The Country, Democracy...and Responsibility!

The responsibility of a country is not in the hands of a privileged few. We are strong, and we are free from tyranny as long as each one of us remembers his or her duty as a citizen. Speak out! Ask those questions. Demand that truth. Democracy is not a free ride, man. I'm here to tell you. But, this is where we live. And if we do our job, this is where our children will live

Marching with Dignity – “Sisters” or Not

 ere on MMW, I tried to highlight the fact that mainstream media was focusing on Islamists’ statements regarding what women wear, while, in fact, what was even more dangerous was their vision regarding women and child law. I referred in that article to quotations from Dr. Manal Abul-Hassan about allowing female genital mutilation, and to Abul-Hassan’s description of child protection laws as simply an imitation of the West (and therefore bad or unnecessary).

Dr. Manal Abul-Hassan. Image via Asharq Al-Awsat

Turns that Dr. Abul-Hassan, media professor in October 6^th University in Cairo, has even more to say about Egyptian women.

Marching with Dignity – “Sisters” or Not

And Justice Should Be Served!

Police officer who video-shot “hunting” protestors eyes was cleared!

Sayeda Zainab police officers accused of murdering the martyrs were cleared!

Mubarak endless trial!

Whoever follows the news of the legal aspect of this revolution will always be frustrated. Between the cases which were built really weak and the cases that lacked professional legal assistance, a lot of cases were dropped someone between the papers in people’s memory as “Do you even believe in Egyptian Judiciary System? ”

Problem with such cases is not the revolution. It’s that very simple fact that when  human life is intentionally taken away, there has to be consequences and the state – any state – is responsible for proper investigation and making sure someone is blamed and punished – legally of course!

Such justice is not a political demand at all, it’s pure social one.

Does anyone seriously expect a father who lost his son, had to run between morgues, to finally find his body with whatever bullets poking his body, to shut up and forget about it?

Do you think a brother will be able to go on with his life when every time he sleeps he has to see his little brother hot body in some morgue on the floor, and to remember that he had to run between offices to be allowed to bury him?

Is it even possible?

Is it fair?

Is this stability?

What would happen when each one who lost someone decides to completely lost belief in our judicial system? When everyone finally realizes that if you want something right to be done, he has to do himself?

When I call for fair trials, it is not about the political battle. It is that I am praying to God someone in this country wake up and see that unless murderers in this country get locked, we are looking ahead to a bloody war… and no one will be able to stop it!

Justice is not about revenge, it’s about keeping the outlines of a safe societies where law is what defines everything. And fighting for justice is fighting for peace.

I don’t want to see Egypt 20 or 30 years from and watch the war between sons of police officers – and military for that matter – and sons of the people who were murdered!

Forget your political affiliation for a minutes and think of the ramifications of clearing a police officer whose videos shooting people were all over the internet?

On what wishful high hopes do you think someone will forget that?

Or do you prefer it the other way? His photo with the word “wanted” all over the country and he has to either hide forever or leave for good!

 Even if someone breaks the law, he has rights! Yes, and these rights are not questionable or depending on our modes and how we see things.

He breaks the law, he gets arrested by the law, investigated by the law and tried by the law!

Even if he resists arrest, there is a law for that. You warn for few times then if you absolutely have to do it, you just prevent him by shooting his leg,

…not his eye,

…not his chest,

…not his chin!

If we want to protect this country from a civil bloody war, we all should pray, work and advocate for justice to be served!

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2011; The year of love, war, and peace!

I started writing this post like I do every year, but in the middle I found out it could not be summed up in one post.

This one was written while listening to an incredibly beautiful violin played by Marwan Anwer

1-    Before Jan 25^th

I started last year as I ended the year before; exhausted, drained, and frustrated.  Pure survival instinct – of no choice of mine – was the only reason I woke up every day.

First day was so sad, following the news of those who were murdered in the two saints church, and it was not the first time I think like “How would it be if I was one of them?”

Thinking about death consumed a lot of my time. especially that I was on a Christmas vacation at work. I had all the time in the world to be so sure that there is something seriously going on wrong in my life.

Emptiness has started to invade my soul, and the void inside my heart to grow that it was really hard to breath. I used to eat to imagine food swallowed in the void taking any space to free my lungs… it didn’t happen. I felt fat, I felt heavy!

Loss of purpose was getting into me till I decided to leave. Not to a fancy country or to look for a nice job. I applied to be an emergency doctor in literally every war zone on the face of the planet; Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, Nigeria during the conflicts… etc

The idea of either dying or living saving someone else’s life was so relieving that I spent hours day dreaming about it to survive a day!

I came back to work from the Christmas vacation to figure out that where I work is just one more place in Egypt where everything wring is OK. They deducted from my salary and started to give me their “Egyptian Employers” best!

I knew that day that this was just one more job where I have to suck it up and endure. Problem was I was already maxed out!

Two days before the revolution, I was invited to a friend’s birthday. She’s not the type of friends whom you call every day, or every month for that matter. But she’s one of those with whom you meet every now and then to share few tears and some laughs and go back to your life!

I was the normal me during that birthday; talking with people, playing the role of the organizer being invited to do so, giving my most attention to blow colorful bubbles with a baby, and laughing on jokes.

Didn’t know that day would be one of the most important days of my life!

Next day, I went to work, and was called by the HR to get paid cause the 25^th – when we normally got paid – was going to be a holiday.

I took the money, and left thanking God for one more day of the nothingness!

Play online and fight hunger!!

MMW: What Women Wear: Women’s Clothing, Media, and Egypt’s Revolutionary Elections

Women in the Egyptian revolution have been a great source of international attention and appreciation. It is when women participate that you truly can call it a “people’s” revolution.

When the news started to come out about the elections for the Revolutionary Parliament, everyone looked closely for women’s participation; women candidates, women voters, women section in each party program, and women finally winning seats in the parliament. With the general fear from the dominance of the so-called Islamic parties affecting women rights in Egypt in general, and political participation specifically, and with the minimal success of women in the first stage, worries started to get bigger.

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WE WILL NEVER FORGET!

SCAF CRIMES!

Knock on all doors

leave no relative, friend, colleague, or a neighbor

Let them watch this even if you had to do it by force

If you can’t go to Tahrir,

If you have to go to work,

If you don’t want to make your family worries,

If you’re so confused,

If you don’t want to be in the middle,

watch… and make everybody watch!

That is your role, your duty, and your responsibility!

Tahrir Women Wall of Fame!

Samira Ibrahim

This is the upper-Egypt girl, coming from Sohag, who has participated in the revolution since day 1. During the violent military attack on March 9^th, Samira, together with 16 girls, were subjected to an illegal “Virginity Test” forced into them by army soldiers after being tortured and beaten up!

Samira is not shutting up, and she is raising charges against the army, even if it takes her life to get her right!

Ghada Kamal

A pharmaceutical from Mansoura, member of April 6^th movement, and member of Supporting Al Baradie group.

She was attacked by the army soldiers on December 16^th morning, her veil was taken off, and the letter “T” was carved into her skull.

She gave her full testimony about her horrible experience of being detained by any army sergeant who kept threatening of sexually abusing her!

It’s worth mentioning here that there was some confusion regarding Ghada being the girl who was stripped off. But that is not the case, yes, there are so many cases not just one!

Farida Elhessy

A medical graduate who works as a photographer and who went to Kasr El Einy street Friday, December 16^th morning to reply to a call for doctors to help casualties.

Farida was beaten up by the army, kicked on the back, and pulled from her hair.

The Old Woman

According to Mona Seif, this woman was not part of the protest, but she joined just to save a girl from being beaten up by the army, only to be beaten up herself and slapped till she apologized!

Tahrir Lady:

She is the woman every piece of **** thought he could talk about her.

She is the woman who was wearing face-veil “Nekab” when she was dragged on the street, kicked on the chest, pulled from the head, and finally stripped off till her underwear was revealed to suddenly realize she was a woman, then they left her for the other protestors to help her.

Right now, according to her friend on Twitter, she is suffering several bone fractures, skull fracture, bruises all over her body, and of course, she suffers psychologically and emotionally not only from the army violence but from how easy it was for everyone to varnish her reputation and question her morals and honor.

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      As an Egyptian woman, I cannot help but being so proud of these women.

Not just cause they faced all this horrible violence fearlessly, but because they amazingly made everyone look into one of our major societal problems, that I personally believe the core of so many disturbances we suffer here.

Violence against women!

In a society that thinks violence against women OK, army soldiers cannot be different. To them, violence is a language , a method of communication, and a tool by which they enforce and assure power.

I can beat you up, hence I can control you!

Men to women, fathers to daughters, police officers to citizens, and finally army soldiers to protestors.

Some think that focusing on what happened to women is a narrow-minded look into the events, cause all Egyptians have been subjected to all sorts of violence and abuse from authorities, not only this year, but for decades.

I say yes, that is – unfortunately – true. But it is when you highlight the fact that women – perceived as the weaker gender – and children for that matter, should not be under violence from someone who is stronger, that the whole concept of violence will be looked at differently.

I remember my fiancé when we were discussing kids playing sports like Karate and Taekwondo, he told me that it is when you know you can actually kill someone that you learn how to control it, and not to brag about it.

You already know you can do it, you have nothing to prove!

Hence it starts to become shameful to attack someone who is weaker than you. It would not be a fair game.

I think we need to dig deeper into this culture of  “what is power”  in order to finally reach a day when no one beats up another human just because he can!

Waiting for you Tomorrow

Tomorrow, Tuesday December the 20^th, a women march will take place starting at 3PM in front of “AlMogammaa’” and reaching press syndicate at 4.30 PM

Waiting for you!