The Greatest Outrage Yet

Between 80,000 and 100,000 women demonstrated in Tahrir Square yesterday to express their outrage at the recent assault of a woman by thugs dressed as soldiers in Tahrir. The video documenting the attack went viral as soon as it hit YouTube. That single video has elicited more fury from Egyptians, a greater response from the world, and a bigger reaction from the Supreme Military Council than any other event since the revolution began. The protests today were directed at Tantawi, and he was forced to issue a statement promising that those responsible would be brought to justice.

The victim was a physician who was on her way to work in a field hospital in Tahrir. Just to make things more dramatic.

What happened to her was deeply shocking. Not just disturbing, but truly inexplicable behavior for Egyptians. It doesn't make sense for soldiers: even if people are angry at the Supreme Military Council, the soldiers in the streets are still Egyptians, most of them conscripted for three years. Even in light of recent events, any typical Egyptian soldier would never behave that way. It makes me suspect that these assaulters were not soldiers, but rather members of Mubarak's old party dressed as soldiers. They're wild wounded animals, more dangerous than ever because they're in survival mode and they have no limits.

I have no doubt that they will soon be identified from the footage that was caught of the event. Just recently, a police officer was filmed targeting protesters in Tahrir with a rubber bullet gun. He seriously wounded several people. The video was posted on the Internet, and soon his name, address, and social security number were posted on Facebook. He turned himself in to the authorities before his head ended up on a spike. Only a matter of time before the same happens to these new villains, if the actual army doesn't get them first. 

Viking Longboat or Old School Vacuum - which party would you vote for?; Only 4.5 weeks to go 'til elections conclude in Egypt!

Egypt is now one phase into its parliamentary elections, meaning that one third of the cities have voted so far (9 cities, about 13 million out of 40 million eligible voters). Only portions of the country are voting at a time, in order to make the whole process more manageable. 

Keep in mind that this is the first time Egypt has had a free and fair election. There aren't enough judges and monitors to facilitate simultaneous elections across the country. Hence, it will take about 6 weeks for voting to be complete - until the first week in January.

If you haven't yet seen the choice selection of symbols used to represent the various political parties on the Egyptian ballots, take a look:

Apparently blenders and cell phones are the modern heiroglyphs. Many voters in Egypt are illiterate, so they need a way to identify the party they want to vote for. Whoever put this selection together... I particularly like how the army tank image still has the URL on it for the website they snagged it from. Were I to vote based entirely on these images, it would be a tie between Jackhammer and Viking Longboat. 

So far, the Muslim Brotherhood has garnered about 35% of the votes, and are projected to take the majority of parliamentary seats by the end of the election. Although I suspected this would happen, I have mixed feelings about it:

On the one hand, it seems hypocritical that the party who has been long outspoken against Mubarak refused to take part in the recent demonstrations. 

On the other hand, the Brotherhood is the most organized political party in Egypt right now. They get things done. And they do a lot for the community. If a hospital needs to be built, they will build it. If they need volunteers for something, they will rally a group. 

My dad was saying that there will be a time for intellectuals to move the country forward, but for now, Egypt needs to be rebuilt. I agree. Serious basic infrastructure needs to be put in place before the country can start making up for thirty years of stunted growth. The Muslim Brotherhood may be the best option for the time being - however, I don't think their majority vote will hold out for more than a few years. Once Egypt is back on its feet, the young intellectuals that initiated the revolution will (hopefully) be more organized and politically savvy, and the new generation can really start to move the country forward. 

Egypt's first free elections; How farmers help sustain the country

Today was a monumental day for Egypt. They had their first free democratic election in decades... 5,000 years... ever.

No reports yet on what the exact turnout was, but it was definitely significant. It seems that the massive demonstrations over the last week reminded Egyptians of the importance of these elections, the importance of assembling a civilian government as soon as possible. Undoubtedly the number of voters was much greater than it would have been without the recent wave of protests. The lives lost last week were not in vain. Egyptians were reminding each other to that people have lost their lives fighting for the privilege they experienced for the first time today.

I read an article in the Washington Post that interviewed an Egyptian farmer, who said that although he himself could not participate in the demonstrations because he has to work and support his family, he wants his kids to go to school and become educated so they can be "like the ones in Tahrir Square who have the time and education to demand their rights." What a powerful statement. Even Egyptians who have not been in the streets, could not be in the streets, are supporting the movement.

Not all Egyptians in the "silent majority" feel the same. Others are more concerned about the significant drop in crop prices that the crisis has brought. Others still feel the hard times are worth it to secure a better future for the country.

I think the country owes a great deal to these farmers, who have kept the sub-economy going and sustained Egypt through all of this chaos. When I was in Egypt during the first days of the revolution in January, my first concern was of food and supply shortages. But to my amazement, this has never been an issue. Despite the political chaos, daily life goes on throughout Egypt, thanks to non-privatized agriculture and small family-owned businesses that dominate the economy for basic living needs. It really is remarkable. 

Military now in discussion with opposition leaders!

WONDERFUL NEWS!!!

Tantawi, the head of the military council currently controlling Egypt, has agreed to have discussions with opposition leaders, including Muhamed ElBaradei, about forming a presidential council that would transfer governing power to a civilian group!

Furthermore, the Free Islamists, a group of young people that formed from other islamist groups including the Muslim Brotherhood, have officially joined the demonstrators, and have vowed to occupy Tahrir Square until the military has stepped down from power.

Meanwhile, it became clear to the protesters that the police have been using a new form of tear gas - the old remedy of vinigar-soaked cloths doesn't work anymore.
They are now chanting, "Ishaab - youreed - alghaaz - al aadeem!!" (The people want the old tear gas!!)
Typical Egyptian humor. 

March of Millions across Egypt; Obama gets with the program

1 million in Cairo. 1 million in Alexandria. .5 million in Monsura. The Egyptians were back in the streets in droves today, in the largest demonstrations since February. This new wave of demonstrations has been going on for a week now, and it seems the only thing that will bring this second phase of the revolution to an end is the immediate withdrawal of the military. Mubarak's head on a spike wouldn't hurt either. 

We're waiting to see if the young people leading the demonstrations can rally the support of all other political parties in a concerted demand for the military's ouster. They are trying to get leaders from multiple parties, including Muhamed ElBaradei, to form a new civilian government that the people could recognize as the legitimate ruling authority instead of the military.

Today, Obama called on the military to hand power over ASAP to a civilian democratically elected government. Good for him. That took guts, given that the US has been treading on eggshells ever since the revolution began in Egypt. Of all the countries in the Middle East, the US has greatest strategic interest in Egypt: Its population size and influence on trends across the Middle East are major factors, but the primary reason is that the Egyptian military has been the US's pawn upholding the Camp David peace treaty with Israel since 1979, with bribes of $1.3 billion a year - the second largest annual chunk of US foreign aid to any country, after Israel. 

No telling how the new civilian government will feel about that. But the Egyptian military now has blood on its hands - 41 casualties in the last week, and over 1000 wounded (according to the NY Times) - and I guess Obama recognizes that the military cannot hold on to power in Egypt for much longer, and continuing to support them in any way would be a worse move for his administration. So way to go Obama - keep up the pressure...

The Second Backdraft

Clashes continue throughout Egypt. Over 35 killed. Over 1800 wounded. Where does it end???

The civilian branch of the government, including the prime minister, have resigned.

The army generals now have blood on their hands, which will make them more unwilling to give up power. These old men have known nothing but control. They can't even fathom how Egypt could function without them. I don't know how much more it's going to take to make them face reality, but I pray that it won't be a higher body count.

I can't imagine what the families of the victims are going through right now. If it were one of my own cousins, God forbid... I don't want to think about it. Rabbina ma'ahom...

I think the perfect analogy for what's happening in Egypt is a backdraft. A backdraft is where a fire burns up all the oxygen in a closed room and waits for new oxygen to burn. As soon as a door opens, the fire explodes. That's what happened in late January - anger had been building up for decades, but especially in the recent year. Now anger has been building up since that army took power in Egypt - particularly since September when they failed to hand it over - and what we're seeing is the second backdraft. All it takes is a new wind, and the fire that's been deprived of oxygen finally explodes.

Phase 2 of the Revolution has begun - A tough but necessary step

You may have heard about the violent clashes between protestors and the police in Tahrir Square this weekend. If you haven't seen the news reports, in short, police raided Tahrir Friday night to kick out a few hundred protestors that were camped there (sound familiar?). People were outraged by this treatment and took to the streets by the thousands to clash with the police. This was the worst face-off since February. Only one casualty reported thus far, but over 160 injured. A lot of tear gas and rubber bullets and rocks. The conflict went into the early hours of Sunday morning.

Some are concerned that this is exactly what the army wanted, and that now they'll claim grounds for postponing the parliamentary elections that are supposed to take place in a week.

It's difficult to put these events in perspective when you're caught up in the turmoil of the present. But here are a few thoughts that my dad shared with me today:

- This is the necessary second phase of the Revolution. The first phase was, of course, getting rid of Mubarak. The next phase is to get rid of military rule. It had to happen. It was absolutely right for the army to interfere during the revolts in January, but then they failed to hand over power when they said they would in September. They are not politicians, nor do they understand their own history. But all they need to do is look at their neighbors on either side to realize that they can 1) hand over power to civilian government and withdraw peacefully, or 2) attempt to hold on to power and end up like Ghadafi or Asad.

- This struggle will not be as difficult as the first. The army is made up of Egyptians - hardly any family does not have a member serving in the army. The soldiers will be quick to side with civilians because they do not see themselves as a separate ruling entity the way Mubarak's police officers did.

- This is good for the Egyptians: The disagreements that were arising between political factions have been put on hold, and the people are united by a common cause once again.

We'll see how the elections play out next week - hopefully they WILL play out...

Revolution Update: The Egyptian people have a new ultimatum for the army!

Egyptians took to the streets and filled Tahrir Square yet again last Friday, in one of the biggest and most significant demonstrations held in Cairo since the 18-day Egyptian Revolution in February. Egyptians are getting fed up with the military because they feel that actions to implement a new government have not been swift enough.

The Egyptian people have issued a new ultimatum, and if the army does not accept their terms within the week, there will be another MASSIVE demonstration this coming Friday - larger than any held in February.

The ultimatum stipulates that:

1. The emergency laws (which have been in effect since Mubarak took office 30 years ago, and which have allowed the police to harass people unchecked) must be lifted within the week - by Friday, October 7.

2. Presidential elections must be held in February, following parliamentary elections in November. The people are determined not to let this turn into a military coup.

3. All candidates running for parliamentary office must be registered with an existing political party. Some men from Mubarak's party are trying to run as individual candidates unaffiliated with any party - None of the existing parties will allow old regime members to join, so this rule would eliminate former corrupt politicians from being involved in the upcoming election.

4. All members of the old regime must be banned from political activity for ten years.

Egyptians are not backing down - they won't give up this fight until the change they want is fully realized. Revolution has become part of Egyptian Culture - demonstrations are held almost every Friday in Tahrir. I say, ROCK ON!

Day 5 (cont): Twitter Intel; Thanks for the expired tear gas, US...

Saturday, January 29, 2011

7:20pm

The latest updates:

- Demonstrations all over the world in support of the Egyptian people, including in front of the United Nations

- They interviewed a women in front of the UN with family in Cairo; she described exactly what’s happening – the chaos and lawlessness and fear we’re dealing with

- CNN reporters in Cairo are confirming the same

- The US State Department is relying on social media – on TWITTER!!!!! – to follow events as they unfold in Egypt

Uncle Ayman has made arrangements to take me to the airport tomorrow. We will probably arm ourselves with clubs like everyone else.

CNN is reporting that while thousands continue to protest, especially in Tahrir, and the curfew is being ignored, there is severe danger of thieves in the streets who are looting everything, and that Egyptians have been advised to protect themselves and each other. 

Apparently the tear gas that’s been used this whole time is expired. Expired in 2007. We’re just hoping everyone hasn’t been poisoned from it or something. By the way, the tear gas canisters being fired on crowds were made in the US. As were all the weapons that have been used against the Egyptians, I’m sure.

The men are still in the street, kicking a football (soccer ball) around and keeping a sharp eye.

The death toll is now confirmed 100 in Cairo, 38 in Alexandria… total estimated 200…

They still periodically show clips from Mubarak’s bullshit address last night. Seeing it hurts my eyes more than tear gas.

Day 5 (cont): The New Public Guard; Things fall apart...

6:00pm

The coordinators at UChicago are now 70% sure that we will evacuate to France tomorrow. They’re changing the flight to 3:45pm. Even if this is resolved soon, the country will not be functioning for a while. There are no banks. Banks and ATMs are being robbed. She said people are boarding and bricking up their shops in the streets there. We need to leave the country. Apparently the Public Guard mentality has not reached Dokki yet. At least they have tanks near to them (though honestly I feel safer here, away from downtown with guys in the street armed with sticks, than I would in Dokki with tanks in Dokki Square).

They are now certain that this is the end of Mubarak and there may soon be no government in Egypt.

I knew this was officially the end of Mubarak as soon as Egypt made headlines on CNN…

Tahrir Square is so packed with demonstrators that people can barely move. They all paused at maghrib to pray together in the street. They have continued to be admirably peaceful in their protest.

6:30pm

We are preparing to have our last resources cut off. We’ve been advised to fill bottles with water and get out candles and flashlights. We’re also leaving all the lights on outside so the men can see in the streets. They will be up all night protecting us from robbers.

The looters are everywhere downtown. They are robbing everything – they have stripped all the gold stores, a major department store called Karfur, the headquarters of Saudi Airlines, even the Children’s Cancer Hospital.

The head of security in Egypt (???) is advising everyone to arm and protect themselves and each other until they can send more troops to Cairo.

Apparently Zagazig does not have a curfew right now and the police are there and are actually protecting people. Stores are not being looted there.

Amu Ayman just found out from a neighbor that the skirmish we saw down the street earlier was actually people chasing down a robber that was looting a store down the block from us. They caught him and turned him over to the army. Rabbina ma’ana…

Talked to Taunt Nagwa and my cousin Osama. Both had tears in their voices. They are praying for Egypt. They are proud that I am here with the family to witness this. 

Day 5 (cont): DON'T MESS WITH EGYPTIANS!

5:00pm

I AM SO OVERJOYED!!!!! After the warning from the Army that civilians should protect themselves against the robbers looting the city, the young men of the neighborhood are outside guarding the houses! Better yet, all over the city Egyptians are working together to catch the robbers and turn them over to the army!! They have armed themselves with whatever they can find – pipes, sticks, baseball bats, hammers, wires, wood planks – I saw a guy climb up in a tree and start breaking off branches and handing them to people. My God, Egyptians are so resourceful and adaptive. And they will protect each other at all costs. GO EGYPTIANS!!! DON’T MESS WITH EGYPTIANS!!!! I called Mom and Dad again and told them not to worry, we are being protected by the Public Army.

Now I can relax. Everyone is safe, my friends are all safe and together and not about to try anything dumb, my family is safe, back-up plans are in place, and we are safe from the bandits in the streets with the young people of Egypt protecting us.

  

5:40pm

Everyone is watching the streets from their balconies and watching the men patrol the streets with the make-shift ammunition. We heard shouts and yells down the block and saw a lot of people running down the street at the end of the block, and noises that sounded like gunshots. Many of the men ran to the end of the block… a short while later the commotion calmed down. We don’t know what happened, but everything’s fine.

Two screens on the TV right now: To the left, a man standing on top of an army tank, dancing and waving an Egyptian flag (with a soldier behind him gently trying to calm him down); To the right, ten or so protesters riding on an army tank with soldiers through the street. Unreal...

Day 5 (cont): Resigned to evacuation...

(Now that I'm back in town and with regular internet access, I can resume...)

Saturday, January 29, 2011 (continued)

3:30pm

The situation is getting worse. Many stores have been looted and trashed. This is not the work of the protesters – this is the doing of thieves and criminals set loose on the city. There is broken glass and debris in the streets everywhere downtown Cairo. People have poured into the streets in numbers even greater than yesterday. So far the army isn’t doing anything but supposedly they will be very firm about enforcing the curfew.

4:00pm

Talked to Mom and Dad again. Informed them of the contingency plan, that the UChicago group will be evacuated if the situation gets any worse. They were very pleased and relieved, especially that I agree that the best thing at this point is to leave the country and Dad doesn’t have to convince me himself. They will update my facebook and e-mail again, letting people know they can now reach me by cell. They are so glad I’m here.

I’ve pretty much resigned myself to notion that I’ll probably be in France tomorrow.

Day 5 (cont): CODE RED - Cairo is turning into Gotham...

1:30pm

THE COUNTRY HAS GONE TO CODE RED

Spoke with Tanya. the graduate assistant for our study abroad program: Demonstrations were more widespread than anyone realized or reported last night; streets are trashed everywhere; riots are expected to be massive tonight… Study Abroad office is seriously considering evacuating students tomorrow to France, we may have to leave as early as tomorrow morning; there’s no way we can continue to run a program in a country with no functional government, let alone we can’t even keep up with the risks in the streets etc… be prepared to leave as soon as possible; you can ask people to pack up your stuff in the dorms if you wish; main priority is to get the other students back from Dahab safely – which is looking less and less likely right now because the roads in Sinai are considered “unsafe to travel” – and they may have to evacuate them straight from Sinai in the worst scenario

  

Medhat Said, whom I met last year at the Egyptian Geological Museum, called to make sure that I am ok, and offered to come get me from Dokki. Bless his heart. I was so happy and relieved to hear from him. I had been thinking of him and his family this week and hoping they are all ok, and thank God, they are. I told him I will most likely be evacuated to Paris. He said he is sorry that circumstances had to come to this, and that we will not see each other this time around, but he knows we will meet again when I return to Egypt. Bless his heart. I will call him again to let him know I’m ok in the next few days.

Talked to Yomna, my eleven-year-old cousin; told her I may have to leave the country, she just hopes that I can return for her birthday; She’s watching Nickelodeon cause she’s on holiday; Probably for the best, she shouldn’t see these images of bloodied deceased protestors; Yes Yomna, go be eleven years old, and I will see you again when I can…

Ibrahim, one of my older cousins, called and warned me that the police, in their last vengeance against the people, perhaps in an attempt to intimidate everyone to make them beg to have the police back, have set loose convicts and convicted felons from prison and armed them with weapons from the police headquarters (which have all been set aflame) and told them to loot stores and terrorize the streets. THE POLICE ARE LETTING CRIMINALS LOOSE AND TELLING THEM TO CAUSE CHAOS????? THEY’RE TURNING CAIRO INTO GOTHAM!!!!

Day 5 (cont): When Obama's 'disappointed,' you know he means business; New role models of peaceful protest

When Obama says ‘highly disappointed’ you know he means business. Everyone always kids him for understating his emotions and always being so composed. He’s like the parent that you’re terrified to disappoint because one stern look is worse than amputation.

The headlines on CNN are so heartening…

‘Protesters calling for Hosni Mubarak to go.’

‘Headquarters of ruling party set ablaze in Cairo’

‘Sr. Obama official: Mubarak speech highly disappointing’

‘Obama calls on Egyptian authorities to refrain from violence.’

‘Mubarak: “We need to build on what we already have”; “I will protect Egypt”’ – My God, the man is completely delusional – ‘Says he will appoint a new government Saturday’ – This should be interesting…

‘Obama: All governments need to maintain power by consent’; ‘Violence will not address the grievances of the Egyptian people’

‘Obama calls on Egypt to restore Internet, phone service’

‘Crude oil rises more than 4% on concerns about the Middle East’ – figures…

10:20am

Called the Dokki apartments to check on them; everyone is fine and at home, Sara Abou Bakr called Aleia  on her cell phone – HUZZAH WE HAVE CELL PHONE SERVICE AGAIN!!!!!! – to tell them to stay at home today because the protests will resume soon.

Hopefully the internet will be restored before long…  I CAN’T WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I will feel like I have oxygen again after suffocating for 36 hours…

11:00am

The CNN reporter is commenting that he has never seen anything like this in his life: civilians protesting right in front of the military, and the military allowing them to express themselves peacefully… people from all walks of life are in the streets…

- He is totally right; I remember Dad telling me before I came here that even though it’s government is terrible, Egypt is a stable and safe country and he wouldn’t expect anything to happen there – remarkably, even in light of this week’s events, in fact, especially in light of them, THIS IS STILL TRUE. Now all over the world, Egyptians are being regarded as heroes, martyrs, role models of forceful but peaceful anti-government protest.

A man in the street on a video is saying that military come from the same people that are protesting and calling for reform; The Egyptians are remaining peaceful and asking each other not to throw rocks, and they are actually saying they feel sorry for the families of the policemen because they are just doing their jobs and they are trapped too…

CNN acknowledges that this is a “historic upheaval in Egypt”

Day 5 (cont.): I'd wanted a jarring, life-changing experience...

I told Lenah the story about how I almost went on an expedition with my adviser to Niger last fall… so ironic… The main reason I wanted to go was that I honestly wanted a life-changing experience. I wanted to experience something jarring, even terrifying at times, to break out of my shell of security and ignorance and get a dose of reality in another part of the world. I decided not to go to Niger because the situation there became too dangerous to justify going at all.

Who could have known that I would experience all of this in Egypt instead. I got my jarring, life-changing experience after all: I have experienced new lows and new highs this week, emotional extremes I had never known before, but emotions I had always wondered about, and in a perhaps irrational way, had always wanted to experience…

I really felt what it’s like to be a parent last night. I care about my friends so much, and I was so worried and so afraid and so livid because of them. I am also feeling insulted that they’ve been ignoring and disregarding repeated warnings from Tanya, from Sara, and from myself. This is not a game, this is not some grand adventure for them to enjoy. They NEED to take the situation and themselves seriously.

I am going to relay the following quote to Samira to include in her article for the Maroon (the UChicago student newspaper):

“We are witnessing the Egyptian Revolution. It has been brewing for 30 years and suddenly it has ignited with unprecedented rapidity and strength. The entire world – including the rest of Egypt – is amazed with the turn of events. Even Egyptians are remarking that they have never seen Egyptians act this way, demonstrating with such passion and determination and collective strength – and peacefully. Despite the apparent chaos in the images of burning buildings and trucks and wounded protesters, this was a peaceful protest as far as demonstrations go. The violence was initiated by the government, by uniformed and un-uniformed police, and the protesters were attacking the government only. Things could easily have gotten completely out of control, but the Egyptians remained peaceful and did not instigate the violence. The Egyptians handled the demonstrations beautifully yesterday. They are not simply creating chaos – they are revolting against the government and protecting their country. I am so proud of the Egyptian people, and so impressed. Now all over the world, Egyptians are being regarded as heroes, martyrs, role models of forceful but peaceful anti-government protest.

Unfortunately the Egyptian President has done nothing but provoke the situation. It was infuriating to watch Hosni Mubarak spit in the face of the country last night. These demonstrations will continue until Mubarak steps down. It really rests on the United States government now to react responsibly and to answer the questions that everyone has been afraid to ask all this time.

Even with the risks involved, there is nowhere I would rather be right now than in Cairo. I feel very privileged to be living through these historic events with Egyptians.”

DAY 5: A strange dream involving Velociraptors; In the eye of the hurricane...

Saturday, January 29, 2011

8:00am

Slept an uneasy three and a half hours on a couch with the TV on. I dreamt, among other things, that everyone was abandoning their stores and clearing out because of the demonstrations. The owner of the local corner grocery store was trying to get rid of all the food left in his store for whatever money people were willing to give so he could pack up his belongings and leave. Then I was in a department store, trying to gather all my belongings quickly before the danger arrived – which turned out to be a swarm of baby velociraptors. We didn’t make it. We were overrun by raptors.

9:00am

Lenah (my cousin) and I are sitting in front the TV evaluating the situation…

Things have calmed down for now. The real army arrived around 4am this morning and took control of the city. People were cheering in the streets and hugging the soldiers. Tanks are everywhere with “Yaskut Mubarak” (“Down with Mubarak”) spray-painted on them. All the footage shows excited and bandaged civilians flashing peace signs at the camera. Egyptians are hilarious.

   

Some remain in Tahrir Square and other streets, but almost everyone has gone home to rest, recover, and plot for a new wave of riots starting this afternoon, supposedly around 3pm. We are only in the eye of the hurricane...

Demonstrations are being held in Paris, Istanbul, and Washington DC in support of Egypt. Demonstrations continue in Yemen (since Thursday) and in Jordan (since three weeks ago) and Lebanon (since… one week ago?)… Who’s next??? All the corrupt governments of the Middle East must be pulling their hair right now.

Now that I am no longer panicking, I am feeling immensely proud of my cousins for joining the demonstrations yesterday. Honestly, if I were a legal Egyptian citizen, I would be out there with them today. I am also thanking Lenah for not going into the street herself, as much as she would love to, because I need her here with me to help calm my nerves and keep me sane (plus her parents would completely freak out).

We are still marveling at how admirably the protesters handled themselves last night. We feared that things would get out of hand and they would really go crazy and lose control, but in fact they were peaceful the entire time. They did not instigate the violence. The government was initiating the violence the whole time. Lenah says they were surprised – they really thought the Egyptian people might become violent, but they didn’t. I am so proud. Dad said yesterday that he was amazed, that he has never seen Egyptians act this way, and he was so impressed with how beautifully Egyptians are handling the demonstrations.

I have always been proud to be an Egyptian, but now I am more proud than ever.

Back Online

Hello Dear Readers,

After a long journey through trials and triumphs leading up to graduation from college, followed by a short and sweet field season in the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming, and moving, I am BACK and ready to resume writing.

The revolution in Egypt continues  - just today there were new demonstrations in Tahrir Square to protest the complacency and delay of the new government in putting old corrupt officials on trial. The crowd, I'm told, was largely composed of family members of the 800+ people who lost their lives during the revolution.

I still have much to recount of my tale, and many thoughts I would like to share with you, so keep reading...

~Sara

Where has Sara gone??

Dear Readers,

I apologize for going MIA this month. I have not abandoned this project, as there is still so much of the story to tell, but I'm on a month-long marathon of writing and defending a BA thesis, revising a manuscript, and starting a new science outreach organization and pitching it in a major competition - all while taking a course and helping to teach another one.

I will resume writing in mid May. Wish me luck!

Day 4 of Protests (cont): Frogs will be raining from the sky...

1:20am


OBAMA IS ADDRESSING THE WORLD: He is very disappointed with Mubarak’s speech, and he demands that Mubarak keep his promises and affect change immediately. Saying again that the US has had a good relationship with Egypt and we have strong economic ties with Egypt, but there absolutely has to be change. I’m still waiting to hear the words, “Mubarak must step down.” 


2:20am

New demonstrations in Tahrir Square as well. Thousands. But they are not fighting the soldiers and the soldiers are not fighting them. Good. Who knows, maybe the soldiers are reconsidering their loyalty.

Many people are resting a bit and preparing and plotting for tomorrow. Rabbinna ma’ana. I have UTTERLY NO IDEA what will happen tomorrow – or even 5 minutes from now. Egypt’s fate is changing by the hour…

If I will not be at all surprised if I wake up to see frogs raining from the sky, or if we hear tomorrow that Mubarak’s sons suddenly died of unknown causes. We should lock up our food in case of locusts.

Day 4 of Egyptian Protests (cont): The world is reeling; The nerve of Mubarak...

11:30pm

Things have calmed down now. The army has officially taken control of the country and everyone is waiting to see what happens. People are walking freely in the streets. Even the army seems to have disregarded the curfew completely, as they haven’t done anything to enforce it thus far. Egyptians are glued to the news channels, as they have been all day (unless they were on the streets), waiting to see what will happen next…

Everyone is reeling. Egyptians are reeling. The entire world is reeling. Everyone in the world and especially in Egypt is trying to process exactly what happened today and how we’ve arrived at this point. No one has any idea what will happen next…

Needless to say, this will be a long night… though I’ve lost all sense of time at this point as events have been unfolding so unfathomably rapidly… I’m so grateful that I had the presence of mind to document events by the hour as of this morning…

12:20am

BREAKING NEWS: HOSNI MUBARAK HAS FINALLY SHOWN HIS UGLY FACE… I was totally wrong. I don’t believe this. I honestly thought we would not see him again until he was found dead or in a rabbit hole. But here he is, clean cut in a suit, delivering an address next to the flag of Egypt, talking out of his ass… I fear that Egyptians are about to show the world what anger really is.

My cousin Osama just called, very choked up, with news that Amr was FINALLY able to contact them.  He’s safe and ok and he’s on his way to Zagazig to be with the family. THANK GOD. My nerves can relax a little.

Day 4 of Protests (cont): The questions we've been asking for years; Contingency plan; Never before...

11:00pm

Just watched the press conference with Robert Gibbs. 

SUMMARY: It is perfectly clear that the US government has not been in touch with the Egyptian government; They, like everyone else, have no idea where Mubarak has fled, and it looks bad on their part because the FACT that they haven’t been in touch with Mubarak yet makes it all too obvious and all too quickly that there was never any relationship with Mubarak to begin with – they’ve been bribing him the entire time. He was never an ally, he was a dictator that they were paying off. THE US IS FINALLY ON THE COALS FOR LYING TO THE MIDDLE EAST AND TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE FOR YEARS.

OMG GIBBS IF YOU CAN’T SAY ANYTHING NEW JUST SHUT UP!!!!!!!!!!! Please just say “We don’t have any answers yet but we’re working on it” and get off the stage, you’re boring us. 

But the journalists were asking questions my family and I have been asking for years!! Music to my ears...

I am really freaking out about Amr. Every other member of our family has been accounted for and is safe except for Amr OH GOD I HOPE HE’S OK – AND IF HE IS WHY HASN’T HE CALLED ANYONE YET??? Please God let us hear from him soon. Please watch over him and let him be ok. 

Tanya called to tell me the new contingency plan: 1)Everyone stay in one place until the country is stable; 2) Hopefully the students will be brought back on Sunday, and when they do everyone will stay together as a group, and I will rejoin them as soon as it makes sense to. For now I stay with my family, I am in a very good place. Al hamdu liAllah. At this point we can’t plan beyond that. We are waiting to see what happens. If things turn for worse and the Mubarak regime is unseated, they will most likely move us to Paris, but they really want us to stay as long as it’s safe and they will do everything they can for us to remain in Cairo…

I’ve never had a nervous breakdown before. I have never felt utter fear before. Nor true anxiety. Nor overwhelming happiness that goes far beyond myself or even the people in my life and extends to meanings I can’t even comprehend yet. I will be learning to understand the effects of today and my experience living through it for the rest of my life.

Egypt's first DEMOCRATIC vote: A litmus test for the new political scene

Egypt had it's first truly democratic vote in... ever, this past Saturday. The vote was to decide about a proposed referendum to the existing constitution., and it ended up being an important litmus test for the new political scene...

The Ballot

YES: Accept the referendum, i.e. modify the old constitution with changes like limiting the presidential term to 2 terms of 4 years each, voting to be supervised by the court rather than the government, and emergency laws cannot be extended w/o referendum. This ballot also included moving the parliamentary elections from September to June.
This option was favored by people who want a constitution in effect sooner rather than later, and would compromise for a revised constitution. I was also favored by conservative parties who would have candidates ready to run in the parliamentary elections by June.

NO: Reject the referendum in favor of drafting a new constitution from scratch; Wait until September for parliamentary elections.
This option was favored by the young educated liberals who initiated the demonstrations in January, who want a new set of laws entirely, and who fear they would not have candidates ready to run for an election in June.

A few stats to consider...
Population of Egypt: ~80 million (last census - it's probably much higher than that because many of the poorer population do not have birth certificates)
Population eligible to vote: ~40 million
Percentage of eligible population that voted: 40% (about 19 million)

The Final Count
YES: 77%
NO: 23%


Ultimately, less than 4 million people actually voted to reject the old constitution entirely. The overwhelming majority of voters accepted the referendum and voted in favor of having parliamentary elections in June.

This was a major wake up call for the young educated liberals that started the demonstrations in late January. Apparently, many of them expected the vote to be pretty much split 50:50. Now they are realizing that the 18 days it took to overthrow Mubarak was just the first step. The real challenge now will be political activism, educating people and encouraging them to vote, learning to pull as much influence as the conservative parties do.

Some of my cousins were complaining that the conservatives must have used coercion to get that many people to vote in their favor. We said, "Bush was re-elected because of gay marriage and abortion rights. Coercion is part of the game."

Welcome to Democracy, Egypt. It's a wonderful thing, but it's also a bitch.

We have no time for your crappy journalism Fox News

Erratum: There was no hostage human shield around Gadhafi's compound.
Facts: Reporters were bused in by government officials to survey the wreckage of Gadhafi's bombed compound (Gadhafi's attempt to gain sympathy), the reporters were quickly shown in and out of the sites, and then shoved back on the bus. Some civilians were present at Gadhafi's compound as well.
The Fox News (surprise, surprise): Gadhafi bused in civilians to form a human shield to protect his compound from allied forces.
Seriously. We do not have time for bad journalism. Thank you Nic Robertson for clarification. 

So much news, I can barely keep up... First up: Gadhafi vs. The World

History is unfolding once again, this time in Libya.

I have not written for a while, partly because I was dealing with some family matters, and partly because I've barely been able to collect my thoughts as I try to keep up with the news.

I'm elated that the allied forces have finally, FINALLY begun their assault on Gadhafi's forces. This should have begun a long time ago, but at least it's happening now in time to prevent the imminent massacre in Benghazi that would have happened if Gadhafi's forces had reached the city. GADHAFI IS INSANE. He's been bombing his own country and his own people without focus or aim other than to terrify everyone. He bombed an airfield full of Air Libya planes just for the hell of it. Gadhafi didn't want to attack Misrata, he wanted to destroy it. Now as he's resorting to recycling leftover WWII weapons, forcing civilians to act as human walls around buildings he cares about, and trying to make the allied attacks look like an assault on the country of Libya and rather than his government. Gadhafi would level the entire country and kill every last opponent before giving up. I will be floored if he actually steps down. More likely, the allied forces will pressure him short of assassination until they force him to come out with his hands on his head. I hope.

It's also a relief to see President Obama delivering an ultimatum. If only he was this decisive on all other matters. And he was reluctant about this one too - at first he was insisting that US forces would only focus on protecting civilians, and it was only after Gadhafi's forces continued attack cities after agreeing to a cease-fire on the record that Obama escalated the objective. Britain and France were right at the forefront of this effort, and the US was a bit slow on the uptake (for once, the US is not acting as the self-righteous self-appointed savoir of the Middle East). But overall, I think Obama has been handling this series of crises very well. Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Bahrain... these circumstances are an administration's nightmare.

Interesting that Qatar and the United Arab Emirates decided to support the coalition against Gadhafi. I think Obama was absolutely right to encourage Arab countries to participate, and I'm glad a couple rose to the call, but I also question whether this may be a strategic move on the part of those governments to prevent demonstrations in their countries by building some good credit.

Yemen seems to be next in line for a revolution - I hope. Demonstrations have been going on there since a week after Mubarak stepped down. 40 demonstrators were recently killed. President Saleh has been there 32 years, even longer than Mubarak held power in Egypt. His days are numbered too. I hope that the revolution in Yemen will not be bloody. Yemen does have an actual army like Egypt, but there could be some tribal conflict involved. The revolution there will probably fall somewhere between Egypt and Libya.

Morrocco announced that it will transition to a constitutional monarchy. Wow.

I wonder how long it will take Saudi Arabia to do the same...

Day 4 of Protests (cont): Heyya masreiya...

10:00pm

I’M OK. Dad finally called at 9:30 and calmed me down. I will remember that conversation forever. He assured me that the US Embassy will not evacuate US citizens – they haven’t done this since the Vietnam War. They didn’t even do it in Tunisia.

He assures me that, despite the striking appearance, this is peaceful demonstration. He is actually amazed and so impressed with the Egyptians and how beautifully they have handled it thus far. He has seen demonstrations turn violent very quickly, back in his activism days when he was my age. This is not a civil war. This is not sectarian violence. This is Egyptians fighting the government. They will not raze the country to the ground. They are protecting the country. They are attacking the government only.

We are both in such disbelief about what’s happening, and everything that has led up to this point… We’re speechless, we can barely express all the overwhelming emotions… I love my parents so much…

Dad is overwhelmingly happy – he’s been waiting for this his whole life, and never thought he’d see a day like this – and as dire as the situation is, he is so happy that I am here with the family and so overjoyed that I am part of this… the whole family is…

The news is all over US news networks, and CNN is covering the events by the minute, and they’re based in Europe. When the US heard that the government cut the internet they were shocked. No government has EVER cut the internet to an entire country. This was the first major message that the government has crossed the line and is panicking and is FINISHED!!!

We’re waiting to hear from the White House…

Dad is SO HAPPY that I am here. Words cannot express all the emotions. He can’t believe what he’s hearing. And he’s jealous that I’m here!!! : D : D ; D

My family is so happy I am here too, and they are proud of me. They keep repeating “Di bint Osama El-Shafie. Heyya masreiya.” This is the daughter of Osama El-Shafie. She is Egyptian.

I feel that this was the final turning point. Six months ago, I feared I had lost touch with my Egyptian identity. Now I feel that this experience – in fact, this particular moment – is the culmination of my becoming Egyptian. I am a new person now. A true Egyptian-American.