See You...!!!!

It is enough, see you sometime.......................

Peaceful Explosion II

The second and third perspectives are really interesting. As they were mentioned in part I they go as follows:

• The war is between Israel and Lebanon.
• The war is between Israel and the Arab world.

The principle issue with both perspectives can be considered rather internally. It highlights a plethora of defects in the Arab body in a very compact way; people will in opposition to rulers’ will. Regardless of any different motivations, the Arab rulers reacted in a way that, in fact, gave Israel the required cover to continue its barbarian attack on the Lebanese nation. Breaking the scene into parcels, the Arab rulers’ position may be described sequentially:

• For Hezbollah is the aching thorn in their backs – each with his own considerations – they point out Hezbollah as the trigger of this unbalanced and unplanned fight.
• Therefore, Hezbollah is blamed for the war.
• They try to convince the peoples of their account. Each using his methods. Thanks to the KSA for lending its hand to the USA by claiming that it’s sinful for the Sunni to help the Shiite. The Egyptian peace dreamer Mubarak claims that Hezbollah destabilises the heavenly peace in the Middle East, forgetting those who die daily in Gaza, but why not? He actually forgot those two Egyptian soldiers who died for nothing on the borders with Israel.
• They play the lead clowns who cry for a flourishing human spirit, so they politely ‘request’ a cease-fire.
• The play is not finished yet, they allow local newspapers to damn Israel on every single page so that they deceive the plunging Arab anger.
• Finally, they are on the safe side; Israel wins, their account is practically proven. Hezbollah/Lebanon wins; they will find a way to get around as they did many times in the past.

On the contrary, the main public Arab account refuses this uncivilised attack. However, the play goes on with the same set of rules, which prevents the public voice to reach any power position. This extreme dualism, typically, defines the whole Arab world. At this point I am directing my attention to a more internal level.

There are only two ways for the Arab countries to help Lebanon: a) being powerful countries and b) being united. Actually, this argument is, somewhat, misleading. A clearer argument would be for the Arab countries to be powerful they must become united, but still they can unite without each country becomes powerful. However, the two arguments are valid and highly related. But can the Arab country really unite? Can they really become powerful? Devastatingly, with the current Arab condition they cannot achieve unity or power. This leads us to another level; the national level.

I will take Egypt as an example throughout my arguments. I am not going to discuss whether the Egyptian ruling regime is formed to be a dictatorship or not, you can take a look at the rest of posts. Also, I am not going to discuss the relatively fabric subject – at least it is so in Egypt – of the effect of dictatorship on a country power and position. Simply, our experience in Egypt shows that this dictatorship has been leading us to an ever increasing humiliating position both locally in our own country and internationally. Not only cannot Egypt unite with other Arab countries but also it cannot be any powerful. By unity I refer to common goals, set of methods and mentalities at the political, economical and social level which aim at a prospering Arab world. Nonetheless, there are other types of unity taking place in the Arab world, for example, the somewhat common view of KSA and Egypt. But this latter type, in fact, aims to get the Arab world into a worse position, as both the Saudi and Egyptian rulers manage to remain, legally, in power. For they stay in power some will say it is not going any worse, I consider this foolish. As time passes and the same symbols of submission still present in the Arab world any forming social volition will always be weakened to the degree it does not make any difference other than temporal disturbance. This unity aims to break any symbol of resistance. By resistance I am referring to a state of refusal and rejection which is able to ally the people in the face of their rulers. So is Hezbollah becoming the symbol of resistance?

This section is for those who are pleased by swings. The argument is, basically, twofold; religious fundamentalism and refusal of current state – not the State or government and such things. I am picking the second part first. Hezbollah refuses to compromise with the Israeli streams of actions or even its existence. Also, it refuses to accept the American views concerning the Middle East, which when seen as a part of a whole it means the American views on general. Contrariwise, the Arab ruling regimes accept and aid just the opposite. Internally, the majority of social scenes refuse what the ruling regimes do, which groups them with Hezbollah in a way or another. This may seem an oversimplification, but it is not. What makes Hezbollah different from the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt is very simple; Hezbollah is located in Lebanon. This means that Hezbollah does not claim rearranging the social hierarchy in Egypt, which when claimed by the Muslim Brotherhood is opposed by many accounts. Hezbollah just, remotely, materialises many Egyptians’ wishes. How many Egyptians feel happy and, oddly, victorious when Hezbollah damages an Israeli tank? They are so many. Also, many Egyptians believe that Hezbollah’s help to the Palestinians is honester and much more effective than that of the Egyptian ruling regime. Hezbollah challenges the current state, which is defended by the Arab ruling regimes. Thus, it challenges the Arab ruling regimes. Many people wish they could have been able to challenge the current Arab conditions or at least the Arab ruling regimes. So, Hezbollah, naively, symbolises resistance if it remains in focus. This is supported by the lack of any effective account which is able to challenge the current ruling regimes.

The second part is religious fundamentalism. Actually, this fundamentalism is a powerful drive for idealising Hezbollah position in the Arab world. In part because it unites the Arab world with other ‘Islamic’ countries – a term I wish I could find a replacement for, but this is how a world came apart due to religions may be described. One of these Islamic countries is Iran, which is seen a hero by the Arabian eye for its refusal to the American and Israeli plans in the Middle East. The more important reason is again the lack of any similar account which refuses the current state and realises its views. The most important reason is yet to come; when people suffer poverty, lack of cultural understandings or distorted ones, insufficient education process, inability to follow any political directions – mostly due to the previous sufferings – and, in turn, suppression of dictatorships, they are directed by virtue to their elementary intuitive backgrounds to judge different things. After all is gone the intuitive background is their religion. The evidence for this argument is really an apparent one; the Arab rulers know this condition well. So, they employ religion to direct the peoples whenever they are out of other tricks. They put on faith and go haunting for fearful souls of sin. Poverty is not a must suffering for this condition, but it is an extra and fertile reason to support the condition to hold. In Saudi Arabia poverty, as a suffering, may not be of significant importance, but the other factors drive the condition very well to fit into position. However, the condition is double sided as it became so apparent in the current situation of war. The forming condition of the Arabian mentality could not be used by the Arab rulers, so the tables are now turned. First, what happens in Iraq teaches the Arab peoples a very hard lesson about how wars and conflicts between the Sunni and Shiite may be. Ironically, the Arab rulers exploited the lesson to prove some of their account earlier, so it was hard for them to conflict themselves. Second, in a world where Muslims are treated and conceived differently and badly, then, there forms an intuitive unity between the Sunni and Shiite in face of others. However, KSA tried playing the trick again, so it received a very hard slap on the face. Nonetheless, there are people who are convinced with what the heavenly blessed Saudi Arabia has announced. The Egyptian peace dreamer figured out that he can’t play the trick form the beginning. Partially, because the Egyptian regime would be easily defeated in such a battle of religious advices as the Muslim Brotherhood would strike and gain more popularity – they did just the same with the Saudi position. In addition, the ‘official’ Islamic opinion of al-Azhar would not be so clear because of all the contrasts between the regime’s interest and the religious advice, especially with the Muslim Brotherhood stalking. The Egyptian church account was so expected; it just had the peace dreamer’s back covered. However, the church position is, actually, challenged by many Christian Egyptian figures. So, the final outcome is that Hezbollah is supported by the majority of the Arab people for its account and for many for its religious model as well.

The key to fundamentalism is distorted cultural understandings. These cultural understandings are yet outcomes of other factors; social, economical, familial and other cultural heritages. The interesting point here is that these factors are also the factors which remarkably form identity. However, this is not my concern.

My actual concern may be addressed in one question: can the Arab and Israeli live together in peace? There are situation when they both communicate in normal environments, such as, international youth camps. There, after some barriers resolve, both can communicate normally like any other people. They may have friendships for a while. Also, there are peace campaigns and organisations founded and run by both Arabs and Israelis to work together to find the missing peace in the Middle East. But the question which remains unanswered is whether this kind of human relationships is going to be lasting and fruitful. The answer can be found in everyday life; when two friends each goes through different life experiences so that their lives change, they, most probably, lose their friendship for their different livings, although they may still love each other. This is a very simple example which most of us experienced some day, but it also fits our issue very well. In Israel and the Arab world there are people who are willing to live in peace – regardless of morality of peace in this context. However, they are not the majority, but they form a potential reason for peace in the future. The other part is that of ruling regimes. In Israel the ruling regime is hunger for realising its ideological and religious views using the safety threshold to convince Israeli people of whatever it wants and aided with potential identity-related factors. In the Arab world the ruling regimes work solely to remain in power exercising every means of suppression on their people. The interest for both the Israeli and Arab regimes is to work together. For the Israeli regime this aids realising its views in an easier way and for the Arab regimes it helps them to stay as it brings the American aid. Interests in our world always defeat human values and goals; democracy became the cover for the kill and social orders turned out to be a tool to bring freedom and equality in line. From the accounts of ruling regimes in both Israel and the Arab world one may conclude that the motives and potentials for peace already exist. However, one would be wrongfully thinking. The account of the Israeli ruling regime shapes the feelings and thoughts of the Israeli people towards the Arab; it encourages them to discriminate and hate the Arab as they are of a lower rank. Nothing could be telling more than the photos of young Israeli kids writing on missiles, which will be finally launched to kill Arab people. The Arab regimes account is not so much different, although it employs different drive; Israel kill Arab people nearly on daily basis in Palestine, yet the Arab regimes co-operate with Israel. The resultant feeling is of humiliation and, in turn, more hate for the Israeli. When this feeling is coupled with the Israeli occupation of the holy land and barbarian actions the outcome becomes nothing expect anger which can only be directed to violence. It is no tragedy, but it is just a daily scenario of how our modern civilised life crushes humanities.

Israel is a fundamentalist country which is built around religion. Also, it is being threatened by religious fundamentalist. The Israeli people found their saviour in fundamentalism and so did the Arab. Each claiming rights it becomes a never ending maze. Although there are many historical pieces of evidence shows that the land which Israel claims is Arab’s, they have no reach to power. Finally, force becomes the resort. So, there will no peace in the Middle East as long as these conditions continue to exist. And as longs as religions find their way to make the world comes apart Israel will exist resulting in nothing but thriving violence.

The thing that we have to do in Egypt – and in most if not all other Arab countries – is changing the ruling regime so that a new Egypt may be able to help another Arab country. The mysterious part is that the method by which this regime may be changed, the model to which a change should lead and by whom a change may be brought. There will be more posts about this issue in the future.

Who is Against Who? II

There is no way that anybody can not be touched and deeply hurt by what is happening to Lebanon now, the Lebanese people are paying the price , probably a price for something that they never bought or never will know what is it for.

Again, this whole Israeli/Hezbollah war is another example of the extent of confusion and uncertainty in the political theatre which is intended to further divide the body that is called Arab’s more and more.

The Shiite/Sunni conflict is in its highest summit now to the point that Saudi Mufti is condemning sympathy with Hezbollah. If we remember shortly before his death, Al-Zarqawi called Hezbollah a strap that is protecting Israel from the Sunni’s. The Egyptian government accused Hezbollah of being the initiator in this conflict by kidnapping the 2 soldiers.
On the other hand, Lebanon is being squashed by Israeli forces claiming military revenge from Hezbollah, among those war operations, people are being in a swing day to day between feeling of sympathy and anger from the massacres against Lebanese people and the support and hope when they hear a victory of Hezbollah.

Hezbollah himself is standing against the Israeli attack with extreme amount of powerfulness and self-confidence, this stand is gaining Hezbollah an increased popularity and support.

But, I have some un-answered questions:

1. Why did Israel decide to respond brutally against an offense that is totally out of proportion to the Israeli response, it looks to me as if Israel was waiting for this to happen to justify the attacks?
2. What Israel is going to gain from those attacks, does Israel think that they will be able to squash Hezbollah? I doubt it.
3. Why does the Egyptian government and Egyptian media give mixed messages: The official response of the government does not seem to be sympathetic with Hezbollah, while newspaper on daily basis increase the heat among people against Israel “Which is the right thing to do”, but it is hard to imagine that our Journalism is so independent from the government to the point that it follow a stream not approved by the regime
4. Is there any role to Syria and Iran in this war, are they pushing Hezbollah against Israel at this particular time to relief the pressure on both states from the USA.

Finally, I think that Lebanese people as the rest of Arab people are only audience in the roman political theatre;but they are a new type of audience; not only they pay the price of the play while some one else is moving all the actors and gaining all the benefit, but also they may be a victim to the Lions in the same roman theatre for the amusement of other audience.

Peaceful Explosion I

In our civilised world there are many values, however, we are still uncertain of one of them, it is Man's life. Michael Servetus puts it so "to kill a man is not to defend a doctrine, but to kill a man.” In a world echoing truths of humanity still Man is not an answer. We are still divided as to unfold hierarchies. Man's value is pre-conceived dependent upon his origins. Let the global funerals blacken the world for the death of an American or European soul, Let the reasons be derived about those hundreds or maybe thousands of Arab dead bodies, have they done anything wrong led to their death?!

There is a war taking place in Lebanon, or following an old fashion in the Arab world. It goes without saying that there are many smart perspectives: a) the war is between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas, b) the war is between Israel and Lebanon and c) the war is between Israel and the Arab world. Whatever perspective you take there are many Lebanese and a few Israeli dying! Here we are concerned with the first perspective only, the other two perspective will be the subjects of other posts.

The first perspective is mainly Western's but it is still taken up by the most of wise Arab rulers. Following the dominant trend, Hezbollah is a terrorist Islamic fundamentalist organisation. Here we have two parts. The first is terrorism and the second is Islamic fundamentalism. Hezbollah claims it has captured the two Israeli soldiers as internees to interchange them with its own Lebanese internees in the Israeli prisons. Many of these Lebanese internees have been in the Israeli prisons for nearly twenty-six years. This cannot be considered terrorism for very simple reasons: a) Israel occupies the Lebanese Shebaa Farms and b) there is no peace treaty between Lebanon and Israel. In war this is not terrorism. The US occupies Iraq, no terrorism. Hezbollah fights for rights, this is terrorism. Maybe intentions are ruling the world. The American goal of occupying Iraq is a good one, then occupation is good! Quoting Albert Einstein it goes "you cannot prevent and prepare for war at the same time.”

There is something missing, one cannot talk about Israel and neglect fundamentalism. For those who forget Israel is a country in which every aspect of life is based around religion, even nationality. The West neglects that Israel doesn't provide citizenship for non-Jewish people - so civilised democratic non-religious based fashion. The fight is between two religious fundamentalist entities, however, the world keeps a blind eye. But why we should bother now, France and the UK which work hard to prevent Iran from getting nuclear technologies are the very same which remarkably and secretly aided Israel to build its nuclear weapons. No country has precise information about the Israeli nuclear weapons! However, Israel gets a lot of prises for that. Ferment France and the UK are exploiting every means to prevent nuclear weapons from spreading, they seek to make the world a better peaceful place. However, their methods are really selective. They make the world a better place by providing an outlaw country, which refuses to ratify or co-operate in any work done by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), with nuclear weapons. Israel is not Pakistan, which was considered a terrorist country until the US could make good relationships with it to use it for the American good. Israel is basically the West's best friend, at least for the West. The US, officially, refuses any attempt to encourage Israel to cease fire as it hopes the war would result in disarming Hezbollah. Put it plainly, the US encourages Israel to kill Lebanese people to disarm Hezbollah. But why? Good question, cruel answer. This encouragement is to allow Israel to kill more people at will. Implant a thorn in a body filled with oil, buy the dictator mind and you get the oil plus an open market - the rotten body needs medicine. It is known that Bush has strong relationships with energy companies. The interesting part is that terrorism has never been given a definition on the international political level. The reason is simple; terrorism is customised on every occasion to fit the West's needs. This is our dirty world. Devils dance in angels' way.

If the war targets Hezbollah then what about these dead Lebanese, they are many by the way? What about destroying the Lebanese infrastructure? What about terrifying the Lebanese people? What about the Lebanese children who saw the burnt bodies of their parents? Who is responsible for the future dark memories of these children? For two Israeli internees who Israel portrayed as kidnapped soldiers it blasts Lebanon then it calls what it is doing war against terrorism! Terrorism is to take an innocent life and in our case the innocent life is Lebanese.

Terrorism is to slain every mind who attempts to look at history. How in a civilised world knowledge becomes so proprietary! Israel claims holocaust, anyone else goes the opposite direction is trailed and most probably jailed! Despite of correctness or incorrectness, it remains terrorism when some country or person monopolies the truth.

One question left unanswered, what is the value of non-Westerns and those who don’t help the West? Ask the civilised West! It is all about interest. Bring me advantages you become so precious – for the moment – otherwise, you become so despised.

“Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity” – Author unknown

To be continued.....

Journalism,Sanity and the Iron Capsule

In the last few months, a huge deal of talks, protests, movements were surrounding judges’ stand in front of the regime, rightfully so, but frustratingly enough, the real results of all that effervescence is still not appreciated.
Now, Journalists and Journalism are in a big stand against the regime, which is not less crucial than Judges’ stand.
I am confounded by the fact that there is nearly no word on that issue; this brings the idea of twisted priorities of blogging again to focus.
Are we just a safety valve to relief the pressure inside the congested society ? are we a hole among other holes in the wall of the Iron Capsule? are we just keeping our sanity by blogging ?

One Piece of an Online Chat

This is a real conversation between me and one of my friends who works in one of the Gulf countries, we were chatting over yahoo. He was a little un-happy because he was not selected for promotion .
I am not trying to turn it personal; read on and u will know what I mean.

Him: U know I feel I am weak
Me: we are all weak , But we have to be strong like steel from inside, so what hurt us or cause injury to us , do it only from outside in the skin not to the core, and I know that u r not week
u r actually a very strong guy.
Him: thanks, I am not week because of my problem
Me: but?
Him: I am week because of my country, I feel I am homeless..
Me: yes, but we can not change our nationality, also, we are responsible for that, This also should not make us want to change our identities.
Him: Egypt for rich people and weld Elkalb we bas
Me: Our country is bad because bad people rule.
Him: Yes, it is
Me: We should change this, but all of us run away to another country, when there is enough brave people to change this and are willing to die for it, it will change.
Him: If I am Indian or Philippine they con not do that with me

Me: So, we can not blame the country, we have to blame ourselves, always remember that, Egypt is a victim.

Him: I love it but I hate it 2
Me: I think u should not hate the country, u should hate the bad condition of it.
Him: Everyday I see me tear, really, Believe me
Me: U have to ask yourself what can u do to change this.
Him: Which change, I have to change so many things
Me: Change our country , we all can do
Him: 1st ask yourself from where u start or u end
Me: If we all work together
Him: It is so much
Me: I know
Him: So, u want me back home to change it

Me: Not really, First thing is to be strong so u can withstand troubles, strong meaning, have money, have power and have science, when there is big group of people who are strong gather, they can together change, u can not be strong in Egypt now, So, I advice u to try to stay out as much as u can to be sronger BUT never lose your love to Egypt, cause u will be able to something later when u are strong enough, does this make sense??

Him: Yes, I promise u to do my best
Me: Great

Snapshots from Civilized Places II

1-If you work for the federal government, and then you certify that you will not strike.
Good, the government secures the right of strike but not to its workers.

2-Free dance classes for children with cancer, University of Oregon is sponsoring the study to see whether dancing will affect the outcome of those children.
I guess if this is true, then when someone gets a cancer, he should immediately buy Soheir Zaky CD’s

3-Another bogus study found out those patients with serious heart problems do worse when their families pray for them.
Who in the earth would sponsor this study…?

4-Moslem Egyptians and Christian Egyptians had a fight “Big real fight” in the streets of Seattle sometime in the last few weeks.

How to be an activist in 3 seconds

Just make a random mix of talks about the following:
1-Human Rights
2-Women Rights
3-Coptic Prosecution
4-Detained Bloggers
5-Random Personal Experiences
6-Sexual Freedom
7-Resenting Religions
8-Communism and socialist theories
9-Whatever topic others are talking about at the same time , e.g Judges...
10-Egypt is Not an Arabic country

P.S. : Try to use ambiguous vague terms as much as you can.

Do We Have a Winner?

I guess it is all had been arranged. We just have to -helplessly- wait and see what is going to happen.

But let us go over the possible options of change:

1- Gamal Mubarak: He is the candidate number one, he does have better chances of being the president than others, but if he was so sure, he would not have tried to make deals with Moslem brotherhood, besides, his last visit to the US might be a sign of desperateness. On the other hand, he has many control buttons under his fingers, inlcuding the National Democratic Party, Political powerful figures "Zakareia Azmy, Ahmed Fathy Sorour", The republican Guard "Al Haras Al Gomhuri", and the businessmen who are a substantial power.

2-Omar Sulayman: I believe he is the most powerful man in Egypt now, well connected and more importantly he has all the information and knows about all the deals and he is the only one who is capable of planning a plot that will get him in Power . But on the other hand, his loyalty to Mubarak Family is strong, and his US ties are un-certain.

3-Moslem Brotherhood or Mahdy 3akef: On the surface, it appears that the US is against MB, but there are chances that the US would let an Islamic Radicalist rule if she thinks that they would serve her interests better, if the US thinks that MB would help in deepening the East/West conflict and further emphasize the fact the Sunni's are bold uncivilized group of people and Hamas had been an example. One more thing, the current president might end up refusing to turn the power to any other moderate power or to the Army which would leave MB as the strongest alternative.

4-Ahmed Nazif: The Canadian trained , liberal , technocrat anti-MB. I think if he has the ambition, he can easily make a deal with the US and be the president and kick everybody else.

5-Minister of Defense "Hussein Tantawy": In the situations of uncertainty, and where is a conflict related to power, the Army holds itself as an alternative all the time, however Hussien Tantawy is such a follower that I doubt his ability to take such a move. But, history taught us not to trust anybody , and the sheep might be the wolf in a second.

6-Minister of Interior Affairs "Habib Al-Adly": He certainly has some keys to power, and the experience of Zein Ben Aly in Tunisia is a good example of that. But, the Army would not let him do it easily and his popularity among citizens is in its lower level.

7-Ayman Nour: I personally think that his chances are nil. Nelson Mandella will not happen again in Egypt. But, he remains a player who has good relations with the US and fair popularity , but I do not see the mechanisms that will lift him to the chair.

8-Un-identified Army Figure: The army is definitely full of powerful and ambitious staff, but who will step up for this ? How is willing to risk it ? And will be he a patriotic or Just another toy in the hands of the US ?

9-Un-identified civilian political figure or a businessman: I think this is the least possibility but not impossible. I believe that if it would to happen , it would not be immediately.

A surprise move from any of the current figures "Zakareia Azmy, Fathy Sorour, Safwat Al Shareif..etc....." is unlikely cause they themselves would not allow one of them to be the president but not the others, they know all the black files about each others and would not let go.

S0, all the options are obviously not related by any means to what the poeple want, I am not sure even if the poeple know what they want.

How poor are we!!!

The Man and the Journey (I)

What do we need to bring about a change in Egypt? Do we need our suppressed “desires” and maybe thoughts to flush out? What is it that we really want to change? What alternates do we want to implement? And how will we implement them? Actually, the question that must be answered firstly is that: who are we?

For fifty four years till now the ruling regime is continuing its very clever play of guarding power in Egypt. Yes fifty four years, not less. It just changes its names and faces but never its essence, never its hierarchy. It is not Mubarak's ruling that is the cause of all that we suffer but it is the chain of the very logical extensions that creep one after another in a very boring rhythm. Nasser in whatever way handed us to al-Sadat, then, the latter in some way handed us to Mubarak. Nasser and al-Sadat both faced the same problem that they never could have been able to work out.....they simply couldn't take their possessions with them to their graves......they couldn't take us with them. But finally Mubarak found a solution, he found his son to be the youthful replica of him. Why should we blame the guy? Are we blaming him for being creative? Or are we just envying his throne?

The point is that the system has always remained the same it just maintains changing cliché. It wasn't by chance that Nasser worked hard to have good relations with the Soviet Union while he was detaining many Egyptian Communists, also, it is not by chance that Mubarak works very hard to maintain very “versatile” relations with the United States while he is rounding up many of the so-called Libertarians coupled with the so-called honourable others. Al-Sadat was unique, maybe just smarter, he served as the bridge on which Mubarak walked his way to heaven. How unlucky you are, Sadat. You couldn't harvest your plantings. You have just gone before you do...how desperate is that......you were just gone in a very mysterious accident.

Anyway, what does it mean to build good relationships with powerful countries and at the same time arrest your people? What does it mean for a President who is supposedly a representative of a ruling regime to do this? Note that these relationships are always two-way: a powerful country seeking its interest and a President seeking “something”. What is it that “something” in each case? It is existence, for the glare of truth. They always talk about truth those so-called Presidents now it is our time to use some of these catchy attractive words! But what existence? It is their existence, in other words, their power. Simply, they couldn't have existed without power.....and at many times without “stealing” it. People die but regimes have the ability to survive afterwards. This typically is the case. Nasser built a regime then the regime survived. Yes in his life the regime was just his tool to survive but the regime was much more far-sighted. The regime learnt how to act on his own. It learnt how to “instrumentalise” its users/representatives to become no more than components that act within the regime itself. The regime has always been spreading his thoughts among people. It is not Nasser who got in my head telling me just obey, just let go, just love what I am doing for I am making you. Neither him nor any of his successors, it is the regime itself. This regime thinks and his good at planning by the way. It is the regime without which both al-Sadat or Mubarak could never exist. It is the regime without which Nasser could have carried on with his stupidities.

There is something to notice, something that always offered itself as the savior of all of our Presidents; something called war sometimes and occupation some other times. It always was the very controversial subject that supported whomever President. And when it was the time for his nap, each President found a way around to get some freak alive. It is only when he left the scene people started to feel numb. It is only when the fuss is gone - at least partially - the guarding walls that keep Mubarak behind began to crack. The controversial subject now is mainly the Palestinian-Israeli struggle or as some like to call it the Arab-Israeli struggle. The Egyptian ruling regime uses this struggle to exercise power on the Egyptian people. The regime is not willing to end this struggle, because it is the regime's last source to gain some approval from the public.

Is it the regime now dying? Or is it taking another phase? Are we people freeing ourselves from the regime? Or is it taking our instrumentalised minds by its slanders?

Let's track the regime itself regardless of those who make use out of it for a moment. A ruling regime is a set of procedures to represent some ideological views. I am not going to list all the resonant words I heard of then attempt to use them. An ideology simply is just a coherent view and set of thoughts concerned with reality and how it must be, that is, organised thoughts and conclusions that in some logical ways lead to one another. An ideology often implies general lines about how its views may be applied to reality. For a ruling regime to realise its ideological views through procedures it must institutionalise these procedures into organisations. That is, the ruling regime finds ways to make the methods that apply its views to reality. These methods are nothing but a great lengthy chain of offices and their management. The regime is by no means separable from people, he interacts with them. So, the very first aim of a ruling regime is to cope with people. For the regime to be stable there are no more than two means: a) the regime rides people or b) people shape the regime. Fuzz arises when people try to challenge a dominating regime....but this is not always the very crystal heavenly “honourable” case. The fuzz may arise from different sources that are in some way or another related to the regime itself, like how the regime punishes the deviants! Or like how people should interact with the regime – negotiating how people should think of the regime and what extents of freedom those are acceptable. Ironically, this is always the case when the regime is running an internal changing phase. Please notice that I am not saying dying phase..I am clearly saying changing phase.

Well, so what about the Egyptian regime? Here I am talking about the regime that has been continually controlling the Egyptian society since 1952 not the cluster that we are now blaming. One sensible way to answer this question is to assess its outcomes and how they affect people, that is, strikingly to assess people themselves not the regime. Let's not stand arrogant. Let's drop our deluding honour for a moment. It is in essence the interaction between the regime and people's livings that concern us not the regime in isolation. Those livings are made by people who are restricted by the regime. So, the best way to assess the regime is to assess the quality of people and the shape of their livings. The quality of me and you, the quality of those who live silently, the quality of those who “honourably” oppose the regime, the quality of the youth, the quality of those young kids, and the quality of their parents. Those are who we call people, and some time poor people not out of poverty but out of their dark livings, those who we often proudly and bitterly separate ourselves from. Another point is that: as the regime has its history we must go from where we stand backwards to the beginnings so that we don't take past assumption for granted. We should make our journey back to front.

Find the similarities..!!!

Work for the fantastic government, and here is your reward...!!!!!!!

Transformational Diplomacy

Transformational Diplomacy

The name answers it all. This is the new diplomacy that is changing the American Foreign policy. Formal declaration of the new diplomacy was on January 18, 2006 in a speech by Condolezza Rice at George Town University.

The formal definition is probably as follows:

“It is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world. To achieve this bold mission, America needs equally bold diplomacy, a diplomacy that not only reports about the world as it is, but seeks to change the world itself “

What is relevant to us in Egypt, is to know that one of the tools of this policy called as “American Presence Post, APP” was operating in Egypt even before the policy is formally instituted. Those APP's were operating only in two places worldwide, Egypt and Indonesia. What is also relevant is that in the same day of introducing the policy, Dr. Rice appointed a new manager to the USAID...???!!! Any link between transformation and the money….??!!

When you go through the whole speech, you immediately realize how Americans are helping Democracy only if it serves their goals, nations have to share American values to get the help, and if you do not share the American values then they will try to make you share it. The US department of state is trying to change nations particularly those of special rule in their key regions; and it is not a secret that Egypt is on the frontline of this.
But this policy for the first time is a policy operating at the people or individual level, a policy that uses the tactics and dynamics of a “communist” active cell within the community that is trying to recruit more people to the cell. This takes the American diplomacy to a different level meaning that they are working probably among us right at this moment??

The interesting part of the speech to me is this:

“It cannot be that the last three Secretaries of State -- the daughter of European immigrants, the son of Jamaican immigrants and a daughter of the American segregated South -- would be more diverse than the Foreign Service with which they work”
I felt proud after I read that cause I mentioned in a previous post the fact that the last 2 secretary of states are colored is not just a co-incidence” .

Again and again, the saga continues and further proof on the intentions of the US shows again.
It is both disappointing and sad at the same time (at least for me), that I notice all of those people who are trying to hold the American values more than the American themselves. They believe, either rightfully or wrongfully - in a good faith or in a bad faith, that those values are going to help. They would....but not us.....not Egypt!!!!

We shall see………….

re-published

25th of May; Another Day of Illusion

On Thursday, 25^th of May, 2006 protesters demonstrated in front of the Judges Syndicate surrounded by a great number of riot police forces. The judges organised a stand in front of the Supreme Court House. The stand began after the demonstration and ended before the latter. The Judges Syndicate, the Supreme Court house, the Lawyers Syndicate and the Journalists Syndicate are all placed in a big rough square that was totally surrounded by thousands of riot police forces.

A closer look at the scene reveals many points:

• The number of judges was claimed to be 500.

• The number of protesters was claimed to be 300 – I personally doubt this number because this was not what I saw.

• The Muslim Brotherhood had no presence as they indicated earlier.

• The protester were mostly all activists.

• The protesters' slogans were mainly resentments and rarely uttered the aims of the different movements that were present.

• The protesters mainly belonged to Kifaya.

The judges outnumbered the protesters and this has a strong indication of the unpopularity of their situation in the eye of the public. The Muslim Brotherhood stated days before the stand that they would not participate unless the judges invite them to do. This reveals many points about the Muslim Brotherhood but this is not our issue for the time being. The very fact is that the Muslim Brotherhood aid withdraw caused a dramatic decrease in the number of protesters. An instant popping assumption is that the previous demonstrations were relatively big ones out of the Muslim Brotherhood participation. Bearing in mind that the 25^th of May was highly popularised relative to many previous days, the assumption becomes qualitatively proved. This strongly indicates the unpopularity of the whole scene among the public.

The protesters were mainly activists who are involved in the current Egyptian scene. Most of them put Kifaya's logos on their chests. If this is to prove a thing it again proves the unpopularity of the scene in the eye of the public.

The demonstration slogans almost could be considered grudges. The slogans showed a preference of relating the Egyptian crisis to the current regime. This is true for sure. However, the slogans of such a demonstration, which was organised by supposedly organised movements, were expected to refer to the movements' common methodologies or even aims for the desired change. It counts to chant “our freedom is killed” but it counts even more to shout “we need (or will do) 'something' to revive our freedom”. This brings out a very faulty view. This view demonstrates how the different movements target people's suppressed anger while they lack any views about re-forming the Egyptian society. The result turns out to be very disappointing. A result that failed to group the public together to say no. A result which shows how these movements comprise different elites which are separated from the regular Egyptian.

There was a unique woman who participated in the demonstration. She was wearing “Glabyah” and holding a plastic black bag (kees eswied). She was carrying no signs or logos. At the end of the demonstration she was hopping around asking whether the demonstration was done. When I saw her I felt happy. She is just normal and she wants her voice to be heard or at least that is what I thought or loved to think. For me she was the most respectable person who attended the play. I could behold no more “normals”.

Who are the regular people?

Most Egyptians think that it is of no use other than harming the self to participate in demonstrations or involve in the current scene. They simply believe that when they go to jail in the name of freedom they will find no one and no money to get them out of it again. Bearing in mind that many of the Egyptians suffer from poverty which weakens those poor classes at the end of the social hierarchy/order, it becomes apparent that many have the very right to think naturally in such a way. It is not an illusion that most of the Egyptians belong to those classes. People who belong to these classes have very distorted thoughts about society and their public awareness settles down to nearly nothing. A malfunctioning education system, a very hard economical state, a cultural heritage that has been distorted and a resulting very clear sense of individualism all of these combined stop any thought of public bragging.

Also there are Egyptians who belong to the middle class suffer the pattern of thinking I mentioned above. And those mainly belong to the lower divisions of the middle class. Many of those at higher ends carry very distorted identities that compromise a mixture of conflicting thoughts and views. These identities enforce many of them to stay away from the scene as they think it is of no use to live in this country in the first place. The very prior aim of those is to go to the next level and join the next class at higher position in the social order...which is the rich class or at least the lower divisions of it.

If those social and political movements target people, then they have failed. Because their methods of loud shouts cannot persuade anybody who carries one of the former patterns of thinking to change his/her mind. The reason is that these methods explain neither the political and societal state in Egypt nor any methodology to bring about a change. I am really wondering what do these movements aim at? Do these movements fool themselves or fool the people?

What are the relationships among those movements and organisations and the international players? Who do they target? And what is the role of money in the play?

If it is not for the public then for whom the bell tolls?

The corrupted Egyptian regime must be changed by the Egyptian people not by elites separated from people claiming leadership.

Stronger Blogging

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Guess Why....???????

NO COMMENT...!!!!!!!!!!!

The Test

Well, the game isn’t a game anymore , it became now dangerous and serious business.
Blogging can be a crime now, and we might get accused of insulting the President.
Jail is a potential consequence, and the reactions have been different and contradicting.

Some were furious and resented the country and the people who failed to protect them and to prevent them from arrest.
Some were afraid and are at loss don't know what to do? yes, it is pretty scary and the ugly face of the regime has emerged clear.
Some are more determined to their cause now and decided to go all the way to the end.

Personally I feel I am under lesser pressure cause I blog from the US or Canada, so I am a bit sheltered but what would happen when I come back, do they know me?
Then I started to look back on what I wrote before? Oh, it is pretty bad.

So, the question now is “What are we prepared to do?”
Everybody has to ask himself this question and to be clear with self, of course what would happen to all the bloggers in the near future will give us some clue but if something bad happen to them, is it the end? Was it all a game played by some naive kids?
I do not know what others think, but I personally think that blogging is self-limited by internet users who know about it which on the widest extent is still very limited.
And, most of the bloggers are already from those with active contribution to the political and societal scene.
The regime has been able to control this sector for quite some time now starting even from the 60’s and the tactics were all the same, arrest, threatening, abduction for unknown periods of time.
So, based on that, there will be little support from any pressure group on the government when something wrong happens to a blogger, in fact he will be lucky if anybody even hear about him.

The only way to overcome this is to make blogging stronger, and to continue on the route, and to raise your voice more.
The state of relative silence and the cautious anticipation that prevails in the blogging sphere now is exactly what the regime wants.

Again

What are we prepared to do?

A Strange Smell

Do I smell the scent of a change, or am I just hallucinating?

Is what happens the beginning of the end, or am I just wishing?

Is this clash a dead-end clash, where the government can not step back and surrender to the requirements of judges, cause this can encourage other sectors of the state to take example and ask for more rights and eventually things might go out of hands, besides judges, if they are independent, they might rule out or cancel lots of the current notorious acts which will further tighten the hands of the government.
On the other hand, if the government remains stubborn and insist on oppressing this movement and insist on ignoring the fact that this is only the top of the iceberg then the end will definitely be violent.

We shall see what is going to happen in the near future, but again, for some reason, what is happening now reminds me with Egypt Pre-July 1952, Judges’ Club and Officers’ Club, Cairo fire and Dahab explosions, the burning ash under the surface that the government is in a state of denial to or may be too arrogant to admit.

We shall see….!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pictures: Courtesy of Aljazeera and BBC

History of The Future

The most interesting thing about history is that it is a living past. The more we study it, the better we understand it. The better we understand it, the more astonished we become....and the more insight into the future we get. It is just our living past.

Marx and Engels horrified the whole world with their amazing theory about history. They stated that history is predominantly shaped by the struggle among social classes with regard to those classes at the extremes of the social order as the most efficacious parties. They brought the ever lasting struggle to light posing it as the writer of history. The theory was so revolutionary that it brought lots of the harshest debates ever found.

Anyway, this is not the end. Have you ever thought about machines? Their roles in life? Their importance and meaning to us? Well, I guess you have to work your mind on these questions a bit because they are hitting hard.

It is cyborg in the spot of light. Not typically as we know it from films and literature, but as science introduces it. Some state that we can really stop studying our history and begin to study the history of cyborg instead!! It is all about these giants we make....machines! How different it becomes when you consider a machine as an extension of your body?! How different will it be if you consider the relationship between you and machines as more important than the distinctions between you and them? I guess that you will find this relation a perfect example of integration! Well, cyborg is just about that. Cyborg is the study of this integration. Some prefer to really joint the machine with the body or even implant them in it. And some prefer to build artificial bodies giving them an interesting name...robots.

Life is now being haziest than ever before. Through studies of the body and control systems in machines some striking theories evolved. These theories study the body and machines as devices with similar – in essence – control systems. And through technology it is available to build robots that can be studied from psychological and social prospective as behavioural functioning entities! The aim is to mimic that complex brain so those robots may become really intelligent.

What may become of us?!

Snapshots from CIVILIZED places

1-A huge campaign is held to save endangered species of animals and at the time they isolate aboriginal “native Americans” from the community so that they eventually disappear .I guess may be there is no endangered species of HUMANS..!!


2-When u can insult the prophets as much as you want but you can not say a word on Gays or even prostitutes, oops sorry "Sex Trade Workers", the "politically correct" word....................


3-A hurricane kills thousands of African Americans in New Orleans , then a white protest rise to save New Orleans pets "yes , pets...animals" , and no word on African Americans “HUMANS…!!!!!” , and when you ask, then the answer “New Orleans was the armpit of America, it is good that is has been washed….!!!!!” . May be African Americans are not yet animals ....!!????



4-A man gets sick, then his family decides “Not him..!!, No autonomy..!!” that if he is not going to get full recovery "he is totally independent and does not need any help of any kind" then it is better to “withdraw care” meaning “let him die”.............


5-Another guy gets sick “will die within few weeks” then his family and children refuse to take him back home cause they can not serve him; “They do not have time or effort ..!!!!!”

Viva civilization...!!!!!!

Isolation

If A is black and B is white, which is the opposite of which?

What's Coming, Man of Honour?

I really wonder what it takes to be a leader in Egypt....any sort of a leader?!

There is a very corrupted regime ruling Egypt, a regime that has been draining the Egyptian people of every value. It is so dark so that most of us cannot point out any valuable thing or person. It is so dark so that we incline to every big resonant word...it doesn't matter who says it and for what he/she says it...the only thing that matters is that the word is brand new...tagged with sophistication...full of very artificial meanings.

Who is Ayman Nour? What does he aim at? What are his methods to change and re-build the grand prison of Egypt to turn it into the lovely country of Egypt? What sort of liberty does he refer to? What is the reason behind his sudden popping? Who are his allies? And how do they want to make use of the current state in Egypt?

Who are the members of Kefaya? Do they have a coherent view or coherent expectations? What binds them together? What sort of actions would they do if they were in power with these internal ideological conflicts? Is it just a temporary movement? Does it aim at changing the current president or it aims at changing the entire regime? What differences will they realise?

The judges “movement”, if it is to be so called, is a very important issue. Useful as well...brave also and certainly has its clear-cut impacts on the Egyptian society. A judge is a public official authorised to make sensitive decisions that affect people's livings.....justice in its institutionalised form contributes heavily to the state and to the regime in which we live – in general – so it is so important and crucial that it becomes independent. I salute them for their stand. But why people tag their stand and ironically themselves with honour. It is a mainstream public objection and they jumped in. It was a brave decision....it is, unfortunately, brave to challenge the state or the regime in Egypt. I remember 1968....where were the judges during all this time? Their movement remarkably aids the fight for freedom in Egypt....but it is just an aid not a solution. It can be viewed this way: assume that judges are really independent now....but wait the regime is still the same....maybe Mubarak is gone....people are still the same. What will be judges able to do? Do not give me a nice heck and walk the fine line....they will be able to do nothing at all. We will just enter the never ending maze.....the maze which we are already in.

Judges movement is a critical thing for it helps us to reach an edge over the regime...not because it enlightens our way to freedom. Those who are arguing hard to propagate the judges movement as the way of light are blind....or they are playing the lead clowns. Those are using all of the emotional words to motivate people....they are not speaking to their minds but to their feelings and anger. But where will you anger take us? Not for a lovely dance....not for the warm life we crave....not for the industrial country we need....not for cultural and educational developments that we shall have here in Egypt some day. The debate carries on for any other movement.....we must question them and their intentions as well.

I am not saying simply all of these movements are fake, I just want you to consider these questions and apply them to whatever figure or organisation. I keep my opinion for myself. I am not the man of insight or the man of the eon to judge all of these movements and people....they may be just better than me for their controversial acts and doings.

We all need the change and notice that I am not saying "we all the honourable people need the change". But what kind of change? A change that is able to re-structure how I, you, and all others think. The change we need is a change of mentalities. The change we need is a change of meanings of rights.

We all seek freedom. But to achieve it we have to really define and believe in freedom. We have to figure out what freedom means to us. We have to discover what implements that would lead us to it might be.

The best thing among all of what is happening in the scene now is the notion of objection and opposition itself, not the sayings nor the resonant words. But objection is so much like a blind freak taking all that exists by anger. Objection and public anger must be targeted at a very materialistic actions and aims. It is not an aim to say "Mubarak go to hell, we hate you". But it is an aim to figure out a replacement to the current regime. A replacement that is able to implement equality of rights and social justice. A replacement that is capable of giving rise to culture, awareness, education and science in Egypt. A replacement that will change how we conceive the ruling organisations. A replacement that will eliminate the ruling of whatever elite. A replacement that is able to stop us from making our own gods.

This replacement doesn't need people with wordy mouths aiming at power and power alone....power for its own sake. It needs the Egyptian people to understand what it takes to achieve what they want...it needs them to define what they want...it needs them to rule.

We don't need burnt figures from the past, we don't need those figures who served the current regime once by their silence, once by their stupidity or once with their corruption. We don't need those figures who took the corner silently like hyaenas nor those who kept singing their sole boring hymn, and when they found the chance to haunt some fame or some positions or even some new hymns of devotion they shouted out so buzzy loud in the hope of sharing the prey. We need to make our figures, our modern figures....those who are able to represent our thoughts not the thoughts of the very dark past. And whenever they don't represent us anymore...we have to substitute them. It doesn't matter who the figures might be, it only matters how truthful they are, how fine they represent our ideas, and how hard they work to implement these ideas through clear actions not through loud shouts.

Let's assume that the current regime is now a thing from the very near past....the castle has just crumbled, can you tell me what is going to happen. I have an answer for this....We will be watching the wolves killing each others...discarding any notion of species unity. And after the bloody battle has ended, the strongest wolf will be in power. He will love his winnings..he will love his power. Then, he will guard it and protect his position. The main difference is that we the sheep will have adored his courage. We will have protected our shepherd.

Any sort of public bragging or solidarity is really valuable, but its value will eventually fade to waste if it's not supported by plans, methodologies and coherent views and beliefs. The most important thing is that it must be supported by people's awareness, understandings and knowledge not their mere feelings which may be invoked using any word of honour.