The Audacity of Mubarak!

It's been a while... every now and then I get ideas about things I really want to write about, but seeing as how things are these days, I am just too busy to do it.

But then, every once in a while something happens which really really ticks me off... It's actually pretty amazing that this only happens every once in while because there are plenty of things to tick one off....

This time, I couldn't hold back! This is one of those entries that should have been written in Arabic, but this is kind of challenging for me when the keyboard doesn't have Arabic letters for guidance.. so here we go.

I refer you to today's Ahram newspaper, first page. Here's the link to the article I am referring to:

http://www.ahram.org.eg/Index.asp?CurFN=fron17.htm&DID=9559

If you don't know Arabic, the article is basically a futile attempt by the state-run newspaper to discredit the internet as a medium. The reason is obvious: the recent call for a strike that originated in Facebook!

A basic summary of the article is as follows:

"Internet is bad because a few evil youths use it to publish porn, false accusations, and calls for social instability. Even though these youths are minority, they're flooding the internet with their content to the point that requires a stance from the majority of internet users before the governement's security forces intervene. Even though Egypt prides itself on having the largest internet user base in the region, the medium has now become infested with porn, and profane language, which taints this advanced technological medium which the West has used for the purposes of advancement of their societies, and for which we use for calls for violence promoted by people hiding behind pen-names and others looking for fame and thrill. So you find sourceless calls for strike and for pharmacies to close, in a manner unmatched by any society in the world. Others yet call for writing anti-government messages on monetary notes, while others make accusations that surpass the limit of what's acceptable, in a manner that breaks any civil law in the world. There aslo vidoes on Youtube with two-way accusations between Christians and Muslims regarding abuse. One person even dared to publish the Dutch movie against Islam via email!"

This is an inexact translation... feel free to correct me if anything has been mistranslated.

What do I say? Of all the silliest, most ridiculous attempts to brainwash people, this is by far the silliest. Over and above being silly, it is insulting and infuriating for all of us who have found a way to express our minds through the internet. As such, I would like to address this article point by point:

1. The attempt of our respected government of Egypt to band together porn, obscentiy, religious unrest and political protest is unacceptable and insulting. The call for the strike was a direct result of our government's failed economic policy which has left millions of Egyptians below the poverty line, while our "elected" government officials find ways to divide up the pie. Position this any way they liked, our people are fed up and afraid. Civil disobedience was the only way to go... protestors are beaten and leaders of protests are sent to jail. A strike was an attempt on the part of these youths to send a message to our government, which seems bent on shutting its ear. The calls for a strike are not obscenity and not porn - it is a right that people of free will can try to exercise when they're fed up. Which we are, in case the government has not noticed. Mixing the bad with the good is a cheap trick that no one will fall for!

2. Accusations? How about evidence? Why are people like Yousif Waly and Ibrahim Nafe'e still free? Who is responsible for their getting away with everything they've committed? Are bloggers and facebook writers the enemy or men of the likes of these people? When an average citizen sees that people of low moral values can get away with anything, this basically shifts the whole value system of our society. The corruption of our government has led to the mainstreaming of corruption, and now it's just become a way of life. Are these false accusations? Are we imagining the corruption? Are we all crazy and our governement the only sane entity in Egypt?

3. Let's run a comparison between the West and us in terms of internet and other things. First of all, everything which the government tries to paint as traits of our internet users exists in the West and to a much larger scale. I do not condone porn or obscenity. But any attempt by our government to paint its people as backwards in comparison to the west is deconstructive and insulting. The internet is uncensored media, so naturally everything appears on it... in our world, as much as in the west. But some key differences include that the West's bloggers can write whatever they want and critisize whomever they please without fear of being jailed. And for that matter, Western countries lead their countries into better standards of living. In addition - and this is just a cherry on the cake - they actually have elections, not a shameful act of theater. So basically, both the west and us similar content publishers (bad and good), but the west has better governements for their people, while we're stuck with this rotten government that unable to provide the least expecations of humanity to its people!

4. No where in the call for the strike was there a call to close pharmacies. I checked the text, and I could not find anything related to pharmacies. That's simply a twisting of the truth that attempts to paint this strike with the color black. Does the governement think we're idiots? People of Egypt have the sense to discern that if they are doctors or pharmacists, then the strike does not include them. (I know first hand because both of my siblings are doctors who went to work even though I suspect they may have otherwise joined the strike). Similary, the people of Egypt are smarter than this futile attempt to disgrace the only attempt at an honorable action by the people of Egypt.

The bottom line is: Mubarak, if you had any dignity you would resign. Politcally, I have no agendas. But societally, we need a government that takes better care of its people. Whatever illusions you may have about what you've done for Egypt, I (and alot of others) can tell you that you've failed. The only decent thing to do now is to step down, and let people who are capable and committed to making this country better step up.

But then who am I kidding

In Search of Excellence...

Here's a question for you: What do you wake up every morning for?

Fast-forward a few months: I am an MBA student, married and living in Los Angeles. It's quite interesting seeing as at the time of my last blog entry, I was single (engaged), employed and living in Cairo. Quite a transformation!

During managerial economics class the other day, we were discussing the concept of economic profit vs. normal profit. Somehow, this discussion reminded me of where I was and where I am now - my own normal vs. economic profit.

I feel alive again. It's not because I am out of Egypt, not because I am out here in the States. It's because I'm finally challenging myself. Exposed to these new challenges, it has dawned upon me that I have been residing at the far left of an "easy" bell curve instead of finding myself in the middle of a "tough" bell curve and then try to make it to the left. This very much echos some of the themes from my earlier blog entry about My Thoughts on Thoughts.

Back in 2004, when this whole journey started on a December night at Sherif Bishr's home, I didn't expect that I could make it here. I had built-in obstacles such a steep financial hurdle. For three years, I'd been juggling building a life and pursuing my dreams. The remarkable part is not that I'm at the gates of my dreams now. What's even more remarkable is what I found in my way: a person with whom I can share this dream along with the rest of my life.

So what's the point of all this? I would like to avoid the question of divinity in this whole matter, since every time I bring it up, side arguments ensue. Instead, I just want to say something lame but very true: it's less about what you achieve, more about what you try to achieve. It's what you try that makes you extraordinary (this message is specifically targeted to my friend who's worried because he's hit 24 without winning the Nobel prize).

Just another side point... I guess a lot of my coming blog entries will about my experiences with people during my time in LA. As a starter, I just want to confirm what I've been preaching all along to all those skeptics: people here are no different than people back home in Egypt. They have the same desires, needs, fears and aspirations.

At any rate, I have to stop here. I have some self-challenging to do. What are YOU going to do when you're done reading?

Get Your Car out of My Way!

If someone double parks his/her car in a crowded street and you happen to be driving in that lane, how would you feel towards them? You may park right behind them and sound your horn until they move; you may drive by and give them a look. Or maybe you will do nothing at all... but you certainly wouldn't be very happy about it.

Now imagine that you need to go into a store for just one minute to pick up something. The store so happens to be in a crowded street and you can't find parking space. Would you double park your car? Most probably... you'll just tell yourself that "it will be a minute."

Sometimes actions are classified as right and wrong depending on who took the action. Sometimes actions are right simply because I or the group to which I belong took those actions.

We're all guilty of this. Let me give some common examples of how subjective right and wrong can be:

Pre-marital sex in eastern socities like hours:

• When a guy does it: he was a player before marriage but now he's straightened out
• When a girl does it: she's a whore

Smoking in public:

• When a guy does it: he's a smoker (perhaps an addict)
• When a girl does it: she's a whore

Walking down a street at 3:00 AM in the morning alone

• When a guy does it: he's just having a walk
• When a girl does it: she's trying to get picked-up because she's a whore

When someone laughs out loud in a public place

• When it's not you or your group: They're vulgar people!
• When it's you or your group: We're having a good time

When someone dies and a street is blocked to set-up Soradeq for funeral and Quran-reading

• When it's someone dear to you: People should understand our grief
• When it's someine else: Does grief justify inconveniencing others?

When Ahly wins a championship and fans block the streets in celebration

• If you're an Ahly fan: We have every right to celebrate
• If you're a Zamalek fan: Come on, don't block the streets. What if an ambulance needs to pass through?

When a waiter is being discourteous at a restaurant

• If you give them a hard time: You're demanding service excellence as a customer
• If someone else gives them a hard time: They're just being difficult

Examples are endless.

Whether you believe in an absolute or not, right and wrong should remain objective. Why? At the risk of oversimplifying life, I dare say that we, as humans, seek the same things and, more importantly, are hurt by the same things. We spend too much time judging others and their actions and very little time judging ourselves and own actions. If we all spend a little more time putting ourselves in other people's shoes, our disputes as humans would be subdued. And if we fail to develop a perspective, we should then resort to some tolerance.

So the next time you hear the neighbour's stereo playing so loud, play your's at a lower volume when you turn it on!

One Size Fits One Size!

If you go to buy socks, you will find that there are some types that are labeled: one size fits all. I bought one of those the other day, but it turned out to be too big. Naturally, this got me thinking: how can the socks producers claim that one size fits all?

In my mind, claiming that one size of socks fits all requires that the socks be tried on all sizes of feet. If any foot size fails the test, then the basic premise of "one size fits all" fails. Seems to be simple enough, right?

So what about those people who insist that one size fits all even though I've tried it and I'm sure it doesn't fit me? Proud of having acquired the "one size" sock, they point at my feet and say, "it fits... you just think it doesn't!" So supposedly, I should believe them and ignore how I feel about the sock, right? In fact, I'm not really believing them... I'm believing the sock producer who made the sock in any size then programmed these people to believe that one sock really does fit all. Bearing into consideration that this claim plays directly into the interest of the sock producer, I have problems believing in their objectivity towards the "one size fits all" premise.

Let's pursue this further... As I said, in order to make sure that a sock fits all sizes, it must be tested on a representative sample of the human race. The question is: how many people would you have to have to test a sock to make sure all foot sizes and shapes are represented in the sample? Seems to me to an impossible sample to create - probably not the approach sock producers follow. The more likely scenario is that they use an elastic material which expands to wrap the exact size of the foot. Brilliant, eh? But then what happens a year later? If my little brother (don't have one actually) tries to wear my elastic sock, it won't fit because over time, it would have lost part of its elasticity to the shape of my own adult foot. It is probably safe to say that no sock can absolutely fit all sizes of feet at any given moment in time. It is probably safe to say that despite the fact that we may wear same sizes of socks, each person has one size which fits them exactly - but we choose to go with a close match to simplify life.

So until a sock has been tried on ALL human feet continuously for a century or so, I will not accept that one size fits all. As far as I am concerned, "one size fits all" is a myth that has not existed anywhere except in the minds of people brainwashed by sock producers. I don't even think sock producers believe it.

Oh, and in case you're concerned with where this blog is going, our next article is NOT about underwear!

Image courtesy of Hippie Shop

الضوء يغمرني

لا أدعي علماً بحياة الآحرين، ولكن أغلب الظن أنها لا تختلف كثيراً عن حياتي، والأهم أننا متيقن أن حياتك أنتِ هي حياتي ذاتها

أتعلمين كيف نظل عمرنا كله نبحث عن ذلك الضوء؟ نلمحه على بعدِ فنجري وراءه فقط ليتبين لنا أن الضوء الذي نسعى خلفه أخفت من أن يضيئ حياتنا؟ أتذكرين كيف نبدأ الرحلة من جديد، نركض ونتوقف ونسترق السمع، نتوتر حينما نرى ضوئين في وقتِ واحد فلا نعلم في أي اتجاه نركض؟ أتشعرين بذلك اللهاث الذي يثقل من أرواحنا فنمضي في حياتنا نركض بخطىًَ بطيئة متثاقلة؟

أعرف أنك تعرفين

ثم هل تعرفين كيف يغمرنا الضوء فجأة، دون ترتيب سابق، دون تخطيط؟ أتعلمين كيف يتبدل اللهاث بالراحة، البرد بالدفء؟ الماضي بالمستقبل؟ هل تدركين معى الإدراك، الإدراك بأن رحلة البحث قد انتهت وانتهت آلامها؟

أرجو أن تكوني قد أدركت ما أدركته

لقد حانت لحظتي، لحظة أن يغمرني الضوء، وقد أدركت أن هذا الضوء باقٍ للأبد

هل تشعرين بالضوء يغمرك مثلي؟

To friends...

Welcome back to my idle ranting.... it's been a while!

This column is dedicated to my friends... inspired by someone which I hope that I can eventually call my friend.

What do you find interesting? Some people like stamp collection... some people like to go out or go to movies, some others are into pottery. While I have many interests, my biggest interest is connecting with beautiful people. By beautiful people I mean beautiful souls... people who in different ways exemplify (to me) what it means to be human. This interest stems from a need to believe in the hope of a better tomorrow, a hope that is inspired, in essence, by beautiful people. My continuous quest for defining my own humanity is another motive.

The bottom line is... I am proud of the friends I have. If you're my friend and you're reading this, I just want to say thank you. The fact that we're friends means that, in my eyes, you're beautiful in one, if not many, ways.

Sometimes the beautiful soul I see is only superficial... scratching the surface unhides everything that is intended to be hidden. Other times it takes time to unravel the beauty of a soul because it's been buried under layers of societal conditioning. It takes time for me to really know... even though over the years I've developed an eye for beautiful souls. Rarely has my instinct failed me. In the end, my friends all have a common thread... while defining it may be difficult (my friends are extremely diverse), you can see it clearly when I introduce them to each other, which I frequently do.

While I can judge at first glance (or at least I think I can), I never really know until I'm close enough. There is no real time frame that dictates how quickly the relationship develops. Sometimes circumstances catalyze things, like my relationship with a good friend of mine who's been with me through the good and bad of this very last year - even though we've only known each other for about a year or so. The point is, we don't call each other friends until we really know each other.

I may never know everything about my friend. They may not know everything about me. But at least in one facet of humanity we're perfectly transparent to each other. What it amounts to in the end is that I can say that I really know this person. Before then, we can't really be friends. In the end, there would no need to ever define limits and boundaries. I must be able to touch my friend's soul in some way, and they should be able to touch mine. This is my measure of true friendship.

To all my friends, thank you so much for the opportunity you've given me to experience your humanity.

To friends to be - now you know what it takes for us to be friends.

مصر على الخريطة النووية - استر يا رب

أبشروا يا شعب مصر المتعاص في القهر والظلم... لقد قررت حكومتنا الرشيدة القيام بإنشاء مفاعل نووي!

ألف مبروك – بللو الشربات يا ولاد!

طبعاً أنا مقتنع تماماً أن تصريحات الرئيس مبارك التي وردت بالمسرحية الهزلية المسماة بمؤتمر الحزب الوطني هي تصريحات للاستهلاك المحلي فقط، محاولة بائسة لإرضاء الجماهير المتعطشة لقائد حقيقي، وسبب يقيني بأن هذه التصريحات للاستهلاك المحلي فقط أن اللجنة الوزارية التي سوف يعهد إليها بمتابعة المشروع لم تفرغ بعد من مشروع الأستيكة القومي والذي بدأته في الخطة الخمسية قبل الماضية، وبالرغم من ذلك، فإن فكرة أن تقدم حكومتنا الغراء على مثل هذا المشروع يصيبني بالرعب نظراً لتاريخ حكومتنا الطويل في مشاريع خدمة المواطنين وأذكر منها:

- مشروع تلوث ماء النيل

- مشروع تلوث الهواء

- مشروع حوادث العبارات

- مشروع حوادث القطارات

- مشروع نقص الرعاية الصحية

- مشروع إستيراد المبيدات المسرطنة

طبعاًُ أنا لا أقصد التشكيك في نزاهة الحكومة، والتي أعلم أنها توصلت إلى إستحالة خدمة السبعين مليون مصري فقررت التخلص من نصف السكان لضمان معيشة طيبة للنصف الباقي على قيد الحياة، وأعلم أن مشروع المفاعل النووي هو مشروع طموح الهدف منه الإسراع بتحقيق الهدف المذكور، ولذلك فإنني أحيي حكومتنا على مجهوداتها، ولكن كل ما أخشاه هو الآتي:

- أن يتم إدارة المشروع بصورة غير محكمة تؤدي إلى إمتداد مفعول المشروع إلى النصف الثاني من السكان

- أن أكون شخصياً – حسب تخطيط الحكومة – من نصف السكان الذي سوف يتم التخلص منه

وعليه فإني أطالب الحكومة بالشفافية في إعلان أسماء المواطنين الذي تم اختيارهم للاستشهاد في سبيل رفاهية إخوانهم في الوطن، وتقديم الضمانات الكافية التي تطمئن الفئة المختارة أنه لن تمتد آثار كارثة المفاعل النووي لهم!

وأود أن أشدد على أنه إذا لم تقدم الحكومة الضمانات والبيانات المطلوبة في مهلة قدرها أسبوع، فإنني سوف أقوم بقيادة حركة قومية لمناهضة مشروع المفاعل النووي الحكومي، وسوف أحصل على تأييد الحكومات الخارجية والمنظمات الدولية الخارجية من خلال تسريب معلومات ملفقة عن تصنيع قنبلة نووية مصرية على غرار الإشاعات التي تم على إثرها غزو العراق، وسوف تنضم لي جميع القوى والتيارات الشعبية والقيادات السياسية وأهمهم المناضل شعبان عبد الرحيم والذي سوف يقود المظاهرات بهتافه:

الحكومة خلاص نويتها
هتصفي نص الناس
النووي حيخش بيتنا
والغلابة هتحتاس

قال نووي قال!

حسبي الله ونعم الوكيل!