Egypt, Now and Then; Right Now

I never knew that I could be that depressed, I literally didn't know that I had the ability to be that hurt. For the Egyptians who died, our martyrs. For the Muslims and Christians who fell in the trap, for those who gave the terrorists the time of their lives by fighting each other, by hating each other. On the first of January, my family and I did what we had to do, what we could do at that time. We called our Christian friends and offered them our deepest condolences. But this isn't only their loss, it's our loss, it's all of Egypt's loss. 22  Egyptian families are mourning the death of a family member, a loved one, a best friend. Others are mourning the loss of innocent human beings, religious ones,who were celebrating a new year. Others are thinking of the loss of a country who's people are too busy fighting each other to save it from falling.

No religion would see this as a good deed. Not a single normal human being would. Only those brainwashed, only those doing it for money, only those doing it for other countries that would be happy to see us fighting each other, hating each other, or even killing each other. Why is it so hard to see? This has always been happening, between countries, within countries. It has happened in Iraq, it's happening in Sudan and people would love to see it happening in Egypt.

Egyptians, Muslims and Christians, have lived together in peace for a little less than 1,400 years. There has always been ups and downs, but we've always managed to get through, and these aren't just my words. During the Islamic conquest of Spain for example, Christians weren't treated really well. There was always Christian concubines and maybe even slaves. Later, after Christians took over Al-Andalus, they forced Muslims and Jews either to be baptized or to leave. That's why there's not many Muslims in Spain today. This has never happened in Egypt. After the Islamic conquest, people lived together and continued to live together until today.

I know very well, that how people reacted after the church bombing was something that we all should be proud of. How Christians understood that Islam has nothing to do with what happened to them, no to us, all of us. How Muslims offered their support in all possible ways. How 6 April and Kollena Khaled Saeed did all what they could do. How Muslims joined Christians in their demonstrations. How people believed that it's not about religion, that all Egyptians are suffering from injustice. That we're not enemies, but we both have the same enemy.

But do all Egyptians agree on this? Unfortunately the answer is no. Almost everyone around us would agree that we're one, that there should never be any feelings of hatred between us. But that's just us, the well educated Egyptians. My driver for example, thinks that only Muslims suffer from injustice. He says that the government loves Christians and that they're even stronger than the government. A Christian with the same education would say that Muslims took over everything, that they're being killed and tortured everywhere, that they can't even build churches. We have sheiks and priests whose only job is to raise hatred between the uneducated. Why? I'd say that the government would love to keep those people busy fighting each other instead of fighting the real injustice. Because if the government wishes, all these sheiks and priests could be silenced forever. Kanoon el taware2 ba2a....

Said Belal's death came to prove to us that our real enemy is the government. They're the ones who didn't secure the churches even though they've received a threat only two weeks before New Year's Eve. And they're the ones who killed Said Belal just because he's a Salafi who they thought "might" have something to do with the bombing. But again, we don't all think that way.....

What I can see, and what everyone can see, is that Egyptians are dying. And no matter how people think, it's always the government's fault in a way or another. The well educated know who the real enemy is, others suffer from injustice in a way or another and they know that it's only the government's duty to save them from this injustice. But still they're doing nothing.....

What's now happening in Tunis has all started with a boy committing suicide because he couldn't find a job, not even as a fruit seller. He killed himself because of the government's injustice. How many Egyptians commit suicide for the same reason? A tok tok driver committed suicide the other day because he suffered from the same injustice, and again nothing happened. Have we all lost hope in change? Do we want to stay this way forever? Will We ever stand against the real injustice? Will we ever save our dignity? Will we ever speak up?

Thank you Tunisians for knowing that 

اذا الشعب يوما أراد الحياة
فلا بد أن يستجيب القدر