An Islam against Islam

Everybody can notice the change which is taking place in Egyptian society and how its moderate nature is being threatened by a tendency towards extremism. It all started in the 80s with the large numbers of Egyptians, who were forced by the increasing unemployment rate and the meager wages, to search for jobs in the lands of oil. Well, they surely worked hard, came back with the money and other things. They were affected by the Wahhabi thought, which has managed through them to revisit Egypt long after it had been overcome by the great Muhammad Ali.

Unfortunately this was great news for the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, who made use of all possible means to increase their political ground in the Egyptian street. Having no political agenda whatsoever, the Brotherhood's only hope lay in having a tangible influence in Egyptian society through feeding its religious nature and winning its affection. They played on the motto "Islam is the Solution" implying that they are the only movement that follows religious teachings, and also implying that religion (in their case Islam only) can solve all problems.

The third factor came from the business sector, which used these growing emotions in the Egyptian society and translated them into money, thus re-exporting the product but in a more intensive manner through the media. This sector made use of the popularity of some religious talkers and produced for them TV programs, cassette tapes, CDs, DVDs, websites… etc. Sometimes they made their own stars while watching their popularity increase and their sales too. The star doesn't have to be an expert or have any true wisdom, he simply has to have the qualifications which are needed in any star: that is an acceptable appearance and charisma.

One of those shooting stars is Sheikh Khaled El Gindy. He was made popular through a weekly segment in the daily program Al Qahira Al Youm, where every Monday he will answer viewers' religious questions in what is called Rokn Elfatwa (zy rokn elsheesha kedda at coffee shops). I've talked about El Gindy before when he came second on my list of 5 Most Hated People. I therefore won't repeat my opinion of him. But what's new is his most recent fatwa, in which he displayed his usual genius and declared that slave trade is halal and can take place nowadays if the President (walyi el2amr) approves it. Away wallahi kedda!

Shofto elgamal welraw3a? El Gindy comes to say so in the year 2007, after the abolition of slavery and the human rights law and the international agreements concerning POWs, all of this doesn't concern him at all. Elmohem it is Halal and there's nothing wrong in it. All we need now is the approval of the president. Begad 7aga tsharaf ya3ni. Wallahi if I were the president I can use this to raise my popularity and become a Pharaoh, or pass over the presidency to my son even. I would simply say to my citizens, "I will not use my divine right to sell you as slaves."

My friend Egy Anatomist has an excellent post about this issue on his blog. He really said it all, so I need not dwell more upon it here. I just want to say that if this ever happened I would like El Gindy's children to be the first on the market. If this is Islam what is Jahiliyya? I bet that if those people were alive today they wouldn't have said anything like that. Such crazy people like el Gindy are coming up with a different version of Islam, an Islam against Islam. They are deforming our religion and giving it the worst face ever.

Thinking Blogger Award

I received the award through Asraralbanat. It was such a pleasant surprise. What they said about me on their blog really made me blush. I was unaware of having such wonderful readers. A million thanks. Your nomination is truely appreciated.

Now starts the toughest job as I get to pass on the nomination and the tag to the 5 Blogs that make me think. I believe there are many Arabic blogs that are full of thought, but I realize I get to tag those in English. So, here are my 5 in no particular order:

Baheyya: Her political analysis and social insights are simply amazing. Makes me feel we have got a worldclass analyst. Reading her posts really satisfies my urging mind with their informative and professional writing.

Egyptian Chronicles: The kind of effort and dedication she invests in her blog is so inspiring. Zeinobia's coverage of the Egyptian news with her added twist of sincere analysis makes reading her blog a lovely treat. This girl really takes blogging seriously and it paid her back.

Words of a Broken Mirror: In introducing her blog she says, "This is my church. This is where I heal my hurts". And this is truely how you feel when you read her posts. Alina writes with elegance, passion and spontaneity. Her intelligent remarks and wide range of interest makes her a global blogger. Still her concern with the issues in her country, Romania, will carry you there and make you see the beauty she reveals as she tackles its problems with love and sincerity.

The Language Guy: His blog teaches you that you can analyse the whole world through language. It is a "commentary on how language is used and abused in advertising, politics, the law, and other areas of public life". Very interesting, intriguing and funny too, this blog is full of thought.

Bookgirl's Nightstand: A wonderful booklover who has a sharp wit and a great blog. Iliana chooses a variety of books to review. Her blog is so organized and her reviews are so informative and reliable. She also has a section with all her travels and a photo album of the places she visited. This is a heaven for curious minds and reading addicts.

Should you choose to participate, please make sure you pass this list of rules to the blogs you are tagging. The participation rules are simple:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think

2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme

3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote (here is an alternative silver version if gold doesn't fit your blog).

Miss Pantene 2007

From time to time I like to provoke myself by different methods: reading official newspapers, watching stupid music videos, visiting websites and blogs that promote extremist thought.. etc. I don't do that out of a desire for self-torture, but I believe I have to stay in touch with things happening around me, even those I don't approve of.

Last night I got engaged into one of those episodes as I decided to watch the finale of Miss Pantene (ex-Miss Egypt) 2007. I don't know how much money it cost Pantene to have its name on the contest, but I never saw this done with any sponsor in the world, no matter how generous the amount they poured in. Anyway, I had seen a promo for the event where all the contestants were trying to gather votes (just for the sake of nourishing the SMS business in Egypt, as the votes don't count in deciding who really wins the title.) The majority of the contestants were as far from beauty as Egypt winning the World Cup kedda. However, this was not a problem if there had been any kind of charisma or intelligence to balance that. After all, I'm against beauty contests altogether. Yet, I like Egypt to have a representative at any international event, even if it was Miss Universe. Better have any kind of presence than none.

Anyway, I didn't have the nerves to watch the contest from the start, so I watched Al 3ashera Masa2an while I kept switching to see how far they've gone. I started watching when it was time to ask questions to the 5 finalists. The girls' eyes could tell that I would be the loser if I expected anything from them (even below average), so I kept my expectations low, but couldn't still to make them as low as the answers which were enough to make me jump off my seat with disbelief. One of those finalists had pure European features (she sure has got European origins) and couldn't even speak Arabic, so she gave her answers in English!

The organizers announced that this year the prize for Miss Egypt will be making her wildest dream come true. They had asked all the contestants about their wildest dreams and the answers of the finalists were as follows: "I wish to visit a Perfume Factory in Paris," "I wish to spend a day in Paris," "I wish to travel to Italy," I wish take part in an international fashion show," "I wishto spend a day with my favorite star." (Begad no comment ya3ni) Anyway, the final question that was asked to all 5 was "If you could bring back a great woman from the past, who will she be and why?" Not a bad one, but the answers were so lame. Of course none of the finalists could answer the "why" section. Two of them chose Huda Sha'rawy, one chose Mother Theresa, one chose Princess Diana, and the last one chose Cleopatra.

Up till here I have absolutely no problem. What really enraged me was that the chosen Miss Pantene (supposedly Miss Egypt) was the European girl, Ehsan Hatem! "Oh my God!" Of course she was the one who chose to bring back Princess Diana, for I bet she doesn't know anything about Egyptian women or Egyptian history. Ehsan looks 100% European, you can't even suspect from her name that she might be from the Middle East. In short, everything about her is so not-Egyptian. How can she represent Egypt then?!

Of course it's not her fault. The organizers and judges in this pageant should have known better. However, their choice reveals a shameful trend that is not only spreading in Egypt, but in all the Arab countries. It reveals a sense of inferiority, lack of national pride and a severe identity crisis. They didn't choose a blonde or a green-eyed girl, they chose someone who only holds the Egyptian nationality without the identity; that is without the features or the language.

Egyptian beauty used to be the magic that lured the world in ancient times. The ancient Egyptian woman's wide eyes with her dark hair and sun-kissed skin used to be the ultimate measures for beauty. Up till now the biggest cosmetic companies and fashion houses are using this image for inspiration. But those in Miss Pantene have got other thoughts; they may think a girl who looks Egyptian is not good enough to show to the world. They decided, " Let's show the world that we have blonde chicks who look just like Europeans and speak like them."

Well, I say shame on them. Those folks have got an inferiority complex. If they can't appreciate the real beauty in their country, let this be their choice. But they have no right to make our young girls feel they are not beautiful when they see the European Miss Egypt! The mass audience for such ridiculous shows is young teenage girls, who already have got enough insecurities to deal with. Now, when those girls see that the most beautiful girl in Egypt has got white skin, blonde hair, and green eyes, and doesn't speak their language, what does this teach them? How do we expect them to have self-confidence and carry their Egyptian identity proudly? These guys must know that they are messing with a whole generation who unfortunately follow their crap and form their models out of it. Damn it!

Who are those people?

Watching this video brought the tears to my eyes. I first saw it here and then thought what a shame! Who are the people working in this infamous channel? Are they human beings? Do they know the ABC of child psychology? What do they expect after exposing kids to such a scary experience? Isn't there a tiny bit of conscience in their hearts?

I, an adult, had goosebumps by merely watching this horrible thing on a computer screen. Now, what about those poor kids who are left with this crazy man? This is a crime of the highest degree.

This is dirty business that has nothing to do with religion. To prove my point. Excuse me in asking you to watch it again, but this time try to read the text messages at the bottom. You will think it is a dating service not a religious channel. And those texts are displayed during what is supposed to be a lesson for the kids! Disgusting!!

Isn't there anything that can be done about it? I've learned that El Nas channel is Egyptian. If this is true, really it will be such a disgrace.

Nuclear Spy

A second spy was caught in just a few months time from the fall of Al Attar. But this time he is a nuclear power engineer who was about to hack the computer system of the Egyptian Nuclear Agency for Israel. Click here to read details>>

I watched a reportage on Al Jazeera yesterday, where they've interviewed his neighbours and his mother. I was shocked to see the place where this engineer who has such a sensitive position lives. It is a very poor place, and his neighbours (no offence meant) are very low class people. It is also clear from his published photo that he is not young (I am totally against publishing photos of suspects before a trial proves they are guilty), but we learn that he still lives with his parents in this place, which means he was financially unable to get married or have a better residence.

I'm not implying that he has any excuse for what he has done (if he is found guilty). But for God's sake, what are those people thinking? How can a person in this position be suffering from a poverty that will make him so vulnerable in front of any temptation? Do they have any common sense? What do they expect? Human beings are not angels. You need to at least secure the basic human conditions if you really care about the security of this facility.

Now, what's the result? Yes, he is caught, but it is a blow on our faces. It is another scare that we will carry in our hearts and wound that shall remain to pose the question: Who's next?

Factory of Cheaters

Ever wonder why corruption has widely spread in our beloved country in all its life aspects? Ever wonder why unemployment is increasing by an enormous rate among our youth? Ever wonder why our development rate is much below our needs? Ever wonder why you have to visit many doctors when you're sick, as each of them has a different diagnosis for your illness? Ever wonder why buildings have many technical problems, and why some of them fall onto their inhabitants? Ever wonder why new roads are full of accidents, where the drivers face their doom for the absence of any safety measures? Ever wonder why you have to tip people all the time just to get your basic rights? Ever wonder why in every celebration hundreds suffer from food poisoning?

Well, miraculously, I've got an answer. It's cause we are surrounded by cheaters. But these cheaters are not born with the cheating syndrome, rather they developed this skill since a very young age while receiving their education. Yes, they learn it at schools.

Do you need a proof? Check out the on-going investigation about mass cheating in Gamal Abdul Nasser Experimental School. If you pay attention to the details involved in this case, you'll find the proof that cheating has become a common practice in our life, that even the Ministry of Education is protecting it and those who promote it. Click here for more info

I first learned about the incident from the TV programme Al3ashera Masa2an. Of course, being a former teacher I wasn't shocked or anything. For I know that the so called Ministry of Education is perhaps the most corrupted institution in our country. But what really drove me crazy was the stupidity of the people involved in this scandal (It became a scandal cause it was exposed by the media). The representative of the board of trustees is called Sheikh Gamal Kotb. 7'allo balko mn "sheikh" di. The honorable member of the board didn't even say that cheating is wrong. He didn't even imply that in case this incident is proven to have taken place it would be such a shame. No, no, he said nothing of this. He was so concerned about the "psychological health" of the students, who, according to his story, have been horrified by the investigation process. Ya 3eeny. Ya3ni They weren't horrified when they were ordered to lie while answering the questions of the investigator, but they were terrified when the investigator knew they were lying. Shofto el3abath?

Elsheikh kaman had a point of view. This was a Computer exam, its results are not added to the total score. What's the fuss about ba2a? The students didn't receive their text books till the time of the exam. What's wrong with giving them the answers just to pass the test? See how respectable this sheikh is?

Now, we come to the Ministry of Education and its spokesperson, the Deputy Minister and nothing less. His name is Reda Abou Sree3. Mr Abou Sree3 agreed tab3an with Sheikh Kotb and he accused the prosecutor of "unjustified quick action"! He also sees that a computer exam is not important cause it is a practical subject. (The parent who reported this incident said that the computer teacher only gave two classes in the whole semester.) Again Abou Sree3 said nothing about cheating, and when asked what he would have done if he were in the position of the schoolmaster, he said, "I wouldn't have allowed things to go this far." Check the reaction of the ministry and the school

Wow begad! Akeed you wonder why this man is defending the school. I tell you there are many reasons:

1. The fees for the coursebooks were paid to the ministry, but the school never received them.

2. A thorough investigation will reveal that the minsitry had known about this. Cause for sure the school had complained.

3. The ministry quickly sent its Chief of Security to the school when they had learned that the prosecutor was investigating students. Apparently he has intervened into the course of investigation.

4. The ministry knows about such common incidents of cheating and one investigation would lead to another.

Therefore, I suggest that the Ministry of Education will change its name to suit its current goal, to become Factory of Cheaters.

*To be continued..

Chicago

Alaa Al Aswany's latest novel, Chicago, is absolutely a must read. Not only is it gripping, fast-paced, witty, fresh and amusing, but also it is rich in characters that so down-to-earth.

Unlike The Yacoubian Building, his former bestseller, all the characters in Chicago are more types than individuals. You can swear you have met them before in your life, seen them face to face and dealt with them. You can name each character according to your own experience and knowledge. In this novel simplicity and stereotyping is found to be more shocking than what Al Aswany has yielded in Yacoubian. You won't find homosexuals, or a shoe sweeper who turns into a millionaire, or a former aristocrat, or any of these unique characters that you only meet in novels but you know they do exist in real life. Instead you will meet college students and professors, whose lives are exposed in a deeply analytical and shocking manner. Their sexual lives are described, sometimes in details, just to give you a look inside them and to expose a face they hide from society. And most important of all, the novel stresses that inspite all of our apparent differences, we are all human, sharing the same basic needs and surrendering to our weaknesses. Nobody is perfect, nobody sees themselves as bad, nobody cares to analyze his/her true motives, and every single one sees the world through his/her own eyes.

No work of art has reached perfection, and I believe it is unfair to demand perfection from the author just because his novels are bestsellers. Therefore, I consider much of the criticism that Chicago has been subjected to as unneeded exaggeration. I am not implying that we should praise the work anyway, but to come up with the conclusion that it is stereotypical and provides a deformed image of different societies makes people who haven't read the novel have preconceptions that would really spoil their reading of it. I particularly didn't like Abdel Monem Saeed's critical review of the novel. Click to read

Yes, it is stereotypical. Yes, it is all negative. Yes, it recreates the same images we have of the East and the West. But it is a very consistent work of art, that deserves admiration for its artistic quality and carefully woven characters. It makes the familiar so unfamiliar through its daring exposition and its smooth psychological surveillance.

The novel also raises the issue of the extreme polarity that exists in Egyptian society nowadays and how it affects the younger generation who are full of insecurities, as well as tackling the contradicting urges inside the older generation of Egyptian immigrants to the USA, which caused some of them to have an identity crisis. There is also the implication that due to the polarity between the East and the West, their marriage can never result in a healthy off-spring. (I liked Nousha's discussion of this aspect of the novel, and the awkwardness it reveals about the position of Egyptian girls.)

There are minor things I didn't like about Chicago, especially how some threads are suddenly cut in the end. But overall, I enjoyed reading it and I strongly recommend it.

For a summary of the plot you can check Baheyya's blog

Watch an interview with the author about the novel

Light at the End of the Tunnel

An Egyptian court refuses to drop charges against a police officer who tortured a suspect to death, although his defence provided a document which states that his wife has withdrawn the case. Read more details>>

Thanks to news like that, although in fact very few, for giving me hope that there might be a beam of light at the end of the dark tunnel we're all squeezed into nowadays. I would like to congratulate this court and the judges who stood by the victim's family. We can all imagine what they are going through nowadays and the amount of pressure and terror they are subjected to. Actually those judges stood by us all to bring back the faith we lost in ourselves as citizens. We see how our votes are handled for us in elections, how we are not allowed to say no, how we can't preserve our dignity, how we get bitten in our streets by a princes' dogs, how we get beaten and harrassed in demonstrations, how we get the worst treatment in the governmental offices, how we are denied our basic rights.. and we wonder if we are still human. This court came to say, that even on a tiny scale, we still can keep our humanity.

Thanks to those decent judges, you all desrve badges of honor, ones that are much better than what the government can ever give you, ones that are inscribed into our hearts. And to all those who are reluctant to take a similar stand. I say, don't loose faith in us. We might get scared and throw away our rights (as the victim's family in this case did) but we only need a helping hand to save us from falling. If we are allowed to see a way out of the darkness, we'll all run towards it.