Egypt: “I am writing for the sake of history”
Written byAyesha Saldanha
This post is part of our special coverage of Egypt Protests 2011.
The protests in Egypt continue, and have the attention of people not only in Egypt, but across the region and around the world. In this post we hear from a blogger who wants to remind anyone who might sympathise with President Mubarak just how things have reached this point.
Rehab Waliuddin is a translator in Cairo, and blogs at The Bird Looking From The Window. She has written a post called “I am writing for the sake of history”:
أكتب للتاريخ كي يقرأه أبنائي وأبناء إخوتي وكل الجيل القادم
أكتب للتاريخ كي يدرس ابناؤنا ثورة 2011
أكتب للتاريخ كي تقرأه أم كل شهيد قدمت ولدها فداءً للوطن
أكتب للتاريخ كي يعرف العالم كم كان المصريون أبطال
أكتب للتاريخ كي يرى الناس كيف ينصر الله الحق ولو بعد حين
أكتب للتاريخ كي يعلم الناس كيف يتم تضليلهم عبر وسائل الإعلام
أكتب للتاريخ لأسطر بها ولادة بلد كانت وستكون قائدة الأمة وأم بلاد الشرق
أكتب للتاريخ كي أسجل تاريخ ولادة مصر الحرة
أكتب للتاريخ كي يدرس ابناؤنا ثورة 2011
أكتب للتاريخ كي تقرأه أم كل شهيد قدمت ولدها فداءً للوطن
أكتب للتاريخ كي يعرف العالم كم كان المصريون أبطال
أكتب للتاريخ كي يرى الناس كيف ينصر الله الحق ولو بعد حين
أكتب للتاريخ كي يعلم الناس كيف يتم تضليلهم عبر وسائل الإعلام
أكتب للتاريخ لأسطر بها ولادة بلد كانت وستكون قائدة الأمة وأم بلاد الشرق
أكتب للتاريخ كي أسجل تاريخ ولادة مصر الحرة
أكتب للتاريخ ليعلم أبناؤنا كم ضحى آباؤهم وأمهاتهم من أجلهم
أكتب للتاريخ كي ننصب يوم الثلاثاء عيدًا لشهداء ثورة 2011
أكتب للتاريخ لنتذكر خالد سعيد ومن سبقوه وتبعوه من شهداء للتعذيب أو للثورة
أكتب للتاريخ لنتذكر بو عزيزي فتيل الثورة التونسية التي كانت أول الغيث وبداية الأمل
I am writing for the sake of history, so it will be read by my children and my brothers’ and sisters’ children and the next generation
I am writing for the sake of history, to teach our children about the revolution of 2011
I am writing for the sake of history, so it will be read by the mother of every martyr sacrificed for the nation
I am writing for the sake of history, so the world will know how many Egyptians were heroes
I am writing for the sake of history, so people will see how God makes truth victorious in the end
I am writing for the sake of history, so people will know how they were misled by the media
I am writing for the sake of history, to record the birth of a country that was and will be a leader of nations and mother of the countries of the East
I am writing for the sake of history, to record the story of the birth of free Egypt
I am writing for the sake of history, to teach our children how much their mothers and fathers sacrificed for them
I am writing for the sake of history, so we establish Tuesday [25 Jan] as a holiday commemorating the martyrs of the revolution of 2011
I am writing for the sake of history, so we remember Khaled Saeed, and those before and after him who have been victims of torture or martyrs of the revolution
I am writing for the sake of history, so we remember Bouazizi, fuse of the Tunisian revolution, who was the first drop of rain and the beginning of hope
I am writing for the sake of history, to teach our children about the revolution of 2011
I am writing for the sake of history, so it will be read by the mother of every martyr sacrificed for the nation
I am writing for the sake of history, so the world will know how many Egyptians were heroes
I am writing for the sake of history, so people will see how God makes truth victorious in the end
I am writing for the sake of history, so people will know how they were misled by the media
I am writing for the sake of history, to record the birth of a country that was and will be a leader of nations and mother of the countries of the East
I am writing for the sake of history, to record the story of the birth of free Egypt
I am writing for the sake of history, to teach our children how much their mothers and fathers sacrificed for them
I am writing for the sake of history, so we establish Tuesday [25 Jan] as a holiday commemorating the martyrs of the revolution of 2011
I am writing for the sake of history, so we remember Khaled Saeed, and those before and after him who have been victims of torture or martyrs of the revolution
I am writing for the sake of history, so we remember Bouazizi, fuse of the Tunisian revolution, who was the first drop of rain and the beginning of hope
Rehab goes on to say:
إن المصريين يتحدون للمرة الأولى إسلاميين سلفيين إخوان يساريين
مسيحيين ومسلمين
صغارًا وشبابًا وكبارًا
أغنياء وفقراء
خريجو الجامعة الأمريكية والألمانية وغير متعلمين
سكان الأحياء الراقية وسكان العشوائيات
وحدهم الظلم والقهر والفساد والتعذيب
مسيحيين ومسلمين
صغارًا وشبابًا وكبارًا
أغنياء وفقراء
خريجو الجامعة الأمريكية والألمانية وغير متعلمين
سكان الأحياء الراقية وسكان العشوائيات
وحدهم الظلم والقهر والفساد والتعذيب
The Egyptians have united for the first time – Islamists, Salafis, Muslim Brotherhood, the Left
Christians and Muslims
Young and old
Rich and poor
Graduates of the American and German universities, and the uneducated
Residents of fancy neighbourhoods and slum-dwellers
United by injustice, oppression, corruption and torture
Christians and Muslims
Young and old
Rich and poor
Graduates of the American and German universities, and the uneducated
Residents of fancy neighbourhoods and slum-dwellers
United by injustice, oppression, corruption and torture
Revolution. Photo courtesy of Iman Mosaad under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.
She adds:
اتحد الأوروبيون على اختلاف دياناتهم ولغاتهم
فلم لا يتحد المصريون وقد ولدوا من رحم واحد وشكلوا من نسيج واحد
نسيج شكلته ممارسات الفساد والظلم والقهر والفساد
لكل من تعاطف مع مبارك بعد خطابه الأخير
أنسيتم ما ضاع من مصر في ثلاثين عامًا
أنسيتم ضحايا العبارة وحريق المسرح
أنسيتم خالد سعيد وكل المعذبين من قبله
أنسيتم احتكار أحمد عز الذي يؤكد الجميع أنه كان واجهة علاء وجمال مبارك والي القوه اليوم ككبش فداء وهربوا إلى لندن تاركين والدهم لنا
أنسيتم دخل قناة السويس
أنسيتم كل ذلك لمجرد أنه قال لقد أفنيت عمري في خدمة البلد
انسيتم خطابه عند تولي الرئاسة سنة 81 عندما وعد أنه لن يمضي أكثر من فترتين فأمضى خمسة
وقال بأن الكفن لا جيوب له فاتضح أن أكفانه هو وأولاده وأعوانه لها جيوب كثيرة
فلم لا يتحد المصريون وقد ولدوا من رحم واحد وشكلوا من نسيج واحد
نسيج شكلته ممارسات الفساد والظلم والقهر والفساد
لكل من تعاطف مع مبارك بعد خطابه الأخير
أنسيتم ما ضاع من مصر في ثلاثين عامًا
أنسيتم ضحايا العبارة وحريق المسرح
أنسيتم خالد سعيد وكل المعذبين من قبله
أنسيتم احتكار أحمد عز الذي يؤكد الجميع أنه كان واجهة علاء وجمال مبارك والي القوه اليوم ككبش فداء وهربوا إلى لندن تاركين والدهم لنا
أنسيتم دخل قناة السويس
أنسيتم كل ذلك لمجرد أنه قال لقد أفنيت عمري في خدمة البلد
انسيتم خطابه عند تولي الرئاسة سنة 81 عندما وعد أنه لن يمضي أكثر من فترتين فأمضى خمسة
وقال بأن الكفن لا جيوب له فاتضح أن أكفانه هو وأولاده وأعوانه لها جيوب كثيرة
The Europeans united regardless of their faiths and languages
Why shouldn’t Egyptians unite when they have been born from one womb and formed from one fabric
A fabric woven from the experience of corruption, injustice, oppression and more corruption
And to those who sympathise with Mubarak after his recent speech:
Have you forgotten what Egypt has lost in the last thirty years?
Have you forgotten the victims of the ferry and the theatre fire?
Have you forgotten Khaled Saeed, and all the victims of torture before him?
Have you forgotten the monopoly of Ahmed Ezz, who everyone asserts was the front for Alaa and Gamal Mubarak who have now discarded him as a scapegoat, and escaped to London leaving their father for us?
Have you forgotten the income of the Suez Canal?
Have you forgotten all this just because he said, “I have spent my entire life in the service of my country”?
Have you forgotten his speech on becoming president in 1981, when he promised that he would not spend more than two terms as president – and spent five?
He said that a shroud has no pockets – but it’s clear that his shroud and those of his sons and his cronies have many pockets
Why shouldn’t Egyptians unite when they have been born from one womb and formed from one fabric
A fabric woven from the experience of corruption, injustice, oppression and more corruption
And to those who sympathise with Mubarak after his recent speech:
Have you forgotten what Egypt has lost in the last thirty years?
Have you forgotten the victims of the ferry and the theatre fire?
Have you forgotten Khaled Saeed, and all the victims of torture before him?
Have you forgotten the monopoly of Ahmed Ezz, who everyone asserts was the front for Alaa and Gamal Mubarak who have now discarded him as a scapegoat, and escaped to London leaving their father for us?
Have you forgotten the income of the Suez Canal?
Have you forgotten all this just because he said, “I have spent my entire life in the service of my country”?
Have you forgotten his speech on becoming president in 1981, when he promised that he would not spend more than two terms as president – and spent five?
He said that a shroud has no pockets – but it’s clear that his shroud and those of his sons and his cronies have many pockets
Rehab concludes:
لقد أمهله الله كثيرًا لكنه تصور أنه أهمله، وبعث له بالعديد من العظات منها وفاة حفيده الذي رحمه الله من ان يكون خلفًا لأسوء سلف
وبعث له ثورة تونس وهروب بن علي لكنه لم يتعظ
ولم يتخل عن عناده العسكري العتيد
أخيرًا أذكر لكل من يحب مصر حتى وإن لم تتفق معي ادع اليوم لمصر وانتصار الحق وهلاك للظالمين
وبعث له ثورة تونس وهروب بن علي لكنه لم يتعظ
ولم يتخل عن عناده العسكري العتيد
أخيرًا أذكر لكل من يحب مصر حتى وإن لم تتفق معي ادع اليوم لمصر وانتصار الحق وهلاك للظالمين
God has granted him a lot, but imagine he has neglected him, and sent him many warnings, including the death of his grandson, who was spared from inheriting such a dishonorable legacy
He sent him the Tunisian revolution and Ben Ali’s flight, but Mubarak did not take the warning
He didn't depart from his usual military stubbornness
Finally, I remind all of you who love Egypt, even if you do not agree with me, pray today for Egypt, and the victory of truth, and the destruction of oppressors
He sent him the Tunisian revolution and Ben Ali’s flight, but Mubarak did not take the warning
He didn't depart from his usual military stubbornness
Finally, I remind all of you who love Egypt, even if you do not agree with me, pray today for Egypt, and the victory of truth, and the destruction of oppressors
Written byAyesha Saldanha
1 comment
let them keep writing for history, for their children, for their freedom. we are listening. we stand with them.