Global Voices Online » Algeria

Arab World: Reactions to the Swiss Ban on Minarets

Jillian C. York — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:40:04 +0000

On Sunday, November 29, 57.5% of Swiss voters approved a ban on the construction of new minarets atop mosques, paving the way for a constitutional amendment. The referendum will affect the building of new minarets–not mosques–and will not effect Switzerland's four existing minarets.

The ban has sparked mixed reactions throughout the Arab and Muslim blogospheres: While some bloggers are outraged, others make the point that banning minarets does not hinder practicing the faith.

Lebanese-American Pierre Tristram, who blogs for About.com, opens a post with this paragraph, condemning the Swiss decision:

How can 59 million people be so dumb, Britain's Daily Mail famously asked in a day-after headline of the re-election of George W. Bush in 2004. The Daily Mail can notch a new one for its shame gallery: How can 3 million Swiss be so bigoted?

Tristram closes with this scathing comment: “The difference between your average Swiss and Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the poster child of racist rants, has just gotten much narrower.”

Egyptian blogger Hicham Maged searches for an answer in his post, and concludes:

In a nutshell, I am looking forward for Swiss people to re-evaluate what happened; it is not only whether law protect citizen's rights or not, which is something important to debate and go for in the Swiss courts to correct for sure, but what is more important for me is that this fatal mistake should set up an alarm for not falling into the swamp of ignorance where nothing fill it but fear, anger and stupidity ~ Everywhere!

Another Egyptian blogger, whose blog is entitled Not Green Data, recognizes the credo that “a mosque is a mosque,” but laments the loss of the mosque's beauty in the Swiss ban:

Can you imagine a cube of Swiss Cheese, without its eyes - the holes in it? Or a Swiss Knife without the compass or the screwdriver? This is exactly what the Swiss people want to do with mosques. A mosque will remain a mosques without its Minarets, and it will still function the way it is supposed to function without them. But it will then loose its architectural identity and beauty.

British blogger Matthew Teller, a Middle East travel writer, focuses on the propaganda posters of various Swiss

A poster by the Swiss SVP calling for a ban of minarets

campaigners, picking apart both sides of the battle in this post, describing the poster to the left:

The repulsive SVP, who’ve used what the Financial Times called “strident populism” to target ‘foreigners’ of all kinds in Switzerland as criminals, benefit cheats or worse, kicked off the campaign with the poster opposite: “Stop! Yes to the minaret ban”. Look at the imagery: minarets as missiles, women as menacing, the burqa as concealment, black as a threat, the Swiss flag cast into shadow from the east, the cross obliterated.

Algerian-American The Moor Next Door, seeing the ban as a power struggle, remarks:

The minaret, for its opponents, symbolizes Islam’s “arrival” in the Alps. It stands to proclaim the Muslim presence above other faiths and peoples. Banning it, then, is to ban a symbol of Muslim power and existence

…

The aesthetics of identity, and therefore power, are what the drive is really about. It is a way for a people in doubt to affirm and define their confused identity by rejecting that of the newcomer’s.

Syrian blogger Maysaloon has a unique perspective on what the most important narrative of this story is. Setting aside the issues of bigotry, fear, and architectural integrity, the blogger makes the following point:

Neither Swiss bigotry, nor the religious or architectural significance of minarets are what is important about this story. What is important is that for the first time in 400 years, at least since the Ottomans besieged Vienna, Muslims are having a real impact on what is happening in Europe.

The blogger goes on to highlight the ways in which Islam has influenced the “west” and vice versa, concluding:

To sum it up, I am not worried about the bigots. Minarets and sharia can be banned, headscarves can be torn off, and all the cartoons in the world will not stop the fact that Islam is now in Europe, and it is in America, and it is spreading throughout the world.

To conclude, Mauritanian Twitter user weddady's comment on the end result of the referendum sums up well the sentiment of many. He says, ” Now no one can pretend that Europe doesn't have a problem with Muslims, nor can anyone deny the extensive Islamist presence there.”

Egypt: A fine line between patriotism and chauvinism

Marwa Rakha — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 09:33:05 +0000

From ferocious marketing campaigns to Facebook wars, the hacking of websites, and owl burning, the November 14th football match between Egypt and Algeria has turned into an ugly war which got worse after Egypt's defeat on November 18 in Sudan. Egyptian and Algerian youth got sucked into a Twitter war and in real life Egyptians went on demonstrations, attacked the Algerian Embassy, and demanded revenge. Egyptian-Algerian actor Ahmed Mekky dedicated a song called “Wake Up“ to the hypnotized mobs before the first match, where he asked Egyptians and Algerians to remember their legacy of Arabism. Alaa Mubarak, the Egyptian President's eldest son, turned into a national hero when he called live on TV and beat the drums of war.

From the President's son to renowned actors and actresses, media figures, writers, and Facebook users, fury has blinded common sense; Dr. Mostafa Al Naggar was there the night of the demonstrations in Zamalek and he hated what he saw:

الغضب يمليء الجميع يتحدثون بانفعال وحدة ويكيلون الشتائم التي كنت اخجل وهم يتحدثون امام فتاة بمثل هذه الالفاظ ، اسألهم عن وظائفهم ؟ اتفاجيء ان منهم مبرمج كمبيوتر ، واخر خريج فنون جميلة ، واخر محاسب والبعض طلبة والبعض صنايعية في حرف مختلفة وكلهم قادمون من اماكن مختلفة من القاهرة ، تتعالي الهتافات والشتائم البذيئة وحرق اعلام الجزائر واشعال النار عبر زجاجات السبراي ، الحماس يشتعل اكثر ، الشوارع الجانبية تبدوا كصنابير مياه تضخ كل لحظة مزيدا من البشر يدخلون في زفة وهياج وصراخ ، يحملون اعلام مصر ، السيارات التي اخطأ اصحابها وتركوها تحت الكوبري يصيبها التلف من وقوف المتظاهرين عليها وقفزهم عليها ، اسرع الي بعضهم
اقول : يا رجالة حرام كدا دي فلوس ناس مالهاش ذنب انزلوا يا جدعان ، واحد منهم يصرخ : انت جزائري ؟؟ قلت له : انا مصري وادي بطاقتي بس انزلوا حرام عليكم ، لا يسمعون ويتقافزون ليخبطوا بأقدامهم علي سقف السيارات كلما اشتد الحماس

Their anger-loaded words and intense rage put me to shame in front of the girl who was with us and had to listen to all their curses and cuss words. I asked them about their jobs and to my surprise they were a melange of a computer programmer, an applied arts graduate, an accountant, students, handymen, and labor workers coming from different areas of Cairo with no prior knowledge of one another. I watched as their angry cheers, obscene slogans, flammable bottles, and the smoke of burnt Algerian flags filled the air. Enthusiasm escalated as masses coming out of side streets joined the hysterical mobs, waved their hand-held Egyptian flags, howled in anger and jumped on top of cars that were parked in the streets. I tried to tell them to stop, to cool down, to stop damaging the cars of fellow Egyptians whose only crime was parking their cars in the street. They accused me of being Algerian! I showed them my Egyptian ID card! They refused to listen and got carried away with anger!

Wael Nawara knows that a hairline separates patriotism from chauvinism:

هناك فرق شعرة بين الانتماء القومي والتمييز العرقي، بين حب الوطن وكراهية الآخر.
الليبرالية الحقيقية لا تعرف التعصب العرقي الأعمى ولا الشوفونية، الليبرالية الحقيقية تجعلنا جميعاً أخوة ليس في الإسلام ولا في العروبة، ولكن في الإنسانية.
هذا لا يعني أن نتنازل عن حقوقنا، يجب أن نتقصى الحقائق بكل موضوعية، ونبحث عن حقوق من أهدرت دماؤهم أو روعوا أو أوذوا في ممتلكاتهم أو أعمالهم سواء كانوا مصريين أو جزائريين أو سودانيين، علينا أن نسعى للحصول على حقوقنا بكل الطرق، بما فيها إمكانية قطع العلاقات الديبلوماسية مع الجزائر، رداً على ما يبدو من تواطؤ رسمي من النظام، علينا أن نحصل على حقوقنا المادية والمعنوية كاملة، حتى لو وصلنا لمجلس الأمن، لكن هذا لا يبرر بأي صورة من الصور، أن نصم شعباً بأكمله بأنه همجي أو بربري أو محب للعنف أو نحقر من شأنه بأي تعميم وكأن هذا يرفع من شأننا نحن

Their is a fine line between nationalism and racism; between loving your country and rejecting the other. True liberalism does not approve of racial discrimination, intolerance, fanaticism, and chauvinism. True liberalism makes us all brothers - not in the name of Islam nor in the name of Arabism! We are brothers in the name of humanity! This is by no means a call to give up our rights; we should investigate thoroughly, yet objectively, all the facts, return the right of all those whose blood was shed, scared out of their wits, or vandalized, whether they were Egyptians, Algerians, or Sudanese. We should do our best to pursue our rights even if we reach the Security Council. But this is by no means a justification to call an entire nation barbaric, tribal, or trigger happy! Talking down to them does not make us any better.

Ahmed Naje is disgusted with the Egyptian cultural scene

لسنا معنيين بما صرح به فلان من أهل السياسة على هذه الشاشة أو تلك. فمعظم هؤلاء مدانون ومخططاتهم واضحة. لكن ما يبعث على القلق في القضية ان هذا الصراع الغوغائي البائس والخاسر سلفاً، اسقط الأقنعة عن وجوه الكثيرين. وحسناًفعل. مرة أخرى: ليس أقنعة السياسيين ورجال ما يسمّى الاعلام، انما الأقنعة التي يلبسها أهل الفن في بلد كانت فيه السينما، ذات زمن غابر، مفخرةللعالم العربي، قبل أن يتحول في قسمه الغالب مهزلة.

What this or that politician blurted on this or that screen is none of my current concerns for most of them are guilty and convicted of having hidden agendas. What I find truly alarming is the pathetic barbaric doomed conflict that revealed the true faces of many - Not politicians! Not the so-called media personalities! No! I am talking about the masks that hide the real faces of film makers in a country that prided itself on its cinema industry a very long time ago - before it all turned into a farce!

Naje goes on to denounce the shameful statements of those who should carry the torch of enlightenment. He actually believes that they have tricked us into looking up to them for decades and tricked those in charge of film festivals into believing that they were worthy of honors and awards:

عادل امام كان زعيم هذه الجوقة. وما الذي تتوقعونه من فنان يتسامح مع اللقب الذي اطلق عليه؟ لقب الزعيم. هل الزعامة في بلدان التوريث والشمولية شيء يرفع الرأس؟
أياً يكن، فهو لم يكن مضحكاً عندما قال: مصر أم الدنيا. ويللي بقول غير كده حندوسو بالجزمة. كلمة الجزمة هذه استحضرت مرة أخرى على لسان فنانة يبدو انها كانت خارجة من حفل ختام مهرجان القاهرة السينمائي، فسألتها المذيعة ما رأيها ان المهرجان كان قد كرم قبل أيام معدودة السينما الجزائرية، فقالت ان (هؤلاء) لازم نكرمهم بالجزم. أما المهرجان المذكور، فتحول في سهرة ختامه حفلا زجليا لتمجيد الشوفينية. أمسك فتحي عبد الوهاب جائزته أمام الجمهور، ونار العصبية تخرج من عينيه المرعبتين وأهداها الى منتخب بلاده
في لحظة تعصب وعودة الى الغرائز البدائية، خلط الجميع بين الناس والسلطة والفن

Adel Emam - The Leader - was truly the leader of this chorus! But what do you expect from an artist who enjoys being called a “leader” in a country that embraces succession and totalitarianism? He did not make me laugh when he said that “Egypt is the mother of all nations and he who says otherwise can kiss my shoes!” This reference to shoe throwing reminded me of another actress who was on her way out of the Cairo Film Festival. Upon being asked her opinion of Algerian cinema being celebrated in the festival a couple of days before, the actress said “They should be celebrated with shoes.” Speaking of festivals, the closing ceremony of the Cairo Film Festival turned into a poetic celebration of chauvinism; Actor Fathy Abdel Wahab held his award as he looked his audience with fearful intolerant eyes, and dedicated his award to the national football team! In a moment of prejudice and a return to primitiveness, the people, politics, and art melted in one crucible.

Naje continues the saga of prejudice saying:

أما أن تقولها ممثلة(يسرا)، تنظر اليها الجماهير في 22 بلدا عربيا، على انها نموذج يحتذى به، فهذه مسألة يجب أن تجعل الكثيرين يعيدون النظر في مفاهيمهم. هل الكلمة اصبحت رخيصة وغيرمسؤولة الى هذا الحد؟ أعتقد ذلك.
لم تكتف الممثلة بهذا الحدّ، بل احتدت وتحدت وتوعدت الجميع بأن مصر ستكون المارد ولا أحد يستطيع هزمها. وتابعت خطابها الانفعالي: نحن هوليوود الشرق. نحن الثقافة .نحن البلد العربي الوحيد الذي نال جائزة نوبل. نحن لدينا كل شيء والآخرون لا يملكون شيئاً، لهذا السبب يغارون منا. سينمانا عمرها مئة سنة. مين دي الجزائر؟ لاشيء! مصر هي البلد الوحيد المذكور في القرآن، وهي بلاد الله المختارة
في هذا الصراع العبثي، لم توفرالعنصرية أحداً من شرها. وترجمت أحياناً بالتهديد بالقتل: اذ ذهب فنان آخر الى أبعد من مجرد السبّة، مصرحاً بأنه اذا لمح جزائرياً في الشارع أمامه فسيقتله ويستشهد.

An icon like Yousra who has been a role model in 22 Arab countries proved that talk is really cheap as she lashed out irresponsibly on TV saying that Egypt is the unconquerable giant … the Arab Hollywood … the essence of culture … the only Arab country that was awarded a Nobel Prize … we have it all and the others have none of it … they are envious of us … our cinema industry is a hundred years old … who is this Algeria? A big nothing! We are God's chosen country! Egypt has been mentioned in the Qura'an! Another actor took this frivolous conflict to another dimension; he said that if he spotted an Algerian in the street he would kill him and become a martyr!

When asked to choose sides, Egyptian-Algerian actor Ahmed Mekky chose Egypt. Zeinobia cheered for his new song “I am Egyptian“:

Ahmed Mekky has released a new Rap song but this time he is singing for Egypt. Egyptian-Algerian Mekky demands an official apology from Algeria for what happened. It is the best among all these songs released lately may be because it is more honest and it is not about the crisis rather about Egypt itself.

Instead of separate Egyptian and Algerian statements, Wael Nawara published a joint Egyptian-Algerian statement signed by 140 people from all over the Arab world:

نحن - الموقعين أدناه - وقد أفزعنا ما وصلت إليه العلاقات المصرية الجزائرية من تدهور فى الأيام الأخيرة إثر مباراة المنتخبين المصرى والجزائرى وما سبقها وتلاها من أحداث مؤسفة أضرت بالعلاقات التاريخية بين الشعبين، نؤكد إدانتنا الكاملة للتصرفات غير المسئولة التى أقدم عليها متعصبون من الجانبين ونرفض الاعتداءات التى تعرض لها مصريون فى الجزائر والخرطوم بذات القدر الذى نرفض به تعرض أى مواطن جزائرى للأذى على أرض مصر.
كما ندين تصرفات بعض الإعلاميين غير المهنية من الجانبين ونطالب الجهات المسئولة بالبلدين بإجراء تحقيق عاجل مع هؤلاء وتوقيع الجزاء المهنى على من تثبت إدانته فى تعميق الخلافات بين الجانبين.
ونطالب بوقف الحملات الإعلامية المتبادلة فورًا.
كما نطالب المسئولين فى البلدين بالتحلى بأعلى قدر من ضبط النفس والعمل المشترك على وقف التدهور الحاصل فى العلاقات بين البلدين مع الحفاظ على الاحترام والود المتبادلين.

We - the undersigned - are horrified at how the Egyptian-Algerian relationship had deteriorated in the aftermath of the football match between the two national teams, and the shameful acts on both side before and after the match that damaged the bond between the two countries. We fully convict the irresponsible acts on both sides of prejudiced fanatics. We denounce the attacks on Egyptian civilians in Algeria and Khartoum just as much as we denounce the attacks on Algerian citizens on Egyptian grounds. We condemn the attitude of unprofessional media members on both ends; we urge both countries to investigate their behavior and punish anyone who is convicted of inflaming the conflict. We also demand that both countries cease media fire and adopt an attitude of self-discipline and cooperation to restore the once healthy relationship between Egypt and Algeria.

Karim El Beheiry of Egyworkers posted ” A common Decision … We Won't Separate” in English, Arabic, and French:

وفي زمن عجزت فيه النخبة عن قيادة الرأي العام، بل وسقط بعضهم في الامتحان، وظهر أن كل أغاني العروبة والوحدة التي قدموها كانت من رحم النفاق اللهم إلا قليل.. ثم تركت الساحة للبعض من غير المهنيين وأصحاب الرأي الفاسد لتضليل الناس وشغلهم عن عظائم الأمور.. ولذلك فالأولى بنا أن نأخذ زمام المبادرة.. ونوقع على هذا البيان المبدئي ترفعاً منا عن كل تلك المناوشات اللا أخلاقية

At a time when the elite have failed to take leadership of public opinion, and some of them failed the test of tolerance, it seems that all songs of Arabism and unity that they presented were born to the womb of hypocrisy - except a few .. Then the scene was left to the non-professionals and bad opinion makers to mislead people and engage them in petty issues. It is therefore better for us to take the lead and sign this initial statement to help us rise above such petty and unethical acts.

Ahmed Al Sabbagh posted an initiative to reconcile the two countries on Facebook and on his blog:

ووقع الشعبين فى الفخ وتناصبا العداء، وقام الإعلام فى كل بلد بتقديم الصور والفيديوهات التى تفيد بأن الطرف الأخر مجرم وبربرى، وبدأت الأصوات فى البلدين بمقاطعة الأخر ومنع الفنانين والمثقفين والناشرين من إرتياد البلد الآخر، وتغيير أسماء الشوارع التى تذكر البلد الآخر.
لا ننكر أن هناك مخطئون ومجرمون، ولا ننكر أن الإختلاف وارد، لكن العداء مرفوض، فلو إختلفنا دعونا نختلف برفق وبدون إهانة

Both Egyptians and Algerians fell for the trap of animosity; the media in both countries showed evidence that “the other” is the barbaric criminal; people at both ends began calling for breaking all ties, for ending mutual artistic and cultural cooperation, and for erasing “Egypt” off any street sign in Algeria and “Algeria” off any street sign in Egypt. We are not denying that there are people who are at fault and we are not denying them the right to disagree but hostility is not an option and if we have to differ, let's be civilized about it.

Algeria: An Open Letter to Egyptians

Amira Al Hussaini — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:35:52 +0000

From a football match for a place in the South Africa World Cup in 2010 to a full fledged face off and diplomatic stand off, Egyptians and Algerians continue to score points against each other on the ground - off and online.

Following the loss of Egypt in the qualifying match, Algerian blogger Abdulsalam Baroudi from Bilad Talsiman writes an ‘open letter' to the people of Egypt. He writes:

أبدع المصريون هذه الأيام في”اختراع” الأوصاف القبيحة التي يطلقونها على الجزائر شعبا وحكومة ونظاما كما يقال في لغة المعارضة في العالم العربي .أبدع المصريون في الشتم والسب والقدح والتلفظ بعبارات سوقية وكلام لا سمح المقام هنا بذكره . فنانون ومطربون ومفكرون وكتاب وصحفيون ووو ساسة كبار من الحزب الوطني الحاكم أمعنوا كثيرا في إظهار الولاء لبلدهم ليس بواسطة اللعب النظيف والاعتراف بالهزيمة الكروية ثم البحث عن مصادر الخلل الكامن في الشوفينية الزائدة التي حولتهم إلى حاملين بمجد لن ينالوه ماداموا يفكرون بأسلوب كان يامكان . في المقابل لم أسمع مسئولا جزائريا واحدا سب وشتم المصريين حتى بعد التعدي على حافلة المنتخب الوطني يوم 12 نوفمبر في مطار القاهرة.

The Egyptians are becoming innovative in creating the worst descriptions for Algeria, its people, government or regime, as the opposition in the Arab world refer to it. They have become creative in swearing and cursing and slurring, using derogatory language which cannot be repeated here. Actors, singers, intellectuals, writers, journalists and high officials in the ruling National Democratic Party have gone through lengths to show their allegiance towards their country, not through playing it clean and admitting their loss in football and then looking for the sources of ill in this increased chauvinism which changed them into dreamers of a might which they will never attain as long they have a mentality of the past. In return, I have not heard one Algerian official who has cursed Egyptians even after the attack on our national team's bus on November 12 in Cairo Airport.

On the aftermath of the match, the blogger adds:

ومنذ نهاية مباراة 18 نوفمبر التي جرت في “المريخ” وانتهت بتأهل الخضر إلى مونديال 2010 والإخوة في القاهرة يشعلون دكاكين الفتنة نارا ويصبون الزيت وينفخون في الرماد إلى أن خرجت الجماهير “المصدومة” لمحاصرة سفارة الجزائر والمطالبة بدم السفير الأستاذ عبد القادر حجار هذا الرجل الفاضل، العربي الأصيل، الذي كان يتلقى ومنذ أن ظهر على الساحة السياسية في الجزائر الضربات القاتلة بسبب دفاعه المستميت عن المشرق العربي ومصر وعلاقة الجزائر بالدول العربية وهو الذي تصفه بعض الأوساط الإعلامية بالبعثي المتطرف.

Since the end of the match on November 18, the match that was held in Mars, which ended with Algeria qualifying for the 2010 World Cup and our brothers in Egypt are continuing to fan the flames of sedition. They poured oil and blew on the ashes until the 'shocked' fans surrounded the Algerian Embassy and called for the blood of the Ambassador Mr Abdulqader Hajjar, that nobel man, and pure Arab, who has been receiving deadly blows since his emergence on the political scene because of his undying support for the Arab East, and Egypt, and the relationship between Algeria and Arab countries. He has also been described as the extremist Baathist in media circles.

Mr Baroudi continues his letter noting:

لجماهير المؤدبة في القاهرة وأولاد الناس المتسامحين المتعلمين حرقوا العلم الجزائري أمام السفارة الجزائرية في القاهرة . الجماهير المؤدبة الراقية والمتعلمة المتحضرة حاولت التسلل لإقامة السفير حجار و لحرقها …كل هذا و”بندير” المداح “شوبير” والغندور ومصطفى عبده وغيرهم من مزامير الفتنة في مصر شغالة على مدار الساعة من أجل المزيد من التجريح والتهجم والتطاول على بلد عربي وشعب مسلم وصلت حد وصف السيد الفاضل محمد روراوة باليهودي .

The well behaved spectators and the sons of the educated and tolerant people burned the Algerian flag in front of the Algerian Embassy in Cairo. Those civilised and educated fans tried to break into the residence of Ambassador Hajjar and burn it down. All this was happening while the voices of sedition on Egypt were continuing round the clock, hoping for more hurtful attacks against an Arab country and its Muslim people to the extent that Mr Moahmmed Rawarah was described as a Jew.

He then asks:

ما هذا .. أم الدنيا.. ؟؟؟ أم الدنيا التي تسمح بتزوير الشهادات وفبركة قصص الاعتداء وتحرض شعبها على بلد عربي وتثير الأحقاد والضغائن بين 120 مليون عربي ؟؟؟ ..

What is this? The Mother of the World? And does the the Mother of the World allow the forging of testimonials and the fabrication of stories of attacks - and inciting its people on an Arab country as well as stirring hatred and envy among 120 million Arabs???

On Algerian-Egyptian relations, he writes:

قبل شهر فقط قطع الرئيس عبد العزيز بوتفليقة كل علاقاته بصديقه وابن بلدته وزير الخارجية السابق محمد بجاوي بسبب مصر …بسبب مرشح مصر في اليونيسكو وزير الثقافة الحالي وليته يتكلم ويقول للشعب المصري كيف تبرأت الجزائر من وزير خارجيتها السابق محمد بجاوي الذي حاول الترشح ضد حسني واضطر تحت الضغط إلى الانسحاب بتدخل أعلى مؤسسات الدولة الجزائرية و تحصرت الجزائر لخسارة حسني لأنها كانت خسارة عربية وليست مصرية…

About a month ago president Abdelaziz Bouteflika cut off all his relations with his friend, compatriot and former Foreign Minister Mohammed Bajawi because of Egypt, because of the Egyptian candidate for the Unesco post, the current Culture Minister. Why should he talk and tell the Egyptian people how Algeria abandoned its former Foreign Affairs Minister Mohammed Bajawi because he tried to run against Hosni. He withdrew his candidacy after top Algerian international organisations exerted pressure on him. Algeria was anguished by the defeat of Hosni because it was an Arab loss and not just an Egyptian loss.

Baroudi tries to dispel accusations against his country saying:

أما حكاية الرهائن المصريين في الجزائر فأريد أن أسأل: هل يعقل أن ترهن الجزائر آلاف المصريين وتلتزم الحكومة المصرية الصمت كل هذا الصمت على أبنائها؟ اسألوا هل يعقل أن تعتقل دولة 15 ألف مواطن من رعايا بلد آخر؟ لقد اطلعت على بعض الحالات لمصريين يعملون في الجزائر ووجدت أن الشرطة قامت بوضع المصريين من العمال في اقامات محمية بشكل عالي من طرف رجال أمن مع توفير كل ما يحتاجونه من ضروريات وكماليات. فلماذا هذا التهويل بحق المصريين أنفسهم وبث الرعب لدى أهلهم في مصر وعائلاتهم في كل محافظة مصرية؟؟

As for the Egyptians being held ransom in Algeria, I would like to ask: Is it possible to believe that Algeria can hold up thousands of Egyptians and the Egyptian government would continue to remain this silence over the fate of its citizens? Ask if it is possible for one country to detain 15,000 citizens of another country? I asked about the conditions of some Egyptians living in Algeria and found that the Egyptians were placed in “reservations” with high security and were being provided with all their needs and essentials. So why are they exaggerating the situation and horrifying their families across Egypt?

The blogger also discusses the role of video spread across websites showing young Algerian men wielding knives. He explains:

حكاية أخرى أشبه بالمسلسلات السابعة المصرية وتخص فيديو اليوتيب لمشجعين جزائريين قدموا الخرطوم وبيدهم السكاكين ، وجدت هذا الفيديو وقد انتشر في المئات من المواقع الكترونية وهو بكل بساطة تصوير لتجمع شباني خلال فترة العدوان الإسرائيلي على غزة من الفترة الرابطة ما بين نهاية شهر ديسمبر 2008 ومطلع شهر جانفي 2009 كما أن الفيديو ظهر على موقع اليوتيب قبل مباراة الخرطوم وظهر أن صاحبه الذي استخدمه للفتنة والإثارة من خلال ما كان موضحا من تحذير كتب عليه ، صاحب الفيديو قام يوم الجمعة 20 نوفمبر 2009 بحذفه من الموقع ويكفي القيام بعملية بحث بسيطة لمعرفة ذلك وهذا بعدما أكتشف العالم أن الفيديو هو فضيحة تدين مروجي الفتنة والأكاذيب ضد الجزائر وشبابها وشعبها.

Another story which looks like a scene from an Egyptian soap opera concerns a YouTube video which shows Algerian spectators in Khartoum with knives in their hands. I found that this video had spread in hundreds of website is simply football of a youth gathering during the Israeli aggression on Gaza shot in the period between the end of December 2008 and January 2009. This video resurfaced on YouTube before the match in Khartoum and its owner used it to spread sedition through the warnings/threats which it contained. On November 20, 2009, its owner deleted it from the site. It is enough to know that after a simple search and the world has realised that this video is a scandal which implicates those who want to spread sedition and lies against Algeria and its citizens and youth.

In conclusion, Baroudi writes:

في الأخير أريد أن أضيف كلمة واحدة فقط … أعرف الكثير ممن سافروا للسودان ..طلبة من جامعات تلمسان وهران سيدي بلعباس وغيرهم صيادلة وأطباء و مسؤولي مصالح إدارية وتجار ورجال أعمال وأساتذة ومعلمين “خاصة وأن قطاع التربية في إضراب” لكنني لم أعرف صاحب سوابق واحد سافر للخرطوم وبالمناسبة أدعوا أتمنى من كل الزملاء التعريف بالذين سافروا للسودان وإجراء المقابلات الصحفية معهم وتقديمهم للعالم لأن الجزائريين في النهاية لم يحملوا لا سكاكين ولا سيوف ولم يجدوا لا نعاج ولا كباش… فمتى يتوقف هذا العبث يا أهل مصر ومتى يتكلم أخياركم يا أهل مصر ..

At the end, I would like to add one word only… I know a lot of those who travelled to Sudan.. students from the universities of Talsiman, Wahran, Sidi Belabbas and others. They also included pharmacists, doctors, officials, merchants, businessmen, professors and teachers - especially since the education sector is holding a strike. However, I don't know anyone with a bad record who has travelled to Khartoum and I would like to call upon everyone to identify those who went to Sudan and conduct interview with them and introduce them to the rest of the world. This is because the Algerians did not carry knives or swords and did not find any goats or sheep. When will the people of Egypt stop this fallacy and when will the good Egyptians speak up.

Egypt: Where are the Algerian Intellectuals?

Amira Al Hussaini — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:04:05 +0000

Egyptian blog Justice for All [Ar] asks: “Where are the intellectuals in Algeria when the nation wakes up..on curses? This is another reading to the question: Why do they hate us?”

Egypt: Egyptian Politics, Arab Nationalism and Football

Amira Al Hussaini — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 21:51:22 +0000

What is the relationship between Egyptian politics, Arab nationalism and a football match? Egyptian Dalia Ziada sheds her thoughts on all those issues in this post.

Egypt: Football and Nationalism

Amira Al Hussaini — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 21:49:08 +0000

The Arabist has more on football and nationalism in this post.

Egypt: Alaa Mubarak for President?

Marwa Rakha — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 09:31:14 +0000

Several names have been thrown in the pool of candidates for Egypt's 2011 presidential elections; In September 2005 Ayman Nour of Al Ghad Party and No'man Goma'a of New Wafd Party nominated themselves against President Hosni Mubarak. Nour was charged with fraud and Goma'a was accused of insanity! Since 2000, Gamal Hosni Mubarak has the been groomed to be his father's successor and some people wondered Why Not? Rumor has it that Omar Soliman, Chief of the Egyptian General Intelligence Services, is an eligible presidential candidate. In June 2009, a blog and Facebook group were dedicated to support him. In September 2009, a Coptic lawyer threw the hat in for the Presidential run. Today Egyptians want Alaa Mubarak - Hosni Mubarak's eldest son - for president!

As a business tycoon, Alaa Mubarak has always maintained a low profile. Last May, his 12-year-old son - Mohamed - died suddenly and Egyptians sympathized highly with the bereaved father, mother, grand mother, and grand father. Zeinobia covered the funeral saying:

President Mubarak did not attend the funeral … Alaa Mubarak was crying during the prayer and the funeral. It is hard for any father to be in this situation … Seriously I feel sad … I want to hint out that across the internet where the news was published the comments came to prove how great the Egyptian people are in these times.

Before the 14th of November Egypt-Algeria match there was a lot of tension for the encounter was to determine which of the two teams would qualify to next year's FIFA World Cup in South Africa. But instead of responding to the Egyptian-Algerian actor Ahmed Mekky's wake up call for unity, peace, and tolerance, Egypt's loss on November 18th in Sudan proved that it was much more than football!

The Mubarak brothers were in Sudan to cheer for the national team and, along with the rest of the Egyptian hooligans, they were assaulted by Algerian hooligans. Upon his return Gamal Mubarak was totally silent but Alaa Mubarak made two very angry live calls.

The first call was on Dream TV with Khaled Al Ghandour.

On this call, Zeinobia wrote:

We have reached the point of no return as Alaa Mubarak has opened his fire on the Algerian federation , the Algerian fans and the Algerian thugs in Sudan not to mention the Algerian press and the Algerian Ambassador. “The Algerian press attacked him and his brother unfairly if I may say , it is a normal thing that they would support their country’s national team for God Sake !!”
Speaking about Alaa himself , well he is more human and more simple than his pale brother. There is a huge difference. If you do not know who he is , you will think that he is normal Egyptian football angry fan.

His second call was on national TV (Al Beit Beitak). Once again Zeinobia said about his second strike:

It seems that Alaa Mubarak has a lot to say from that bloody night in Khartoum that left so shaken and so furious , last night he did it again and called a live night news show ; this time it was the official Al Beit Batik.

This time it was much long , he was ballistic and you have something interesting quotes more than the previous time with his famous line “ They were treating us as if we are Jews killing people in Gaza”

On Twitter, Sandmonkey and Pakinam Amer had questions:

On Facebook, the reactions varied from extreme sarcasm to extreme endorsement as status updates, fan pages, and groups were created overnight in support of the new national hero.

Ibrahim Eissa sang Alaa Mubarak's praises in his article [for Al Dostour Newspaper] 12 Reasons why Egyptians love Alaa Mubarak

Ahmed Zidan: We nominate Alaa Mubarak for President because he is sexier than Jimmy [Gamal]

Spring wrote a cynical note about the elite that ended in:

خطوة علاء مبارك الجريئة هدمت تابو النخبة، سيدرك الناس في قصر العروبة أن النزول إلى الشعب يأتي عندما تلبس سويتر و تتكلم في التليفون. سيأتي عندما تنفعل و تتخانق و تشتم. و سيأتي عندما تفكر كبواب عمارة، كفاعل، كساعي، كفلاح ذي يد خشنة. و ليس كنخبوي تلقى تعليمه بلغة غير العربية. أو كنخبوي يكتب في الجرايد أو في بلوجه أو في يومياته، و الاكثر من ذلك، لا يكتب إلا عندما ينفعل، أو عندما يكون حزينا. الاكتشاف الأكثر إذهالا، أنك يمكن أن تكون نخبويا يفعل كل ذلك، و أيضا تكون محبوبا من الناس، بفعل بسيط للغاية، كأن تلبس سويتر و تتكلم في التليفون

Alaa Mubarak's daring move hit the core of the sacredness of being an elitist. People at the Presidential Palace would realize that connecting with the people comes when you put on an ordinary sweater, call live on TV, get angry, curse and play street-wise. The sophisticated air of an elitist who does not speak Arabic or communicates with people behind a screen or a pen will get you nowhere; you have to think like a doorman, a handyman, a messenger, or a hardworking farmer. What's truly amazing about all of this is that you could be an elitist who still manages to put on a sweater and be popular among the commoners.

The Arabist was furious at Alaa Mubarak's shamelessness and asks what about Egyptians?

Alaa Mubarak, denounces Algeria as a “country ruled by generals and pashas!”

Mourad thinks it's all a political manouver

إختفى جمال مبارك تماما من الساحة الإعلامية و لم يظهر إطلاقاً
فالجميع مشحونين ضده و ضد فكرة التوريث
فكيف يقدم النظام الحزب الوطني للشعب مرة أخرى، بشكل جديد، بغض النظر عن المُرشح من هذا الحزب؟؟
قام النظام بإدخال دم جديد للإعلام، وهو علاء…علاء مبارك
فما أبعاد مكالمات علاء المتكررة للبرامج التليفزيونية ، و لأول مرة في خلال يومين؟
علاء مبارك خارج السياسة و خارج الحزب الوطني، و عندما يقوم بتجييش الرأي العام

Gamal Mubarak had no media presence what so ever because the National Democratic Party is fully aware that people are angry at the thought of succession; so how do they go about it? They presented a new face … another Mubarak! Alaa Mubarak is not affiliated with the NDP and is not into politics; when he spoke he used the tone of an angry Egyptian citizen and managed to mobilize the public!

Nawara Negm wonders where this Alaa Mubarak came from:

هو مين علاء مبارك عشان يطلع بكلام اهوج شعبوي ارعن يفاقم لنا ازمة مع بلد من قبل ما هو يتولد بقرون طويلة واحنا وهم واحد وح نفضل واحد من بعد ما هو يموت ولحد يوم القيامة؟ هو مين عشان يطلع يتكلم على شعب ويقول ح اديله على دماغه؟ هو مين عشان ينفي العروبة عن الشعب الجزائري ويقول بس يكلمونا عربي الاول؟ هو مين عشان يقول العروبة انتهت؟ صفته ايه عشان يقول الجزائريين ما يجوش مصر والمصريين ما يروحوش الجزائر؟ مين هو عشان يدي فرمان زي ده؟ وبيشتغل ايه عشان يهيج الناس ويحرضهم على التظاهر ولا وكمان بيديهم تعليمات يعملوا ايه في المظاهرة؟ هو مين عشان يعمل لنا مشكلة مع دولة حيوية، طول عمرها حيوية بالنسبة لنا وح تفضل حيوية، واحنا حيويين بالنسبة لها وما يستغنوش عننا

Who is this Alaa Mubarak to go on TV and talk in such an impulsive irresponsible manner? His emotionally charged words will only add fuel to the fire and offend a country that has been our ally ages before he was born and will continue to be our ally even after he dies and until dooms day. Who is he to attack people like that? Who is he to deny Algerians their Arabism? Who is he to mock their Arabic? Who is he to deny them entering our country and stop us from entering theirs? What's his authority to push people into demonstrating? Who is that person who will rupture bond between two countries that have always been vital for one another?

Moftah quoted Alaa Mubarak's statement:

علاء مبارك : لن أقبل أي اعتذار من أي جزائري حتى لو كان بوتفليقة

Alaa Mubarak: I will not accept any apologies from any Algerian even if he was Bouteflika

Kareem El Behiery of Egyworkers quoted political analysts saying:

ظهور علاء مبارك فى التليفزيون محاولة لامتصاص الغضب دون تورط رسمى

Alaa Mubarak's media appearance is a mere attempt to let steam out without any official implications

And in another post Kareem El Behiery wrote:

نيويورك تايمز تتهم مصر باستغلال المباراة سياسيا قالت إن علاء مبارك بدا وكأنه يدعو البلاد لإعلان الحرب

The New York Times accuses Egypt to politicize the match to serve its agenda; Alaa Mubarak sounded as though he was calling for a war.

Jack Shenker of Chatoyant Crumbs wrote:

Mubarak adds fuel to the fire as football riots spread
President vows to defend Egyptians abroad as violence spreads across Cairo and Algiers
Egyptian regime accused of whipping up nationalist fervour for political gain

Alaa Mubarak called live for the third time on TV and pulled the “I am a provoked Muslim” card

Alaa Mubarak with Amr Adib

Nawara Negm wants Alaa Mubarak to be arrested in the name of the Egyptian emergency law:

يا مسلم، اساس الاسلام العدل والمساواة، والعيال بتوع ستة ابريل اللي ما عملوش حاجة في الناس غير ان قالوا لهم ما تنزلوش من البيت، اتقبض عليهم واتبهدلوا واتمرمطوا واتعذبوا ونصهم اتجنن، والنص التاني بيشاور عقله، واسراء طلعت تقول حرمت يا بوجي، بس عشان قالت للناس اقعدوا في البيت.امال اللي حرض الناس على النزول للشارع في اول مرة، ثم اكد على اهمية المظاهرات في تاني مكالمة، ده اسمه ايه؟خليك حقاني، اللي سرى على اسراء عبد الفتاح يسري عليك. ده قانون يا استاذ علاء، وبما انك بتقول انك مواطن وفقط، فالقانون يمشي عليك، واحنا تحت قانون الطوارئ، وتحريض الناس على التظاهر ضد قانون الطوارئ، ويا مسلم، الناس سواسية كأسنان المشط. وانت مسلم، وما بتخافش غير من ربك: إن الله يأمر بالعدل والإحسان وإيتاء ذي القربى وينهى عن الفحشاء والمنكر والبغي، يعظكم لعلكم تذكرون.

العدل: انه يتم تطبيق قانون الطوارئ عليك بوصفك محرض على التظاهر

You who call yourself a Muslim! The basis of Islam is fairness and equality! On April 6, 2008 a group of young Egyptians called for a silent protest against soaring prices; they just asked people to stay home! They were arrested under the emergency law and they were tortured, beaten, and humiliated! Half of them were scared out of their wits and the rest are almost there! Esraa Abd El Fattah was arrested for asking people to stay home … be fair, Mr. Alaa … what do you think should happen to a man to literally asked people to express their rage in the first call and highlighted the importance of demonstrations in his second call?
Since you claim to have called as an Egyptian citizen - not as the President's son - then the law that sent Esraa to prison should apply to you as well! Since you insist that you are a Muslim and that you only fear your creator, and since it is clearly stated that he who emotionally charges the public and instigates demonstrations should be arrested under the emergency law .. then you are no exception to the law!

Khaled El Henawy: My Biggest fear: We will start loving Alaa and Gamal Mubarak:) This way Gamal might win the coming elections without the need for monkey business

Egypt: It's not the football

Amira Al Hussaini — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 19:50:47 +0000

Writing at Not Green Data, Tarek Amr is not amused with the international media coverage following the Egypt-Algeria football match.

Algeria: Coverage ‘Written from Cairo'

Amira Al Hussaini — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:25:18 +0000

Algerian The Moor Next Door takes a closer look at media coverage following the Algeria- Egypt matches which saw Algeria qualify to the World Cup in South Africa next year. “Foot-ball is something akin to a religion in many countries… It can also lead to blind and irrational fanaticism,” he notes.

Egypt and Algeria: Much More Than a Football Match

Tarek Amr — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:11:25 +0000

Who would have believed that a football match could cause such tension between two nations? But the truth is, the tension between Egypt and Algeria has reached an unexpected level. Many bloggers believe that the match has nothing to do with the trouble on the streets now and like me, many are really shocked that some of the well known media outlets, have misunderstood the whole affair - they still believe that supporters of the national teams of each country are demonstrating and fighting each other because of the result of a match. Here's a breakdown of how the situation escalated - in the words of bloggers.

After the match that took place in Egypt, Algerian newspapers reported that Algerians had been killed (which has been denied later on by the Algerian ambassador in Cairo). Those rumors caused several Egyptian sites in Algeria to be attacked; Egypt Air's office was damaged. More than 1,500 Egyptian workers were also reportedly attacked and taken as hostages in riots; also, the Egyptian Embassy had to be surrounded by Algerian security forces for protection.

Ihab Omar wrote in his blog El Journaljy about those rumors:

ثم اتت الطامة الكبرى، حينما رأى الاعلام الجزائري ان الادعاء بوجود وفيات في المبارة سوف يدعم الموقف الجزائري بطلب اعادة المباراة، خاصة ان ملف المباراة تحت التحقيق بالفعل في الفيفا، و هكذا خرجت الصحف الجزائرية تتحدث عن نعوش جزائرية وصلت الي مطار الجزائر قادمة من مصر، جثث المشجعين الجزائريين المساكين الذين طاردهم المصريين الهمج في كل شوارع مصر

Then came the catastrophe, when the Algerian media claimed that some of their supporters were killed. They thought that by doing this, they can ask for the match result to be canceled, especially that this match was thoroughly monitored by the FIFA. The Algerian newspapers kept talking about Algerian coffins that landed in their airport coming from Egypt. Those coffins, they claimed, carried the bodies of the poor Algerian supporters who were attacked by the barbarian Egyptians on all the streets in Egypt.

Later on, the Algerian ambassador denied that any Algerian was killed in Egypt. But as Inferad wrote in his blog, it seems that rumors and the waves of violence after them were unstoppable.

وأشار السفير حجار إلى أن ما أشاعته صحيفة “الشروق” الجزائرية يوم الأحد عن مصرع سبعة جزائريين بالقاهرة عقب المباراة عار تماما من الصحة، مؤكدا أن هذا الأمر لا يمكن أن يحدث دون علم السفارة، منوها في الوقت ذاته بوجود إصابات بين عدد من الجزائريين نتيجة للتدافع أثناء خروجهم من استاد القاهرة عقب المباراة
يأتي ذلك في الوقت الذي أكدت فيه الخارجية المصرية تعرض العاملين في عدة شركات مصرية بالجزائر لإصابات واعتداءات جماهير جزائرية تقدر بالآلاف، جراء الإشاعات التي روجت لها الصحف الجزائرية لها عقب المباراة

Mr Hajjar, the Algerian ambassador in Egypt, has stated that what “El Chorouk” has published about the death of seven Algerian supporters in Cairo after the match is totally untrue. He also added that something like that can never happen without the embassy's knowledge, however some Algerians were wounded due to their rush out of Cairo Stadium after the match.
After that, the Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs announced that many Egyptians who work in Algeria were attacked by thousands of Algerians who were driven by those rumors, which were spread by the Algerian newspapers.

During, and after the match in Cairo, the tone of the Egyptian blogosphere was still calm. Bloggers like Nile Wise wrote, how it's just a football match, and people should not over react:

مباراة كرة القدم بين الفريق المصرى والجزائرى تحولت وبشكل سخيف الى مايشبه اعلان الحرب بين الدولتين ,فالمباراة مهما كانت اهميتها للفريقين فانها فى النهاية مجرد مباراة نعلم جميعا أن مصر لم تتأهل لكأس العالم من 20 عام والجزائرلم تتأهل منذ 24 عام

The football match between Egypt and Algeria has been transformed into a declaration of war between the two countries. It's just a football match regardless of its importance to the two teams, especially that we all know that Egypt hasn't qualified for the World Cup for the previous 20 years, and Algeria hasn't qualified for the past 24 years.

And blogs, like Inferad, believed that it was just the media in the two countries that has to be blamed. He asked people in the two countries not to believe everything they read and hear:

لا تصدق كل مايقال لك عن اعمال عنف ضد المصريين فى الجزائر ولا عن قتل الجزائريين فى شوارع القاهرة ..نعم هناك حالة احتقان يفتعلها الاعلام المتطرف بمساندة حكومات فاسدة وفاشلة هنا وهناك ..حكومات لا تعبر عن الشعوب بل استولت على السلطة بالقوة وتحاول الهاء الشعوب بمباريات الكرة والافلام العارية والصحافة الداعرة

Don't believe everything written about Egyptians being attacked in Algeria, or Algerians being killed in Cairo. Yes, there are bitter feelings created by the media and welcomed by the corrupt governments here and there - governments that came to power by force, and they want to drive people's attention to football, nudity, and tabloid newspapers.

Meanwhile, other bloggers like Al Journaljy, admitted that there may be some violence acts that took place in each country against the fans of the other:

في مباراة الذهاب التى اقيمت بين مصر و الجزائر هنالك في التصفيات الجارية حالياً، تم قذف اتوبيس المنتخب بالحجارة في شوارع الجزائر

During the match that took place in Algeria, the bus that was carrying the Egyptian team was pelted by stones in the streets of Algeria.

He then continued:

سهر الجماهير محدثين أكبر قدر من الضجيج و العربدة اسفل نوافذ اللاعبيين المصريين حتى لا ينعمون بالراحة والنوم لمباراة اليوم التالى

The Algerian fans spent the night making noise near the residence of the Egyptian players for them not to be able to sleep or take rest.

He also admitted that the Egyptian fans weren't any better than their Algerian counterparts, and that they almost did the same deeds before the match that took place in Cario.

و لنصل الي المحطة الاخيرة، الي مباراة السبت الماضى، بالطبع كان هنالك تجاوزات جرت من الطرف المصرى

And it comes to last Saturday's match, for sure there were abuses from the Egyptian side.

And that's what prompted Daily Barid write the following:

هناك أمر مؤكد بشأن أعمال الشغب من الجانبين المصري و الجزائري فهم ليسوا ملائكة والكل يعلم هذا ,ولكن من يفصل في هذه الأعمال هي السلطات وليس أحد آخر و يجب أن تتحمل السلطات مسؤولياتها الكاملة إذا كان هناك وفيات كما أشيع ولا أتمنى ذلك فالوحيد المسئول عن هذا الأمر هو القضاء و التعامل يكون كالتعامل مع أي قضية إجرامية ودون التوسع إلى أمور أخرى يجب على السلطات في كلى البلدين محاسبة جميع الوسائل الإعلامية غير النزيهة و التي ساهمت بشكل فاضح و شرير في إلهاب مشاعر الحقد بين أفراد الشعبين

For sure there was violence from the Egyptian and the Algerian parties. They aren't saints, and everybody knows that. But it's the governments who are responsible for dealing with those acts and not anyone else. If there were killings, than I hope that's only the Judicial system that should deal with it, and it has to deal with it as a normal criminal case only. The governments of the two countries should punish all those unethical media outlets that helped in creating such tension between the two peoples.

In fact all the above incidents can be considered as an introduction to what happened in Sudan last Wednesday. The Egyptian and the Algerian football teams were to play there one final match in order to decide the team that will qualify for the World Cup that will be held in South Africa next year.

Some bloggers were expecting violence acts against the Egyptian fans in Sudan. And that's why Lokmet Eish called for security forces to protect the Egyptian players and fans there:

بعد أخبار صحيفة الخبر الجزائرية المفبركة والكاذبة
مطلوب حماية أمنية خاصة للفريق القومى المصرى،وللجماهير المصرية المرافقة

After the fake news that were published in the Algerian newspapers, Al Khabar, special security forces are required to protect the Egyptian players and fans.

And the Sudanese did their best to secure the match with about 15,000 soldiers. But it turned out that even such a huge number of security forces was not enough. Zeinobia wrote about what happened in Khartoum in her blog:

Yesterday many Egyptians slept earlier in sadness after our defeat against Algeria, it is a game and we know we could lose and it is not the end of the world but while they were sleeping many Egyptians all over the world kept awake till the early hours of morning watching the night were our fans in Khartoum were being chased in the streets by crazy Algerian thugs if I may say.
Thousands of Egyptians have spent their night in fear hiding either in hotels or in restaurants or in Egyptian companies HQ in Khartoum or even in the houses of Sudanese for fear they would be killed on the hands of the Algerian thugs brought by military Algerian planes.
According to testimonies these Algerians in the Sudanese stadium were not the regular Algerian fans we used to see , they did not even sing their famous “1,2,3 Algerie”. They were professional thugs who emptied the markets of Um Darman from knives ,Swiss knives and swords for complete three days. Of course we have been warned but we did not think it would reach like this especially we have lost. Already for the record many Egyptians did not go for fear of something similar would happen.
The Algerian thugs chased our fans buses and cars with stones and bottles , several Egyptians have been injured for real. The Khartoum airport seems to be I do not know what kind of word to use , may be poor despite the economy there is booming ,really booming.
The whole night the country listened to terrifying calls from Sudan coming from celebs , journalists, MPs and regular fans who trapped in the streets of Khartoum for hours and did not know where to go.

She also wrote about the Egyptian fan who lost her eye due to this incident, and compared it to what happened 20 years ago when an Algerian football player caused another Egyptian fan to loose his eye too:

You must know that an Egyptian Citizen called Marwa Abdel Karim has lost her eye , it seems that there is something about eyes and Algerians from 20 years Baloumi did the same thing to another Egyptian citizen in 1989 too.

Also Bani Adam Maa Waqf El Tanfeez wrote here about what happened in Sudan. He also wrote about the videos published online that warned the Egyptians from going there, and those showing Algerian fans with knives in their hands:

أولا أعتذر عن سوء فهمي للموضوع و قيامي بمبادرة تعمل على نبذ التعصب و للأسف كتبت عنها الجرائد الجزائرية .. مما يجعلني أشعر بالعار الآن
لا أعرف كيف لم أصدق كلامهم .. فقد شاهدت بعيني فيديو أسمه ( تحذير لكل مصري ) يقول فيه كل ما سوف يحدث و أنهم سوف يرسلون بلطجيه و لصوص و مسجلين خطر للانتقام من المصريين
بعد فهمي للموضوع أري أن الحكومة الجزائرية و سفيرها في مصر مشارك في المجزرة التي حدثت

I am really sorry, because I misunderstood the whole thing and called for an initiative to stop the violence between us and the Algerian newspapers wrote about it. I really feel sorry for that now.
I don't know how I didn't believe what they said. I saw one of their videos [on YouTube] called “Warning for every Egyptian”, where it stated everything that was going to happen and that they were planning to send armed criminals to take revenge on Egyptians.
Now I see that the Algerian government and its ambassador participated in the massacre.

He then continued:

أرسلت مصر خير أبنائها لمشاهدة المباراة لإضفاء نوعا من السلام و الحب ..
فمن في الوطن العربي كله ؟ لا يسمع محمد فؤاد ؟؟ من في الوطن العربي كله لا يحترم الفنانة فردوس عبد الحميد . من الوطن العربي كله لم يضحك على كوميديا الفنان احمد بدير ؟؟ و غيرهم و غيرهم
أنهم رموز مصر و رموز الوطن العربي كله
بينما أرسلت الجزائر أبنائها من قاطعين الطرق و مسجلين الخطر و غيرهم و نقلتهم على قواتها الحربية ؟؟ كما أكدت وسائل الإعلام أمس أن الجزائر كانت تستخدم الطائرات الحربية ؟؟؟
أذن الجزائر تكره مصر ؟؟
نعم
الجزائر تكره مصر …. الجزائر أعلنت الحرب و نحن كنا نقول وردة لكل جزائري
هل رأيتم شعب يتصرف بساذجة مثلا !! بالطبع لا

Egypt has sent the cream of it's society to watch the match, as a call for love and peace.
Who in the Arab world doesn't listen to Muhammad Fouad [an Egyptian singer], or doesn't respect Fardous Abdel Hameed [an Egyptian actress], or didn't laugh at Ahmed Bedeir's comics. And many many others.
They are pan-Arab idols.
While Algeria on the other hand has sent its warlords and criminals who were transported by military jets.
So, it's clear that Algeria hates Egypt. Yes, Algeria hates Egypt, and had declared war on us, while we kept on saying a rose for each Algerian.
Have you ever seen idiots like us before? Sure, no.

And now it's official, the media, people in the streets, and the Egyptian government are all mad over what happened in Sudan.

Zeinobia wrote here about the reactions of Egyptian officials:

Egypt has summoned our Egyptian Ambassador in one of the strongest move up till , one of the major points that our relations are from bad to worse with Algeria rapidly
The Algerian Ambassador is no where to be found in Egypt , I think he is starting to pack his stuff.
The security of the Algerian Embassy in Brazil St. in Zamalak is competing the security measures of The U.S , Israel and Denmark Embassies.
There have been calls to attack the Embassy since early morning in the facebook beside calls to
The Egyptian football association has issued an official statement rejecting and condemning the attack on our fans , it is expected that we will report to the FIFA
The EFA has withdrew from the North Africa football association
An Egyptian cinema production company “ The Arabic company for cinematic production and distribution” has announced that it is going to boycott Algerian festivals.

Egypt vs. Algeria: The Twitter Match

Jillian C. York — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:19:24 +0000

In much of the world, nothing is more unifying - or in some instances, more polarizing - than a football match. Fans of Egypt and Algeria, across the Arab world and beyond, proved that this Saturday as their teams went head to head to qualify for the World Cup finals in South Africa. While tensions ran highest in Cairo, they were also alive and well in the virtual sphere, including on Twitter, where many users reported their screen was filled with football sentiment. Twitter user mbaa sent a capture of his screen, which was flooded with talk of the match:

A tweet from Egyptian embee demonstrated the fanaticism of some fans:

Some reports claim that tickets are now entirely sold out! At the same time, Egyptian NoraYounis expressed disbelief at the unifying power of football for Egyptians:

Egyptian NohaAtef's tweet, on the other hand, showed the uplifting properties of football:

In many instances, the football matched unearthed national rivalries. Algerians and Egyptians went head to head on Twitter as the game was taking place. Egyptian Sandmonkey quipped:

Algerian-American themoornextdoor fought back, joking:

Finally, Algerian reemba reminded us that it ain't over till it's over:

Egyptians! Algerians! Wake UP!

Marwa Rakha — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 07:49:04 +0000

From ferocious marketing campaigns to Facebook wars, hacking, and owl burning, the November 14th match between Egypt and Algeria has turned into an ugly war. Egyptian-Algerian actor Ahmed Mekky dedicates this wake-up call to the hypnotized mobs:

In hats off for Mekki,
Zeinobia wrote:

After hearing provoking and insulting rap from both Egypt and Algeria attacking each other , Ahmed Mekki ; Egyptian-Algerian Actor/director/rapper released this song which I believe should have been released earlier as it could help a lot in making both sides wake up from this stupidity.

Nawara Negm is falling in love with Mekki:

احمد مكي عمل الاغنية دي: اول جريمة في الكون كانت بين اتنين اخوات؟
انا ح احبه بقى، مين اللي كاتب الكلام؟ ده واحد بيفهم
ح تفرق معاكوا كتير لو قلت لكوا اننا والجزائريين متطابقين في الدي ان ايه؟
في حاجة واحدة، اننا نثبت ان الهبل وراثة، وده يبقى سبق علمي نقدر نتقدم بيه للجامعات العالمية ونقول حققنا فتح علمي

Ahmed Mekki wrote this song? The first crime committed on earth was between two brothers? I am falling in love with him! He who writes such lyrics is someone with good brains. Would it make much of a difference if I told you that we (Egyptians) and Algerians share the same DNA? Yes! It only proves one thing; idiocy is genetic!

The lyrics:

أول جريمة فى الكون كانت بين اتنين اخوات
قابيل هايبل يا ريتنا بنتعلم من كل اللى فات
تاريخنا عاد نفسه مليون مرة و ما بنتعلمش
و بنسال نفسنا دايما طب ليه ما بنتقدمش؟
قالها راجل حكيم زمان
فى الاتحاد قوة و فى الفرقة ضعف
ياريتك تفهم معنى كلمة ضعف
عارف الغرب اتحول عالم اول ليه؟
مشيوا بالظبط عاللى فى يوم جدودك قالوا عليه
الغرب اتعلم مننا فكرة الاتحاد
و ترجم كل كتبنا للغاتهم و استفاد
و احنا بقينا عالم تالت و كرهنا لبعض زودها
خلانا عالم مكانه ساكت
يا مصر و يا جزائر انتوا احفاد شهداء
لرفع اسم العروبة فوق فدوها بالدماء
و الله لو عملتوا نص اللى اتعمل ما بينكوا ساعة ما امريكا جت غزت العراق
ما كاتش دخلت
خير أجناد الارض و اقوى و اعظم ثوار
لو اتحدتم مع بعض صوتكم هيكون جبار
قريت جرايد برة و شوفت اليو تيوب و اتنكدت
ياااه لما الحفيد يضيع جهد الجد
صراع الاخوات بقى مانشيتات فى جرايد الغرب
كل المحطوط عاليوتيوب مش تشجيع .. دى اسمها حرب
تشجيع بلدك من حقك .. مش بس حقك دا واجبك
اهتف .. قوم ارفع علمك
شجع اخوك من قلبك و اوعى تخلى الانانية و العصبية تشوه وطنك
الوطن العربى .. ما هو وطنى و وطنك
فيكو نفس الأديان .. فيكوا نفس الألوان
نفس القارة .. نفس الوطن .. انتوا الاتنين اخوات
فوقوا

The first crime on earth was between two brothers;
Cain and Abel!
How I wished we would learn from the past!
Our history has been repeated over and over a million times once and again
but we never learn!
We still wonder why we never progress though we never learn.
A wise man of all times said it:
The sum of the parts is bigger than the whole.
I wish you would really understand
the meaning of being weak and divided!
Do you know why the west is leading the world?
Because they followed exactly what your ancestors inscribed.
They learnt our belief in unity and
translated all our books into their tongues and progressed.
And here we are third world countries
and our mutual hostility made it even worse.
We have become the countries that stood still.
Yo! Egyptians and Algerians!
You are the grandsons of honorable martyrs;
who died in the name of Arab unity.
Had you done half what you are doing now
when the USA invaded Iraq, they couldn't have!
You are the best soldiers and the greatest revolutionists,
if you join forces your voice would be deafening!
I read foreign newspapers and watched YouTube videos;
I was mortified.
Alas! When the grandson puts the grandfather to shame!
The brother's war has made headlines in western media;
everything posted on YouTube is a war in the name of cheering.
Cheering for your country is not only your right; it's your duty!
Cheer! Raise her flag!
But do not let selfishness and intolerance deform the Arab world.
Yes! The Arab world is your home and mine!
We share the same roots, the same colors,
the same religions, the same continent,
the same home, yes! we are brothers!
Wake Up!

Egypt: One day before playing Algeria

Marwa Rakha — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:11:15 +0000

Hisham of GVO covered the Algerian side of the online feud and tension over the decisive football match due to take place in Cairo on November 14. The encounter will determine which of the two teams will qualify to next year's FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Some Egyptian bloggers enjoy a game with a twist.

Sue of AdBasha posted the Coca-Cola TV ad supporting the national team and wrote:

In what can only be called a brilliant initiative, CocaCola brings its fans an utter sense of nostalgia, mixed with goosebumps and smiles and even loud laughter.
With their latest National Football Team sponsorship campaign, “1989″ marks some of the best commercial content I've seen in a long while.

20 years ago, same two teams, same crucial crossroad, same month…Egypt and Algeria met for a World Cup qualifying game; A Special Dedication to 80 Million Egyptians.

Zeinobia called the campaign a beautiful marketing disaster:

If you hear tomorrow that angry Algerian hooligans have crashed every single Coca Cola bottle in their country , do not be surprised.
If you hear tomorrow that someone has set the Coca Cola factory there on fire do not be surprised.
If you find that the Algerians are calling for boycotting Coke do not be surprised.
Despite how beautiful this ad is from the artistic point of view , I do not know if it is the suitable time to release it in this tension between the two countries.
The Algerian FM has visited Egypt to speak with his Egyptian counterpart and there is talk that the presidents of both countries will attend the match in order to ensure maximum security , I do not know about the Algerian President’s security but I know ours very well.

Henkel came up with a counter campaign entitled, “From Egyptian mothers to the Egyptian team”:

Meanwhile, MohAly is fed up with all the noise:

I am definitely cheering for Egypt, I even will allow my students to leave 30 mins early to watch the match, but I still can't see why is it as important as October war (as some papers have written)?! Does this mean if Algeria wins, it will be another Naksa that will take another 40 years to fix its consequences. I am wondering that we have reached a stage where I wish that we take our work as serious as we are dealing with football issues!

Football is the opium of the masses and in Egypt it is used to distract people from real issues but what about Algeria, Zeinobia thinks that:

Algeria is suffering from the similar problems that we have in Egypt and driving anger and despair. They are headed by sick president who refuses to leave his place , an army that controls the country, ghost of terrorism moving around and youth that want to leave the country in every possible way because of the economic conditions !!

The Egyptians and Algerians love their countries so much and are extremely angry that they feel helpless in front all these challenges despite they are not ; they just need a strong motive , a strong and real motive not a pseudo match for 90 minutes.

SandMonkey summed up the war explaining how the Egyptians are gearing up:

There is a football tradition of killing owls in order to jinx your opposing team. It has been relayed to me that an Owl holocaust was started last week and is continuing until this very moment.

Tamer from the popular TV show el beit beitak went on TV a couple of days ago and informed the Egyptian audiences of the Hotel the Algerian team will be staying in, and urging the Egyptian people to “go there and hang out” until the day of the game.

How the Algerians retaliated

Algerian airlines has donated 3000 free tickets to hardcore Algerian fans in order not to have their team stand by its lonesome against the cheering might of 80,000 Egyptians.

Algerian hackers hacked the Egyptian football association webpage today, and put the Israeli flag on it (??!!!?).

Algerian municipality workers have stopped the paperwork for an Algerian girl getting married to an Egyptian guy, telling her that she can come back for it after Saturday’s game.

And what happened one day before the game

Egyptians dying for a ticket to the Game attacked all ticket selling centers in droves today. The Elite Heliopolis Sporting club managed to secure a couple of thousand tickets to sell to its members, only to have word of this reaching the Egyptian population and having hundreds of Egyptians storm into the private club to get their hands on tickets. 40 police cars were called to secure the facility.

The Bus carrying the Algerian team got attacked today, with Egyptian fans reportedly attacking it by throwing rocks at them. And then this is where the story gets hazy: The Algerians claim that the rock throwing reached such a degree, that the windows chatters and 4 of their players got injured. The Egyptian officials deny that any Algerian players got injured, and some are even claiming that the Algerians are making the entire thing up, with them breaking the glass of the bus themselves to set the Egyptians up. There are videos here and here. You make up your own mind.

Zeinobia thinks this video is sad:

It is very sad because it will be much better if I had heard those football fans screaming “We Want better education , We Want better health care system, We Want clean water and clean streets, We Want better salaries and better food , We Want democracy , We want our rights backs “ but unfortunately all what I heard was “We Want tickets” !!! It was just loud lost scream !!

Algeria-Egypt: Online Feud Over Football Match

Hisham — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:28:46 +0000

Tension is building between Egyptian and Algerian football fans ahead of a decisive match due to take place in Cairo on November 14. The encounter will determine which of both teams will qualify to next year's FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Egypt needs at least a two-goal win to force a playoff on a neutral ground while Algeria, which has failed to qualify to the World Cup since 1986, will battle to keep its current leading position in the qualifiers group. Ahead of the Saturday showdown, rival fans have been gearing up offline, as well as in heated online exchanges, escalating into a bitter “cyber-war” of intimidation.

Algerian blogger Adel [Fr], sums up the chain of events that led to the row. He writes:

Ce n’est pas sur le carré vert que le match a commencé à se jouer mais sur la toile. En attendant l’entrée des 22 joueurs sur la pelouse du fameux Cairo Stadium, la rencontre a débuté de manière assez peu banale entre les «Facebookeurs» (membres du réseau Facebook) algériens et égyptiens. Tout a commencé par de simples discussions dans les forums avant que cela ne prenne de l’ampleur. Voulant montrer leur savoir-faire dans la retouche d’image, les Egyptiens ont été les premiers à ouvrir les hostilités en publiant des photos «anti-algérien».

Les Egyptiens voulaient expliquer à travers un tel acte que leurs joueurs sont «très forts» et qu’ils sont en mesure d’écraser l’équipe nationale algérienne. Cela donna le top à une guerre d’un genre particulier. La guerre des images et des parodies.

It seems that the match already started online, away from the football pitch. Well before the 22 players entered the famous Cairo Stadium, a bitter showdown began between Algerian and Egyptian Facebookers. It all started with friendly discussions in forums, before things got out of proportion. Wanting to show their expertise in image editing, the Egyptians were the first to open hostilities by publishing “anti-Algerian” photographs.The Egyptians wanted to show that their players were the “strongest” and that they are able to crush the Algerian national team. This gave the go-ahead to a war of a peculiar kind. A war of images and parody.

Videos, dubbing scenes taken from famous Hollywood blockbusters, flooded YouTube, placing the face-off at a Homeric level.

In the following video [Ar], posted by hakemvoip [Fr], Mel Gibson is Rabah Wallace (Braveheart), an Algerian war leader who tries to galvanize his troops ahead of the much expected confrontation:

In this other video, Egyptian ulyesis welcomes Algerian fans to what he calls “hell” in Cairo:

Blogger GEMYHOoOD [Ar] posts pictures of thousands of Egyptian fans who queued up in different parts of Cairo, hoping to get tickets for the match. He publishes pictures of the gatherings:

GEMYHOoOD also posts some eyewitness accounts:

انا خدت اجازة اليوم ونزلت من الصبح لنادي الصيد الساعة 8 الصبح وللاسف لقيت موت ناس وزحمة وطابور فيه حوالي 3000 واحد ودفع وشتيمة والناس كل شوية بتزيد ومش عارف اقف من الزق والعرق بجد مهزلة

I took the day off to come to the club at 8 AM [to get tickets]. Sadly I found a huge crowd and a large queue of about 3000, with people pushing and swearing. I couldn't move. I was stuck. I thought, this is a disgrace.

The official bus of the Algerian football team, which arrived in Cairo on November 12, was allegedly assaulted by local fans, as the following video, posted on YouTube by Vidéos Mouloudia Club d'Oran, seems to be showing:

The world football governing body FIFA, felt it necessary to issue a warning to the football associations of Algeria and Egypt, reminding both that “the preliminary competition for the 2010 World Cup should end as it began, in the spirit of fair play with the necessary cooperation of all the parties.”

A website, Algerie Egypte Match [Ar, Fr], dedicated to the event and monitoring all kind of news related to the match, was created by Algerian fans.

Within this climate of bitter rivalry, some people created a group on the social networking website Facebook, pleading for more tempered feelings. Laama Bouchema posts a message on the group's Wall saying:

[A]s much as i am angry for what happend to the algerian team, i do not judge a whole nation for what some idiots did! it is stupid what angry fans are doing! for god's sake it wont matter who gets in the [Wold Cup].

Egyptian blogger Lasto Adri [Ar], deplores how what was supposed to be a sporting event, degenerated into a nasty confrontation. She writes:

مندهشة من التعصب وتدنى مستوى لغة الحوار بين مشجعى منتجب مصر ومنتخب الجزائر والظاهر بوضوح فى التعليقات على المواقع الإخبارية أو الرياضية… ومندهشة أكثر بتغذية هذه المأساه إعلاميا بتعليقات من بعض المذيعين (من كلا الجانبين)…
المشجعون الجزائريون أخطؤوا فى المبارة السابقة.. لكن هل الرد يكون هكذا؟.. هل الرد يكون بطلب البعض تسميم اللعيبة ولا إقلاقهم فى منامهم ولا توليع الإستاد وقت الماتش من التشجيع؟..

ونرفزتنى التعليقات على أغلب المواقع.. وإفتكرت لما الجزائر -بزعامة الرئيس الجزائري هواري بومدين- كانت أكتر دولة ساندت مصر فى حرب 1973، رغم فقرها الشديد..
حزينة ان انتهاء علاقة مابين شعبين تكون بشقاق على كورة…

I'm surprised by the level of intolerance and the mean language used by fans of the Egyptian and Algerian teams, which appears in most comments on news and sport websites… I'm also bewildered by the way some anchors and journalists (from both sides), are fueling this tragedy through their fiery comments…
Algerian fans misbehaved in the previous game .. but is the Egyptian reaction right? .. Should the answer be (as some suggested) the poisoning of Algerian players? Harassing and depriving them from sleep? Setting the stadium ablaze the day of the match?
I am upset by the comments on most sites .. I remembered when Algeria - led by President Houari Boumedienne - despite its extreme poverty, came to the support of Egypt in the 1973 war..
I'm saddened by the fact that such a relationship between two peoples might break up over a foot ball…

Algeria: 50 Top Algerians

Amira Al Hussaini — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:12:20 +0000

Looking for the 50 top Algerians? “Jeune Afrique has run an nice special on the 50 people who make Algeria what it is — politicians, policemen, generals, business people, cultural luminaries, and others,” writes Alle, at the Maghreb Politics Review.