I got these two interesting remarks from Upper Egypt which I got from dear trust friends.
Friend #1 was a road trip in Upper Egypt from two weeks ago , from Cairo to Marsa Alam. He asked people where he stopped in the governorates about what they think about the country , the revolution and the Muslim brotherhood as well whether they said yes or no to the referendum.
Amazingly this is the summary of what he got from answers : They do not support the revolution nor the Muslim brotherhood or Morsi , in fact they hate the MB but they said “Yes” in the referendum for the sake of stability and “Life goes on”
Friend #2 is a dear journalist and friend from Upper Egypt , his family is well connected and he got tons of contacts there from big clans , families and former MPs. He told me last week that in last year’s elections “and expected this year” Islamist parties , mainly Salafist were offering the big and famous members of the clans an opportunity to run for parliaments in electoral lists “and they are not Salafist” for specific amount of money like in the days of NDP !!!!
It is worth to mention that Sufi beliefs has been dominating Upper Egypt for centuries.
You know Egypt will have a true revolution if Upper Egypt joins this revolution.There are groups of revolutionary youths in the Upper Egypt governorates but they are not enough. It is worth to mention that the highest rates of poverty and illiteracy in Egypt are in Upper Egypt. I believe that the South in general is our key for new real renaissance.
Upper Egypt is so backwards It should be made a separate zone where voting is not allowed because the poor illiterate people there who are islamisized at heart drown the civilized people's vote in the north.
ReplyDeleterest in hell
Deleteforever!
DeleteThe problem with Egyptians is that they are all living in different times. Islamists trying to live in the past (hundreds of years ago) while other people are living in the present. This pull backwards and push forwards is tearing country apart resulting in stagnation and the mess we are in now. People who cannot read and write should not be able to vote. Simple.
DeleteThat sounds a lot like the literacy tests America used to have to prevent African-Americans from voting...but things like that were later ruled unconstitutional.
DeleteIt's attitudes like this that lead to people considering the liberals to be elitist and unconcerned with the poor. Everyone should have the right to vote by virtue of being an Egyptian citizen. Your education is a privilege- it doesn't make you better than a poor, uneducated person. If anything, the sentiments you've just expressed demonstrate your arrogance.
Furthermore, your statement that the poor are Islamicized at heart and that the civilized people are in the north only lends legitimacy to the Salafis who claim that the liberals are against religion. You basically just said that Islamicized people are not civilized. What is "Islamicized?" Someone who is pious and devout and votes in a manner reflective of their values?
If the MB and the Salafis open clinics, hospitals, and schools for the poor while the liberals do nothing to help them, can you expect them to vote in any other way? People vote for the party they believe serves their interests. If you want the poor to consider liberal parties, then liberals need to stop insulting the poor amd offer them pragmatic solutions and ways to lift them out of poverty. If you continue to advocate for the poor to be ignored and left out of politics, then they will do the same to you and ignore you when they vote.
I agree with you that education is important and that Egypt's literacy rate is too low, but perhaps the focus should be on improving the condition and education of Egypt's poor rather than shunting them to the side and labeling them as second-class citizens. The longer the opposition maintains this culture of elitism, the longer it will continue to be the opposition and never assume power.
Upper Egyptians put food in your bellies and God in your heart...never forget!
ReplyDeleteOh what a mess of 30 years of Mubarak has done and yet still we hear every day the blame being put on 6 months of Morsi!!!!
ReplyDeleteNO ONE could fix the mess left behind by Mubarak unless they were a prophet of God himself!!
It's time to stop the whining and tearing each other apart and roll your sleeves up and try to fix the goddam mess left after the Mubarak dynasty!
i think every one should have there own say i am from the western world but took a look first hand in cairo how people live i think the govemerntment should do something to help these fortue people or let themlive on the street and see how they like it with no blakets or food or a palce to sleep
ReplyDelete