Second letter from Egypt
I wanted to write you separately and off the public wall, as i think it is important that people like you - who seem genuinely concerned for the safety and wellbeing of the Egyptian people - understand what is happening on the ground, and all that is contributing to the general emotions at the moment.
It is very hard to explain the nightmare we are in right now... It is surreal. In the space of one month, our world has been turned upside down. We are watching things happen on our tvs that defy logic or human decency... I don't know how comprehensive a picture of what is truly happening in Egypt is reaching you in Europe, as from what we can tell - it is only the MB side of the story that is being told there. And not just that, but that it is fraught with lies and deception.
For example, are you aware that in the months leading up to the final count of petitions calling for the withdrawal of confidence from Mohamed Morsi (final count was over 22 million, while he was voted in by 11-12 million), the MB have been stepping up their rhetoric and scare tactics to frighten people not to sign or to go down in the rally marches on 30th June? Not just that, they kept trying to turn people against one another, by claiming that it was the Christians who were betraying their country, or that the Shiites (of which we have a miniscule community) were trying to “pollute” Egypt with their “filthy mutation of Islam”, etc, etc....
When they failed in causing sectarian strife, they began to try a different tactic of “it’s really the agents of the old regime that are trying to steal the revolution from us” , etc, etc… That didn’t work either. Then, a few days before 30 June, Morsi attended a rally that was allegedly designed to show support for Syria, where they announced that they had been supporting the Syrian rebels with money and arms for the past year. Morsi also said that we had severed ties with Syria and that we would be sending our army to fight in Syria. That was the cover, but really, the rally intended to scare of the Egyptian public of what would be their fate if they attempted to defy Morsi .
The rally was attended by not one single political figure at all other than their only remaining political allies who were – without exception (and I am NOT exaggerating, Sofia) - a collection of Egypt’s known terrorists, every last one of which had previously been convicted for the murder of Egyptian citizens, whether security men or ordinary individuals. Among them, the killers of the late Egyptian president Anwar Sadat. During this rally, The main people on the stage with him called the Egyptian Shiites “filth” and “scum” and said “they deserved to be exterminated”, etc, etc… Also on stage, their religious leaders called all those who defied Morsi “infidels and heretics” and “apostates from the Islamic faith” as well as “traitors & lice”… They actually started a group curse or prayer against “these worms” (by this, they meant the Egyptian population who no longer trusted Morsi)..
All the while, Morsi was sat on the stage all night long smiling and did not utter ONE WORD of condemnation as those people were inciting violence against his very own public; or when they were cursing the public in group chants, calling them infidels and heretics and traitors…
Not even two days later, four Egyptian Shiites were murdered by a group of people in the most brutal fashion in a siege that went on for several hours. After that, the preachers on their various channels came out and justified these brutal murders, claiming that God’s work was being done to protect the Sunni faith in Egypt (their new ploy was to try get a Sunni/Shiite divide going, as they had failed with the Muslim/Christian one). And not one single word of condemnation came out of the presidential palace from Morsi. And all the while during this period, their preachers and activists on all of their channels had been calling OUTWARDLY for violence against anyone defying Morsi! Their leaders even said so openly ON RECORD, that Egypt would be plunged into a reign of terror, and that they would ‘burn Egypt to the ground’ if Morsi was removed…
Then, the night before 30 June rallies, Morsi gave a speech, which effectively threatened the Egyptian public with acts of terror against the state and the people themselves if they came out against Morsi on the 30th June. For your information, even though the date for the mass rallies was 30 June, the public couldn’t even wait that long, and squares all across Egypt (even in former MB heartlands) began filling up two or three days before.. The air was electric with anticipation during this period.
However, since the removal of Morsi, do you realize that we have literally been in a state of seige in our own country by their terrorists running amok in all the cities? And Sofia - it is fair to call them terrorists when they carry weapons and threaten (if you are lucky) anti-Morsi supporters - or hurt or kill them, if you are very unlucky! Do you know that I do not linger too long in my balcony when things heat up for fear of being hit by a stray bullet from their supporters, or even an intended sniper attack? I am not alone, everyone I know is the same. Many people have actually died by sniper fire coming into their homes from MB ‘s intentionally shooting at them.
The last such case was highly publicized because he happened to be the younger brother of a television presenter in Egypt. The young man was filming the armed MB supporters on a (15th May) bridge that were shooting automatic and sniper rifles randomly on the people in the street below, and more directly at the people in the balconies overlooking the bridge.. The footage in his phone camera shows that one of the gunmen whose face was not concealed looks up & appears to see him directly filming them. Then he motions to one of the snipers and seconds after, the man was killed with a bullet that entered through the underside of his jaw and came out of the top of his head. His is not a unique story, but one that became known more widely because of his family ties. He was only 32 years old.
Other than that, we have LITERALLY been too scared to leave our houses unless absolutely necessary because their protestors are everywhere. Sofia, there is a general air of tense and stressful anxiety in the air. Everyone is scared to venture out, or to engage with anyone in the street… I have seen them with my very eyes from my own balcony, as I live behind a police station.. They come in huge numbers of men who are armed and attack full force. They also use megaphones to intimidate the police and you should hear some of the insults they shout at the police, or the accusations and curses they yell at them… You need to know that although the MB may be very medieval and barbaric in their thinking, but they are machines who follow instruction down to the last detail, because of their “to hear is to obey” creed! They have been engaging in a very well thought out and executed campaign to attack and destroy all state institutions and vital infrastructure, as well as to spread terror among the population. They are attacking churches, burning police stations and security checkpoints…
Police have intercepted bombs outside some police stations, and more terrifyingly – in Cairo’s main water and gas plants. They are also attacking railroads.. They are targeting police and army forces in a concentrated campaign in the exact same way as did their Jihadi terrorist allies in the 1990s terror campaign in Egypt. The worst part of all, is when you hear their supporters on tv – it is shocking, because they are totally brainwashed and say things that make no sense whatsoever!! And this part, I blame on the Mubarak Regime. In his 30 years in power, he effectively destroyed our educational system, driving our population into ignorance and illiteracy… Worse than that, the percentage of population living under the poverty line, with no access to a decent living, jobs or the most basic of health care rose exponentially under his rule. The end result was the combustible mix of absolute ignorance, abject poverty and an inflamed sense of resentment & hatred towards society and the ‘haves’. All these elements, as you know are fertile breeding grounds for radial extremism.
Please keep in mind that the perpetrators are people who are supposed to be Egyptian like us! The reality of it is that they belong to a cult that knows no loyalty or love to its sovereign state or countrymen, but ONLY to its fellow cult members & blind, unwaiving loyalty to the leaders. Also, they are exhibiting more animal like pack mentality and behavior… They have upped the violence levels and are attacking (mainly) policemen in greater numbers and in frenzied action.. Their victims are tortured while they are still alive in blood chilling manner, and then their bodies are maimed and mutilated and dragged through the streets, or hanged from trees or lamposts, afterwards…
There have also been a number of frenzied type attacks (besides the growing number of civilian deaths by bird shot, random fire and sniper bullets) on ordinary citizens for no logical reason whatsoever. Like that unbelievably poor taxi or minibus driver on the Alexandrian promenade, who was in his car when it was set upon by an armed & angry mob of pro-Morsi supporters. The reasons still unknown, they destroyed his vehicle, pulled him out of it and beat him to death with sticks and other instruments and tore at him with their hands…
There was another taxi/bus driver who was with him, in his own vehicle too, but he was the lucky one. His car was also destroyed and he was set upon by them, but by the grace of God he was able to escape with his life.. You should have seen his interview on TV, he was visibly, terrified and deeply shaken and was in obvious shock and confusion. But at the end of the day, he was alive, unlike his friend. There is no reason or explanation for this mass murder.. And you know what else, Sofia? There was no form of apology from any of the MB figureheads or known sympathisers either…
Which brings me to my point! And WHY did I spend all this time (about 2 hours) explaining this to you, you are probably thinking? Its because I am trying very hard, with all my posts on Facebook to give the outside world insight into what is presently TRULY happening in Egypt, and what our present state of mind is, in this current climate.. All this upheaval did not happened recently. We are still in living it and trying to understand and come to terms with it. And of course, we are trying to survive it and pray that our armed forces can overcome these terrorists before they turn our country into a wholly lawless and violent territory as Syria and/or Somalia.! We are at war with a terrorist cult that is DETERMINED to destroy their country and kill and frighten as many Egyptian people in the process as possible. So how then, in the middle of all this carnage, fear and anger can the west honestly and realistically expect us to be entertaining reconciliation, and accepting the MB back into the fold with open arms and hearts? It is absolutely illogical! If it is still hard to comprehend, then I will compare with examples that carry huge similarities and which can put things into better perspective for you:
It is like asking the Jewish people of Europe in the 1940s to forgive the Nazis for their persecution, murder and internment of hundreds of thousands, millions of them in concentration camps at THE TIME these atrocities were taking place! Or let me bring it closer to home for you.. During the German occupation of France in WW2, when they had installed the puppet Vichy Administration.. Could anyone tolerate this government or its members? What happened to these people once Germany lost the war? Not just these people – what happened to the French women who were involved with German soldiers – and at the hands of ordinary French citizens, at that? As for reconciliation and being allowed back into the political process - the Nazis where annihilated as a political and social movement for over the next half century! Even today – almost 70 years after the end of the war, there is STILL much residual dislike for Germans as a whole…(I have done a fair part of my growing up in Europe and am not unaware of such delicate nuances of sentiment).
For heaven’s sake - a Dutch friend of mine recently opted against the first choice of name for her baby as it was deemed ‘too German’! My German friends have had to endure name calling while on school trips inside Europe, etc.. And all this is 70 YEARS later, Sofia, and the slate is still not clean!! Yet – even though we are living very similar circumstances leading to the run-up to WW2, the west expects us to welcome the MB killers back into our open arms – and more importantly, to entrust our lives, security and future into their hands again, even while they CONTINUE to call us ‘traitors’ and kill!! There isnt ANY country on earth that would be THAT forgiving…Does it even make any sense to you?? It certainly doesn’t to the Egyptians!
Something else that doesn’t make sense to the Egyptians is the west’s insistence on supporting the MB in spite of everything against the will of the Egyptian people! I understand that each country must act in a way that best services its own personal interests, but to what extent is each country willing to go to achieve them? In our opinion, the west has crossed many lines in this respect, and it is highly regrettable… Egypt is doing everything in its power to protect its sovereign state and its people. As would any other country in the world – and as most certainly any one of the countries criticizing it today would do in the same, or even less dire circumstances…
Anyway, I do hope this someway explains our anger and frustration at the outside’s world’s concentrated efforts to thwart our rights and fight for freedom, liberty and a decent living. Democracies are not born overnight, and when have they ever been bloodless? Compared to history – ours so far are pretty tame.. God willing – it will be over soon and with as little bloodletting as possible.. As absolutely we will all have to live together afterwards, and it is crucial to integrate them (especially the young ones) into society as early as possible.
Thats it!! I have to get up now, and my back is hurting after being bunched up over my computer all this time ;)
Best wishes
Post script:
Thank you for your concern. It is truly appreciated & warming :)
You may use it all, as I wish to have the whole world know the true story - and not the lies the MB tell. Even though they are 100 times smarter & more organized & hardworking when it comes to online & social media!!! Would u believe our ministry of foreign affairs only JUST released a compilation video to international press & beginning to put their PR Plan together? We are our own worst enemies when it comes to timely action & Propaganda use ...
As for the my answer on the solution - I honestly don't know --- it is beyond comprehension just how brainwashed they are... I think, in my humble opinion - is that all their current heads MUST be caught and prosecuted for the heinous crimes they have committed against this country. And to stop them for stoking up more hatred; discord in their ppl. And then, the rest, most crucially, the young children must go to schools youth clubs, etc ; other places where they can mix & interact with other egyptian ppl - to counter all the medieval hate indoctrines they are fed from the moment they are born by the MB.. For older ones - A decent life with self respect is needed. Partially (I think ) what makes them so susceptible to radicalism & their blind hatred of those around them must come from social & economic deprivation & repression. But when u treat someone like a human being - and start making them feel more complete & fulfilled, then this will be a good step on rehabilitating them..
Which general said killing them all is the solution?? (This article in Le Monde is meant:
Egypte : "Il faut tuer ou arrêter les leaders des Frères musulmans" .) I have not heard this & it would certainly not be well received with mainstream Egyptian public, even though they DESPISE the MB!! Iike I said, I don't KNOW what the solution is - but Egyptians are resilient & in essence, peace loving . We will find a way to mend bridges & move on... But the MB MUST be made to feel that they are EGYPTIAN - not Brotherhood .
