Global Voices Online » Egypt

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/Gaza: “Trashy” music video clips

Amira Al Hussaini — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:00:32 +0000

‘I wasn’t surprised to see during my my trip to Egypt and Gaza that no one watches music videos anymore. When I asked few people about their choice of boycotting music videos, the answer was similar, “they have gotten trashy”,' writes Hanitizer at Arab-American group blog KABOBfest.

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: Football isn't just a game

Amira Al Hussaini — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 21:48:07 +0000

Maryanna Stroud Gabbani, who lives in Egypt, shares her two cents on the ‘action' which followed the Algeria-Egypt football match, which saw Algeria qualify to the World Cup finals, being held in South Africa in 2010.

Egypt: Elimination of Violence Against Women Day Marked

Amira Al Hussaini — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 21:36:54 +0000

Egyptian Ibn Ad Dunya marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women with this post.

Egypt's First Adult Graphic Novel Officially Banned

Marwa Rakha — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:54:40 +0000

In April 2008, freedom of speech and creativity in Egypt was hit in its core with the confiscation of Magdy El Shafee's adult graphic novel - Metro. Since then the author and his publisher have been on trial and while every one was busy with the football war between Egypt and Algeria, the court officially banned the novel.

Bikya Masr group blog see the verdict as “Another blow to free speech in Egypt as graphic novelist gets no love from court“

It was supposed to signal a new era in Egyptian novels. The country’s first graphic novel, Metro, was supposed to be a show of free speech and artistic merit. Instead, it has become the hallmark of what rights groups say is the Egyptian government’s continued censorship of what its citizens can write. On Sunday, a Cairo misdemeanors court fined author Magdy el-Shafei and publisher Mohamed Sharkawi 5000 Egyptian pounds ($900) and demanded the confiscation of the novel after accusing them of writing and distributing a novel, which included statements and phrases considered “offensive to public morals.”

Sarah Carr is furious; people got so absorbed in the Egypt-Algeria football war and forgot about every thing else

Shahinaz Abdel Salam is disappointed

The author Magdy El Shafee refuses to give up and promises to appeal

Fine! We lost the first round … no problem! We will not lose the second!

Egypt: President Mubarak and the Egyptian Dignity

Marwa Rakha — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:55:09 +0000

In the aftermath of the Egypt-Algeria match in Sudan, Egyptian football fans demonstrated in Zamalek in front of the Algerian embassy in Cairo on Thursday night and on Friday afternoon. The President's eldest son, Alaa Mubarak, instigated the riots live on national TV. On the morning of Saturday November 21, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak gave a speech in a joint session of the parliament's two house (People’s Assembly and Shura Council) where, without directly mentioning Algeria, he said that the dignity of Egyptians is part of the dignity of Egypt and vowed that Egypt will not tolerate those who insult its citizens.

Mubarak's Speech

Sarah Carr is skeptical about Mubarak's speech:

Mubarak: “The welfare of our citizens abroad is the responsibility of the country. We look after their rights and reject violations and transgressions against them.” - and he continued saying and they are violated under our auspices inside Egypt!

Jasmine Aladdin is keeping her fingers crossed

I really wish Mr. President that this is not just cheap talk to let some steam out. I also hope that Egyptians stop giving Egypt a bad name abroad by allowing others to step all over their pride in the name of making a living! What have we got left other than our dignity?

Sharif Hafez is a political analyst who admires the President's wisdom when he asked Parliament Members to keep their calm and not act on impulse

This is a true lesson in politics for everyone; politics is not about speaking your mind on impulse, it's rather the ability to stay in control and walk your talk - we do not need more defeats!

Perwin Ali is not happy with BBC News headlines!

Dr. As`ad AbuKhalil - The Angry Arab is angry at lawmakers in Egypt for “applauding”

What is the job of Egyptian lawmakers except to applaud the comments of the president. Some of the lawmakers were friends of my father, and they applauded for Nasser, and then applauded for Sadat, and then applauded for Mubarak. Do you know that the Mustafa Khalil, who led Egypt's peace with Israel process was a staunch Nasserist, under Nasser?

And Zeinobia wonders about Egyptian's dignity inside Egypt

Mubarak said in his speech in front of the people’s assembly and the Shura Council that the Egyptian citizens abroad are the responsibility of the state and that the dignity of Egyptians is from the dignity of Egypt !!

I do not know what to say except that Mr. President none of this could have happen if we are enjoying our dignity as Egyptian citizens inside Egypt in the first place !!?? Please tell these words to the victims of police brutality , please them again to thousands of Egyptians abroad who haven been humiliated enough around the globe because of your economic policies for 28 years. Mr. President please these words to the families who lost their members on the borders with Israel , on the board of flight 990 , on the board of Al Salam ferry and on the board of Badr I.

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

Yemen: A Civil or Proxy War?

Tarek Amr — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 08:42:48 +0000

The ongoing war in Yemen certainly warrants coverage on Global Voices Online, but I was really shocked when I realized that there weren't many bloggers interested in the conflict. Here are some scattered extracts from post written by bloggers from different countries.

Yemeni journalist Nasser Arrabye keeps a dairy of his coverage on Blogspot. Last August, he wrote about the military actions between the Yemeni government and the Houthi rebels:

The Yemeni government said Thursday it would take a military actions to liberate schools and government buildings used as barracks by Al Houthi rebels in Sa'ada, north of the country.

He then continued:

The statement came after information about fierce battles between the rebels and government troops in which dozens were killed and injured from both sides over this week.
“Since President Ali Abdullah Saleh ordered the halt of the military operations, the saboteurs and terrorists continued their attacks on the citizens and security forces, committing heinous crimes against everyone including elders, children and women, in addition to kidnapping, cutting roads, destroying houses,” the statement added.

But it seems that the Houthi rebels had a different point of view:

The Al Houthi rebels said, however, they were only defending themselves and they do not want a new war.

A few months later, no one was able to stop the ongoing war. But a new question was raised: Is it a civil war taking place in Yemen, or are there other parties participating in this war as well.

The Houthis claimed that the Saudis are participating in the on going war, and their troops are there to help the Yemeni government. The government, on the other hand, denied this. Nasser Arrabyee wrote:

A Yemeni military official denied Monday Al Houthi rebels' allegations that the army used a Saudi base to attack them.
The Saudi authorities have “allowed Yemeni army to use a Saudi base in Jabal Al Dukhan from which it launched attacks,” said Al Houthi in statement sent through emails.
The military official, who asked not to be named, said Al Houthi tries only to cover his defeats by speaking about Saudi interference. “Jabal Al Dukhan is Yemeni not Saudi lands,” he said. This is not the first time Al Houthi rebels accuse Saudi authorities of intervening in the war.

But few days later Nasser Arrabyee wrote another post in his blog:

At least 5 Saudi soldiers and 15 Al Houthi rebels were killed in fierce confrontations between the rebels and Saudi forces in Al Khuba and Jabal Al Dukhan in Jaizan area south of the Kingdom, local sources said Thursday.
The leader of the rebels Abdul Malik Al Houthi said in a statement Thursday that the Saudi army is bombarding his fighters' posts in Al Malahaid frontline far west of Sa'ada, “with all kinds of weapons”.

So the Houthi claims about a Saudi intervention were true, and that's what forced Gregory to raise the following questions:

I get the impression that the idea of wading into the muck that is the northern revolt is not something that has been well thought out in Saudi Arabia, which also gets at something else I have been asking for a while: who exactly is running Saudi Arabia's Yemen portfolio? It certainly is not Sultan. And although Muhammad bin Nayif clearly has charge of the AQ section, Saudi Arabia is not the US and is not only focused on al-Qaeda. It has a multi-faceted relationship with Yemen.
My impression is that no one individual is in charge, but that different individuals are taking turns steering the thing with little idea of where they are going besides bouncing from crisis to crisis trying to keep the crazy Yemenis and their problems from flooding across the border.

Sapphire then left a comment on Gregory's post, and tried to elaborate why Saudi Arabia decided to enter that war:

Now, why did the Saudis decide to step in with their military into Yemen? Word has it that after loosing Iraq on their northern border to the Shi'ats of Iraq, they cannot and will not tolerate another Shi'at state on their southern border too, assuming that is, that the Huthis defeat the central Yemeni government and win their independence.

The Egyptian blogger Zeinobia wasn't pleased with the Saudi intervention:

Officially Saudi Arabia has declared war on the Houthi rebels , I will not discuss if its right or not or if it a battle in a bigger regional war but I will discuss the fact that Saudi Arabia mostly will not win this war easily or hardly as it hopes with all that multi-million gadgets they have simply because this is a guerrilla war in the mountains!

She then continued:

I do not know why the Saudis are heading to the same swamp we went to in mid 1960s , of course it is an irony because they used to back up the Yemenis against us !!! In fact I read some news claiming that KSA used White phosphorus against the civilians there !! Is this a deja Vu ??!!??

But was it only the Saudis who have been involved in the war? An Iranian ship was seized near the Yemeni coasts. And that's what made Nasser Arrabyee write the following:

An Iranian ship laden with weapons believed to be on its way to Al Houthi rebels was seized on October 26th, 2009, off the coasts of the Midi harbour in the far north west of Yemen. The 6-member crew, five Iranians and Indian, are now under investigations in the Yemeni capital Sana'a. The Iranian embassy in Sana'a denied at the time that the ship was carrying weapons.

And hence Gregory wrote about a possible proxy war taking place in Yemen:

“So it is a Saudi-Iranian proxy war,” he said. (The he being: Simon Henderson, director of Gulf and energy policy at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy in Washington.)

The involvement of Saudi Arabia, Iran, Sunnis and Shi'ats, rang a special bell in Abul Maali Fayek's head as it seems that what he was afraid of has happened:

وقع ما كنا نحذر منه من إشعال الفتنة الطائفية بين السنة والشيعة،وعلى شيوخ الفضائيات أن يسنوا رماحهم ويجلسوا ليتفرجوا على معارك المسلمين بعضهم البعض،ولعل الشيخ عرعور وقناته الطائفية “قناة صفا” لعلهم يكونو قد استراحوا قليلا بعد أن شاهدوا الحرب الدائرة بين دولة عربية مسلمةوكبيرة فى الحجم والمقام هى المملكة العربية السعودية وبين مسلمين آخرين فى اليمن الشقيق هم جماعة “الحوثيين الشيعة” واستمرار تلك المعارك ليس فى صالح أحد

What I warned you of has happened, a sectarian conflict between Sunnis and Shi'ats. And now it's the Satellite Channel's clerics turn to pour some gasoline on the sectarian conflict fire, and keep watching fights between Muslims. And may be then, Sheik Aarour and his sectarian channel “Safa”, may be then they will be happy watching the war between a big and respected Muslim nation, which is Saudi Arabia, and their Muslim brothers in Yemen, who are the Shi'at Houthis. The continuation of such fights isn't for the benefit of anyone.

And finally Zeinobia was wondering here if the Arab League of Nations still existed and why it wasn't taking any actions to stop this war:

I do not know if it is ironic or sad ; Arab and Muslim blood should not be spilled like this by the hands of another Arab and Muslim blood !! We are one by the end of the day.
I do not know where the role of the Arab league when you need it , Amr Moussa seems out of town , well guess out he is losing points as possible presidential candidate !!

***Also on Global Voices Online: Saudi Arabia: We'll Defend Ourselves - For The Right Reason

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.

Sudan: ‘Brainless Comedy' in Egyptian Movies

Amira Al Hussaini — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:27:26 +0000

Sudanese Reem Shawkat writes on Mideast Youth about the “brainless comedy” in Egyptian movies.

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.