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.

Egypt... Get Thee a Queen!

Watching the Queen's Diamond Jubilee has inspired me with the perfect solution for the political conundrum Egyptians have found themselves into. The solution is so simple, so brilliant, and so elegant that I'm surprised that none of the activists on the ground have thought of it.

Egypt needs not elect a president, since doing so seems to be so darn hard. Egypt needs to get itself a queen!

I'm not a royalist--last I checked anyway--but I see this as the ultimate solution for the leader-worshipping Egyptians out there who, unfortunately, form the majority of the voting pool. Most people are looking for something much more than a president. They are looking for a savior and a leader that will lead Egypt from the darkness to light. They want him strong, invincible, and all-powerfully capable of vaporizing his enemies should they ever dare to exist. They want someone they can adore and even God-ify.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia 

If you seek proof to such claims, look no further than the mysterious case of Hazem Abu Ismail. The charismatic sweet-talking Santa Claus figure who ran for presidency, gathered supporters, and spent millions of Pounds on electorial posters and banners despite knowing that his running for presidency inspite of his mother's American Nationality is in direct violation of the Egyptian Constitutional declaration which bans citizens with dual-national parents from running for presidency.  His supporters went crazy over him, many of them even to the point of pledging their life to him and threatening armed conflict if ever asks them for their support.

Hamdeen Worshipers 

Another, even more mysterious case, is  Hamdeen Sabahy, one of the leaders of the "old" (i.e.pre-revolution) opposition parties who had no popularity whatsoever and then , suddenly and mysteriously, rose to the spotlight. Now all you could hear is Hamdeen this , Hamdeen that. His worshippers liken him to his role-model, the late Gamal Abdel Nasser, who squandered Egypt's wealth on silly wars and died leaving a huge chunk of Egypt occupied, but is still, for some odd reason, worshipped by the masses.

Adore this Sucka!! 

Worshipping masses... listen up!

I hate to burst your bubble but... there is no savior, there is no deliverer, there is no champion! YOU are the champions.  Conscience  is the champion. No one person is ever the answer. The answer is a system. A system that is not self-righteous, but just. A system that can hold those in power accountable for the failings and mistakes. A system where no one in executive position is above the law.

But since Pharaoh worshipping has been sort of our "thing" since the dawn of time, then by all means, elect a cardboard queen... One you can admire, adore, and glorify all you want but let her hold no royal prerogative.

Does God Exist?

Does God exist?

You might think it strange, or philosophical, or even blasphemous—this question that all of us have whispered to ourselves one day, if only in the back of our heads close to where our subconscious lies. Does God exist?

I do have an answer—but my answer is deeply personal, deeply mine. Will it quench your thirst? I don’t know but I will share it. Maybe you’ll see some truth in. Maybe you’ll find in it something that is not in books of scriptures. And maybe it’ll reach a secret part of your soul—the part the affirmations of scholars could never find.

A while back a close friend of mine asked me, “Does God exist?”  I looked at him and smiled wondering whether I should fall into this trap.

In Egypt, you are not allowed to ask such questions, although everyone does— but dares not admit it.

And in Canada, to ask that question was to invite an unwelcome rhetoric of evolutionary and scientific talk that is grounded in the here and now and nothing beyond.

But my answer, my deep personal answer, is not as glamorous or as thorough as the eloquent rhetoric you would get from either camp. So I hesitated, not wanting to sound like a sentimental fool. But the look of genuine openness in my friend’s eyes compelled me, almost begged me, to answer.

“Yes, he does,” I said as casually as I could. “I am sure he does.”

“Why?” He said with a sigh expecting a lecture on how everything is by design and how the stunningly accurate engineering marvels of the universe point to the existence of an intelligent deity.

He was about to be disappointed.

“Because I feel him in my heart. I know he exists. And if it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be alive today.” My friend was dumbfounded. My answer was not clever, was not witty, was not eloquent, but it was true. It was my answer as I have come to develop it over the years.

There were far too many dark corners in my life…far too many calamities…far too many disappointments to navigate on my own. If it weren’t for God’s grace, I would not have made it.

I remember that when I was a child, alone in my bed at night, I’d cry and cry and cry for hours on end. Nothing would stop the pain and the tears…except the knowledge, the peace I found inside my heart because God is here. God hears me. And God one day will take me home.

I was unloved as a child; abandoned by parents that didn’t want me. A mother who can’t give love because she has never known it herself and a father who equated parental responsibility solely with financial support. It was in God’s love that I found peace and hope.

Maybe you are persuaded to tell me that it was a little girl’s illusion. That God was nothing but a Santa Claus figure or a Fairy Godmother who kept a miserable kid hopeful.

I tell you that this little kid could not—would not—have made it through the dark times if God did not exist. He manifested himself to me, not just in my heart, but also in all the people who loved, protected, and nurtured me along the way. He protected me from my rashness and my naivety and  my self-destructive urge. He solved problems I never know could be solved. He worked out messes I saw no way out of. And in my bleakest darkest hour, it is my faith in him that was the glimmer of hope burning that kept me going.

This is how I know God exists.

And you... what is your personal answer to "Does God exist?"

Freedom: A New F-Word ?

Article first Published on BikyaMasr


I'll let you in on a little secret. When I was a dreamy teenaged my parents --especially my dad-- itched when they heard the word Freedom. 


And I believe that most, if not all, Egyptian and Middle Eastern parents still shudder in fear when they here their young one speaking of their demands for Freedom.


"FREEEEEE???? What do you meant you want to be FREEEE?" A parent from our culture always says. 


"Do you want to be homosexual? Do you want to have sex? To do drugs?? Istaghfaro 'llah *asking God for forgiveness*" The parent usually breaks down into tears at this point. "What have I done to deserve such a child? God help me! Why can't you be more like me at your age huh?"


One said parent might've even had a normal adolescence with mistakes that they hate to admit. And if you were ever to confront them they'd say: "well, I want to you to be better than me. I don't want you to make the same mistakes I did." 


The examples are many. But one very common and almost ubiquitous example is the hijabi and/or Niqabi mama who forces the islamic dress on her daughter. 


The mother who, in her day, wore whatever she pleased and dated the guy she eventually married asks her daughter to "cover it all" and abstain from even talking to boys. 


"My parents were not very religious so they didn't teach me right from wrong. But I'll be DAMNED if I watch you be promiscuous!" This, naturally, reads "Do whatever you want as long you're sneaky enough to fool me."


To most of the 'older' generations, Freedom is promiscuity and promiscuity is the root of all evil. 


And the pseudo-liberals we have roaming round in the land of the Nile have a curious way of fighting for Freedom. They offer up assurances that when granted our freedom, we will be good boys and gals and use it properly and respect the social norms and rules and what have you. 
HA!
Freedom, people, is the right to be FREE. To choose your way and find that spark in your soul that's worth living for.


Those who deny us our Freedom do nothing, other than frustrate. Because whether they like it or not, or want to admit or not, we ARE free. Each and every one of us is free to wake up and go rob a bank, or kill our neighbor, or chop our ex in tiny morsels. But we don't because we CHOOSE not to, because we accept moral responsibility and cherish righteousness, at least most of the time. 


And this is precisely why we, as opposed to animals, are responsible for our acts before God. God gave Adam and Eve Freedom the moment he gave them Free Will. He told them not to eat the Forbidden Fruit but left the tree right there in front of them. Their test, as is ours, is fighting temptation. 


So dear Salafi Wahabis or whatever you can call yourself today, please remember that, in the words of William Wallace (aka. Braveheart), you can take away our lives, but you can't take away our freedom!

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

Frustrated Ministry of Interior Wives Thank Effervescent Sex Kitten For Getting it Up

Shown below is one of Egypt's highly acclaimed sex kittens and "soft", in body as in performance, porn stars receiving a Certificate of recognition from the National Police Wives Association. 

Her most acclaimed song titled  "I gotta say it darlin' you ain't gettin' it up" is a master feminist piece where a woman, with a barely there nightgown, twists and churns as her husband fails to "get it up" and complains that "he can't do it no more" then embarks on a series of attempts to help get it up through x-rated Oohas and Aaahs and bottom wiggling worthy of the playboy mansion.

Apparently, her efforts were so wildly successful among the population of police officers, who perhaps were a tad too limp down there, that the Police Wives Association decided to award Marwa a certificate of "Achievement and gratitude"  for, and I am quoting here for "all her efforts in boosting the morale of police officers." HA! 

The accomplished singer is grinning in the picture below holding the quasi-official certificate in one hand and the Quran in the other. The Police Wives have apparently also given her the holy book because they want her safe and sound and protected from the notorious evil eye. After all, what would frustrated police wives do without her.

Marwa No-Last-Name and Recognition certificate from MOI frustrated wives

Misogyny in Egypt: More than Attitudes

A few days ago I came across a disgusting picture on Facebook (and of course it has many), but this particular one had hit a chord. It was a picture that portrayed Egypt in a sort of damsel in distress situation where a ghoulish hairy hand in trying to strip her naked in the name of freedom. 
And who was that freedom ghoul? You guessed it! 
The United States of America and its alter ego (NGOs), Israel, Youth of the 6 of April movement (pro democracy group of kick ass Egyptian activists, and the news services which regularly cover violations by thugs of the Egyptian government).

The misogyny and patriarchy of the general Egyptian population is now used for political propaganda.

Here is the offensive picture (the translation is mine.) Look at the shaming and xenophobic messages implied! Outrageous!

 They like to portray Egypt as a woman, because they want to keep her 'covered', facts and all. They want to shame freedom seekers into submission and call upon the "men" of the country to protect their so called honor.  Just as they do when want to incite sectarian violence

Well, I say shame on them! And their women-belittling ways! 

Men, Women and the Whole Nine Yards.

Ever notice how women are the only ones to ever read a how-to relationship manual? Women are also more likely than men to read how to please advice. Who do you think "Men Are from Mars Women Are from Venus" was written for? Do you think men care to know where women come from, let alone to please them?
In Muslim countries, the man-pleasing quests take on the form of righteous and pious religious behavior. In the west, it is the quest to be PHAT and sexy--but it is all one and the same. Look the way men want you to. Act the way men want you to. Make them happy. Why?? Because maybe then they will care about your happiness and needs.

All this women-power propaganda is just a thin veil of smoke hiding the ugly truth. It is only the women who are willing to go the whole nine yards. They work and earn money and put on make up. They learn how to cook better, dance better, be better in bed. They learn to be nice and motherly and 'appropriate.'

When was the last time you saw a man Google "how to please your woman" rather than indecent pictures of Carla Bruni?

A woman , on the other hand, Middle eastern or otherwise, will seek to understand and please a man even if it meant turning into a bleached, painted, Silicone sack. I am not saying it's wrong, rather I am wondering why this isn't reciprocated. Forget the why-- maybe it is too obvious.
I guess the question should be will it ever change?

The Cairo House

I reviewed The Cairo House on Blogcritics and the review is featured on Seattlepi

I have always been intrigued by autobiographies and memoirs in our culture. How many women can actually retell their lives in all honesty and truth without having Fatwas issued against or without getting disowned by their family?
For the already controversial, a bellydancer with a sex tape or an actress who lured a famous politician, I suppose it is easier. But for the rest of us, the ones who appear so harmless and innocent to all those around us, it is a different matter.

The fictional autobiography is nice; many things can be left unsaid. Yet still, there is a liberating power in saying everything like it truly was. I feel like it is a first-rate cathartic experience.

But then again, who am I to know. I have never written a memoir-- at least not yet!

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!!

Romantic To The Bone: A not so modern take on Valentine's day

Article first published as Romantic To The Bone on Blogcritics.org

With Valentine's Day around the corner, we should revisit the definition, and the very essence, of the word romantic.

One thing I am sure of is that St. Valentine is tossing in his grave.

Romance now is just yet another opportunity for businesses to capitalize on.

Everywhere you go: buy this, buy that. Take your girl here, then out and about over there. Wine and dine the night away, at the finest five-star restaurant that will charge you double 'cause its V-day.

SUCKERS!

Whether you fall for this depends on your definition of romance. I say V-day is for wussies!! You heard me, ladies.

Want true romance? Go back to prehistoric times. Picture this:

Prehistoric mama is snuggling with her baby cozily in the cave, by the fire, roasting some mammoth leg her man had hunted for her and the kids a few nights ago. Hunter-man has been out all day, going about his hunting-gathering business to feed his lady, his children, and their newborn.

As Hunter-man was coming home, he spotted a saber-tooth tiger lurking, blocking the entrance to his cave, posing a definite threat to the little ones and the Mrs.

Lo and behold, Hunter-man attacks the saber-tooth, stabs him two hundred times, slices his head off, skins him, and takes the fur to his beloved to keep her warm at night. Now THAT's what I call romance!

That's romance as it once was, and forever should be; not some measly guy bringing in a box of chocolates and taking his woman out for a restaurant he worked so "hard" to find a reservation at. Heck, he may even have her pay half the bill – or worse yet, she may be the one doing all the planning and in the end getting none of the fun.

Guys, romance is about taking care of your women, and fighting off the predators!

Gals, guys who buy chocolates on V-day are suckers. They should be getting you chocolates every day of the year!

My Girl From Face book: Meg Ryan From Egypt

We spend a lot of time looking for inspiration, for some hope, for some potential reason to keep us smiling and looking forward for the future.
Well, I found mine today.
A delightful, sweet, optimistic, passionate person contacted me through Face book, and we shared dreams about a public library in Sheikh Zayed.
A place where kids can read and adults can borrow books. "The Shop Around The Corner, you know, like in Meg Ryan's you've got mail." She said to me; honestly, how sweet is that !
I loved her community spirit, her will, and her oozing enthusiasm.
Such a dreamer she is! And I'm just mad about dreamers.
I don't come across many nowadays,  ever since I grew up and became an adult. When I was 18, life seemed like a perpetual series of hopes and dreams, to me and everyone around me.
I thought that this spirit was lost in time… so glad I found another dreamerJJ

Girl power ! "mais maman je veux être une princesse, moi !"

To my dismay, my 5-year-old daughter made the above statement in reply to why she doesn't like Kim possible, and she prefers watching Spiderman!
MY daughter-me the bona fide feminist!-prefers to be the damsel in distress. She doesn't want to be the savior. She wants to be the little helpless princess locked up in the tower waiting for prince charming. That is her idea of romance. Where did I go wrong? How did society get her? She says she prefers when boys defend girls, and that she hopes that she marries a guy with a nice house! She says her baby brother shouldn't play with dolls and should not wear any color remotely related to pink!!!!!!!
Good God! How did that happen? And more importantly, how can it be fixed?
I am definitely going to gather up some ammo to attack this backward thinking. I will be vigorously searching for books, movies, and story ideas in counteract the patriarchal pop culture rearing its ugly at us every minute of the day.
Maybe I will never get her to take that Karate class, but at least I can teach her to stand up for herself; and that knights in shining armor are just a figment of men's imagination to keep females hidden and locked away, never achieving their true potential.