large numbers (until government thugs rained on their parade of course). Apart from the government's embarrassingly famous attempts at sabotaging the demonstrations, millions peacefully filled streets all over Egypt showing the world that there is nothing to fear from democracy in a predominantly Muslim country.
In fact, Mona Makram Ebeid, daughter of the famed Christian politician, commented on TV that despite police absence and the presence of many elements in the demonstrations, including people from the Muslim Brotherhood, not one Church was damaged or attacked. Not only that but there was not even so much as a graffiti spray on the Jewish temple just minutes walk away from Tahrir Square which was bereft of its usual police security. I believe it is time for the Islamist bogeyman myth to be put to rest. Gilad Atzmon, Israeli musician and writer, put it this way:
"the people of Egypt just proved how restrained and peace-seeking Islam is for real. Unlike some of our blood soaked Western revolutions, in Cairo millions of Muslims waited for 18 days for their tyrant to internalize the message. Day after day, they stood in the streets demonstrating patience and determination; five times a day they joined mass prayers for goodness to prevail. They reminded us all that Islam is derived from the word Salaam. Islam is all about peace. It is inherently non violent."
http://www.gilad.co.uk/writings/gilad-atzmon-cairo-jerusalem.html
As the news emerged regarding the true perpetrator behind the Church bombing in Alexandria we realized that it was a corrupt government that thrived on creating friction and suspicion between Muslim and Christian. An age old ploy to divide, conquer and distract the masses from what is really going on.
I remember visiting Egypt for the first time when I was 8 years old, the doors between my grandmother's home and her Christian neighbors were never closed. All day we would run between the two apartments feeling that it was just one family. The events of 25th January brought this feeling back again, where you witnessed Egyptian Christians pouring ablution water for their Muslim brethren and protecting them from behind while they pray; likewise the Muslims protected their Christian brethren while they performed their Sunday mass. As my daughter said on the day we were privileged enough to join the vigil in Tahrir, "love is in the air".
As Tahrir broke out into song time and time again, it became more reminiscent of Woodstock than the Iranian revolution. At Tahrir the love was palpable and, where Woodstock called for peace and love, Tahrir was the embodiment of a heroic kind of peace and a brotherly love.
Like the love my daughter's Ferarri driving friend, Jawad, expressed to members of the police force as they pointed guns at him. He said: "By God, I love you! I am doing this for you. I know the paltry salary you get. We want to make things better. I love you." Some of them advised him to run but eventually he got a bullet in his right eye. All over you could see examples of people bringing food and blankets to help the demonstrators weather the long days and cold winter nights, and doctors who left their jobs to care for the sick and wounded in Tahrir Square.
The Egyptians have proved to the world and, more importantly, to themselves that they have what it takes to make their country a better place to live. They have also proved that they are a peace loving people that don't need a police force to keep the country safe. To do that they just needed to dislodge a corrupt government. So please Joseph, Cyrus and Louise come back to Egypt, your friends at preschool miss you!
Tahrir Square singing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxcQ-pc1ejw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fgw_zfLLvh8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxcQ-pc1ejw
