04.30.08
Hit by the truth…
Have you ever been in this situation when you come to realize the real “something” and it hits you like a harsh slap on the face that “it” wasn’t what you thought “it” to be…
That moment when you are finally able to see what is actually there instead of what you really wanted to see…
That moment when you look and see nothing but the truth lying naked infront of the – was-but-not-anymore – naïve you…
Though truth – mostly – results into deep disappointments… but it is always better than lying into dreams and illusions…
Thank you GOD for revealing the truth to me…
Rou… (Hates Freaks!)
04.28.08
The Seven Colors of Heaven…
Yesterday I saw the movie “ألوان السما السبعة” starring Laila Elwy, Farouk EL Fishawy, Hassan Mustafa and other actors.
The movie revolves around one theme which is that moment that comes in one’s life when all he is seeking is salvation; where the body becomes lighter after getting rid of its burdens and starts flying away to the upper skies, while his feet is surprisingly still touching the grounds, and in the process all his sins seems to be cleansed away… This theme that the movie tries to emphasize, and has – by and far – succeeded in highlighting, was – supposedly – portrayed through the whirling dervish dance… I am using the word “supposedly” here because the dance that was performed – and please correct me if I am wrong – was merely a “Tanoura” dance and not the “Whirling Dance” of the Mevlevis; not even the clothing was that of the Whirling Dervishes.
The movie started with a beautiful quote of Mevlana Jalal El Din Rumi that said: “وحتى الجبل بدأ في الرقص وخف… لقد سما الجسد الترابي من العشق حتى الأفلاك”. The performance scenes were screened at the “Samakhana”, with the famous “يا حضرت مولانا” appearing in the background during the dancing scenes. The soundtrack played throughout the movie in the background was tasteful, and the fact they had the holy month of Ramadan as the timeline background of the movie made the movie even better, because in some way or another it added a unique taste to the movie…
One of the best scenes in the movie from my own point of view was that of Layla Elwi dancing along with her friend at her own place on some – am not sure, may be Sufi music…
Layla Elwy’s performance is simple and lovely, and full of facial expressions – as usual… and –surprisingly – Farouk el Fishawy did one of his best roles…
On a separate note, I have no idea what was “Ahmed Rateb” doing in the movie!
Overall, “ألوان السما السبعة” is one of the best Arabic movies I have seen lately, I would recommend it to all of you.
Lovely day,
Rou…
04.26.08
تصوير خارجي
Below is an interesting piece from the book “رشق السكين” by “محمد المخزنجي”
تصوير خارجي
يمكنك الآن أن تعدي الكاميرا للتصوير، حيث سيتعين عليك – لتسجيل هذا المشهد – دون أن نوقف السيارة – أن تدوري، و تلتفتي دورات وجيزة، ومجرد إلتفاتات صغيرة، وأنت في مقعدك وراء الزجاج، و ربما يكون من المستحسن أن ننزل زجاج النوافذ لتكون الرؤية أنفذ. في هذه الأثناء سأكون قد فتحت جهاز التسجيل لتأتي الأصوات متزامنة مع الصور.
أنظري، إنهم هم الذين يظهرون هناك – على إمتداد الطريق – حيث تتشكل من إحتشادهم فوق الأسفلت الأسود، وهم في الملابس التي يكثر بينها لون قماش الخام، غيمة خفيضة عكرة البياض على الطريق. والبناية البيضاء – البناية البيضاء المصفرة – التي تظهر بين جذوع الأشجار الداكنة وفوق الذؤابات الخضراء المغبرة هناك، هي بالضبط البناية التي يأوون إليها.
لقد قرأت على يافطة البوابة – التي لم يبق منها إلا أثر مصاريع نزعت من زمن – كلمة: دار، وخيل لي أنني قرأت – ربما – كلمة مثل: الإصلاح، أو الإستشفاء، أو التقويم… شئ بهذا المعنى، إذ أن اليافطة حالت من أثر كونها في العراء سنين عديدة.
عندما نقترب منهم، سترينهم وقد أخذوا يتحركون متزاحمين في كتلة تسد الطريق. حينئذ سيتوجب علينا – أو نضطر إلى – الإبطاء من سرعة السيارة. في هذه اللحظات – و السيارة تشق كتلتهم حولنا – ستعملين أنت بالكاميرا فيما يكون جهاز التسجيل مفتوحاً… ستستعرضين وجوهاً شديدة الإنفعال، عرقة ومعروقة، بأفواه فاغرة، وعيون غاضبة ملتمعة بحدة. ستقتربين من ملامح هجومية لبشر، بينهم العاري و شبه العاري، في أسمال من قماش الخام وبقايا الملابس القديمة التي كانت عليهم عندما جئ بهم، حفاة أو منتعلين أحذية، تبعاً لقدم عهدهم أو حداثتهم بالمكان. سيكون هذا كله قريناً، بالطبع، لما يخرج من أفواههم، والذي لن نتبينه إلا ضوضاء، عندما نعمل – فيما بعد – على ترشيح الأصوات فيها سنتبين: مفردات ما… شتائم، كلمات مغلولة، أشعار غضب، أغان حماسية، أناشيد صاخبة و همهمات فبها توحش.
ها هم،
ها هم،
إننا ندخل في كتلتهم!
لا. لا. لا تخافي. إلبثي بقرب الزجاج. أو إفتحيه. إنهم لا يهاجمون. إعملي بالكاميرا. الخوف سيفوت عليك المتابعة. نعم نعم إنني قد فتحته. لا تخافي. فتحت جهاز التسجيل. إنهم يحيطون بالسيارة. نعم لكنهم لا يهاجمون. حسناً إنك تصورين من هذا الجانب. خذي هنا أيضاً. هنا في مواجهة الزجاج الأمامي. حسناً حسناً إرجعي إلى الجانب. تابعي. تابعيهم بالكاميرا ونحن نخلفهم وراءنا. نعم من خلال الزجاج الخلفي.
… ياه؟! تلتقطين أنفاسك كأنك طالعة من غرق. لم تصدقي أنهم غير خطرين. إنهم فعلاً لا يهاجمون رغم تزاحمهم، رغم جمهرتهم الصاخبة و الغضب الصريح. كانوا فيما مضى يهاجمون، يعترضون السيارات المارة على هذا الطريق. كانوا يستعملون الحجارة و القضبان الحديدية و العصى و أفرع الشجر، والضعاف منهم كانوا يرشون بالماء أو يعفرون. ذلك فيما مضى، لنفس الأسباب التي تجعلهم يفعلون ما يفعلونه الآن: تأخر الطعام أو إنقطاع المياه، بالإضافة إلى الرغبة في تصفية حسابات قديمة لم تصف بعد، إذ سيقوا إلى هذا المكان عنوة.
نعم. نعم كانوا في الماضي يهاجمون، إلى أن ظهر بينهم ذلك الرجل. ذلك الرجل كان يصرخ في العربات وهي تمر، يصرخ فقط و هو في قلب تزاحمهم، ويحث الآخرين على الصراخ. كان يقظ العينين، غير تلقائي النظرات مثلهم. ثم إنه كان يلح عليهم أن يفعلوا مثله، وعندما راحوا يفتحون أفواههم ويصرخون كانت أياديهم تكف عن الحركة.
أنظري،
أنظري الآن. أنظري وقد ابتعدنا عنهم: ثمة سيارة أخرى تجاهد وهي تشق تزاحمهم حولها. وها هي ذي تعبرهم، وهم يصرخون.
04.22.08
أنا منك
I read this somewhere before, I have no clue who’s the author… But anyway… it’s a nice one.
Rou…
أنا منك حروف من خوف و جوة الجوف بتتدارى …
أنا منك حروف من نور في بحر الحور بيدارى …
أنا منك حزام مفكوك و كان شارد و ساندني …
أنا منك عذاب بالكوم زمان عايز يعاندني …
أنا منك بحور فاضية و مش فاضية تعاتبني …
أنا منك قلم فضة في مسودة بيحسبها و يحسبني …
أنا منك كتاب مركون و أول حرف معلهش …
أنا منك هرم مقلوب و نيل عطشان ميشبعش …
أنا منك خدوش من فوق و راس السهم مغمودة …
إيدين خايفة ، عيون شايفة ، قلوب سودة …
أنا منك حكاية مسيرها في يوم حتتغنى …
أنا منك مقابلة شوق بعيد حتى عن الجنة …
04.20.08
Folktales: Alf Layla wa Layla
One of the most famous collections of ancient folktales is “Alf Layla wa Layla”, the original Arabic name of “One Thousand and One Nights”, commonly known in English as “The Arabian Nights”. Though an original manuscript of the tales has never been found, it is said to have been compiled by the storyteller “Abu abd-Allah Muhammed el-Gahshigar” during the 9th century.
The entire Arabic work was enclosed into a “frame-story” that reached Italy during the Middle Ages, but the whole “Alf Layla wa Layla” was not translated until the beginning of the 18th century, when the French orientalist “Jean Antoine Galland” translated them to French and adapted his translation to the taste of his European readers, changing sometimes the wording of the Arabic text and paraphrasing things that were foreign to Europeans. Translations into English followed in the 19th century.
The main plot of the Nights is built around king “Shahriyar”, who ruled over Persian Empire and finds out that his wife has been unfaithful, Shahriyar, then, after having his wife executed, gives his vizier (meaning minister in Persian) an order to find him a new virgin wife every night (in some versions, every third night). After spending one night with his bride, the king has her beheaded at dawn. This practice continues for some time, until the vizier’s clever daughter “Shahrazad” (better-known in English as “Scheherazade”) forms a plan to become Shahriyar’s next wife. After their marriage, she spends hours telling the king stories, and each time she stops by dawn at a crucial point, thereby arousing the king’s interest in hearing the rest of the story the following night. She is then able to make them last for one thousand and one nights. The different versions of the Nights have different individually detailed endings (in some Shahrazad asks for a pardon, in some the king sees their children and decides not to execute his wife, in some other things happen that make the king distracted), but they all end with the king giving his wife a pardon and sparing her life.
Like all Orientals the Arabs from the earliest times enjoyed imaginative stories; but since the intellectual horizon of Arabs in ancient times before the rise of Islam was rather narrow, the material for these entertainments was borrowed mainly from elsewhere. Thus, it is believed that the frame story of the “One Thousand and One Nights” is of both Persian and Indian origins. However, Egypt, Baghdad and in some way the Turks were partners in the origin of the Nights too. Such “transnational” impact is obvious in the names of the heroes and heroines of the Nights; you’ll find Indian names like “Sindbad”, Turkish names like “Ali Baba” and “Khatun”; Persian names like “Shahrazad”, “Dinazad”, “Shahzaman”, “Shapur” and many others. However, considerably the majority of names are old Arabic names that were used among the Arabian Bedouin and later Islamic names. Greek and European names occur in a few cases in stories treating of the relations between Muslims and Byzantines. Of Hebrew names primarily “Solomon” and “David” occur; both play an important role in Islamic tradition. In addition, Egyptian names referring to places and to months are in Coptic forms.
Various classifications to the tales of the Nights were put, but within all it is believed that at first the collection was entitled “Hazar Afsana” in Persian which means “Thousand Stories” and may have been changed to “Thousand Nights” when, with the Arabs, the frame-work story and other stories were combined; during the 9th century.
Originally “1000 stories” meant “innumerable” or a very large number of stories. Then resulting from the fact that since the 11th century Persia, Mesopotamia and Syria and the other countries of Eastern Islam were under the influence of the Turks, it is very likely that the name changed from 1000 to 1001 influenced by the Turkish idiomatic use of “bin bir”, which means “thousand and one”, for a large number. Thus the little “1001 Nights” at the beginning meant only a large number of nights, but later on the number was taken in its literal meaning, and it became necessary to add a great many stories in order to complete the number 1001.
Quite a number of tales are of Persian origin, especially those fairy-tales in which the ghosts and the fairies act independently. The tales that were enumerated as being of Indian-Persian origin are the following:
- The Story of the Magic Horse (The Ebony Horse)
- The Story of Hasan of Basra
- The Story of Sayf al-Muluk
- The Story of Kamar al-Zaman and of Princess Budur
- The Story of Prince Badr and of Princess djawhar of Samandal
- The Story of Ardashir and Hayat al-Nufus.
Additionally, Ancient Babylonia ideas that survived in Baghdad until Islamic times are reflected in the Nights, such as Khidr the Ever-Youthful. Also, the motif of the Babylonian epic of Gilgamesh is obvious in the journeys of Bulukiya and the water of life fetched by Prince Ahmad.
An attentive reader of the “Nights” will soon be astonished by the variety of their contents which include historical tales, love stories and fairy tales, tragedies, comedies, poems, burlesques, various forms of erotica, and Muslim religious legends. On the other hand, the reader will notice that these stories comprise a very wide field: there are stories of King Solomon, the kings of ancient Persia, Alexander the Great, the caliphs and the sultans on one side, and stories in which guns, coffee and tobacco are mentioned on the other side.
However, the six main distinguished classes of literature represented in the Nights are:
1. Fairy-tales; the best known are those of “Ala al-Din and the Magic Lamp”, “Ali Baba”, “Kamar al-Zaman”, “Budur”, “the Jealous Sisters”, “Sayf al-Muluk”, “Hasan al-Basri”, and “Zayn al-Asnam”
2. Romances and novels; the most famous are “`Umar b al-Numan and his Sons”, the “Story of Adjib and Gharib”, “Abu Kir and Abu Sir”, in addition to three categories of love-stories
1. Ancient Arabian life before Islam.
2. Urban life in Baghdad and Basra, love-affairs with girls or slave-girls in the cities or in the palace of the caliphs.
3. Love-novels from Cairo which are sometimes frivolous and lascivious.
3. Legends; very few ancient Arabian legends are inserted in the Nights: “Hatim al-Ta`I”, “Iram the City of Columns”, “The Brass City”, and “The City of Lebta”, which refers to the conquest of North-western Africa by the Arabs.
4. Didactic stories; such as the two long cycles of “Sindbad the Wise” and “djali`ad and Wird Khan”, and the long story of the “clever slave-girl Tawaddud”.
5. Humorous tales; such as stories of “Khalifa the Fisherman”, “dja`far the Barmakid and the Old Bedouin”, and “Ma`ruf the Cobbler”.
6. Anecdotes; this comprises all the stories that are not classified in the preceding groups. Collections of anecdotes are the stories of the “Hunchback” and of the “Barber and his Brothers”. Other anecdotes are to be divided into three groups:
1. Those of rulers and their circles (begin with Alexander the Great and end with the Mamluk sultans, passing by Abbasid caliphs; particularly Harun al-Rashid).
2. Those of munificent men (Hatim al-Ta`i, Ma`n b. Za`ida and the Barmakids),
3. Those taken from general human life (rich and poor, young and old, sexual abnormities, bad eunuchs, unjust of clever judges, stupid schoolmasters).
Just as the Nights themselves varied enormously as to the stories which they contained, so translators were prepared to attach to the Nights any story that existed in Arabic. Some of the famous stories in many western translations that while they are genuine Middle Eastern folktales, were not part of the “Nights” in its original Arabic version are “Aladdin’s Lamp”, “Sindbad the Sailor”, and the tale of “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves”. Those three famous stories of the Nights were in fact interpolated only in the 18th century by “Galland”, who had heard them in oral form from a Marionette story-teller from Aleppo in Syria.
Though at many of its parts the “Nights” exposes excessive sex and violence, however, by and large, the book of the One Thousands Nights and One Night is an extraordinary collection of folktales that impacted not only the Arabian and Eastern cultures, but even more the folktales and storytelling culture of the western world.
All the best,
Rou…
References:
Various Internet citations remarkably of which are:
http://www.artarena.force9.co.uk/thousand.htm
http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/ei2/alflayla.htm
04.17.08
“Reuters” is now officially “Thomson Reuters”
I’ve always had a big deal in understanding the concept of merging huge companies together… May be because basically I do not have a very good economic mind, and I cannot really understand how can two companies that have been competing with each other for so long, eventually end up together.
Anyways, as some of you already know; I work for “Reuters”, and so I just wanted to share with you a piece of information that has been put today into an official action… Today, Reuters; the famous British financial and information company, is no longer “Reuters Group”, but instead is “Thomson Reuters”, after merging with Canada’s famous electronic information company “The Thomson Corporation”.
Thomson and Reuters were in fact the second and third largest providers of financial information globally, and by this huge step, which started almost a year ago, it is said that this might be the greatest threat to “Bloomberg”; the world’s leader information, data and analytical software for the financial community.
How would such marriage affect the two companies’ market data customers?
Would such combination marginalize Reuters’ journalism business by the financial data provision business?
Would such merge uphold Reuters’ trust principles of integrity, independence, freedom from bias and leadership in news and information?
I don’t know… and as a matter of fact, I’m not in a position to judge, because like I stated at the beginning of the email… am not very good in economy stuff…
Anyways, that’s all from my side…
Beautiful morning,
Rou… (a – now – “Thomson Reuters” employee)
04.15.08
How far can you tolerate such books?
I came across a piece of info regarding a new banned book written by Passant Rashad. Regardless of the book itself, this info triggered an interesting debate between me and Mermaid (a.k.a. Mayyada el Shereef) about how far can we tolerate books that cross lines with religious symbols such as GOD and his prophets, and whether we should go for reading it for the sake of understanding their point of view and their way of thinking, or simply refrain from doing it…
I actually remember when I read Nawal AL Saadawy’s book “الإله يقدم إستقالته في إجتماع القمة” that I got really offended, but the fact is that while I was in the process of writing its review in the banned books series that the book discussion team posted a few months ago, I felt actually thankful… Yes, thankful for my belief that GOD exist and that no matter how much some people try to prove something else, my belief and love for Him simply increase with every trial…
Anyways, reaching that point in our conversation, yet another question was triggered on whether it is right to cross the threshold of a debate with someone holding these beliefs while you cannot really defend yours, or should one avoid such debates unless he is REALLY aware of all points of argument… (to and against)… and is REALLY capable of handling such debate…
What do you think…?
Anyhow; I just wanted to share our thoughts with you guys… Thanks ya Mayo for the mind moving and very interesting conversation… Thanks ya Camel for triggering it…
Lovely day,
Rou…
04.13.08
Outstanding Egyptian Figures: Ali Mustafa Musharrafa
“I can not believe that Musharrafa is dead, he is alive through his researches. We are in need of his talents, it is a great loss; he was a genius. I used to follow up his researches in atomic energy; definitely he is one of the best scientists in physics.”
– Albert Einstein mourning Ali Mustafa Musharrafa
Ali Mustafa Musharrafa Pasha (1898-1950), who wrote a complete novel in colloquial Arabic in the twenties, was an outstanding Egyptian scientist who added a lot to the scientific researches in the fields of physics, atoms, radiations, space invasion, quantum theories, applied mathematics, and nuclear physics.
Originally born in Damietta northern to Cairo the capital of Egypt, Musharrafa was the first Egyptian to have completed a doctorate in mathematics by receiving his Ph.D. and D.Sc. from the University of London in 1923 and 1924 respectively. He was also the first Egyptian to involve into space researches. In addition, he effectively contributed to the development of the Relativity Theory, enriched it with his studies and was one of the distinguished few who were in close contact with the great scientist Einstein.
Returning to Egypt in 1925 after receiving his degrees, he was then assigned as an ‘Associate Professor’ of applied mathematics at the Faculty of Science at Cairo University, promoted in the following year to the rank of ‘Professor’ when he was only 28 years old, and then finally appointed to be its first Egyptian dean in 1936.
He published a book on the Theory of Relativity, which was translated into English, French and German, and was reprinted in the USA, other than around 15 scientific books about relativity and mathematics.
In 1939 he published a study on the Egyptian Music, and in 1942, Mustafa Musharrafa took part in founding the Egyptian Society of Music Amateurs (ESMA), which aimed to promote music education in Egypt and the whole Arab world, along with Yousif Greise, Louis Greise, and Hassan Rashid.
On the institutional level, Musharrafa had a great effect beside the fact that he attained his position as the dean of the Faculty of Science for years, as he acted for the establishment of the “Egyptian society of mathematics and physics” in 1936 and the “Egyptian Academy of Sciences” in 1945. Musharrafa also worked for the creation of a research council, which foreshadowed the foundation of the “National Center for Research” later in 1956.
In 1945, Musharrafa was invited by Einstein for a one year visit to Germany to contribute in an atomic research as a visiting Professor, but he refused saying “There are a whole generation in my country that needs me”
In an article titled “The university and scientific research”, Musharrafa warned against considering the university a collection of institutes of higher learning that aim to produce young technicians such as doctors, engineers and the like. Instead, he argued, that university should bring life to true scientific spirit, particularly as “among Egyptians today are not a few who have undertaken scientific research in Western universities”.
Musharrafa had also stood for the idea that in order for the scientific life in Egypt to develop, scientific books written by Arabs and translated by the Europeans must be published and taught, such as books of al’Khwarizmi in algebra and many others, because by acknowledging our former scholars and researchers, this will be an incentive for us to emulate and to follow their steps. Moreover, Musharrafa believed that “Arabization” of science is a prerequisite to modernization, and he even proposed a strategy with that sense in a short article on “the Arabic language as a scientific instrument”.
Poisoned and dead, his body was mysteriously found in January 1950, placing a big question mark on the reasons he was assassinated for, and leaving the international scientific circles deeply moved at the death of the Egyptian genius.
On a personal note, I believe that Ali Mustafa Musharrafa, who is well known as (أينشتاين العرب), is an exceptional Egyptian figure who had a great role in the development of scientific researches as well as the foundation of various scientific institutions in Egypt, and I wonder how come that one can hardly ever find resources and references about such an outstanding character on the cyber space, and even more, how come his studies and researches are not highlighted and included in our educational systems.
All the best,
Rou…
References:
- Al-Ahram Weekly, Issue No. 477, 13 – 19 April 2000, and Issue No. 773, 15 – 21 December 2005
- Roshdi Rashed, “Recherche scientifi que et modernisation en Egypte: l’exemple de Ali Mustafa Musharafa (1898-1950). Etude d’un type idéal”
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moustafa_Mosharafa
- http://www.sis.gov.eg/VR/figures/arabic/html/16d.htm
- http://www.domyat.gov.eg/English/domiat/cele/aly2.html
04.08.08
Do we really need another leader?
Do we really need another leader?
What an interesting question…
I am not sure how far my analysis is valid, but I think that the lack of an influencing leader is either a massive problem we face or an admission that we do not really need someone to tell us what to be and which way to go, but rather we just need someone to manage.
The other important question that actually rose in my mind as a result of the previous emails was… How do we need our leader to be (in case we needed one)…?
I would say that the 2 optimum characteristics that are required in our leader are; to be a Charismatic type of persons who can easily influence people, and to be an honest one who is capable of achieving our goals and driving us to a safe shore…
But what if you had to choose between a “charismatic” leader and a “capable” one, well… as for myself, I would definitely go for “capable”. See, we already have an experience with a “charismatic” leader who talked much and wasn’t “capable” enough…
The other interesting point that Will highlighted was about our relationship with our leaders… As I finished reading this part of his mail I couldn’t but ask myself… Has our relationship to the leadership concept changed at all?
And the question triggered yet another few questions…
What kind of differences a leader can provide us after the continuous disappointments of the last… I don’t know… let’s say fifteen years?
I mean… should he afford a major shift in the way politics plays out in the Middle East masalan, or should he concentrates in the internal affairs and raising the standard of living? Because… you know when the word “leader” is said… usually it conveys a meaning of some sort of a war leader… Saladin… or whoever…
Plus, is this leader going to unite us as Egyptians or as Arabs… or… I don’t know…?
Another question just popped into my mind while I wrote the above question…?
Would we as Egyptians, ever accept a non-Egyptian leader…? (Regardless of the fact that we have been leaded by non-Egyptians throughout history, because by that time we were already part of another empire…)
And…Why did we reach this stage in the first place…?
My personal opinion would be that it’s because most of the time, we as Egyptians usually don’t see a huge need for change or reform until something goes wrong… and even when this happens we tend to forget about it after a while as long as all is “good”, and we have our jobs and our homes…
So, if this is the case, then what happened to make us seeking a change now…?
Well… the thing is that things have reached a pretty unethical, wasteful, inefficient, and ineffective stage… and by things I mean both government and people…
So…Do we really need another leader?
To tell you the truth, I am not sure we need a leader who is convinced that he, and he alone, has a right vision, as much as we need to trim down the craven of taking any positive step forward… whether it was developing our attitude and ethics, voting, or following the basic rules of living as humans; rules that are even as tiny as standing in line at the cashier in a supermarket!
Anyways…
Peace,
Rou…
04.07.08
On the 6th of April strike…
On a very personal analysis, I believe that yesterday’s strike has succeeded in way that can not be denied… the streets of Egypt were almost deserted for the first time in years during a week day… Universities and schools were almost empty… Many workplaces were almost half equipped with employees; same with most of the governmental workplaces (regardless of the statement that had been released by the Interior Ministry the day before)…
I know that some people out there will stand and scream out that even with all this nothing will happen…
Well… this is very true indeed… merely nothing will change; for the time being at least… Prices will remain the same, if not rising… and even higher security presence will probably occur…
But, still, I truly believe that this strike had succeeded… succeeded from the aspect of gathering people together upon one purpose… 80% of the people I know had stayed home yesterday, didn’t involve into any buying or selling process including the mobile phone usage… excuse me, but this is a success in itself…
Someone told me once that nothing will ever change in Egypt until the middle and upper middle classes move… in other words… US…
Remember… it’s “حتى يغيروا ما بأنفسهم” …
Let me tell you another thing… Public Movements do not happen every day; not even every few years… it takes years and years of silent anger for people to finally take a step and move…
Let’s have a look back in our history…
The 1919 revolution was a public move… “حريق القاهرة” of January 1952 was a public move… “إنتفاضة الحرامية” of 1977, as Sadat called it, was a public move…
Note that I intentionally excluded the 1952 revolution and the revolt of the Central Security officers in 1986 because the first was achieved through the army, and the second was done by one of the police sections… both were not public movements…
Now, do the above dates make any sense to you…? Did you notice that almost 30 years separates each…? … It took the people 30 years to move… Did you notice in what year are we now…?
Change is coming…
Call me optimistic, naive, or whatever you like… But, I still believe in tomorrow… and am still looking forward for a better place to live and raise my children in…
Ah… Yes… I went on strike yesterday… and I’m proud I did…
Rou…
