The Other Side of Me

Tradition says one shall never sit cross-legged in front of an elder person. Tradition says you must go to this wedding because if you don't they'll get mad at you, because you have to, because you don't have another option, because you're family, because your mothers are friends, you just have to. Tradition says that love shall come after marriage, not before. Tradition says that you have to have a wedding. Tradition says that you have to get married! What exactly is tradition? Just some rules that have grown to be the opinions of the majority with time, and if you don't follow them you're just a bad person. If we're lucky, then our traditions would have meaning and be of any good. If we're less lucky, then they might be meaningless, yet useless and harmless. If we're so unlucky then they might be awful ideas. The point is that it's a flip of a coin and things become tradition either because they're good or because nobody cared enough t...

Go back in time, not so far from today. Have you ever heard of court poets? It has always been there all over the world, but the most popular were that of the Abbasid period. Go back in time and read El Motanaby's praise poetry written for Saif El Dawla El Hamadany, and not only him but many others too. Also not only El Motanaby, there has always been an endless number of court poets throughout history. Their mere job was to write praise poetry, or hypocrisy. Why? For the rulers' enjoyment. Why am I bringing this up now? Because court poets still exist, and in fact their number has dramatically increased and they have spread so much. Have you seen the number of fantasy stories that have spread over the social media about president-elect Mohammed Morsy? Have you seen the newspapers' pages filled with hypocrisy to congratulate him? Have you seen the hypocrisy messages sent to Al Jazeera Masr? Have you seen the number of hypocrisy songs that have been made for him? Have y...

And since I talked about emotions and politics yesterday, I'll have to say this too. Yes the president-elect's every action and every word has to be watched and analyzed very closely. Those of you who are very angry about this and want the rest to give him a chance, remember when we were saying the same thing about the SCAF? Remember when we closed our eyes to their intended mistakes and it only resulted in more intended mistakes? You do realize that we reached a point of a soft coup because we trusted them too much, don't you? We got emotional and shared the photo of the soldier holding the baby on the tank and most of us (and happily not me), took photos with their tanks. We chanted happily the army and people are one hand, we forgave them so many times, and it only lead to this catastrophe. So set your emotions aside this time, and remember that giving someone a chance has nothing to do with watching his every move. Yes, there is his 100-day promises that ...

So yesterday the president-elect Mohamed Morsy met with the first group of families of the revolution's martyrs and injured. And of course, as a normal human being who could have never dreamed of being president except after those people have given up their lives, sight, or parts, he was very sweet and respectable to them. Now his picture with them is all over the place and people are feeling so happy about it and talking about how great of a president he is to meet those people in the presidential palace. I would like to remind you of some things that have happened during the past year and half year. Remember when MP Akram El Shaa'er stood in the parliament and talked about the martyrs and injured saying that they don't want money, but they want every person responsible for their loss to be punished? Remember when he cried and had most of the members, and Katatny, cried with him? Remember when he had us all crying with him? Well, do you remember what this parliament h...

I am reading a book by Amin Maalouf called Samarkand, it's storyline happens during the end of Abbasid period and the rise of the Ottoman one. There are a few words I read about honor and thought they reflect so much about how some of us think of honor today, here they are: "What a strange clan those Abbasids are! Their ancestors conquered the best half of the world, they built the most flourishing cities and just look at them today! I take their empire and they put up with that, I take their capital and they are happy, they shower me with presents and the Prince of Believers says to me, 'I give you all the lands which God has given to me and I place in your hands all the believers whose fate He has entrusted to me.'  He begs me to put his palace, his person and his harem under my protection. However, if I ask for his daughter he rises up and wishes to defend his honor. Is the only territory for which the sultan is ready to fight the thighs of a virgin?" ...

Who would have thought this day would come that soon just two years ago? We were called the generation of Mubarak all our lives because we were born and have lived under his rule and only his. We were thought of as the useless, hopeless generation that cares about nothing but migrating. We proved those words wrong, and we revolted, we fought for justice, for freedom, for a humane life, for dignity, we fought for what is righteous. But still some insisted on calling us Tahrir kids, the stupid kids who don't understand what they're doing and keep messing everything up. Some insisted on being slaves of comfort, of security, of their benefit rather than their conscious. We were left alone with everyone fighting with each other and with us. Our "leaders" chose their interest over the welfare and the future of a whole country, but we didn't. We had no weapons, we were not political experts, we only had our voices and with this we had a lot of power. We shouted and we di...

بحر الحياه مليان بغرقي الحياه صرخت خش الموج في حلقي ملاه قارب نجاه .. صرخت قالوا مفيش غير بس هو الحب قارب نجاه عجبي !!! بره القزاز كان غيم و أمطار و بــــــــرق ما يهمنيش – أنا قلت – و لا عندي فرق غيرت رأيي بعد ساعة زمـــــــــــــــــان و كنت في الشارع .. و في الجزمة خرق عجبي !!! بلياتشو قال إيه بس فايدة فنونــــي ؟ و تلات وقق مساحيق بيلونونـــــــي و الطبل و المزامير و كتر الجعـــــــير إذا كان جنون زبوني زاد عن جنوني عجبي !!! حدوتة عن جعران وعن خنفسة اتقابلوا حبوا بعض ساعة مسا ولا قال لهم حد اختشوا عيب حرام ولا حد قال دي علاقة متدنسة !!عجبي خوض معركتها زي جدك ما خــــاض صالب و قالب شفتك بامتـــــــــــعاض هي كده...ما تنولش منها الأمـــــــل غير بعض صد ورد ووجاع مخاض عجبي !!!! دخل الشتا وقفل البيبان ع البـــيوت وجعل شعاع الشمس خيط عنكبوت وحاجات كتير بتموت في ليل الشــتا لكن حاجات أكتر بترفض تمــــــوت عجبي !! الدنيا أودة كبيرة للإنتظار فيها إبن آدم زيه زي الحمار الهم واحد...و الملل...