Al-Qaeda

Al-Qaeda, within the Muslim world, is a confusing organization. On the one hand they are fighting for Muslim rights. They are calling for Jihad. Most importantly they are doing it in the name of Allah. It just seems wrong to stand against them.

Yet their strength of membership comes from “marginalized youth.” People who have had difficulties assimilating with Western surroundings while trying to retain their culture and heritage. So Al-Qaeda feels right for the best and the brightest, and loneliest?

It would make sense that those joining Al-Qaeda are the ones that are attempting to gain a spirit of belonging with a group. They have no place in this world, so why not something extraordinary to make sure the next one is better? Look at Columbine, and they didn’t even think they were going to heaven! They just needed to feel like they were part of SOMETHING.

Al-Qaeda, and other like organizations, offers something that our own governments could not offer, a sense of security. No matter what happens within the next few years if you do what they say, and fight the way they tell you, you go to heaven.

Perhaps it is now time that we take our security into our own hands. The government is obviously more concerned with other things, like its own security. So we need to take matters into our own hands. Wright advocates for change, for a Great Generation. Yet he warns against Egypt’s biggest enemy.

“Get rid of the cynicism,” he says.

The Muslim world will only be able to combat terrorism, imperialism, and all the other –isms that are thrown at them when they decide its time for a change, and that they will make that change. It’s the old paradox of the little train that could. “I think I can, I think I can”, and he did.

I think we can, I think we will, I just want everyone else to think the same way.

class differences

Westernization in Egypt is a legitimate fear. Those in power have disregarded many important cultural ideas as ‘backwards’ or ‘third world’. Ye there are certain ways of living that, if imitated, would enhance and highlight the important aspects of our Arab culture. The
United states is not perfect. It is a large population with a huge land mass. People are not perfect, and therefore their societies will never be.

Having said this, it is important to note that in the majority of the united states the drift between economic classes is not as prominent in our arab world. Today I stood looking around for a lighter. Two men who were obviously neither students nor professors were smoking. I went to them and asked for a light. The bewildered look in their faces were indicative of a whole society gone wrong.

I understand the difference between social economic classes. I know that people, when raise in a certain way, they have a difficulty acclimating with others who are different. This is the natural order of things, and this is the way the world woks right now. Communication however, is drifting the population apart. These men were shocked because I appear to be a student. Those who pay to be here, do not mix with those who are paid so little to be here.
I know this exists in the West, but these differences are not a part of who we are. Our country is predominantly Muslim. Rather than encourage the veiling of our women and the silence of our people, our Muslim leaders should be promoting those very values and norms that are a part of our very souls.

“Ra’ytoo islam doona muslimeen, wa ra’ytoo muslimeen doona islam” -Sheik Muhammad Abdo

http://www.arabnews.com/?page=7&section=0&article=93355&d=9&m=3&y=2007

Bush, I mean Jesus, speaks…..

Bush, I mean Jesus, speaks…..


In the 2004 elections I wondered why George W. Bush had been reelected. I asked people I knew to be true conservatives, and they said simply, “he messed it up, he can fix it.” This is not a line of reasoning that I agree with, but I can somewhat understand it. The Egyptian people feel the same way about Mubarak. So I’m acclimating to the idea.

But today I saw Jesus Camp, a 2006 documentary directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady. The film was nominated for an Academy Award, and talks about evangelical Christians in the United States. It’s extremely disturbing on many levels. Brainwashing kids into thinking they should learn to be soldiers like little Muslim kids with bombs was shocking. As was the extremely young children claiming to be “saved” and crying to atone for their sins. However, when the little old lady presented President George W. Bush to the children as their guest for the day, I was floored. My Coptic friend walked out of the showing muttering “I can’t take this anymore.” When I asked him later why. He said, “This is where I draw the line at the misrepresentation of Christianity and the teachings of Jesus Christ.”

It interests me greatly that the ruler of the superpower of the world who claims to fight fundamentalism on a daily basis, is a fundamentalist himself. Only instead of shouting “Allahu Akbar!”, his thirty million followers (25% of the voting population) shout Jesus. According to the documentary Ted Haggard, head pastor of the evangelist Christians, speaks to President Bush every Monday. He says clearly “we have the numbers to change an election.” So what you are telling me Mr. Haggard is that the people of this world are looking towards a war between fundamentalists? Boy am I excited……….

What ignorance has been bestowed upon the people of our time to think that only black and white exists? When did we forget about color? I would say it’s leadership, and I am still convinced leadership is the backbone. Thirty five million people in America can make a heck of a difference though. The people in the United States are beginning to see a huge social problem. Their population is either what was captured and perhaps exaggerated somewhat in the film. (Although I have watched Ted Haggard’s show, and they do speak in tongue and are carried away after they get “saved”). Or they are the single homosexual mom that had their baby in a test tube. They have no regard for the natural order of things, or the way the world has been working for centuries at an end.

I don’t even know what to say to people anymore. Fundamentalist Muslims are trying to live the Ottoman dream by conquering the earth and spreading the word of Allah by force. The Christian fundamentalists seem to be using economic and military power to try to take over the world. Then there are the Jewish fundamentals, which kill women and children everyday so they can stay in a land they just decided they wanted.

Where did all the sane people go? Where did all the strong nations go? We have nationalism, but we lost pride. People don’t stand together anymore. We keep letting the loudest have the most control. Now we don’t know what to do.

For a more indepth review of the movie:

http://www.ericdsnider.com/movies/jesus-camp (for)

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/humpty/208319/ (against)

Censorship? I guess....

“Heya Fouda” (It is anarchy) is a twisted love story with a sad dose of reality. At the center is the corrupt chief of police in a common area of Egypt named Shubra. This man accepts bribes, tortures prisoners, has a complete disregard for authority, and is in love with his neighbor. The quintessential bad cop in Egypt. She is a beautiful young woman teaching children a language she barely knows, although she is a BA in English. When life finally gets good for her though, he rips it apart. Although he bares the consequence and she has a semi-happy ending (she’s been raped and her fiancé shot) this love story is not what makes the movie interesting. Neither is the lure of the bad cop. Rather the interest to me was the parts I wasn’t allowed to see or hear.

I was somewhat adapted to the idea that American movies were at times censored. Scenes that were too explicit, especially scenes implying homosexuality, were usually cut. Yet in this case the picture was still playing but the sound wasn’t. It happens around the world, so I assumed it was a technical malfunction and they would get it up in just a second. When the “malfunction” lasted for more then twenty seconds though I turned to my friend and asked if this type of thing was normal. Apparently, it isn’t. However, when a movie address issues such as the imprisonment of political demonstrators, the government feels the need to intercede. At first I was a skeptic. I continued to watch the silent conversation unfold before me. When the scene changed, and the “malfunction” was fixed immediately, my friend was proven right.

All scenes developing the characters of the political demonstrators were either cut out completely, or had the sound cut off. What does the Egyptian government hope to accomplish with such censorship other than to confuse the moviegoers? I’ve lived here for less than a year and am aware of this issue. I didn’t understand what they were doing, or why. I still don’t. Control? Stupidity? Or is it the Egyptian government meddling where it makes no sense again and ignoring the important issues at hand?

Africa Final Cup

AH! In the words of Egyptians “Eh DAH!?” Usually a taxi ride from downtown Cairo to where I live is a difficult thing, but today was ridiculous. All for a soccer game? So it’s the African finals, so we are defending champions. But even the BASKIN ROBBINS was overflowing with people. Don’t get me wrong; I’m happy to see nationalism in my own country, kind of. I empathize with these people that really don’t have much to look forward to, so it’s a boost. Yet I’d like to see this kind of reaction to real issues that hold importance for them, and for their children. This is a soccer game. A game, and although it’s nice to be the Champions in the Africa World Cup year after year, shouldn’t we start trying to get the masses together, in this same way to discuss important issues? What about the Palestinian refugees crossing into Egypt? What about the border that is at the moment being pressured to change? What about unemployment in Egypt? What about the misrepresentation of Islam in Egypt? The treatment of minority people, and those aren’t classified as minorities? The dishonesty? The anger? The resentment you can see in a lot of these people’s faces? Why can’t the Egyptian people get together and cheer a CHANGE on?

I’m not disillusioned as most of my friends would think I am. I’m actually pretty realistic when it comes to most aspects of life. So I don’t think that the people can just get up and scream change, and not worry about what is going to happen. Journalists get arrested and political demonstrators tortured by the government regularly in Egypt. It’s a fact, and we all know it. I do know this though. If everyone who simply owned a car went out into the streets of Egypt, traffic would stop, for hours and hours. Now imagine they go out and stop traffic for the purpose of demonstrating just ONE of the grievances they have with this country. Will the government be able to stop them? What would be the outcome? I don’t know, I don’t work for the government, and I’ve never been a part of a demonstration in Egypt.

I do know that a ten-minute ride took me an hour and half today, and I was lucky.