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May 19th, 2008
Arabeyes: Mourning for Hadeel
· 15:07 · Middle East & North AfricaSaudi blogger Hadeel El Hadeef passed away exactly a month after her 25th birthday. Bloggers from around the region come together to mourn the death and celebrate the life of the blogger, whose contributions and humanity will continue to remain a living legacy on the world wide web.
Known for her beautiful writings, the daughter of renowned Saudi reformer and writer Dr. Mohamed El Hadeef, grabbed the attention of the blogosphere after slipping into a coma last month.
On April 17, Hadeel was celebrating her 25th birthday and wrote :
منذ شهر وأنا أعد ُ نفسي بالغد، رتبت لاحتفال كبير، وخططت لكل شيء فيه، التفاصيل الصغيرة اعتنيت بها جيداً، وحرصت أن يخرج الحفل كما يليق بالعام الخامس والعشرين من حياتي.
فكرت بأني يجب أن أحتفل جيداً هذا العام، وأحتفل وحيدة، لا أريد مباركات الأصدقاء، ولا مجاملات المعارف، فوصولي لمنتصف العمر شيء يخصني وحدي، ولا أظن أن أحداً سيذكره لو لم يذكر ذلك في صفحة (فيس بوك)، أو منبه الميلاد الذي راسلني الجميع بشأنه، طالبين مني إدراج تاريخ ميلادي، لئلا ينسوه!
بخصوص فكرة منتصف العمر، فقد كانت نابعة من أمنيتي القديمة والمستمرة بأن أموت عند سن الستين، لذا فالسنوات منذ غداً وحتى بعد خمس سنوات، هي سنوات منتصف العمر الذي حددته لنفسي، وسيكون من المهم أن لا أقصر مع نفسي بشيء خلالها، وأدللها قبل أن يبدأ الزمن بالعد لي تنازلياً..
غداً ميلادي، وأعرف أن ذلك لا يهم أحداً حقيقة، حتى والديّ لا يعنيهما كثيراً يوم ميلادي، رغم أني ابنتهما البكر، لكن ٧ أتوا من بعدي يشفع لهما نسيانهما، أو تناسيهما.
كل عام وأنا بخير جداً، كل عام وأنا أجد في نفسي ما يستحق الاحتفال، كل عام وأنا أعثر على مبرر جديد لأحبني
I’ve been preparing for tomorrow's big celebration for a month. I have planned everything and personally took care of all the small details. I was keen for a celebration which suited the 25th year of my life. I decided to celebrate this year to the fullest, and celebrate it alone. No need for friends’ blessings or acquaintances’ compliments. Reaching the middle of my life is very personal, and I reckon nobody would remember that, had it not been for my FaceBook profile or the birthday alarm that everybody asked me to fill out - so that they don't forget it.
Regarding the idea of the middle age, it’s because of my old and permanent wish to die when I am 60. That’s why the years starting from tomorrow for the next five years are the middle age years that I have decided for myself. It would be important to spoil myself these years before the start of the countdown.
Tomorrow is my birthday, and I know nobody cares about this, not even my parents who don’t know much about my birthday, even though I am their eldest daughter, but seven (other siblings) came after me, and so I forgive them for not remembering.
Happy birthday to me. Every year I find good reasons to celebrate. And every year I find a new reason to love myself.
A few days later, the news spread everywhere: forums, blogs, websites, newspapers. Hadeel went into a deep coma. Not a single doctor knew the reason for her coma. Bloggers started praying for her recovery and a Facebook group was opened to pray for Hadeel to get out of her coma. Her last post on her blog “Heaven Steps” turned into a yard for comments.
On May 17, the Facebook group announced the news of her death. Soon the Saudi and Egyptian blogospheres turned into a wide page of condolences to her family, regretting the loss of a talented, cultured and passionate human like her.
Abdou Basha, an Egyptian blogger wrote a post entitled: The death of a Saudi blogger:
هديل الحضيف.. توفت اليوم، كيف علمت؟ منذ دقائق عن طريق رسالة وصلتني من مجموعة الكترونية كونها أصدقاء هديل بعد مرضها الأخير، من هي هديل؟ هل هي مجرد مدونة سعودية؟ أجيب بكل ثقة: لا، استطيع أن أصفها بأنها انسانة سعودية مميزة، ويستطيع أي عربي أن يفتخر بقراءة كلماتها وان يشعر بأن هناك أمل.. أمل في البشر، وفي كلماتهم ورؤيتهم
Hadeel El Hadeef.. Passed away today. How did I know?.. I knew minutes ago by a message from the electronic group opened by her friends after her illness. Who is Hadeel? Just a Saudi blogger?
I would reply confidently: No, I can say she is a special Saudi human being. And every Arab can be proud while reading her words and feels there is hope.. hope in the humanity, their words and visions.
أعلم ان كلماتي هنا.. غير مفيدة لأحد غيري، أردت أن أسجل كلمات أعبر بها عن صدمتي وأن أؤكد على أن هديل من الشخصيات التي يصعب نسيان وجودها حتى إن كان وجودها ضمن واقع افتراضي، أن هذا العنوان العبثى أعلاه ـ وفاة مدونة سعودية، لا ولن يصلح أبدا مع هديل، فهي لقرائها ومتابعيها وزملائها، أكثر من هذا بكثير
I know that my words here won’t benefit anybody but me. I wrote these to record my shock hearing the news, and to admit that Hadeel was a personality that could not be easily forgotten even if it was only through virtual existence. And the above random title for this post “The death of a Saudi Blogger” would never go with a person like Hadeel. For she was to her readers, followers and colleagues, much more than this.
0 comments · »»April 11th, 2008
Middle East & North Africa
Egyptian Blogger Zeinobia writes about a new campaign adopted by a new Facebook group, calling for Boycotting the Official Newspapers for a week, starting from the 11th of April 2008, as a protest against their lies over the current situation in Mahalla.
April 10th, 2008
Egypt: The Story of Sounilla
· 23:38 · Americas , Middle East & North AfricaLittle did American student Sounilla know what he was walking into when he saw two students from his university standing in the middle of a Cairo Square and decided to walk towards them, pointing his camera in their direction. Out of nowhere, the security forces pounces on them, snatching them from the square, into a car and the threat of possible jail.
Egyptian blogger Ahmed (Ar) tells us the story of Sounilla, a 23-year-old student from New York, in Egypt to study Arabic poetry at the American University in Cairo.
Ahmed writes:
سونيلا شاب أمريكي من أصل هندي،يحمل ذراعه وشما واضحا يحمل كلمتي “لتعيش الانتفاضة”.. ذهب صبيحة يوم الاضراب للجامعة الامريكية لمتابعة محاضراته ،وبينما هو في طريقه للجامعة عبر ميدان التحرير وجد زميلتيه سارة عبد الرازق وسارة اسماعيل تقفان وسط الميدان وتزدردان خبزا رديئا من الذي تنتجه مخابز الحكومة المصرية،ثم تلقيانه علي الارض كنوع من الاحتجاج،توجه سونيلا بكاميرته الديجيتال نحو زميلتيه ليتقط صورة فوتوغرافية،فانقضت عليه قوات الأمن واقتادته نحو ميكروباص علي ناصية شارع طلعت حرب.
في الثانية عشر والنصف ظهرا تحركت السيارة الميكروباص وتجولت بهم حواليَ القاهرة مارا بشارع صلاح سالم والدراسة،وحين احتج سونيلا موضحا :”أنا أمريكي”..رد عليه الضابط “اخرس”!
حاول سونيلا الاتصال بالسفارة الامريكية ومديرة برنامج المنحة التي يدرس بموجبها في مركز دراسات اللغة العربية في الجامعة الامريكية،توالت الاتصالات وأبلغه موظف بالسفارة :”أرجوك ابتعد عن التحرير الاوضاع غير مستقرة بالمرة”.
يقول سونيلا:”جن جنون الضابط حين علم برغبتي في الاتصال بسفارة بلادي وقال لي سألقيك من علي الكوبري إذا فعلت هذا”.Sounilla, an American citizen of Indian origin, has a obvious tattoo on his arm which reads ‘Love Live the Intifada.' On the morning of the April 6 strike, he was on his way to the American University in Cairo to attend his classes. While crossing the Tahrir Square, he saw his colleagues Sara Abd El Razak, and Sara Ismail, standing in the middle of the square throwing bad bread, baked in the National Egyptian Bakeries. So Sounilla walked towards his colleagues with a digital camera to take a photograph. Suddenly, the Security forces came and arrested him, dragging him into a small microbus at the corner of the near by Square of Tala’at Harb.
At midday, the microbus started moving down different streets. Sounilla told the officer on the bus: “I am American,” to which the officer replied: “Shut up!” Sounilla then tried calling the American Embassy, and the fellowships officer of his Arabic language studies scholarship, but an employee at the Embassy said: “Please get away from Tahrir Square, the situation is very volatile there.”
The police officer was enraged when he knew and warned Sounilla saying: “I will throw you off the bridge if you called the Embassy.”
يضيف سونيلا : اشتبك معي أحد الضباط بينما يستجوبني ويطالبني بذكر بياناتي،وعمد الي استفزازي أكثر من مرة،قال الضابط :لم تشارك في مثل هذه الأعمال..إنت مالك؟ فقلت له :حكومتكم سيئة وتظلم الناس..فرد الضابط حانقا :لا تقل هذا الكلام..الحكومة جيدة..فنظر له سونيلا وقال :لا تنتسي أنك من الشعب ولست من الحكومة!
فصمت الضابط،يقول سونيلا:”سكت الضابط العنيف ولم يرد علي بينما لمحت علي الشرطي الذي أخذ بياناتي أمارات التعاطف..لكن علي أية حال تم حرماني من كاميرتي الديجيتال التي التقطت بها الصور”.
هدد أحد الضباط المشرفين علي عملية الاختطاف سونيلا بالقاءه في الصحراء،بينما وعد إحدي النساء بتوصيلها الي منزلها،يقول سونيلا :”ما يحد ث يشي أن الحكومة مضطربة ومرتبكة جدا وتحاول عبر هوس أمني بغيض السيطرة علي مقاليد الامور بأي ثمن”.Sounilla adds than one officer assaulted during the investigations, and continued to intimidate him more than once. The officer asked him: “Why do you take part in such events.. what is your business?” I replied: “Your government is bad and is unjust towards people.” The officer replied angrily: “Don’t say such words, the government is not bad..” So Sounilla told him: “You are from the people, not the government!”
The harsh officer was silent, while the other kinder officer showed some sympathy. Then then confiscated Sounilla's camera, the one he took pictures with. One officer threatened him to throw him to the desert, while he promised a woman there to drive her home. Sounilla added: “What happened shows a disturbed government, very disturbed that it tried through its security mania to control everything at any cost.”
Ahmed continues:
كان سونيلا مرهقا وجائعا للغاية حين التقيناه لكنه كان مقتنعا بما يفعل بصورة تثير الدهشة،علق سونيلا :”لقد شاركت في تظاهرات في الولايات المتحدة،لكن الذي حدث هنا في القاهرة هو اختطاف رخيص علي طريقة العصابات ولايمت بصلة لجهاز شرطة يفترض أنه يحمي الناس”.
تركوا سونيلا في حوالي الثانية ظهرا وحين حاول أخذ أرقام السيارة الميكروباص التي اختطفته،لكن الضباط نزلوا وهددوه وتوعدوه،قال لهم سونيلا :”إذا أردتم القاء القبض علينا فاقبضوا..لكن لا تخطفونا علي طريقة العصابات”
Sounilla was exhausted and hungry when we met him, but he commented: “I took part in many demonstrations back in the United States, but what happened in Cairo is cheap kidnapping the gangsters' way and has nothing to do with a Police system that is supposed to keep people safe.”
They released Sounilla at around 2 o’clock, and when he tried to take the number of the car, the officers threatened him again, so he finally told them: “If you want to arrest us, then do that. Just don't kidnap us like gangsters.”
Photo credit: Mohamed Ali El Dien
1 comment · »»April 7th, 2008
Middle East & North Africa
Egyptian blogger Zeinobia covers the media coverage of yesterday's strike, either in main newspaper headlines or TV shows - highlighting the bloggers' effort to closely follow the event.
Egypt: A wake up strike 
· 02:52
· Middle East & North Africa Around 500 people were arrested in Egypt Sunday as police quashed a general strike, in protest against the increasing cost of living and calling for better wages.
And just as word about the strike was spread via massive text-messaging, email, and popular social networking platform Facebook, bloggers and online activists kept the world abreast with arrests and developments on the ground minute by minute throughout the day.
The strike, all over Egypt, created a rift in opinions, between those confirming its success and others announcing its abortion and even failure. Many people stayed home, as participants in the event and avoiding the day's sandstorms or simply out of fear from the anticipated violent clashes that might break out on the streets.
Witnesses reported light traffic on the streets, which were dotted with police vehicles and swarming with plainclothes policemen. Throughout the day news continued to pour in via Twitter, Facebook and blogs about arrests being made, against protesters, politicians and citizens, including bloggers.
SA wrote “what happened in the strike today”:
“I am just back from that long day. And I was about to be arrested, the Egyptian security didn’t stop bothering and aggressing the activists .
Since last night they started by arresting many activists and today they continue to arrest a lot .
I was in the Tahrir Square since 11 AM and there were a huge number of soldiers and security in plain cloths, they were bothering everyone and asking for our ids and pushing us to go away.
Three young girls from the American university in Cairo AUC come to protest at the square using breads ,the security guys didn’t like they way those young girls protest with and many soldiers were attacking the girls.
A woman with her two kids tried to save the girls but the police arrested the mother .
The two boys were alone crying because they took their mothers .
They arrested some women at the Tahrir square too and make a siege around them but me and other AUC students, we stayed in front of that siege asking the police to free them and we didn’t move till, they let them go.”
She also added:
“At down town in front of the syndicate of lawyers I was there when people in the street decided to join the people of the demonstration inside the syndicate, we were shouting outin the street “fall down Hosni Mubarak” but tens of soldiers ran after us with sticks and wanted to attack us, I was using my camera to film when an officer arrested me and wanted to take my camera and my mobile phone, thanks God a French friend journalist came and said I am his assistant and after 15 minutes of negotiation I could be out of that.
Till now they arrested more than 100 people ,but anyway a lot of Egyptians particpated in the strike by staying home .
The message of the regime was clear “no freedom, freedom of expression”.
I am wondering where was Mubarak the dictator hiding today ?
The police were very aggressive today but we resist till the end and I am considering today a victory against corruption, abuse, torture, dictatorship.”
Hossam El Hamalawy and Sandmonkey posted regular updates but the star of the day was a new blog (Ar) put up by activists, which invited people to send in their stories, pictures and videos, to document the events of the day. Tadamon Masr also posted regular updates, as they were happening throughout the day. Both blogs are still updating the day's incidents as this report was being compiled.
Ghariba wrote in detail about the events, quoting BBC Arabic, and adding a video of the clashes in El Mahala, where the textile factories and the heart of the strike was, featuring scenes of chaos:
The blogger added:
ونقلت مراسلة بي بي سي عزة محيي الدين عن مصادر امنية قولها إن عدد المعتقلين اليوم بلغ 207 قبض عليهم فى محافظات القاهرة والجيزة والإسكندرية والبحيرة وقنا .ومن بين المعتقلين اعضاء في أحزاب الغد والناصري والتجمع و حركة كفاية ومجدي أحمد حسين الأمين العام لحزب العمل المجمد
The BBC correspondent Azza Muhiydin quoted security forces as saying that the number of those arrested today reached 207, detained in Cairo, Giza, Alexandria, Al Buhaira and Qana. Among those detained are members of the Al Ghad, Al Nasseri, Al Tajamua' and Kifaya Movement as well as the secretary general of Labour Party Madji Ahmed Hussain.
In Mahala, things were literally aflame. Unlike the peaceful demonstrations in big cities like Cairo, which were marred by detentions and the occasional stand off with riot police such as that in from of the Lawyers Syndication, Mahala's witnessed violent clashes between citizens and police officers. Witnesses also confirmed the death of two people, including a nine-year-old. Electricity was cut off, a gas station burned and a few shops were broken into.
Zeinobia reports “Mahala on Fire” and says:
“The great Mahla is on fire currently , all the road to the greatest city in the middle East for the textile industries are blocked and closed even the trains going there are shifted to other cities in North Delta.
We began to receive news at about 6 PM that Mahla on fire technically , some one sent an email including the photos in the slide show below described the city as Egyptian Gaza.
The forces used warning blots and tear gases ,along with sticks ,people were badly injured
It reached the point of no return when two persons killed to become the first martyrs of the 6 of April which I always remember , the first one was 20 years old young man and the second was a 9 years old boy “strangely today in Gaza also a young boy was killed !!”, Yes it turned to be correct and true unfortunately.
People there got angry ,more clashes ,unfortunately those who are engaged more in the fight are the youngsters from 11 to 16 years , there are weapons used like the local short swords , there are fires in the streets.
Now the city is under a siege from the security forces.”
Despite the crackdown, a new Facebook Group was up and running last night, inviting people for a new strike on May 4, to coincide with the Egyptian President's Birthday. The group has so far attracted 1,300 members, and following is a quick draft of its initial demands for the upcoming strike:
1-يوم 4 مايو اضراب و مضاهرات سلمية ان شاء الله
2- اول اسبوع من شهر مايو محدش هيشترى فيه لحمه
3- التجمع للمظاهرات يوم 4 مايو فى مكان هيتحدد بعدين و غالبا هيكون سرى
4- التجمع للمظاهرات ان شاء الله هيكون داخل الجوامع و الكنايس انتلاشى ازى الامن المركزى هنتجمع جواها باعداد كبيرة بعدد كده نخرج فى الشوارع و الميادي
ن
1. On May 4, a peaceful strike and demonstrations.
2. No one shall buy meat in the first week of May.
3. Participating in demonstrations will be in certain secret places.
4. Gatherings will be in mosques and churches and we will then march to the big squares and streets.
Though it is quite early to confirm the success of April 6 strike, and its repercussions, it sure hit a nerve, with thousands of people mobilising themselves and freely available online tools to demand their freedom, equality, democracy and an honourable life for themselves and the future generations of Egypt.
11 comments · »»March 18th, 2008
Egypt: Stop Drug Abuse Campaign Launched
· 22:04 · Middle East & North Africa“Stop Drugs.. Change your life” was the motto for a new controversial campaign initiated by Amr Khaled in Egypt and other different Arab countries. The campaign primarily aims to fight drug use among youth and to enlighten them about the negative effects of drugs on themselves, lives and countries.
Egyptian blogger ISIS, under a posted titles “Amr Khaled’s Drug Awareness Campaign” writes:
“At last the very popular Amr Khaled does something, in my eyes, truly great, wide scale, and not exclusive to Islam or Muslims. A drug campaign supposedly covering the Middle East, called ‘Hemaya', which literally translates to ‘Protection' was launched only last week by the young and controversial evangelist. The campaign aims to get 5,000 addicts to begin treatment.
While wishing the campaign success,ISIS, who describes herself as “an addict in recovery”, warns that secular youth spreading the message, might fare better than their religious counterparts. She explains:
2 comments · »»“ I really want this campaign to work and for more people to know about the disease and as a society fight against it. I don't know about other addicts, but these overtly virtuous goody two shoe'ed people freak me out and if I was still using I'd be scared to ask them directly for help out of fear of being judged and ridiculed actually - this is simply because I'd feel that, even though they're making gigantic efforts to openly speak about this specific ill of society, the volunteer youth are obviously devoted Amr Khaled fans who I bet you anything have never missed an episode of Al Janna Fi Beyoutena (Heaven in our Homes) and 3ala Khouta Al Habib (On The Path of the Beloved - a show where Amr Khaled emotionally tells the story of Prophet Mohamed) [**] - and all that means that they are extremely religious - generally that would be okay, but when you're trying to target drug users and addicts and convince them of starting a treatment program, these volunteer seem like have no experience at all dealing with or understanding drug users and their mentalities - and that may be the main problem in reaching their aim. Anyways - maybe if Hemaya was a bit more secular it would make a more successful attempt at actually reaching the twisted and disoriented minds of addicts like myself. I really believe that with just a few adjustments to the campaign themes and motifs of publicity and marketing this project can truly hit the nail on its head. I really may actually think of volunteering… but I'd be scared of all the stigma, cuz in the middle of all the veiled chicks - I will totally stand out as the recovering addict…
In any case, best of luck to Hemaya, really I hope their goals get reached and their plans achieved…
March 17th, 2008
Egypt: Another strike and many protests
· 23:57 · Middle East & North AfricaEgyptian doctors and university faculty have joined the crowds and decided to protest against their low salaries.
Hossam El Hamalawy, wrote about the on going protests and sit-ins in front of the Doctors’ Syndicate, which have been organized by Doctors without Rights:
The sit in at the Doctors’ Syndicate, called for by Doctors Without Rights, has started, coupled with protests in several hospitals across the country… The protests are to continue until the 21st of March, when the General Assembly of the Syndicate meets again, amid fury among the rank and file over the Syndicate Board’s decision to postpone indefinitely the strike planned on the 15th….
And quoting Kareem El Behery, Hossam wrote:
كانت نقابة الاطباء العامة بالقاهرة قد اصدرت بيان الاسبوع الماضى تطالب فيه كل الاطباء عن طريق النقابات الفرعية بتنظيم وقفة احتجاجية امس السبت للمطالبة بتحسين الاجر
Last week, the Doctors’ Syndicate issued a statement asking all the doctors to have a sit in last Saturday demanding a raise in salaries.
As for Egyptian university teaching staff, the situation is very similar.
From the blog “Egyptian Universities Strike”, quoting Q & A’s for the March 23rd Strike:
س: ما هي الجامعات التي يشملها الإضراب؟
ج: يشمل الإضراب جميع الجامعات الحكومية المصرية.
س: كيف أشارك في الإضراب؟
ج: المشاركة في الإضراب تعني:
أ. التواجد في محل العمل من بداية اليوم الدراسي.
ب. الامتناع عن أداء جميع الأعمال التعليمية.
ج. إعلان المشاركة في الإضراب.
س: أنا عضو هيئة تدريس بكلية الطب، هل أتوقف عن أداء الخدمات الطبية بالمستشفى الجامعي يوم الإضراب؟
ج: لا، الأعمال الطبية في المستشفيات الجامعية مستمرة ولا يشملها الإضراب.
س: كيف أعلن مشاركتي في الإضراب؟
ج: إعلان المشاركة في الإضراب تتم بإحدى الوسائل التالية:
أ. تعليق شارة الإضراب.
ب. تعليق علامة الإضراب على باب المكتب أو المعمل.
ج. التجمع في مكان ظاهر تحت لافتة الإضراب.
س: كيف أشارك في الإضراب إذا لم يكن لدي واجبات تدريسية يوم 23 مارس؟
ج: يكفي التواجد في الجامعة وتعليق شارة الإضراب.
0 comments · »»1. Which universities are included in the strike?
All Egyptian Government universities.2. How can I take part in this strike?
To take part in the strike means:
a. you would attend your working place at the start of the day.
b. not do any of your educational duties.
c. publicize that you are taking part in the strike.3. I am a member in the teaching staff in the faculty of medicine, so should I stop my medical duties at the university’s hospital on the day of the strike?
No, the medical duties in the universities’ hospitals should continue.4. How to publicize taking part in the strike?
You can do so by:
a. Holding up the strike sign.
b. Placing the strike sign on the door of your lab or your office.
c. Gathering near the sign at the protest place.5. How can I take part in the strike if I didn’t have teaching duties on that day?
It’s enough to be there and to hold the sign.
March 15th, 2008
Palestine: “I'm Afraid of “Taaakh” and Shiver When I See it”
· 00:31
· Middle East & North Africa In a promotion for one of Al Jazeera’s documentaries about the Israeli occupation of Palestine, a young Palestinian girl describes her living. With her little words, she captures the hearts of almost everybody who watches this video… and still, her words say nothing of what I can feel whenever I see her on TV.
Palestinian blogger Shaltaf (Ar) transcribes her words in Arabic.
اجت القذيفة من فوق دخلت عالشباك بعدين كسرت كل الشبابيك والدار انحرقت
تكسّروا اغراضي اتكسّروا لعبي لسا في الي كثير اغراض ساحوا
كله رمينا عالزبالة والاواعي رميناها عالزبالة
لو تشموهم اواعينا خلي اليهود يجوا ويشموا اواعينا ويشوفوا دارنا
حتى نضارتي الي ابوي جابللي اياها ما فرحتش عليها حتى الاسوارة اللي امي جابتها الحلق حتى الخواتم ما فرحتش عليهم
كيف بدي افرح عليهم والعقد وهداك كيف بدي افرح على اغراضي
انا بخاف من الطخ حتى… بصير ارجف رجف لما اشوف
3 comments · »»The bomb entered from the window, then it broke all the other windows before the house burned.
All my things were broken. My toys were broken. And a lot my other things melted.
We threw everything with the garbage. Even my clothes were thrown into the garbage.
If you only smelled our clothes. Let the Jews come and smell our clothes and see our house.
Even my eye glasses that my father brought to me, I couldn’t be happy with. Even the bracelets that my mother bought to me, and the earrings and the rings, I couldn’t be happy with.
How am I supposed to be happy with them.. and my necklace … and all that. How am I supposed to be happy with my things?
I am afraid of “Taaaakh” (the sound of shooting) even .. and I shiver whenever I see it happening.
February 27th, 2008
Egypt: Praying against Mubarak in the Metro
· 15:42 · Middle East & North AfricaWahda Masrya, was in a metro when she accidentally passed by a situation she felt a need to describe.. and here she goes:
كنت في المترو عندما دخلت إمراة شابة تحمل طفلا تتدلى رأسه للخلف فاقدا للوعي , عرضت عليها إحدى السيدات ان تجلس من اجل طفلها فردت عليها الأم الشابة “مبقتش تفرق ما هو ميت ميت من الكيماوي اللي بيأخدو كل يوم”تلك الكلمات أصابت كل الواقفات بالصدمة و بدأت الأسئلة تنهال على الأم الذي يعاني إبنها من ورم خبيث في المخ و هو عمرة لا يتجاوز الست سنوات و يتلقى علاجا كيماويا و يحتاج لنقل الدم و تعاني الأم لإيجاد كيس الدم لأن إبنها فصيلته نادرة و بعد قليل بدأت النصائح للام بالذهاب إلى مستشفى 57357 لتقيد إسم إبنها و ردت الأم بأنها فعلت ذلك و فعلت كل شيء من أجل إنقاذ حياة طفلها ….و أن كيس الدم هو الأساس الآن لحياة طفلها و هي بخلاف عدم وجوده فإنه يكلفها 85 جنية في المرة و هو ما لا تملكة و هنا صاحت إحدى السيدات بالدعاء على مبارك و زوجتة و أولادة جمال و علاء و عيالهم في تلقائية شديدة و وافقتها نساء المترو و تحولت عربة المترو إلى مظاهرة إحتجاجية ضد الحاكم و أولادة و أصحابة الذين خربوا مصر و جعلوا الفقر و المرض ينهش الأطفال و الكبار
و يا ويل اللي يمرض فيكي يا مصر
These words shocked all people standing in the metro, and questions were directed to the mother whose child suffers a tumor in the brain. He is no more than six years and undergoes chemical therapy which needs constant blood transfer, while the mother can not find such blood bags easily as her son’s blood type is very rare.
After a while, people advised her to go to 57357 Hospital [1], but she replied that she already did everything she could for saving her child’s life.. however she can’t easily find the blood bags, which is the most essential element in his case. Each bag costs her 85 pounds, such amount of money that she doesn’t have. Spontaneously, another woman in the metro prayed loudly against Mubarak, his wife and children, Gamal and Alaa, as well as their children. Soon all the other women joined her, and the metro turned into a protest against the president, his sons and his friends who ruined Egypt and let poverty and diseases kill everybody - young and old.
————————
[1] 57357 Hospital, is a national charitable hospital built for curing children who suffer tumors or cancer. And the reason why it's called 57357, is because that is the bank account opened in almost all Egyptian banks to accept funds from people to continue the project's construction.
February 13th, 2008
Egypt: On Winning the African cup of Nation, Ghana 2008
· 02:17 · Middle East & North AfricaAsk any Egyptian, he’d tell you that last Sunday night, February the 10th, wasn’t like any night.. a night like “thousand nights”.. Egypt won the African Cup of Nations in Ghana 2008 after a fierce match with Cameron 1-0. A marvelous score in a beautiful ditto between Abu Tarika and Zeidan.
Egypt won.. Celebrations was almost every where on each and every street in Egypt, as well as in many other Arab countries.
Mona El Shazli [1], started her 11th of February episode from “El Ashera Masa’an” with this phrase:
“By the referee’s Koffi Coudja’s whistle, he didn’t –only- mark the end of the match, but an open invitation for thousands and thousands of Egyptians to go to the streets and celebrate the victory. And let the Egyptians live a night of mere happiness, like they’ve never been happy for so long.
And what really astonished me not how the Egyptians were happy, but how other Arab countries were as happy as well. A splendid night indeed, with such unity of feelings all around.”
Under the title “Reflections of the blessing of consolidation with Gaza” [2], Arabawy extracted a part from a BBC article:
“Defending champions Egypt won a record sixth Africa Cup of Nations with a fully-deserved victory over Cameroon. The only goal of the game came in the 77th minute when Mohamed Aboutrika pushed home a Mohamed Zidan pass after a mistake by Cameroon’s Rigobert Song.”
Adfortiori described in his blog post “Masr! Masr! Masr!” the reactions that followed the match on the streets:
“For a country that is so deeply impoverished and repressed, constant frustration gave way to almost inexpressible joy. The girls on my floor sobbed uncontrollably, and so did some of the men on the street. Cars stopped willingly for young men bearing flags, drums, and flaming aerosol cans. Voices, hands and horns combined flawlessly in the same universal 1, 2, 3 and 4 rhythm and vocabularies were reduced to “Mabruk” “Masr!” and “Oh lay, Oh lay” no matter how comfortable you were with Arabic.”
Zeinobia -as well- commented under the title “We are the champions”:
“The sounds of the horns began to be heard , I swear if I have energy I would go to the street in the car with my camera. Today Egypt will stay in happiness till dune. Hard luck for the Cameroon , they played great still people of the Cameroon forgive but we need this victory more than you , we need this joy , this happiness.”
Just to mention, this is Egypt’s sixth time to clinch the tournament's title, and the second in a row after last year's win in Egypt. The this forced The Arabist –like many other- to question:
“But is anyone competent enough to explain why the team always screws up when it comes to qualifying for the world cup?”
Shaheda, or the Myrter wrote :
اشار منتخب مصر انه سيتم التبرع بجزء من مكافأة الفريق اثر فوزه لبناء مسجد في كوماسي عاصمه غانا” حسب معلوماتي الضعيفه رياضيا ” .. وحسب ما اظن سيكون اول مسجد يبنى في كوماسي … جزاهم الله خير الجزاء …
“The Egyptian national team hinted that part of its reward would be directed towards building a mosque in Kumasi. And as far as I know, that would be the first mosque there. God bless them. “
Arab bloggers joined in the celebrations too.
From Moroco:
Kaoutar, under the title “Boss, shoof, Masr bte3mel eh!” or “Look, Learn from what Egypt is doing” wrote :
“Compared to many other teams – and I wouldn’t exclude the Moroccan national team – the Egyptians have proved that mastering the game itself is not the only prerequisite for a squad to become champion. Nor is it the abundance of financial resources. The team spirit that reigns has a real magic effect. Look how respectful they are towards each other and towards their coach and how united they are even in the way they thank God after each goal.
And then look how ruthless they are during the whole match. The way they play makes you feel that they truly care! I am not writing poetry here, but I did see the Egyptian legendary “namoutou namoutou wa ta7ya Masr” (we would die to give life to Egypt) dominating the game during yesterday’s match.”
From Jordon:
Roba, wrote under “On Winning”:
“And so this year, the Iraqis won the Asian Cup and the Egyptians won the African Cup. The commentator yesterday was going crazy over that. Well, mabrook to both the Iraqis and the Egyptians, who have both finally given us Arabs something to enjoy. I wish I captured the energy at the little corner cafe in Shmesani as the watchers yelled, shouted, and threw advice at the television, until everyone finally jumped and started clapping and cheering when Abou Treika put in that winning goal. I hope they both have good luck at the World Cup qualifiers.”
From Yemen:
Omar Barsawad wrote a post with the title “A well deserved win for The Pharaohs”:
“Last evening, with a little help from a mistake by the Cameroonian captain — Rigobert Song — defending champion Egypt defeated Cameroon 1-0 and won the trophy of the Africa Nations Cup for the sixth time! A record of the continental tournament. The Egyptians, as always, were: controlled, organized and continuously kept attacking. And they won despite being infancied to win in Ghana.
What is most admirable and applaudable of the Egyptians, is that — unlike all major soccer teams in Africa and the Arab world who depend on expensive, foreign coaches — Egypt has one of their own as the coach: the shrewd Hassan Shehata. Shehata has succeeded in winning the African Nations Cup after failing three times as a player for his country. Congratulations to Shehata and to Egypt! Hopefully Egypt will take their dominance and keep their momentum into the build up towards the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Hopefully, a team from Africa will win the cup — then.”
For Palestine things were totally different. For what Abo Tarika did, showing his inner T-shirt written on it “Sympathy with Gaza” meant something even deeper than what he really was thinking. And it –really- turned him into “a hero” in everyone’s eyes.
Noura Yunis, an Egyptian blogger, started the talk with a thank you to her Palestinian friends who congratulated her last night after the match, and mentioned a piece of news from El Jazeera:
قناة الجزيرة: عشرات الفلسطينيون تجمعوا مساء أمس بعد المباراة أمام مكتب التمثيل المصري في غزة، والجانب الفلسطيني من معبر رفح، رافعين أعلام مصر
“Hundreds of Palestinians gathered yesterday after the match in front of the Egyptian representation office to the Palestinian national authority, raising the Egyptian flags.”
But that was not everything.
Nawara Negm, an Egyptian blogger, wrote two posts - one immediately after the match, with only one word and a picture..
“Abu tarika”.. and the picture says “We are all Abu Tarika” for young Palestinian students in their schools.
Later on she explained -in another post- why she cried when she saw those other two very moving pictures.
Palestinians kissing the famous picture of Abu Tarika.. with the “Sympathy with Gaza” written on his T-shirt.
We Love you Egypt.
And from Palestine, Hiyam confirmed the above image stating:
“I have never before seen the Egyptian, the Pharos football team so strong - and never before I have seen such a life spirit and such remarkable people as the Palestinians - they will never, never give up the struggle. The Palestinians on Gaza Strip celebrated and encouraged the Egyptian football team to win, in the finales between Egypt and Cameroon, in the Football Championship of the African Nations, on February 10, 2008.
At a time when the Israelis have besieged Gasa Strip, and after the closure of the wall erected by the Israelis in 2005,between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, Palestinian football fans was carrying posters depicting the Egyptian football player, Mohammed Abo Tarika, in his world-famous T- Skirt, with the words ” Sympathize with Gaza”. written on the inside of the T-Skirt..”
A well deserved victory. A well deserved best goal keeper for “Esam El Hadary”, A well deserved best player in 2008 African Cup of Nations for “Hosni Abd Rabou” [3] and a well deserved thank you goes to the man of the match “Abu Tarika” for his playing and his respectable way of expressing his opinions, despite how Google removed Abu Trika’s “Sympathize with Gaza” images from the internet.
——————
[1] Mona El Shazli: A young female Egyptian presenter, who is famous for her talk show “El Ashera Masa’an” or 10pm. The show discusses daily local affairs. Al Shazli proved to be a great success because of her knowledge, and simple way of presenting.
[2] Arabawy was hinting tp the moment when Egyptian footballer Abo Tarika showed his T-shirt with the text “Sympathize with Gaza”, in the Sudan Vs. Egypt match during the African Cup of Nations in Ghana 2008.
[3] Both “Esam El Hadary” and “Hosni Abd Rabou” are players in the Egyptian national football team.
[*] you can see a few more photos in here: http://baki-neko.livejournal.com/72265.html
About Lasto Adri
A Blogger since 2004, and working in the field of Network Engineering. Other GV sites
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