The so controversial piece of fabric

I came across an article today in the BBC about France and the debate about banning the Burqa (where everything is covered including the eyes). I have mixed feelings about this issue, because it involves many problems for me as a Woman and as a Muslim. I completely understand why having Burqas would be a danger in society, how many stories did we hear about people, mostly men covering up with Niqab and pretending to be women and doing all sorts of stupid crimes like kidnapping children and many more So yes, if it is banned in public places as a measure of security I completely understand why we should ban it or at least ask those women in public places to uncover their faces so that there could at least be any kind of social interaction.
I remember back when I was at AUC, there was this big controversy and court case about girls wearing niqabs on campus and I remember the girl in question was with me in Psychology class. I remember our professor would let her sit at the back of the class but tell her to remove the face veil because she wanted to be able to interact with her.

Anyway, my problem is not with the banning, it is rather with how the French put it, as my sister says, they are so arrogant to think that this is what will help women free themselves and have an identity. The article says, "Mr. Sarkozy said it was unacceptable to have women who were "prisoners behind netting, cut off from all social life, deprived of identity". I don't like the fact that they are putting all veiled, niqab or burqa women in one big bag: Oppression. I am not pro veiling but I am pro freedom of choice, those liberators think that by banning it they will help the poor little oppressed girls. No, that is wrong, this way you are confusing them more and imposing your ideas? What if this girl is convinced that this is the right thing? It's all about what she wants. I understand that most of the time it is not the girl's choice this is why I'm in a dilemma because I don't know how we should handle this sensitive issue. I think that a piece of fabric is not a factor of how religious you are, religion is about you and God. Many girls especially in Egypt weir veils and niqabs and do not display a single religious or moral value in fact, they do the opposite (sometimes veils are covers for prostitutes). On the other hand, there are so many intelligent, free spirited well educated and completely happy about their choice- veiled girls. My perfect example is one of my cousins she was so annoyed that people would think that she has no social life no normal girl's stuff habits because she was veiled. I will always remember a note she wrote, she was saying things like I'm a girl too, I too cannot go out of my house without make up, I look at hot guys etc... All of this just to prove my point, the piece of fabric is not an indicator, not a restriction it is all relative. So who are we to say that by banning the burqa we are liberating women? I was trying to find an alternative solution instead of banning it but I honestly can't what about the oppressed girls? What about the security?

It is such a shame that a piece of fabric is causing so much controversy closing people's mind and making them do silly things. What killed me the most is my discovery. A campaign called "Veil Your Lollipop" supporting the idea that this piece of fabric is a way to protect women from sexual harassment WHAT? Yes, see the picture, we have the depiction of a woman as a lollipop (the disgusting Egyptian kind of lollipop not even Chupa Chups) one is wrapped with only one fly trying to touch it and the unwrapped one is full of flies stuck on it. So technically unveiled women are filthy like shit keda (it attracts flies) and because they are not veiled they are more prone to sexual harassment! Can you believe this? The problem with this outrageous campaign is that it is in a way justifying sexual harassment. Why would a guy even harass me whether I am veiled or not! He should not even be looking! So to protect ourselves from the frustrated Egyptian animals we have to get veiled, like that is going to make a difference! These days men would harass a cat if they could grab it like a woman.
But anyway, what's going on with people's minds? Veil, Niqab piece of fabric no piece of fabric, this is supposed to be a matter of choice and non merci we don't need liberators.

Hopes and Promises: Obama day in Cairo

The post comes quite late but honestly these days many things happen around here.

Thursday 4th of June 2009 President of the United States Mr. Barack Obama came to Cairo to deliver a speech to the Muslim word at Cairo University (and my dad was there!!!).

I think it is something that should be marked in my blog's history. Frankly speaking we are all somehow skeptical of the outcome and of the speech itself but come on people he is quite the character and knows how to speak!! I personally liked the speech, Obama is charismatic and I guess for now this is enough for us to have a tiny bit of hope or not? Or at least enjoy watching his speech and reading his words? (Too simplistic?) Last week was all filled with articles, comments, forecasts etc.. Oh and don't remind me of how everyone was talking about Obama coming to the city, the traffic where is he going when is he coming, trying to know what he will visit etc... The nicest thing was also that everyone was warning us that this day we all have to stay home because of traffic because we know that when things like this happen in Cairo they can block any street even it is on the other side of the city and has nothing to do with the speech location. So work gave us a day off!! And oh la la the streets were sooo empty it was amazing. I wish Cairo was that empty everyday life would be so much easier.
So yes Obama Cairo Day was important last thursday it was a highlight !

Politically speaking and all of this, frankly, I don't have much to say, it's true that we heard many of these statements before and had hopes and promises, but I don't know, politics is not my playground it is just too messy, dirty etc... I just like to be an informer and my mission is to be able to speak the truth and state the facts so that's it I like to wait and see and observe.


Full text: Obama's Cairo speech (http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/06/20096410251287187.html)

My Work in Community Times!!

Community Times' website is now functional, you can check out all the articles on www.communitytimesmagazine.com with my work of course :). I wrote the latest one several months ago but we decided to publish it in the June issue. I am really proud of this article as I spent a lot of time researching and asking around. I got a lot of interesting info and I think that this issue is really important, violence and education. Many conversations and debate either start or end up from the same point. Education in Egypt has to be improved and from that, many steps can be taken to improve the lives of the people. Enjoy...

The copy pasting does not work properly so check the links on Community Times' website. (Merci Alex!)

Week End Song: It's a Fire

No picture for this week end, I was at the beach the sun was shining and everything was good. However I have a song that is always in my mind whenever I think about people, life in Egypt, society and interactions etc.. The lyrics are not enough to grab the mood of the song because the music and the voice are amazing so check the song if you're interested. I am not sure everyone likes Portishead's style it has this strange mysterious side that I personally really like.  

It's a Fire- Portishead 

It's a fire
These dreams they pass me by
This salvation I desire
Keeps getting me down

Cause we need to
Recognise mistakes
For time and again

So let it be known for what we believe in
I can see no reason for it to fail.... ...

Cause this life is a farce
I can't breathe through this mask
Like a fool
So breathe on, sister breathe on

From this oneself
Testify or tell
Its fooling us now

So let it be known for what we believe in
I can see no reason for it to fail...

Cause this life is a farce
I can't breathe through this mask
Like a fool
So breathe on, little sister, breathe on
Ohh so breathe on, little sister, like a fool

 My interpretation might be wrong, I would really like it if I had other opinions about the song lyrics, feel free to tell me even though I know no one will, I am still a small blog! So, it is not really clear what the song is about, but the part in bold is my favorite part no one could have said it better than this. This life is really a joke and wearing this stupid mask is suffocating! I don't know it just makes me wonder ...I may take the song personally but don't tell me that we are not all wearing a mask and sometimes we have different ones that we adjust to the situations. Don't get me wrong, I know that no one can be a 100% purely transparent. I just think that in my situation I sometimes wear a mask and it annoys me to admit it which is why this song really makes me feel good because I really wish everything was easier and we could all reveal ourselves without having to pretend anything. 

I am an open book I don't like to hide anything I can't hide anything, but it does not work that way in life. I don't know maybe it's Egypt, me, my mixture of cultures my ideas or my craziness. Whatever it is I am sure that life would be so different if we all did not have to pretend that we are this or that because at the end it doesn't matter "this life is a farce" and the persons we are fooling are ourselves. We are the ones who are left alone with our conscience and ourselves and we all know what we are whether we like it or not. I know I don't have to wear this mask but trust me it is inevitable but I guess I am not wearing it when I am writing all these posts and it feels good but still...

 I honestly try a lot not to care about anyone's opinion on my posts, if I wanted I would have written a lot of crap but it is not necessary because I know that I won't like it because it is not that easy letting the mask go. It is a dilemma, I think for me the questions are, Taking off the mask? Keeping it? Wearing it from time to time? After all we are all afraid that we are better with the mask but then again we never know so let's all "breathe on, like a fool". Bon, that's enough I can keep the rest to myself behind my mask ;) 

Khiyara!!!

In Egypt, they say that life is like a Kheyara (cucumber) yom fi idak we yom fi tizak! (one day in ur hands once day in ur ass!) The kheyara has been in my hands for this past month and I have been holding it proudly but now it came in my ASS!!

My previous post was about "Justice at last" haha isn't it ironic don't you think (3ala raye2 Alanis) I got robbed in front of my house!!

Parking my car all happy and proud of my 2hours work out, I decide to throw everything in my bag which never happens (if you ever saw me gathering my stuff you will see me always holding everything in my hands especially my phone Ipod and Keys,) anyway, im holding the stupid gym bag (that I wish was on the other shoulder!! )with the other shoulder holding my big bag with all my stuff and then this car that I will bomb( as soon as I spot it again),slows down next to me. I knew there was something fishy, I tried to move away but my reflex as you should know is a bit slow and then one thing led to another this son of a**** grabbed my bag and next thing I know I am running( trying) and shouting insulting him in Arabic eheh( it was funny because I was in the middle of my street with all my neighbors, my parent's friends insulting the guy ehe what a Lady eheh but I really don't care I will not show respect in those circumstances!) ( oh and I forgot to tell you how after the incident eheh the doorkeeper of the building next to me wanted us to go together in my car chase the robbers eheh) Back to the story... 

That was it, in tiny seconds I lost everything, it's not a big deal actually because half of the things that were in the bag, half of the people in my country don't have access to them so let's not be materialistic( it was hard at first I must say but I am trying). The funny thing is that I only had 20 pounds in my wallet ( but there was my phone and my Ipod but then again if u sell those it's not that much) so my bag was not a real treasure for him unless  Greek facial Yogurt cream was what he was looking for!

Of course I was feeling horrible, it's such as disgusting thing to happen to anyone. What annoyed me the most is how fast it happend and how I keep thinking that I could have prevented this from happening. I saw the car slowing down why didnt I take a bigger step towards the sidewalk why?? I am sure he must have thrown my bag in the street and only took the valuable things which is why I wanted to go on a mission and look for my bag  (my fixation was on my Green Morrocan pencil case and a baby picture in my agenda!! You have to understand that in those situations you tend to lose your mind a bit) But of course everyone told me I was crazy eheh I know..but I had some hope. What is funnier is how after the event (let's not call it an incident it's to dramatic) I was suspiciously  looking at all the cars around me searching for the Mitsubishi Lancer 200o model either silver or golden-beige ( im pretty sure it's golden beige) ouh!! if I find this car again stop me eheh I will commit a crime! (as if I could ...).

The other thing that annoyed me the most is that according to the neighbors it is the fifth time it happens in our area. I heard many stories of guys grabbing a girl's purse and running away in the same car and I was surprised. Same story, same car!!! So what the hell? Is it that hard to put some security cars in the area and find the guys or do we need to hire a special secret unit for the crimes of a golden Mitsubishi in 21st Isaac Jaboc street?

But on the bright side, I got to go to a police station( it was a small one)  for the first time in my life! ( im still a little girl yes..) and it was interesting, I was not surprised as I hear many things about police stations in Egypt and all the system but seeing it live was another thing.

Walking in the dusty room, with old couches, small chairs with a portrait of our beloved president ( a portrait of him 20 years ago) we went to see the amin shorta ( i am sorry im really bad with the official names in English ) with his pinky finger nail( you know the small one with the only one long disgusting nail) and the typical moustache eheh. It is amazing how he can talk on the phone smoke a Kilobatra cigarette, pick his nose and ears at the same time!!  I felt the irony when he was talking to us and calling his supervisor about us he was saying come fast it's a journalist(haha right?). I knew in his mind he was saying "Oh it's just a little spoiled girl from Masr El Guedida who got her Longchamp purse and her Fendi sunglasses stolen"(I'm not showing off and I actually feel that it's a shame to spend money on material stuff that can disappear in a second but I'm a girl after all) . 

To the shorta, a small incident like this seems insignificant I know Egypt has many other problems but if we can't fix a problem like this( same car, same area, same scenario!!) how will we fix the bigger ones? People are starving and are repressed in Egypt and there is no such thing as social equality but what can we do? It's hard to realize that you don't feel safe in your own country. You don't even feel safe towards the police in your country(They are the ones who harass us most of the time!). I am 21 after all, I am a grown up what do you think would have happened if I went alone to the police station? Nothing and until now, nothing happened to my case.   

I keep thinking, this stupid inhumane being stole the bag to do what? Looking for money to survive? I don't think so, he was in a relatively good car (compared to the majority of other cars in the street ..I have a Mitsubishi and the older model)  Did he want money for drugs? Probably yes, I think I saw him smiling... but why me?? Anyhow....

So going back the amin shorta, the way he treated the smaller officers (3assaker) was really bad, you see how abuse of power is a vicious circle, the sad thing is that it has to be this way, you're not going to yell at your supervisor are you? But sorry I really don't get this whole sacred thing about hierarchy in Egypt, in fact I hate it I am pretty sure I can find anyone with a worse job than a zabet let's say and who is more decent. (You know my whole adventure it's pretty small actually but I like to entertain myself...this experience really made me feel in the movie Heya Fawda the latest Youssef Sahin movie) when I was telling this story to a friend he told me "Welcome to Egypt"... yes welcome to Egypt sadly,  but it shouldn't be this way. 

To my surprise,  when I went to the big police station of Heliopolis, I found it very nice compared to the small unit I saw the day before. But I guess the Heliopolis Police station is certainly nicer because it is kind of a nice area in Cairo, (the zobat looked nice also, u know they were not like Mr.fingernail amin shorta). Also the paperwork came really fast I thought it was going to take forever. Well, we had to wait for the ma2mour for half an hour for a stamp!! because his majesty was taking an inspection tour oh la la. 

So it was not that bad after all, I got the khiyara but I try to take it well eheh oh no that's disgusting let me put it in another way. I tried to learn from this experience new things and at least it got me thinking. Where is the core of our problems in Egypt? We have so many but where is the root? Stealing happens everywhere, but it's sad, I want to walk safe in my country, I am really tired of all this pressure... Wearing unrevealing clothes, not walking at night alone, not driving alone, not speaking freely,  I can't do anything normal alone! Sometimes I wish I was a guy in this country...because being a woman is hard trust me but let's not get carried away this topic is big and trust me I have things to say! 

Look out for the mystery robber in a Mitsubishi car women! And to my robber, " May you choke eating my yoghurt cream, get cut from my pencils and keys, electrocuted by my phone, blinded by my sunglasses and get deaf from my ipod na!" 

Justice at last?

So it was all over the news! An Egyptian important businessman who of course has close ties to the government has been sentenced to death (well actually that was the verdict we still have to see what will happen next). To my understanding the Mufti said his word and it is death penalty and his word is a word. What happened to Egypt? Is it finally coming true? I am sorry Mr.Hisham Talaat Mostafa (yes Hisham the son not Talaat the father as many people confuse them) I don't mean to be happy about him being sentenced to death because I personally am against death penalty but this is justice and for a very long time we forgot it even existed in Egypt. But then again it is too good to be true, is it Egypt trying to protect it's image in front of the International Scene? There are many things we do not know about this case, many under the table things (as usual) was it all a set up? Killing the woman and the businessman? I wish I could feel optimisitc about this case but sadly I don't, I have little hope for it to be a pure case of justice but then again we have to wait and see what happens next.

On a more positive note Saad Eddin Ibrahim's jail sentence was overturned. In the Daily News Egypt, it says that" Judge Ashraf Sheta overturned Ibrahim's August conviction of damaging Egypt's reputation. It was one of a series of lawsuits filed by government sympathizers against the sociologist for criticizing the regime in his writings and advocating the US to make its annual $2 billion aid to the country contingent on political reform". Surprise? I think it's good news, it is still nothing compared to the freedom we wish to have in our country but at least it is a step towards it. Or maybe there is another undercover secret issue behind all of this? Saad Eddin Ibrahim has been criticized a lot for his stances against the government. I heard many things about him, pro american, pro isreali etc.. blablala he was one of the first to pulbicly talk about the inheritence of power scenario, and I think this sentence overturning comes as good news.
I met him once actually (while working for my university's newspaper) and he is a very very nice and interesting men and I think that thinkers like him are a good thing for our country. I don't want to say whether I support his ideas or not because I don't really know and I don't like talking without knowing what I am dealing with. Plus I am have to be as objective as possible looking at things from all the different angles All I know is that there is criticism and provocation and this mix is needed in Egypt.

I guess we have to follow up those cases and we'll see. So far there is a slight image of progress.. who knows it can all be true one day?

Links: http://www.thedailynewsegypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=21963
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090521/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_egypt_slain_singer

Football United ...Ahly!!!

So Ahly won a big match the league right?  :) I like Ahly, I can say I am an Ahlaweya by heritage of course (my father has ahlawy blood in his veins!) although Im not really sure I know all its players but it's fine this is what Al Ahly is all about. Everyone and anyone is an Ahlawy which is the best and sometimes the worst part of Ahly winning a game.  For a little girl in the streets of Cairo like me who barely knows how to drive (after more than 2 years!), all the celebrations are a little crazy( especially when you are surrounded by  red fire,people screaming and jumping on ur car..Only in Cairo!)  but it feels so good to see all those people celebrating and running in chaos in the streets honking and singing. 

All the problems and the anger against our lovely government and country disappear when a ball enters into a cage, funny?! Ah and wait until it is the national team playing! I think one day we can make a revolution and overthrow the government with all the people celebrating Egypt's victory in the streets! We should definitely think about that! 

Keep it up Ahly, keep uniting us and making us forget all our country's problems. 

Mabrouk lel dawry!