News from the Egyptian Street and Media Translated Without Comment from Arabic into English As a Public Service
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Ghalia Mahmoud, a poor house cleaner, has become on Egyptian TV a celebrated cook for the masses. The 33-year old gal from "Old Cairo" had cleaned house for the sister of a TV producer at Channel 25 (named in honor of January 25 when Egypt began its uprising which toppled Mubarak on February 11.
Picture this: Egyptian masses live mostly on falafel and beans and over-sweetened tea. Manhattan pushcart vendors sell a falafel pita sandwich for $3 (equivalent of 18 Egyptian pounds). This huge underclass had been victimized by the corruption of the Mubarak regime which split 90 million Egyptians in two classes: a thin veneer of the mega-rich and a gigantic poor class. A middle class of dwindling proportions in between. The underclass people have been living on an average of $200 a month.
In came the revolution of the masses. And with that came Ghalia Mahmoud whose father had died when she was too young to remember when. So Ghalia had to go to work with 8 of her siblings to help the family survive in a land of plenty whose riches were the reserve of the high and mighty.
But in Tahrir Square, the masses (the millions) who shouted to Mubarak IRHAL (Leave) stood as one to reclaim dignity, democracy and development (the new 3Ds of the Arab Spring). And with the army siding with the people, the 83-year old dictator relinquished his 32-years of one man rule and was then put on trial publicly.
The discovery of Ghalia Mahmoud was made by the man who launched the TV channel "Twenty-Five," Muhammad Jawhar. Ramadan, the month of fasting for Muslims was approaching (no food or drink from dawn to sunset), and Jawhar had inspiration for how could poor families cope with soaring food prices. His inspiration came from Ghalia Mahmoud. Before he put her on TV, he asked her to prepare a simple meal to feed a hungry family of 8 but would cost no higher than $4. For Ghalia, that was a test which she had no problem passing with flying colors.
With Ghalia came her pleasing personality, her simple ways, her motherly explanation to urban ladies on TV in how to make their families survive on the little they have. She stood in her simple kitchen, with pots without handles on a simple stove which she lights with matches, and prepares delicious meals made from vegetables sold on open carts lining up the streets of Old Cairo.
In no time, Ghalia Mahmoud became a huge hit all over Egypt and became known as "the Cook of the 25th January Revolution." Her long practice in feeding her family of 15 on a monthly budget of $200 paid off. With a captivating smile, Ghalia talks directly to all of Egypt, if not the entire Arab world, saying, "You, women, are smart and you can cook anything, if you just try."
When she cooks for her TV audiences, her measuring cups are made of plastic. Her table is laden with all kinds of Egyptian vegetables: eggplant, tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce, scallions ... etc. Her stuffed vine leaves, stuffed zucchini, and stuffed cabbage, with cucumber and cheese on the side, are tantalizingly inviting. As for meat, that expensive item, it is only reserved for a weekly meal on Friday -the Muslim Sabbath.
Ghalia also describes recipes for Copts (Egyptian Christians) for food during the season of lent. In this regard, she comments: "In poor Egyptian neighborhoods, there is no Muslim/Christian divide. That divide was of Mubarak's making."
How about Ghalia's hopes for the New Egypt. "I have lots of hope for Egypt after Mubarak. Egypt will be vastly different." Then she picks up a telephone donated to her by the TV station to answer an incoming call. The call is from a group of young and rich Egyptian girls, calling "the Revolutionary Cook" from their car to ask her "How do you make your delicious lentil soup?"
She also gets calls from children who tell her "Auntie Ghalia , we love you." One of them put up on a page on the Internet calling for "Ghalia Mahmoud for President!!"
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Friday, August 19, 2011
Al-Azhar (The Glorious) As a Lighthouse to the Ship of the New Egypt
News from the Egyptian Street and Media Translated Without Comment from Arabic into English As a Public Service
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On August 17, Al-Azhar (The Glorious), a more than a thousand year citadel in the heart of Cairo of Islamic faith, and guidance to all Arab and Muslims issued a historic document. The document enunciated by Al-Azhar Rector, Dr. Ahmed El-Tayeb is billed: "Al-Azhar Document on Egypt's Future." It is the product of a unique consensus among leaders of various fields of faith, politics, laws, art, literature, history, society, psychology, and other areas of academe.
Out of the turbulence of the Revolution of January 25, 211 which swept aside the military rule of 60 years, emerged a consensual document of guidelines for constitutional formulation. All aspirants to the presidency of Egypt, all leaders of all parties and of various fields of thought, all opinion-makers of various stripes sat at El-Tayeb rectangular table to say, "yes" to those guidelines.
Al-Azhar document whose text was made public at a press conference at Al-Azhar on August 17 took into account those inimitable Egyptian perspectives anchored in Islamic jurisprudence; Al-Azhar's history of struggle for freedom and independence; the civilizational depth which merges physical sciences with social sciences and the arts; the political perspectives whereby future decision -makers of Egypt are nurtured; and the linkage between knowledge, renaissance, and cultural resurgence in the Arab homeland and the Islamic world.
The names of great lights of Al-Azhar, especially in the modern era were cited bringing them back from beyond the grave to historic life, such as: Sheikh Al-Islam Hassan El-Attar; his disciple Sheikh Rifaa El-Tahtawi; Sheikh Muhammad Abdo, the great modern reformer, Sheikh Al-Maraghy, together with other Al-Azhar leaders of reform such as Muhammad Abdullah Diraz, Mustapha Abdel-Razik, and last but not least, the venerable Sheikh Shaltout.
The Al-Azhar document frames the principles which will guide the drafters of Egypt's new constitution within eleven such principles. These, in summary, are:
Said General Sami Anan, Deputy Chairman of the Egyptian Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, in line with the above: "The secularity of the State is a matter of national security which is non-negotiable."
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On August 17, Al-Azhar (The Glorious), a more than a thousand year citadel in the heart of Cairo of Islamic faith, and guidance to all Arab and Muslims issued a historic document. The document enunciated by Al-Azhar Rector, Dr. Ahmed El-Tayeb is billed: "Al-Azhar Document on Egypt's Future." It is the product of a unique consensus among leaders of various fields of faith, politics, laws, art, literature, history, society, psychology, and other areas of academe.
Out of the turbulence of the Revolution of January 25, 211 which swept aside the military rule of 60 years, emerged a consensual document of guidelines for constitutional formulation. All aspirants to the presidency of Egypt, all leaders of all parties and of various fields of thought, all opinion-makers of various stripes sat at El-Tayeb rectangular table to say, "yes" to those guidelines.
Al-Azhar document whose text was made public at a press conference at Al-Azhar on August 17 took into account those inimitable Egyptian perspectives anchored in Islamic jurisprudence; Al-Azhar's history of struggle for freedom and independence; the civilizational depth which merges physical sciences with social sciences and the arts; the political perspectives whereby future decision -makers of Egypt are nurtured; and the linkage between knowledge, renaissance, and cultural resurgence in the Arab homeland and the Islamic world.
The names of great lights of Al-Azhar, especially in the modern era were cited bringing them back from beyond the grave to historic life, such as: Sheikh Al-Islam Hassan El-Attar; his disciple Sheikh Rifaa El-Tahtawi; Sheikh Muhammad Abdo, the great modern reformer, Sheikh Al-Maraghy, together with other Al-Azhar leaders of reform such as Muhammad Abdullah Diraz, Mustapha Abdel-Razik, and last but not least, the venerable Sheikh Shaltout.
The Al-Azhar document frames the principles which will guide the drafters of Egypt's new constitution within eleven such principles. These, in summary, are:
- First: Egypt as a State is based upon a constitutional democracy with separation of powers, of which the legislative power is to be exercised by the people's representatives. Islam, in its legislation, civilization, and history does not recognize a "religiously-based" State. The overall arching principles of Islamic law (Sharia) are the primary source of legislation, providing that the adherents of other religions are guaranteed, in their personal status cases, resort to their own religious laws.
- Second: Democratic rule is based on free and direct elections, which encapsulate the modern formulation of the application of the Islamic precepts of Shura (consultation). Such rule guarantees diversity, the peaceful transfer of powers, a well-defined exercise of authority whose custodians are accountable to the people's representatives with a view to the provision of public service, subject only to the rule of law. Corruption is punishable under the law, and transparency and the freedom and transmission of information are to be applied.
- Third: Commitment to basic rights and freedoms with regard to both thought and opinion, including full respect of the rights of the individual, of women and children, and of the principle of diversity. Citizenship is the primary basis from which emanates obligations to society.
- Fourth: Full respect to the view of the other, which implicates the necessity of avoidance of declaring others to be apostates, traitors, or the abuse of religion for the purposes of sowing divisiveness and hatred among the citizens. Sectarian conflict and racist advocacy are criminally injurious to the homeland.
- Fifth: Commitment to international covenants (treaties) and decisions (declarations), and to civilizational norms and accomplishments in human (friendly) relationships which accord with the Islamic and Arab traditions of tolerance and with the long experience of the Egyptian people throughout its historical periods which produced luminous examples of peaceful co-existence and the striving towards humanity's benefits as a whole.
- Sixth: Full attention to the dignity of the Egyptian nation and its national pride, and to an assured protection of places of worship of all faiths, and of the freedom of expression and artistic and literary expression.
- Seventh: Education, scientific research, and the embarking upon the age of knowledge (information) are to be regarded the locomotive of Egypt's civilizational progress, including the eradication of illiteracy.
- Eighth: Implementation of the ladder (jurisprudence) of priorities with regard to the achievement of development, social justice, confrontation of oppression (hegemony) and of corruption, elimination of unemployment, all within the recognition of veritable and serious health care as a duty of the State towards all citizens.
- Ninth: The establishment of Egypt's solid relationships with its sister Arab States, as well as States within its Islamic, African and other international spheres, along with support of Palestinian rights, of safe-guarding the independence of Egypt's decision-making (will), and of the re-establishment of Egypt's traditional and historical leadership role as the basis of cooperation for the universal good, and of environmental protection and just peace among nations.
- Tenth: Enhancement of the independence of the instituitoin of Al-Azhar, and the resurrection of the "Commission of Great Ulemas (Islamic Scholars)" endowed with responsibility for the appointment through elections of the Rector of Al-Azhar.
- Eleventh: Recognition of Al-Azhar "Al-Shareef" as the source and focus of responsibility to which reference should be made in all matters of Islam, its disciplines, its traditions, and its jurisdictional interpretation (ijtihad) and modern thought patterns. This is without the elimination of the right of all to the voicing of opinions on the basis of recognizable and acceptable scientific parameters.
Said General Sami Anan, Deputy Chairman of the Egyptian Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, in line with the above: "The secularity of the State is a matter of national security which is non-negotiable."
Friday, August 5, 2011
Selmia, Selmia: The Lethal Weapon of "Peaceful, Peaceful"
News from the Egyptian Street and Media Translated Without Comment from Arabic into English As a Public Service
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When the January 25, 2011 Revolution broke out in Egypt, its demands were rather modest. Its central demand was for jobs and the elimination of emergency laws. The crowds came out seeking dignity. But they were met with the brutal force of the Mubarak security forces which turned their cries of "Selmia, Selmia" into cries of death and pain. More than 850 were killed in various parts of that beautiful country. Thousands more were injured. The more people were felled by bullets, the more thousands, came out to form a human avalanche which numbered nearly 8 millions. Only then were the demands upon Mubarak of "IRHAL" - Leave, and "The People Want the Regime to Fall."
The Egyptian armed forces, numbering in all its branches including reservists a million kept their powder dry. The false accusations by the Mubarak media that the throngs were foreign agents who were bent up on chaos and who were destabilizing Egypt sounded very hollow. The armed forces, being made up of conscripted soldiers, represented a true spectrum of the people in Tahrir and elsewhere.
Thus the banners of the "Selmia" throngs were raised proclaiming that "the people and the army are one." The slogans reflected the reality. The tanks went to Tahrir to give credence to those slogans. Flowers were offered to tank crews; children were helped by soldiers atop of those tanks; and tanks, when it rained, which is an infrequent event in Egypt, sheltered the demonstrators from getting wet. And the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces quietly told Mubarak "go away."
So when February 11 came about, there was nowhere for the 83 year old dictator to go but out. The shout of a young Egyptian woman, issuing from Tahrir, upon hearing the news, summed up the feelings of ecstasy of the millions: "No More Fear!! (Mafeesh Khofe Tani!!)."
The wall of fear which came down crashing in Egypt, the most populous Arab nation, was a signal to the whole region, indeed to the whole world, that non-violence has become the weapon of mass reconstruction for the millions of Arab masses everywhere.
In its methods of non-violence, "Selmia, Selmia" was a true vindication of the principles articulated by the scholar Gene Sharp of the Albert Einstein Institution in Boston in his "From Dictatorship to Democracy - A Conceptual Framework for Liberation." That 76-page booklet was translated into 30 languages including Arabic. The throngs in Tahrir and in the rest of the Arab world had read it.
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When the January 25, 2011 Revolution broke out in Egypt, its demands were rather modest. Its central demand was for jobs and the elimination of emergency laws. The crowds came out seeking dignity. But they were met with the brutal force of the Mubarak security forces which turned their cries of "Selmia, Selmia" into cries of death and pain. More than 850 were killed in various parts of that beautiful country. Thousands more were injured. The more people were felled by bullets, the more thousands, came out to form a human avalanche which numbered nearly 8 millions. Only then were the demands upon Mubarak of "IRHAL" - Leave, and "The People Want the Regime to Fall."
The Egyptian armed forces, numbering in all its branches including reservists a million kept their powder dry. The false accusations by the Mubarak media that the throngs were foreign agents who were bent up on chaos and who were destabilizing Egypt sounded very hollow. The armed forces, being made up of conscripted soldiers, represented a true spectrum of the people in Tahrir and elsewhere.
Thus the banners of the "Selmia" throngs were raised proclaiming that "the people and the army are one." The slogans reflected the reality. The tanks went to Tahrir to give credence to those slogans. Flowers were offered to tank crews; children were helped by soldiers atop of those tanks; and tanks, when it rained, which is an infrequent event in Egypt, sheltered the demonstrators from getting wet. And the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces quietly told Mubarak "go away."
So when February 11 came about, there was nowhere for the 83 year old dictator to go but out. The shout of a young Egyptian woman, issuing from Tahrir, upon hearing the news, summed up the feelings of ecstasy of the millions: "No More Fear!! (Mafeesh Khofe Tani!!)."
The wall of fear which came down crashing in Egypt, the most populous Arab nation, was a signal to the whole region, indeed to the whole world, that non-violence has become the weapon of mass reconstruction for the millions of Arab masses everywhere.
In its methods of non-violence, "Selmia, Selmia" was a true vindication of the principles articulated by the scholar Gene Sharp of the Albert Einstein Institution in Boston in his "From Dictatorship to Democracy - A Conceptual Framework for Liberation." That 76-page booklet was translated into 30 languages including Arabic. The throngs in Tahrir and in the rest of the Arab world had read it.
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