The Charlie Hebdo Attack: Are We Are Asking the Wrong Questions?

In the past few days, I've been observing the reactions on the ground in Egypt about the Charlie Hebdo attack. And I found it shocking and disturbing how very few people are asking the right questions. The ongoing debates seem to be all about whether one should tweet #JeSuisCharlie , #JesuisAhmed, or both; whether silence is an acceptable response; whether the outrage should be mainly directed at the cartoonists who didn't  respect our religion and thus supposedly endangered their own lives, or at religious institutions that are not combating extremism. It is all about blame allocation and haughty holier-than-thou attitudes across the board. Very little self-reflection is going on and very little awareness of the gravity of the rampant fundamentalism in our culture, its repercussions on us-- and the world-- for hundreds of years to come.

I see news like this popping up and very few people are actually paying attention and I wonder to what extent does most of society condone things like this:

Raif Badawi was sentenced to  10 years in prison, a 1 million Saudi Riyals and a 1,000 lashes. His cybercrime? Insulting Islam by calling for open debate about its interpretations and starting the website Free Saudi Liberals. What is even more astounding in this tale is that Raif’s lawyer, prominent human rights activist Waleed Abu Al-Khair, was also sentenced to 15 years in jail for “inciting public opinion” and undermining the regime.

And let’s not forget the two women facing "terrorism" charges in Saudi Arabia for the heinous terror-spreading crime of driving a motor vehicle. Public response was condemnation then "business as usual" for most and a thinly concealed desire for a women ban on driving in Egypt too.

One may be tempted to say that this is Saudi Arabia and that's what Saudis do but we, in progressive Egypt, are as freedom-loving as they come. Well, news like the three-year sentence Karim Al-Banna received for announcing that he is an atheist prove such optimism to be a fallacy.

Egypt Student Gets 3 Year Jail Term for Atheism

The cherry of the top of this news tour is president Sissi's condemnation of the Charlie Hebdo attack and his call to global leaders to join forces in fighting terrorism and closing down Takfiri groups' websites and portals. Takfiri, linguistically, is the 'ex-communicator', or one who declare others 'infidels.' If the world was to heed Mr. Sissi's call then they should shut down entire countries, Egypt included!

President Sissi calls to fight terrorism and close down Takfiri group websites

There is actually "Takfiri" residing in each and everyone who doesn't believe in freedom of worship, human rights and freedom of expression. And in our corner of the world, these Takfiris are state-sponsored. Heck, the state does its own Takfir. The state thinks it can maintain monopoly on Takfir. But the truth is it can't, these ideas spread like a malignant cancer infesting and infecting the whole culture. It turns most Middle Easterners / Muslims into bigoted, intolerant, freedom-hating people.

The current processes by which religion is handed down and spoon fed to the young is setting them up to be Takfiris-in-the making. They may then become recruited by the likes of ISIS, el Qaeda, or whatever forsaken bloodthirsty terrorist cell offers the severely disturbed ones a home and tribe to belong to.  I find the inability of Muslims worldwide to stop and self-reflect on what might be our contribution to the problem staggering. After all, God explicitly tells us that personal responsibility is the key to change, that all change starts with personal change :"God alters not what has befallen a folk until they alter what is within themselves" Ra'd verse 11. So perhaps the question is not whether or not you are Charlie, but the real question is how is the little Takfiri inside you feeding the circle of violence that is consuming us all.

If you decide you are not Charlie,that is ok. But the question remains: will you accept me when I say that #IamCharlie, and #IamAhmed, and also Loujain and Maysa and Raif Badawi and Waleed Abu Alkhair and Karim Al Banna? Or will you, like Mr. Sissi's judiciary, punish me? If you ask me, a Takfiri is as Takfiri does. We are treading in murky dangerous waters with head-chopping militants roaming in our region, on our streets, social media and our mosques and churches too. Can we really afford forfeiting personal responsibility and duty? I think not!

The debate is not whether you are Charlie or not Charlie, the debate is really whether you recognize how your outdated value system, culture, and your government's backwards policies and practices contribute to the problem.

ضد حبس المثليين ولا معاه؟

لو إنت مع حبس المثليين  فغالبا المبررات اللي بتديها واحدة من المبررات الآتية.

النهاردة  واحد من يومين فاعلية “ضد حبس المثليين”. فحبيت بهذه المناسبه إني أجمع ردودي علي الأسئلة و الإدعائات المعهودة اللي بتخلي الناس فرحانة إن المثليين بيتقبض عليهم و يتحبسوا. 

* المثلية شئ مرضي و “مش طبيعي”

الإجابة هنا ليها شقين. أولا” فكرة إن الغريزة “الطبيعية” فقط الإنجذاب للجنس الآخر—و المثلية موجودة في حيوانات في الطبيعة (آه و النعمة حتي روح إسأل جوجل)…الدرافيل و الألبالتروس و بعض أنواع القرود و البطريق بيعملوا سلوكيات تزاوج ساعات مع أفراد من نفس الجنس. إزاي الحال بقي—فيه يعني طبيعة أكتر من الحيوانات؟ و لا دول ماعندهمش غريزة؟

الشق التاني طبي—حضرتك حسب التصنيفات العالمية للطب النفسي  الكلام ده حسم من زماااان. المثلية ليست مرض نفسي و لا عضوي و لا أي حاجه من دي خالص. 

*المثلية مرض نفسي حصل بسبب إن حد إغتصبهم و هم صغيرين و ممكن يتعالجوا

الفكرة ديه روجت ليها روايات كتيرة و لكن البحث العلمي و التحليل النفسي أثبت إن الكلام ده كله هجص.  و مافيش طبيب نفسي في العالم المتحضر يجرؤ إنه يدعي إنه بيعالج المثلية. يفقد رخصة مزوالة المهنة علي طول. رجاءا متصدقوش أي حد يوعد “بعلاج” للمثلية. اللي يقول كدة دجال و ليس طبيب. 

*المثلية تقليد أعمي للغرب

المثلية موصوفة في كل الحضارات القديمة الغربي منها و الشرقي (راجع ألف ليلة و ليلة)—چورچ مايكل ماخترعاهش يعني. 

*المثلية جسديا مضره  

الكلام هنا طبعا عن الإيلاج الشرجي (اللي بيبحث عن دليل عنه الطبيب الشرعي عشان يلبس الناس تهمة). إذا كانت ديه مشكلتكم  و عشان كده بتقبضوا عليهم يبقي لازم تحبسوا أي حد بيعمل جنس شرجي حتي لو راجل و مراته! و جدير بالذكر إنه فيه نسبة لا بأس بها من الغير-مثليين ينخرطوا في الجنس الشرجي للحفاظ علي “العذرية”. ده مش خطر و يتقبض عليهم يعني؟ شفتوا بقي إن المشكلة في الأساس في كره عنيف  و غير مبرر للمثليين. 

*المثلية حرام 

مش هادخل في نقاش فقهي لأن حتي الحرام ربنا اللي بيحاسب البشر عليه.ببساطة البوليس مش دوره يقبض علي اللي بيعمل حاجة حرام دوره يقبض علي اللي بيخالف القانون. مافيش قانون يجرم المثلية . الفجور و الأفعال الفاضحة و اللذي منه بيبقي مش في أوض النوم. مش كدة ولا إيه؟  عايز قانون يجرم المثلية؟ رجع مرسي أو عدي البحر للدولة الشقيقة اللي من بره هالله هالله و من جوه يعلم الله. 

*المثليين خطر علي الأطفال

مبدئيا فيه خلط شديد بين المثليين و محبي الأطفال (الپيدوفايلز) دول حاجه و دول حاجه. الأسطورة اللي بتقول إن اللي بيغتصب طفل واحد مثلي “مش لاقي” ديه غلط ميه في المية. محبي نكاح الأطفال دول مرضي خطرين. المثلي إنسان طبيعي لاخطوره منه و لا يثيروه الأطفال (زيه زي حضرتك بالظبط)

*المثليين مفسدة للمجتمع

عايز تعرف إيه أكبر خطر و فساد للمجتمع؟ الفقر! و قلة الرعاية الصحية و التعليم و إنعدام التراحم. ده اللي خرب المجتمع المصري و حوله للمسخ المشوه اللي إحنا شايفينه دلوقتي. المثلي إنسان في حالة ليه تفضيل جنسي معين..زيه زي اللي بيحب/بتحب الطوال أو القصيرين أو ألوان و أشكال معينة. إيه علاقة ده بالمجتمع؟؟ 

*المثليين مش جدعان 

طبعا عارفين اللفظ اللي بيبدأ بالخ المقصود هنا. ديه أسطورة منبعها الذكورية المقيتة اللي شايفة إن اللي “بياخد” يعتبر “مش راجل” و إن الرجولة مرادفها المجدعة. و الست اللي “بميت راجل”  هي اللي جدعة. و دايما برد علي الحكاية ديه بإن أجدع إنسان ٩٩٪ من الشرقيين عرفه كان أمهم. 

مين بيحط إيه فين مالوش دعوة بأخلاقيات البشر. 

اللي بيحصل في حياة الناس الجنسية و الشخصية مالوش دعوة بحد.

الرفض و الكره المرضي للمثليين جزء منه الكره للآخر المتفشي عندنا و جزء منه موروث ذكوري شايف إن الراجل لازم يبقي شجيع السيما أبو شنب بريما. مع إن السيما فيها أدوار كتير و كل واحد حر يختار الدور اللي يريحه. 

Gay Men Jailed in Egypt: Everyone's Shame

Four men were sentenced to eight years in jail for engaging in "deviant" homosexual acts. These

men were reported by none other than their neighbours. Egyptian newspapers said that the neighbours called the Police because many "feminine-looking" men were frequenting an apartment rented by one of them.

 The Egyptian police searched the apartment and found make-up and female "garments", which apparently is evidence enough for them to arrest the guys and was proof enough for the court later to sentence them for eight years in jail!

There's also another interesting line in the article describing the arrest. The reporter stated that the neighbours "almost finished them off", but the police officers took them swiftly away.

Now, I have been living for the past fifteen years in Egypt and there is one thing I'm sure of about the Egyptian police: they are not a friendly, responsive bunch.

I called the Police on my neighbours on two separate occasions in the past fifteen years. The first was because my next door neighbours were holding a wedding in their own backyard and they were firing celebratory shots in the air scaring my week-old baby to tears every time. The police officer I talked to hung up on me.

The second time was to report a domestic dispute-- the screams of a woman being brutally beaten and the loud roaring insults of an abusive husband. This time the police responder asked if I heard any gunshots and when I said no, he also hung up!

So why oh why does the police--and the courts--care about people's sexual behavior behind closed doors, on private property? We can throw in religion as the easy answer, but I believe the rot runs much deeper. All in all, people in Egypt are not as religious as they'd like to pretend they are. They let a LOT of things go--just so long as it does not threaten their patriarchal society.

Patriarchy-friendly Causes: Bring'em On
Activists in my corner of the world are so predictable, they rarely surprise me anymore. The pick and choose their causes on a whim.

There are two sets of causes: those that threaten patriarchy and those that can be made patriarchy-friendly. For instance, when it comes to women's rights, sexual harassment is a patriarchy-friendly cause. After all, it has to do with "honor." It's a cause that readily gathers supporters and mobilizes activists. Whereas something like Female Gential Mutilation finds much more apathy and down-right resistance--being labeled as "not important now" or "not a priority."

And here allow me to describe a new Syndrome, authentically Egyptian, and proudly adopted by many post-revolutionary revolutionists: the Not-A-Priority-Now Syndrome. Its symptoms are easy to spot and the underlying aetiology is clear: causes that threaten societal hierarchy and patriarchal norms.

Some of the regular victims of this syndrome are: Bah'is who want their religion acknowledged in official papers, Christians who want churches built, Nubian minorities who are seeking long-ignored right, women who want laws to protect them from margination, atheists who are arrested and thrown in jail for their beliefs or lack thereof.

But of course, the ultimate sufferers are the guys with alternative lifestyles--the homosexuals, the gays, the black sheep of  a beaten-down male-dominated society. No one shall stand for them. No one will utter even a cry of dismay. Because, well, they are "feminine" males. They are guys who are being "done to" instead of being the ones doing the "doing."

This is why our revolution is failing us, because the revolution of the mind is far from being completed. When rights, for ALL, are considered worth fighting for, then we can talk about living the dream we've been fantasizing about since the ouster of Mubarak in 2011.

One of my favorite all time quotes about the Egyptian revolution is a quote by the visionary Mona El-Tahawy. She says that our political revolutions will fail, unless we have social and sexual revolutions that push them into the home. I wholeheartedly agree and I think that the sooner Egyptian activists realize this, the sooner they can wash away the shame of their silence and their turning away from the very ideals they promote.

Egypt...Is Freedom in the Air?

We will be free. 

Were you taught by English teachers that Freedom is an abstract noun?

Were you taught by science professors that the air can not taste sweet?

Were you taught by acoustic teachers that the chants of the masses can not chime in sync?

Well... you were taught wrong. 

Freedom fills in the air in Tahrir square again, our square, Liberation square. The air is sweet and the chants are heavenly melodious. 

Our hearts flutter with the hopes of freedom yet again. Once more we, Egyptians, will naïvely try to overthrow dictatorship. I don't care whether we succeed or not. It's just that twenty years from now I want to be remembered among the ones who fought, among the ones who stood in the face of the tyrants, among the ones who refused to bow, among the ones who said to Islamists we are NOT afraid of your guns and your merciless hateful laws, among the ones who said to Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood we are not afraid of you and your "clan."

Egyptian Women: Choose Your Role Model

How did Egyptian women celebrate on International Women Day?

In fact, who celebrated "International Women's Day" in Egypt? 

Well, I didn't; and in my opinion no one in the Land of the Nile should ever celebrate any feminist-related event or anything remotely promoting freedom and equality. 

Why? 

The answer is quite simple because in the Land of the Pharaohs there is nothing for women to celebrate--nothing at all. 

Because in Egypt, the choices for women are not only limited, but ridiculous and pathetic. 

They say that Egypt is a conservative country where women are required to adhere to certain norms or else they will be shunned by society. 

Huh! Nothing could be further from the truth. The fact is that in Egypt for women, as it is for men and even school children, there is only one choice: bow down, or else face the consequences. 

International society--and local activists--worry what "Islamists" will do to women and their freedom, while in fact everyone should be mourning the choices Egyptian women have the Military rule. 

If you want to know what career paths and life choices Egyptian women have nowadays, please refer to the picture below:

1.Marwa(with certificate of recognition) 2.Samira after her molestor walked free 3.Tahrir Girl stripped and Beaten

You can either look up to  Marwa, the Ministry of Interior babe (or any other plastically-enhanced dolled-up over-sexualized male toy) where you make it your life's work to please men of all paths of life by being merely eye candy. Then you will be decorated and celebrated for 'raising the morale' of troops and policemen. 

Mind your own business until your misfortune puts you in the wrong place at the wrong time In which case you will be arrested by the military where you will be molested by a pathetic excuse of a doctor to check if you are a "good girl" and have your hymen. Then, you chicken out of reporting (most of the girls who have had these virginity tests performed on them) and life in shame. If you are hero material (like Samira Ibrahim in the picture), you will stand up for your rights, only to get shamed further and have a judge set your oppressor free. 

There is also the tantalizing option available to Egyptian women and girls of all ages, religions, and all walks of life: getting a good ol' beating-and-stripping a la 'Tahrir Girl Style.' Where your islamic dress won't protect you and your abbaya will not elicit the sympathy of your fellow Islamists. 

So, until further notice, if you'd like to live happily in Egypt, get thee to a Lebanese Plastic Surgeon!

P.S. This blogpost was brought to you by Plastic-Surgeons-Are-Us and Armed-Rulers-of-Egypt

Girl Vs. President

Standing up against a sea of troubles is never easy. But how many people have the courage to do what this young woman here did?

I am not about to discuss the political aspects of the picture, because this is not what struck about it. My first impression, like many of you, was 'WOW! This girl has guts!!'

Not too many people have the courage to stand up against their oppressors; the beaten woman, the abused child, the underpaid employee usually end up just taking it laying down.

We always need little inspirational tidbits, be it a quote, an article, or a picture. I think this is as moving as the 'Shoe' journalist who tossed at G. W. Bush what he deserved.

The imagery of it is beautiful too. Look at the girl, veiled, so small, and standing up against a huge crowd, a big car, and the one of the most oppressive b political forces in the world: the Iranian president. Ahmadinejad is looking as pretentious as ever, arrogant, and surrounded by bodyguards who could not protect him from this woman's courage.

I received this in an email titled "woman of the year". Well said.

This girl SERIOUSLY got game!!

Appropriate, inappropriate, or just downright crazy: how freedom of expression can change the world

Deciding whether you want your virtual persona to be appropriate, or to let it be a representation of the wilder side of you is a tough decision.

Keeping on the safe side of things is, well, safe but certainly not rewarding. It is not that expressing yourself freely gives you an adrenaline rush, or that bordering on the risqué in and of itself puts you under the spotlight. The problem is that all creative, innovative, ideas are at first 'crazy'. If you do not let your ideas roam freely, you can never change your reality, solve your problems, or --if you are an idealist visionary --change the world.

Somehow, 'inappropriate' and 'out-there' ideas become automatically equated with the profane. People vigilantly censor themselves lest they break a cultural taboo. But sadly, in doing so they lock their potential away; and live as mindless followers in a pitiful herd.

When I say 'wilder side', I am not referring to taking your shirt off for a stranger in front of a webcam! I am referring to these thoughts that come to mind and you just brush them off because they are 'unconventional', or maybe you file them under the 'never going to happen' tab.

So before you censor yourself, trust it. Trust that you are genuinely good and that you have genuinely good ideas. Don't believe what the pessimists say. We humans are not dirty nasty creatures operating on basic instincts--our Cerebral cortex does, sometimes, take the upper hand!

You might change yourself, your community, or even your world if you just let yourself truly BE.