I don't recall ever having been this emotional in my life. This is (to me) bigger than when I saw footage of 12 year old Mohamed El Dorra being cornered and shot to death by Israeli soldiers.
I feel like this is happening to someone else. No, this is not me, stuck on another continent, cut off COMPLETELY from my family, friends and loved ones... Watching as my brothers and sisters come out of their shells and revolt against the tyranny of a system that has long kept its grip on our freedoms and destinies... Watching MY country, MY home displayed on TV as a land where chaos and violence has broke out.
As I sit locked up in my room, doing nothing for two days but follow Egypt with eyes open wide with disbelief I keep having rushes of mixed feelings.
Day 1: I was stuck at school without any access to a computer to properly follow what was going on. I rush back to the house and I start watching all the videos of the masses march and chant 7ORREYA (Freedom) and EL SHA3B YOREED ESQAT EL NEZAM (The people want to take the regime down) and the brave hero who gives Cairo its first Tiananmen Square like moment when he stands face to face with a water dispensing police tank. A stream of tears falls over my keyboard as I involuntarily start chanting along... feeling like a piece of shit for being safe and sound 13 hours away from where everyone is but I'm hopeful and I feel like they can do it.. this seems going on the right track.
Day 2: I wake up from the constant buzzing of my phone. I know I'm staying in as we had a snow storm so I thought I'd sleep in that day but god forbid.. god forbid.. I wake up around 9 as my friends are updating me with all the madness. I learn that protestors are multiplying, the government is unable to control the situation BUT the protestors are being met with extreme violence. They are preparing for a million man march after the friday prayer the next day, Facebook and Twitter are blocked and Dr. Baradei is on his way back to lead the demonstrators. I say good, they havent lost hope, they are in high spirits, the govt blocking social media means its scared but my people are organized and they can do this.
By night time however shit happens. The Egyptian regime (I am ashamed to call them Egyptian I feel they dont deserve the honor of being included) decides to "outsmart" the Egyptian youth... a move that possibly was the last nail in their coffin as the saying goes. They cut off an entire nation of 80 million people from the outside world. They cut off all internet service, they cut off mobile data service, cellular phone reception and SMS. Stupid as they are, we were prepared, we had spread ALL the meeting points for friday on an incredible large scale, flyers were being distributed on how to dress so as not to be injured by police, people were SET on going on protest and mostly.. Mubarak gave no option for the people but to go on the streets now that he's taken all their means of entertainment if we'll put it this way.
Friday, Day 3: I wake up 2 find Egypt under a curfew, Dr. Baradie, the Noble prize winner, sprayed with water, attacked in a mosque and placed under house arrest, 10 people dead and 420 injured. CNN runs an entire breaking news day following the situation in Egypt so I tune in and to my shock.. the army is spread everywhere, the riot police is brutally beating everyone up, 4 french journalists are arrested, one Al Jazeira reporter attacked and I see with my own two eyes an army tank RUN INTO a civilian unarmed citizen. I move then to twitter.. and I read EAC's tweet about a rally infront of the Egyptian consulate so I got dressed, grabbed a sign I had prepared that says "Dear Mubarak: You're FIRED. Sincerely, The 80 Million Egyptians." and I hit the streets. We convene for what felt like an hour, chanting as the media began to gather.. We make our voices heard and we pledge that we'll be out there EVERY SINGLE DAY until our brothers and sisters in Egypt are safe, connected and satisfied with what they reach.
On my way home however, I get a text from the UK that Mubarak is appearing on TV to address the nation and I wish he hadnt. This man is deluded. He offered us the cabinet??? Well Fuck the cabinet!!! Who gives a tiny rat's ass about them?? They were going to be removed IN ALL CASES... its YOU idiot who has to go!!! He did not touch upon the Emergency law he's been cowering behind for more than 28 years, he hasn't mentioned ANY of the reasons that caused this entire revolution and he did not apologize or admit to understand as Ben Ali told the Tunisians in his final attempts to save his ass.
Now I am about to sleep.. unable to think of what can happen next.. Egypt is in a state of mayhem that is unprecedented, I know nothing about where my friends are, were they out on the street? are they home? are they safe? I know I will be in a rally 2morrow morning in front of the UN to continue raising awareness and showing anger.. but one question keeps on haunting me.. who do we want to lead our nation next? We still haven't managed to figure out this major detail!! Not that its our fault.. Throughout his entire career Mubarak has made it his utmost priority to ruin any chances of us answering it anytime soon.
دخل الشتى و قفل البيبان ع البيوت
و جعل شعاع الشمس خيط عنكبوت
و حاجات كتير في ليل الشتى بتموت
و لكن حاجات أكتر بترفض تموت
صلاح جاهين
I feel like this is happening to someone else. No, this is not me, stuck on another continent, cut off COMPLETELY from my family, friends and loved ones... Watching as my brothers and sisters come out of their shells and revolt against the tyranny of a system that has long kept its grip on our freedoms and destinies... Watching MY country, MY home displayed on TV as a land where chaos and violence has broke out.
As I sit locked up in my room, doing nothing for two days but follow Egypt with eyes open wide with disbelief I keep having rushes of mixed feelings.
Day 1: I was stuck at school without any access to a computer to properly follow what was going on. I rush back to the house and I start watching all the videos of the masses march and chant 7ORREYA (Freedom) and EL SHA3B YOREED ESQAT EL NEZAM (The people want to take the regime down) and the brave hero who gives Cairo its first Tiananmen Square like moment when he stands face to face with a water dispensing police tank. A stream of tears falls over my keyboard as I involuntarily start chanting along... feeling like a piece of shit for being safe and sound 13 hours away from where everyone is but I'm hopeful and I feel like they can do it.. this seems going on the right track.
Day 2: I wake up from the constant buzzing of my phone. I know I'm staying in as we had a snow storm so I thought I'd sleep in that day but god forbid.. god forbid.. I wake up around 9 as my friends are updating me with all the madness. I learn that protestors are multiplying, the government is unable to control the situation BUT the protestors are being met with extreme violence. They are preparing for a million man march after the friday prayer the next day, Facebook and Twitter are blocked and Dr. Baradei is on his way back to lead the demonstrators. I say good, they havent lost hope, they are in high spirits, the govt blocking social media means its scared but my people are organized and they can do this.
By night time however shit happens. The Egyptian regime (I am ashamed to call them Egyptian I feel they dont deserve the honor of being included) decides to "outsmart" the Egyptian youth... a move that possibly was the last nail in their coffin as the saying goes. They cut off an entire nation of 80 million people from the outside world. They cut off all internet service, they cut off mobile data service, cellular phone reception and SMS. Stupid as they are, we were prepared, we had spread ALL the meeting points for friday on an incredible large scale, flyers were being distributed on how to dress so as not to be injured by police, people were SET on going on protest and mostly.. Mubarak gave no option for the people but to go on the streets now that he's taken all their means of entertainment if we'll put it this way.
Friday, Day 3: I wake up 2 find Egypt under a curfew, Dr. Baradie, the Noble prize winner, sprayed with water, attacked in a mosque and placed under house arrest, 10 people dead and 420 injured. CNN runs an entire breaking news day following the situation in Egypt so I tune in and to my shock.. the army is spread everywhere, the riot police is brutally beating everyone up, 4 french journalists are arrested, one Al Jazeira reporter attacked and I see with my own two eyes an army tank RUN INTO a civilian unarmed citizen. I move then to twitter.. and I read EAC's tweet about a rally infront of the Egyptian consulate so I got dressed, grabbed a sign I had prepared that says "Dear Mubarak: You're FIRED. Sincerely, The 80 Million Egyptians." and I hit the streets. We convene for what felt like an hour, chanting as the media began to gather.. We make our voices heard and we pledge that we'll be out there EVERY SINGLE DAY until our brothers and sisters in Egypt are safe, connected and satisfied with what they reach.
On my way home however, I get a text from the UK that Mubarak is appearing on TV to address the nation and I wish he hadnt. This man is deluded. He offered us the cabinet??? Well Fuck the cabinet!!! Who gives a tiny rat's ass about them?? They were going to be removed IN ALL CASES... its YOU idiot who has to go!!! He did not touch upon the Emergency law he's been cowering behind for more than 28 years, he hasn't mentioned ANY of the reasons that caused this entire revolution and he did not apologize or admit to understand as Ben Ali told the Tunisians in his final attempts to save his ass.
Now I am about to sleep.. unable to think of what can happen next.. Egypt is in a state of mayhem that is unprecedented, I know nothing about where my friends are, were they out on the street? are they home? are they safe? I know I will be in a rally 2morrow morning in front of the UN to continue raising awareness and showing anger.. but one question keeps on haunting me.. who do we want to lead our nation next? We still haven't managed to figure out this major detail!! Not that its our fault.. Throughout his entire career Mubarak has made it his utmost priority to ruin any chances of us answering it anytime soon.
دخل الشتى و قفل البيبان ع البيوت
و جعل شعاع الشمس خيط عنكبوت
و حاجات كتير في ليل الشتى بتموت
و لكن حاجات أكتر بترفض تموت
صلاح جاهين
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