#Yemen , US #Drones and Usual Arab Silence "Updated"

Today there was a congressional hearing for US military drones victims from Pakistan in D.C
It is the first time to happen and just as Malala caught the attention, 9 years old Nabila who witnessed her grandma killed in the drone attack spoke to the 5 Congressmen in the hearing about her scary experience with their country killing machine. Nabila and her 13 years old brother Zubair shared the details of the attack live in the Congressional hearing.

Nabila and her family along with her translator and lawyer "Rania Khalek"

No one accused the Congressmen of treason for listening to those victims who are actually incriminating the US army and accusing it of a war crime that is killing innocent people. The person who called for this session is Congressman Alan Grayson , a democrat “Just like Obama” and he was not accused of being traitor.
Now I am happy that the drones attacks in Pakistan are discussed widely and at the same time I am angry as well feel sad on how Yemen is being neglected when it suffers from the US strikes and drones just like the Pakistanis.
I am angry that the League of Arab States is completely ignoring the drones attacks in Yemen and how people suffer there. Is not this an attack on an Arab state sovereignty !?  I am angry that Saudi Arabia that is pretending now to be standing against American Imperialism in the region does not raise this matter.
I feel sad that only Yemeni activists from true revolutionaries are speaking about it when all other Arab activists are ignoring what is happening to the Yemeni people from foreign attack targeting their civilians in the endless bottomless war on terrorism.
Here is a short clip from Human rights Watch about the drones and Yemen.

Human rights watch and US strikes in Yemen

You must also read how the United States is gaining more enemies with its drones attacks in Yemen.Terrorism will not stop using drones and killing innocent civilians in that war. This is a fact.
I wish that Egyptian and Arab tweeps and bloggers speak about Yemen. I wish that Mosireen produces some documentary with help of Yemeni activists about it the drones attack. We are good in making noise then let’s our noise to be useful for our people and their rights.  
Updated : 
It turned out earlier that year Yemeni activists spoke in another Senate hearing about the drones in Yemen where activist Farea Al Muslimi."Thanks to Jim Early"

Links and Notes 10/29/2013

• Controversy over granting defense minister immunity | Mada Masr

  Mada Misr speaks about granting the defense minister in Egypt an immunity in the draft Constitution

  tags: Egypt Op-eds #DWC #LN Egyarmy Constitution

• مَنْ يحكم مصر بعد ٣٠ يونيو؟ - وائل جمال - بوابة الشروق

  Wael Gamel wonders in Al Shorouk about who is really ruling Egypt after 30 June. (Ar)

  tags: Egypt Op-eds Arabic #DWC #LN

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Links and Notes 10/28/2013

• 22 Epic Places You Didn't Know Existed

  All those places are on my bucket list , I wish to visit them before I die with my camera and my beloved ones too.

  tags: #DWC #LN Photos World Earth

• ''القلل القناوي'' تراث يتمسك بالبقاء | بوابة المندرة من صعيد مصر

  Al Mandara, Upper Egypt's citizen journalism portal has a very nice small feature about thet beautiful tradition pottery industry in Qena

  tags: #DWC #LN Egypt Upper Egypt Folklore Pottery Qena

• Aung San Suu Kyi: falling from grace | World News Blog | World News Blog

  Once a hero of freedoms , Aung San Suu Kyi proves to be another radical nationalist if I dare to say. Ironically and sadly I am not that shocked anymore because we have lots San Su Kyis in Egypt nowadays. Amazingly the Muslim and Arab world have forgotten the Rohingya Muslims suffering. Still the foreign western human rights organizations and media have not.

  tags: world Burma #DWC #LN

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Dear CBC Why Serious Face ? He did not speak about the Emperor For God Sake !!

I 'm the clown ..
Why did you stand up !?
Why did you get scared !?
I neither have a sword in my hand nor a horse below me !!
How Strange... 
                                                                                                                 Salah Jahin
I remember these words as soon as I heard that CBC TV network issued a statement last night regarding Bassem Youssef's controversial third season premiere that is causing controversy in Egypt. The Statement was read by Lamees El Hadidy. The CBC network apologizes for some of what was said in Bassem Youssef's show last Friday.

"CBC will continue to be supportive of the basics of national sentiment and popular will, and is keen on not using phrases and innuendos that may lead to mocking national sentiment or symbols of the Egyptian state," a CBC statement said.
On Twitter, the official CBC account also said that the board of directors also had reservations about some of the content on Friday's episode of El-Bernameg.
Amazingly how CBC thought that mocking Morsi in the past reason was freedom of expression when he was officially the head of the state and the commander in chief of the Egyptian armed forces. 
It is getting silly for real.

Links and Notes 10/27/2013

• Egypt's Prosecution slams football Ultras members with another 15 days detention - Politics - Egypt - Ahram Online

  UA07 tragedy won't end. The ministry of interior and regime think that in this wa they will be able to bring down the Ultras, I believe they are wrong. They are provoking those young men and boys more and more.

  tags: egypt football politics UA07 Ultras #DWC #LN

• «الشروق» تنقل.. روايات الناجين من «جحيم أبو زعبل» - بوابة الشروق

  Horrifying testimonies for the survivors of Abi Zabal prison car incident where 35 Pro-Morsi detainees were suffocated till death thanks to the officers. Testimones in Arabic. Officers and prison warden are referred to court as far I know

  tags: egypt Morsi MOI Rights #DWC #LN

• ‘The Square,’ Jehane Noujaim’s Documentary on Egypt’s Unrest - NYTimes.com

  Filmmaker Jehane Noujam's documentary on Egypt and our political journay aka unrest since January 2011 is reviewed in the NY Times. I think Noujam should present another sequel for "The Square" because the story is not finished by all means.

  tags: egypt unrest nytimes #DWC #LN Documentaries Reviews

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

#Women2Drive is back Again : No Woman , No Drive They say in #KSA

The fantastic ladies of Saudi Arabia are doing it again. The Saudi women decided to take the wheel hitting the road trying to make it a reality in the kingdom : For Women to drive their cars.
Yes today the Saudi ladies are doing it organizing a campaign to drive in the streets of the kingdom posting photos and videos to encourage other ladies and to prove that they did it. 
Here are videos taken for videos behind the wheel in different cities in KSA.

A lady driving her car in Jeddah

A girl in Ha’il driving on October 26 , 2013

#Egymedia : Bassem Youssef Starts his show and his enemies are ready for war !!

This post should have been written right after the end of Bassem Youssef’s season three premiere but thanks to an awful migraine I had , it was postponed.

First here is the full episode. The first part was about June 30 and whether it is a revolution or coup then the second part was about the crazy El Sisi-Mania in media and the third part was a serious message about the show’s policy in the new era.

El Bernmag : Season 3 episode one–”Arabic”

I think the best part was the third one ,the show’s policy in the new era. Bassem Youssef said it clearly we did not replace the religious fascism with nationalist fascism or in another words military fascism.

The Islamists are angry from Bassem Youssef as usual. Already they used to hate him during Morsi so there is nothing new about it.

The new thing is the reaction of the Pro-military rule/Pro-El Sisi supporters who used to cheer for Bassem . The Pro-Military supporters are extremely angry because the famous satirist dared and spoke about the general !! He did not even mock him directly.

And El Sisi Mania goes on and on

As if we are destined to see new levels of hypocrisy  when it comes to El Sisi Mania in Egypt every week. From cupcakes to chocolate to necklaces bearing the "CC" initials to endless columns and op-eds as well TV shows and interviews hailing the new idol of the Nile valley in the Egyptian mainstream media .
Whenever you think this will stop , you will be shocked on how some will go far.
This week in al Akhbar daily newspaper columnist Akram El Saadani demanding no mercy for those spreading chaos in Egypt taking example from England riots and that Egypt needs a leader like General El Sisi. Of course what said about England riots was from another world including the claim that the army aided the police to take control of London. "Cameron said that he may use the army in future riots only"

 He is free to say and claim what he wanted of course this but he concluded op-ed with the following words :

Do whatever You want El Sisi as the poet told Caliph El Hafiz of Egypt  : 

Rule, you are the One ,the Subduer.*

Rule as if you were like Prophet Mohamed "PBUH" and your supporters are Like Ansar !!

*"The One , the Subduer" are from the names of Almighty God known in the Islamic beliefs as Al Asmaa Al Hosna and usually associated with God and not humans.
This is a new level indeed , comparing Abdel Fatah El Sisi to God Almighty and Prophet Mohamed !!! No one will top El Saadani I believe in the hypocrisy wall of shame !!!

Links and Notes 10/25/2013

• Mīt `Uqba - Tadamun

  Learn the history of a famous working class area in Giza. It is a must read post.

  tags: Egypt Giza Mituqba History #DWC #LN

• Egypt’s got 99 problems, but US aid ain’t one | mohamed el dahshan. economist, writer, speaker, compulsive traveller.

  Dear friend and blogger Mohamed El Dahshan writes about Egypt's problems that do not include the US aid. 

  tags: egypt aid #DWC #LN

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Links and Notes 10/24/2013

• Egypt military officers back army chief for president - News - Aswat Masriya

  So the Egyptian armed officers are pushing El Sisi for Presidency. This is a suicide by all measures.  By the way the true liberals in Egypt are totally against the candidacy of this man and the outrageous engagement of the army in politics like that. 

  tags: Egypt military officers president #Egyelections #DWC #LN

• عودة رجال جمال مبارك الغائبين.. و«حجاج» في الخارجية بعد التنسيق مع الوزير - بوابة الشروق

  In Arabic : The return of Gamal Mubarak and NDP's men to the scene in Egypt

  tags: Egypt #DWC #LN NDP

• Classic Movies in Miniature Style on Behance

  Not politics but fine art , fusion art to be accurate. What will happen when famous films turn in to Turkish miniatures ?

  tags: miniature Turkish Turks Films Culture #DWC #LN

• On popularity and bubbles - Daily News Egypt

  Sandmonkey aka Mahmoud Salem writes about ElSisi's popularity bubble 

  tags: Egypt ElSisi #DWC #LN

• Funeral in Warraq’s Virgin Mary church | Sabry Khaled

  Photographer Sabry Khaled presents photos from the funerals of Al Warraq's Virgin Mary Church massacre on Tuesday.

  tags: funeral church Egypt #DWC #LN Photos

• Egyptians Abandoning Hope and Now, Reluctantly, Homeland - NYTimes.com

  The decision of Mohamed Hashem , the famous Cairo publisher to emigrate the decision about how many Egyptians are now willing to leave the country unlike what happened after February 2011. 

  tags: #DWC #LN nytimes Egypt hope

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Strike4Sudan : The Sudanese Won't give up

You may think that things have calmed down in Sudan after two weeks of protesting against El Bashir , you may think that Sudanese gave up quickly. Well they did not give up and they know that this is just the start in a path that will end up with freeing Sudan from the iron fist that dictatorship they were cursed with. 

Sudanese activists have started since yesterday a 5 days hunger strike. Yes 5 days hunger strike for those specific demands.

1. Release of all political detainees.
2. Bringing those responsible for the killing of protesters to justice and allowing people to demonstrate without fear of detention or use of force. 
3. Freedom of expression and allowing journalists to resume their role and lift the bans on newspapers.

You can follow the updates of the strike4Sudan in this blog. 
Also this blog "Sudan Martyrs" follow the list of Sudanese martyrs fallen in the past weeks. 

You can follow the updates of the strike on the following hashtags on twitter : #Strike4Sudan and #اضراب_للسودان in Arabic
By the way I am so astonished on how the West has been silent on what was taking place in Sudan , was not Omar El Bashir a criminal wanted by the ICC !? Was not he wanted for his crimes in Darfur !? Is not he a dictator ? I know that there is an iron curtain when it comes to media inside Sudan but this is too much. 

This video below is Mosireen Collective production about Sudan. It is Arabic and has not been yet translated. It is called "Revolution continues ..Sudan".Please share it.
I am shocked to see such footage now especially when it comes to the massacres in Nuba mounts !!

Indeed Revolution does not only continues but it grows day after day

Mosa’ab El Shamy Presents : The funerals of Al Warraq Wedding

Dear friend and talented renowned photographer Mosa’a El Shamy attended the funerals of the sad and misfortunate wedding of Al Warraq. He was not there alone , he accompanied his camera with him and got us some sad pictures from those sad moments. 

A Wedding and 4 Funerals : #AlWarraq tragedy

Blood on the Church's floor

Last night a wedding in a Church in the popular area of Al Warraq , Imbaba turned in to 4 funerals. Egyptians were attacked while attending a wedding ceremony at a Church in Al Warraq , Imbaba after two assailants opened their fire on the people standing outside the church late Sunday. The two assailants were on a motorcycle and fled away after opening their fire.

A Wedding that turned in to 4 funerals including the funerals of 8 years old and 12 years old girls carrying flowers , a wedding that turned in to 4 funerals including the funeral of the groom's mother. 

As it is a church in a popular area , the Virgin Church in Al Warraq is not secured and according to its bishop it has not been secured since the ousting of Morsi or after the attacks against the churches following 3 July.

Moments after the attack all the fingers were pointing to the Muslim brotherhood and co. as the attackers , they are the primary suspects that have been convicted by the crime that we have not known yet for real who did it or why.

Inside the Church from short time ago

All what we know that the Muslim brotherhood and their pro- radical Islamist allies radical rhetoric against the Christians and the Church played terrible and major role in the continuous attack against Churches. That rhetoric they refuse to give up , those actions they refuse to stop make them the primary suspect in highly polarized society.

The human rights activists are blaming the ministry of interior for its failure to protect the Christians , I can not blame them to be honest because since July 3 , 2013 and the government , the army and police have been warned over and over by human rights organizations that Christians would pay the price and were paying the price.

On the other hand since the attack all the Pro-military supporters as well the Pro-Mubarak supporters have gone in to a crusade against PM Beblawy demanding him to resign from his position along all his ministers. Ironically everybody knows that Beblawy is not real responsible for security in Egypt and that it is beyond his power. Security in Egypt is officially the responsibility of two men  : Abdel Fatah El Sisi and Mohamed Ibrahim. Be brave and speak about the responsibility of the ministry above the accountability responsible for the security of civilians aka the ministry of interior.

Anyhow unfortunately this is the first attack of its kind and sadly it will not be the last "despite I am praying that it would be" as long as there is no justice , no state of the law , no respect of human rights for all Egyptians regardless of their religion or color or race or class.

The 4 funerals will be held after two hours.
The second photo is by photographer Alaa El Kamhawy.
Update : Below after the break a small photo gallery for the sad day in Al Warraq.

Bassem Youssef To return To Bigger Challenge

After  being absent for several months following the vacation of his successful famous show “Al Bernmag” Satirist TV host Bassem Youssef will be back to TV screen next weekend. Youssef will present the first episode of in his show’s newest season next Friday 25 October 2013 on CBC after being absent for three months.
Everybody is waiting for his return from Islamists to Pro-Military to revolutionaries to normal Egyptians. All people are anticipating how the renowned TV host will return back and who will be his next victims.
The revolutionaries are wondering whether he will criticize and mock the new regime figures above them General Abdel Fatah El Sisi just like he used to do with ousted President Morsi.
The Islamists are waiting to see if Youssef will be bold enough like in the days of Morsi and will criticize explicitly ,freely and rudely from their point of view Abdel Fatah El Sisi. The Islamists and Pro-Morsi supporters believe that Youssef was actually used by the deep step and the army in order to turn the people against Morsi.
The Pro-Military/Pro-Sisi love to remember that Youssef’s producer is from the famous Qazaz’s Muslim brotherhood family.
The famous satirist did not deny that and it is true that his producer Tarek Qazzaz comes from him the famous MB’s Qazzaz family whose member Khaled Qazzaz is currently detained among other Morsi’s top aides and advisors. Khaled was Morsi’s secretary on foreign affairs.Still Tarek is not a member in the brotherhood.
The regular people are just waiting to see the show.
Bassem Youssef has got even bigger challenge now in those days , the true days of polarization and radicalization in Egypt. Radicalization in Egypt now is longer associated with religion only.

#UA07 Protest to release their detainees

Members as well supporters of Ultras Ahlaway group “UA07” are organizing a protest today in Cairo as well a rally. The UA07 boys are demanding the release of their colleagues that have been arrested from two weeks in clashes with the security forces. Among the detainees leading figures in the groups. Those who have been released from the UA07 detained boys reported that they were badly tortured by police forces during their custody.
I believe that this is the biggest Non Muslim brotherhood rally organized in Egypt against the security since the ousting of Morsi.
Here is a short live blogging for the main event. Scroll down to read it.

You Do not go to the streets after this law !!

Today Al Shorouk Newspaper published the draft protest law prepared by the government aka ministry of interior which is also being reviewed now by interim president Adly Mansour. According to the articles published in the newspaper protesting will be officially an impossible thing in Egypt.

Among the interesting articles : You have not only to notify the ministry of interior with not only the time and place but also the number of the protesters expected to come 24 prior to the protest. I do not know how anyone will be able to tell the expected number of protesters !!  The ministry of interior will then grant you the permission. Question : How anyone can predict the number of the protesters in any protest !!!
You also have to tell the ministry of interior the names of the organizers and their contacts as well the goals and demands of the protest.

 The million dollars question is : Will the ministry of interior allow a protest against itself ?
In another article the minister of interior and other ministry's officials can cancel the whole event if it violates the conditions and terms the ministry listed in the law.
Of course the draft law bans sits in. It also bans protests and sits in nearly vital governmental institutions except after 100 meters like Presidency palaces , governmental offices , ministries, embassies , governorates and courts !! Just go to the desert and protest there !!I think Tahrir square is off limits for real according to this law.
For the record the law states that there will be a space in every governorate allocated for protests !! 

From what we know there are voices inside the cabinet against the law , actually it is one and only voice : Dr. Ziad Bahaa El Din.

We Have Been the Biggest Losers from Long Time

Yesterday Egypt lost in front of Ghana in the World Cup qualifiers and since then millions of Egypt are mourning the loss of the game in a great grief as if it were the end of the world with no regards to all the losses in all fields of life we shamefully produced in the past 31 years.
It is really ironic and quite sad to see people on TV and social media are extremely demanding enthusiastically the accountability of the Egyptian Football federation’s officials and the team more than the accountability of the Egyptian government officials responsible for setting back Egypt in every bloody field in life.

From Brazil's protests

As facts of life 40% of Egyptians live under the poverty line and 25% of the Egyptians can not read or write according to official numbers in 2012. Our basic education system is considered the worst worldwide according to the world competiveness report in 2013 !! We do not have real scientific research in Egypt , our universities hit rock bottom. We got an energy crisis . We got an unemployment crisis. We got traffic problem and housing problem aside from the shanty towns that can kill millions if we have another 1992 powerful earthquake in Cairo alone.
We live on loans from other countries. We are number no.1 in Hepatitis C and Hepatitis B is spread as well in Upper Egypt. There are hundreds of villages completely forgotten with no clean water access or electricity access in 2013.We got a Nile river crisis everybody forgets. We got a Constitution in making everybody is ignoring. We got laws against the right of protesting made and sent it to the interim president and everybody is ignoring it. Freedoms in Egypt are in real danger in Egypt and yet people care only for a football match score.
I am sorry dear follow Egyptians we have been the biggest losers from long time.

Pilgrimage in #Mecca Decades ago

Very happy and blissful Eid Adha for all the readers of the Egyptian Chronicles. Now today I share with you this video clip I found online showing the pilgrimage in Mecca many decades ago.

Rare footage for pilgrimage

It is very beautiful and rare footage in Arabic.
The creator the video says that the material he got in the video was hundred years ago and that its source was pilgrims from South East Asia. Well I believe that the material was from an old Egyptian newsreel film based on the accent of the narrator and his style of reading. It is the same as the one used in the old Egyptian newsreel.
By the way,Saudi News Channel announced that it was found out that the oldest photograph for the Holy Kaaba in Mecca was taken by an Egyptian army officer and geographer Mohamed Sadek  in 1880. The army officer who was fond by geography and photography wrote books about Saudi Arabia and the trip of Pilgrimage during then. He took about 18 photos then.

Photo for the Kaaba in 1880 by Mohamed Sade

Happy Eid Adha 2013 From Egyptian Chronicles

Today Egypt and Muslim world are celebrating Eid Adha , may it be full of happiness, joy and peace all over the globe.

A Kodak Agfa Co-Production : #Oct73War Anniversary in #Tahrir square

This small photo gallery is from Tahrir square last 6 October 2013. It is a co-production between Kodak Agfa and a dear friend of mine.

Of course the day ended in a very sad way despite all the celebrations and so on unfortunately.
Tahrir square is closed in front of protesting until further notice.

The sad story of Haya , Julia and Sama

Haya , Julia and Sama

Those beautiful girls are called : Haya , Julia and Sama. They are sisters. Palestinian refugees who were born in Syria. Their family fled Syria after the revolution turned in to a war seeking better life in Egypt.
Facing with double bitter reality mixed with racism, their parents decided to emigrate illegally escaping from Egypt seeking safe place in Europe unfortunately.
Haya , Julia and Sama drowned on Friday in the Mediterranean near the shores of Alexandria among the 12 Syrian and Palestinian that were drowned in the illegal immigration boat incident.
I do not know what to say except that I am sorry, I am sorry that the Syrians and Palestinians have to suffer in Egypt. I am sorry that we are not helping them to live in dignity in our country. I am sorry that they had to die like this.
The agony of the refugees from Syria is doubled for the Palestinian refugees as unlike other refugees they do not have UNRWA in Egypt to help them. This is of course besides racism against Palestinians in Egypt nowadays.

#EgyCartoons : And Mostafa Hussein Strikes again

In less than 48 hours Cartoonist Mostafa Hussein surprises us with another one of his masterpieces about General Abdel Fatah El Sisi.

Oh yes this was published this time in today’s issue of weekly Akhbar Al Youm.
The idea of that cartoon is famous Satirist writer Ahmed Ragab’s. The cartoon simply says that General Abdel Fatah El Sisi does not want to run for the presidency, but allegedly the people are carrying him to the throne of Egypt !!
So it is obvious that Hussein and Ragab want the general to run for the presidential elections.

#Oct1973War : The lessons We Failed to learn after 40 years !!

Thousands headed to the streets allegedly to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the 6 October War by the orders of the interim president , army , Muslim brotherhood , the Church , parties to the end of that to get the party on or accurately to get on with their own political agendas.

None of them tried to learn from the political lessons Egypt learned in a very expensive in 6 years of war.
I am afraid we are repeating the mistakes we have committed in 1967 and forgot all the reasons on why we made it in 1973.

Let’s start with the media, we got the same Ultra-hypocrite lying propaganda machine of 1967 working effectively in 1973 !! Joseph Goebbels would be impressed by the amount of propaganda this nation has produced whether in 1967 or in 2013 to be honest !!!

When I look to the headlines of the newspapers on 7 October 1973 and the headlines of the early editions of the newspapers on 6 June 1967, I see that someone had learned a tough lesson.

Do you know that people did not believe the Egyptian radio and TV news on 6 October 1973 and had to hear the news from Israeli radio Arabic service as well Monte Carlo Arabic radio service !? Do you know that for 6 years Israel seized this to send its poison propaganda in its radio service !?

It is a bird , it is plane ,it is Sisi-Man

I do not know what to say actually except this cartoon published in Al Akhbar newspaper today and it was enough to turn your stomach upside down from the amount of hypocrisy.

The cartoon

Do not be astonished  , this is not an American film , this is El Sisi man saving El Mahrousa "aka Egypt" before she falls !!

Ok I think El Sisi-Man and Egypt had this cheesy moment

Despite I respect the style of Mustafa Hussein and I showed some of his work in my blog, I can not ignore that he is a big hypocrite when it comes to kissing the president/ruler’s ass. He got shameful long history. “Thanks to Doaa Sultan”

#9Oct #Maspero : We Will not Forget

Today is the second anniversary of the Maspero massacre.Today we remember the awful massacre where a peaceful protest “was the first in the history of Egypt to be granted a permission from the government” ended up with army VPCs running over 28 bodies of the protesters.
Unlike last year grand commemoration that included a long march from Shubra to Maspero in a breathtaking procession with chants rocking against the military and SCAF , this year revolutionaries only had a very small vigil compared to last year commemoration.
I saw its start at October bridge , the flags of the martyrs headed by Mina Danial in the sunset. It was a beautiful scene.

I recorded this shot video clip for that small protest there.

#Maspero : For the martyrs.

The vigil was for couple of hours at Maspero building.There were chants against Military and MB.
Here is a photo gallery in Storify which I am adding photos to.

The big Operetta to crown a New Pharaoh

Yesterday the morale department of the armed forces presented its big operetta to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the October war.

The big event was attended by the minister of defense “the big star of the event” , the interim president , the ministers, former first lady Jihan El Sadat and former minister of defense and head of SCAF Hussein Tantawy.

It was not actually an operetta or an event to commemorate the great war and its heroes but it was actually a coronation gala for the new pharaoh of Egypt Abdel Fatah El Sisi.

Let’s start with the operetta. Let’s analysis the scene piece by piece.

Almost the guests, the singers and actors participating in that piece of .. “something definitely not related to Art” are the old faces of Mubarak’s regime hypocrites. Once again we are back to the Northern Korean-Soviet Nationalist 1960s talentless operettas. The lyricist and the singers and the actors are from the old ass kissing Mubarak’s hypocrites. Talentless and tasteless thing they claim to be art and I see it a waste of money when Egypt is in deep economic crisis.

And as we have replaced the Qatari sponsorship with Emirati Sponsorship , we find famous Emirati singer Hussein El Jasmi singing in the operetta with whiney voice urging the general to run for the elections. I just want to say to El Jasmi if he loves the general so much , he can urge him for the elections in his own country !!!

Mosa'ab El Shamy presents : #Oct6 Protests

Renowned Photographer Mosa'ab El Shamy was in the streets yesterday documenting the protests as well the clashes between the Pro-Morsi supporters and security forces mainly in Dokki.

The latest death toll we have got official is 51 dead and over 200 injured. Again it is a chaotic scene in Zanihom morgue with bodies all over the place. Most people justify yesterday killings with today's attacks in Sinai and Ismailia.
Back to El Shamy's documentation , the young fantastic photographer did it and took a snapshot that becomes an internet sensation whether nationally or internationally.

Speechless

From 40 Years ago

This post is dedicated to those men who against all odds astonished the whole world and changed the course of history once more.

I do not know how today will end but regardless of what happens, God bless this country and those heroes. May their sacrifices may not go in to vein.  

#Oct6 Anniversary : Live Blogging

Today thousands are expected to head to the street starting this afternoon in more of a confrontation mood than celebratory mood. Thousands of Muslim brotherhood supporters are vowing not to return today to their homes except when electoral legitimacy is restored and Morsi is back as a president while on the other hand thousands of army supporters are vowing not to let the Muslim brotherhood supporters spoil the 40th anniversary of 6 October war in the streets too especially in Tahrir square.

Here is  the live blog. 

#KhaledSaid : Erasing a History Starts with Small steps usual

This school year we found out that the photo of Khaled Said was spotted in the second grade's Arabic books .Many people were happy by the move despite institutions like Police did not like unofficially.

Unofficial Facebook page following police and ministry of interior kept publishing comments on how some Khaled Said is mentioned in the school books when he is a bloody addict who deserves to be killed.
Some of course criticize the move saying that children in the second grade will not be familiar with Said. Surprisingly the current minister of education is saying that he did not know that that the photo of Said was in the school courses in the first place. 

This week we knew that the photo of Khaled Said will be removed from school courses next year.
Someone is annoyed by the photo that made it to Berlin Wall and its symbolism , someone does not want the students to  know that young man and the role in changing the course of the Arab nation whether that one likes or not.

How the #Oct73 war Anniversary is ruined for me in #2013 ?

Next Sunday Egypt will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of the 1973 war aka Yom Kippur war , supposedly it should a day of remembrance for the heroic actions and sacrifices of those men who fought this important war.
Unfortunately despite it is a huge event , it is overshadowed by the on going war between the Muslim brotherhood from one side and the military from another side where the people are stuck between the two parties.
The Muslim brotherhood and its allies are heading to the street in order to end the military coup and bring back Morsi as well to restore the army’s dignity along legitimacy to the end of that talk.
The Pro-military supporters and parties as well groups are heading to the street allegedly to celebrate the days but actually they are going to the streets to stand against the Muslim brotherhood supporters who dared and start to enter Tahrir square. 
Bunch of NDPians groups and campaign urging El Sisi to run as a president already announced that they are going to the streets on that day in order to fight the Muslim brotherhood and to convince the general to run for the upcoming presidential elections.
The day is ruined !! I wish everybody stays at his home and uses God’s gift to the humans aka reason for once instead of that group thinking epidemic.

Let the War Games start : Video wars

Yesterday MB’s RSSD News Network began to post some series of videos online claiming that those clips are a scandal to General Abdel Fatah El Sisi and the army. The first video clip in the series was a very interesting. Its title was :  “El Sisi : The military spokesperson is an important attraction factor for ladies” !! Oh yes

Adel Fatah El Sisi speaking about media and army.

RSSD claimed that that video was leaked secretly from a secret meeting exposing the coup. According to what the officers and generals wore winter military uniforms.
Now in that clip we find an officer called Col. Omar “He became famous in social networks” asking General Abdel Fatah El Sisi what he would do then when the media crossed the red lines the army enjoyed for past 50 years. Col. Omar adds that there are TV channels speaking about the army , their owners should be intimidated or encouraged to cooperate with the army and not to cross those holy red lines when speaking about the army. He also asked about the Egyptian armed forces spokesperson Col. Ahmed Mohamed Ali.

Back To Back : #KhaledSaid trial

Earlier today what happened in Khaled Said trial was extremely symbolic for what it is happening now. You got those convicted of his murder , the two policemen who are standing a retrial are smiling in the cage while those few protesters chanting against the ministry of interior and its brutality beaten and detained for a couple of hours before they were let go.

The young protester

The murderers smiling in their cage

Today the protesters say that the police was attacking as if it had some sort of vendetta with them.An officer told one of the protesters that they had played for 3 years now and it was time to return back to study.
The majority of the people care less now about the trial.
I am not pessimistic, but this is just back to back.Anyhow it is like we are returning back to the starting point. No problem in that at all supposedly that people learned from their mistakes.

Regarding the NYTimes Map Dividing 5 Arab countries in to 14

NY Times published a op-ed about how 5 countries in the Arab world can be divided in to 14 countries by Robin Wright. The graphic representation of the op-ed as a map became a viral in the Arab social media especially in Egypt.

It spread like fire as if that map was a reality , not the visualization of some analyst’s views that may happen and may not. It spread like a fire as if that that was going to happen for real. As Big Pharaoh said on twitter this map in the New York Times would fuel debate and conspiracy theories in the region especially in Egypt for the upcoming 825 years.

This is not the first map of its kind where American Middle East analyst says something similar, if you remember some American Magazine published another similar map during the invasion of Iraq about possible divisions and unlike Wright’s map Egypt was among those unlucky countries that were going to spilt.

I know that what I am going to say now won’t appeal to many people now as fascism is the fashion nowadays along with waiting for the strong just dictator Messiah to bring order and stability to the country that suffers from foreign plots from here and there. We will not have those maps and those predictions if there are true democracy and equality that does not differentiate between any citizen in those countries.

All those countries mentioned in that map scaring the people in their dream do not and did not enjoy freedom or democracy or justice except may be for short times from long time ago.

“The Divide conquer” policy will not vanish by dictatorships in fact it becomes a true reality through dictatorships that spread hate and fear as well racism through religious nationalism , ideological nationalism and ethnic nationalism.

This map can turn in to a reality if the people in the Arab world do not wake up and admit that they got huge problems when it comes to religious sect and ethnic minorities. Of course I do know how many alarms the Arab world has to hear to wake up since the first spilt of Yemen and the first civil war in Lebanon in 1950s !!

Interestingly at least for me that Sudan is being neglected from Wright’s map when actually both Darfur and Kordofan have their own woes thanks to El Bashir regime considering the fact that like South Sudan they were independent from Khartoum and had their own rulers.

The Pro-Military supporters think that Egypt was saved from that theoretical map and won't be divided thanks to the 30 June and the army , well I have to say that it is more complicated than that.