2012: The Year of Persistence

Ever since last January when millions took to the streets celebrating one year anniversary past the revolution following deadly clashes in the winter of 2011 and the continuation of iron-fist SCAF rule, and the people have never stopped a day believing in the revolution. We continued despite all the mishaps, weaknesses, and continuous repressions.

In February, after the Portsaid massacre, people turned to the streets to remind every official that the blood of our brothers will not go in vain and retribution must be delivered. We will fight for freedom & retribution until the last drop of blood in the last person of us. Ever since, football has been put on hold until justice is obtained. I lost an AUC friend in Portsaid, Mogrem, I will never forget your beautiful face, or your loud chants, and your revolutionary spirit, may they all rest in peace.

During the presidential elections mess, people chose against the flool, people didn’t fall in the trap of Shafique bringing counter-revolution on in full force so bluntly. Even though we are not in a much better position now, but I still believe that the best thing that has happened in the presidential elections mess was for Shafique to lose and for Ikhwan to finally be in power so people can get disillusioned about Ikhwan ways and their true ugly face show, which many back then, more than now, believed that they are “God’s people, they will be good.” Yeah! Try to tell that now to an average man on the street, you most possibly will get hit in the face with a rock. This would not have happened any other way than Ikhwan coming into power, and they are so bad at it that it is good for us; less and less people will choose Ikhwan as the revolution matures (they already have compared to parliamentary votes) and the Ikhwan have hit record-breaking low in just 6 months! Imagine how 2013 will be like? I am very hopeful.

Ever since Morsy came to power, the 100 days have passed, all promises were not fulfilled, and the people started rising again. Neoliberal economic policies such as the IMF loan and the World Bank are all signs that Morsy is Mubarak just with a beard, and prays a lot. Since the Mohamed Mahmoud clashes II and the streets have not been still. The loss of Jika, a young man who voted for Morsy, killed by Morsy’s men (police) only few months later, and nothing has been delivered in return; no prosecution, no investigation, nothing. Despite all this people are still revolting and persistent on continuing the revolution.

In November and December, we were dealing with a full force dictatorship with Morsy having more powers than Superman himself; judicial, executive, and legislative in addition to the 1000s of Ikhwan militias who are ready with a push of a button to go, kill, rape, torture, detain, besiege, or beat anyone they are ordered to attack like what happened on the deadly night at the presidential palace on 4 December 2012. We were force fed a dictatorial constitutional declaration, an unrepresentative illegal constitutional assembly, and a referendum in two weeks when millions of Egyptians on the streets and square all across Egypt protesting all these violations and on the eve of a deadly massacre on the brink of civil war between pro-Morsy supporters (Ikhwan & Salafies) and literally everybody else (liberals, leftists, independents, flool, secularists, Christians, all minorities, workers, and even children!).

Despite all this, we, the people, are applying all the pressure in our hands to object, protest, and revolt against this dictatorship and continuing the revolution until all of our demands are met; bread freedom, social equality. The persistence of the Egyptian people to gain what they revolted for inspires the living hell out of anyone watching Egypt closely, and is feeding into it more strength and hope like never before. I believe that we can and we will achieve those goals, but the road is very steep and long. It reminds me when I used to run cross country, when you know that the coming hill will last for a while and you can no longer feel your legs, but you know that you have to climb it and pass it to reach the peek and then go into free falling limbs lingering downhill so effortlessly and beautifully knowing that, yes, you made it at last.

Morsy is fat in every way, fat in fortune, fat in lies, fat in body, fat in powers, fat in weaknesses, and he grabs his male parts on TV, on the other hand; the revolution is young and persistent, when the two face each other, you know who will win in the end. As dark as these days may seem with possible “bankruptcy,” dictatorial overrule in all ministries and branches of governments, soaring prices and Egyptian pound taking a nose dive, I am still hopeful because I have no doubt that the people will not stand still, we will not accept, we will fight, we will persist on revolting , and we will win because we have given so much to give up now.

Revolution continues with persistence!
Happy New Year

Elections under play

When I would get ready to attend a protest before the revolution, my father would tell me, “nothing will ever change, Mubarak and his regime will stay the same forever, you are just wasting your energy and risking your life for nothing.” I would respond, “every little demonstration is a stepping stone in a long-term process called a revolution that will end this regime.” I still believe that every mobilization is an essential piece of the puzzle to topple the regime.  The revolution started and without one single group leading it, we managed to kick it off. What will take to achieve the revolution’s goals is another important question that we must start answering. We, revolutionaries, spent a year and half boiling our energy in reaction, in mobilizing to achieve the goals we set out on 25 January 201, yet only few things have been achieved. One sure gain is that Mubarak is out, put on trial, and now in Tora prison facing a life sentence. Even though nothing less than death to the dictator would have satisfied my anger, I can’t say that I am not happy to see him suffer his last days in a prison hospital.  As for the rest of the murderers who are free, their day shall come when they will suffer just like they tortured many Egyptians.

Elections are finally finishing up with major expected disappointments and setbacks on the political road to “democracy.” I never expected any elections under military rule to achieve any results satisfying the revolution. Elections engineered and constructed by SCAF (Supreme Council for Armed Forces) can never produce revolutionary or even reformist accomplishments, only will result outcomes that would suit counter-revolution and its allies. History tells us too soon of elections are always used to bury revolutions. We are not the first by any means. Whether Romania, Chile, Portugal, or Bolivia, we can draw parallel where military junta institutionalized militarization and strengthened counter-revolution. We can go back and assess where “we went wrong” or where we could have done better, but one thing is clear, elections were inevitable since the regime is still in place since 1952.  Sooner or later elections would have happened, conducted by the same old regime, benefiting the organized groups sufficient enough to run and win elections. In the case of Egypt; the Muslim Brotherhood and the National Democratic Party (the regime’s political arm).

The truth is the revolution has no machine, no organized group, no political party sufficient enough to adopt the revolution’s goals and capable of fighting the two most organized and biggest threatening machines to the revolution, the NDP & MB and SCAF. This is partially our fault yet partially out of our control for the many decades we were politically silenced under Mubarak. Many of the revolutionaries got politicized with the revolution or slightly prior to the revolution giving a major lead to the organized groups already existing under the repressive regime.  This explains the great success of Islamists in parliamentary elections and in the first round of presidential elections despite their decreasing popularity on Egyptian streets due to their reactionary and opportunistic agenda that clearly contradicts with revolutionary goals.

What is to be done? We organize. Aside from fighting for civil liberties, constitution that reflects revolution principles, and for ending military authority in daily life, we must build our alternative power, our machine that will and can topple this regime once and for all.  As a revolutionary socialist, I believe that the only group of society that has the power to topple this dictatorship is the workers.  We must organize the working class. For this revolution, it is a matter of success or defeat. When I am talking about the working class, I am not only referring to the traditional blue collar worker at a factory, but I am referencing anyone who sells his or her hours to earn a wage. This includes doctors, teachers, public and private employees, those who have the power to put the country at a halt like the last 3 days of the 18 days in the revolution. The workers were the final bullet in Mubarak’s chest, and are the only ones who can finish off SCAF.

Revolution Continues – ارفع كل رايات النصر

 

 

On the first anniversary of the revolution, hundreds of thousands of Egyptians take to the streets echoing the same chants and demands from last year as if nothing have changed because nothing have changed. The only difference is that today was a record breaking numbers of protesters on the streets demanding end of military rule. More people took to the streets today all over Egypt than even Feb 11. The message was clear; we demand change, we demand the downfall of regime, we are continuing revolution until victory

 

2011: The Year of Heroes

It would be an understatement if one says 2011 was the year of change. The year of revolutions, the year of power of the people, the year of realizing yes we do have the power to overcome and triumph. What has not happened in 2011? Families battles, world disasters, Arab revolutions, global movements, personal struggles & successes, and of course love, all took place in 2011, and sometimes all at once. I saw death, I lived in Tahrir, I witnessed miracles, I went to places never thought were possible, I sprayed graffiti of Khaled Said on the gates of interior ministry, I lived. There are no words that can describe my pride and honor of having been part of the roots of the Egyptian revolution and still fighting for its victory. The days when we protested in tens in a cordon surrounded by thousands of riot police in front of the press syndicate or on the sidewalk somewhere, now seem now only like a small picture in an album book on an old shelf somewhere. From the start of 2011, Alexandria church bombing 20 minutes into the year, this small picture forever changed. People poured into the streets fighting sectarian strife and showing Egyptian unity. Soon enough along came the step-down of Ben Ali, ex-dictator of Tunisia, 10 days later we were in Tahrir demanding the removal of regime, and 18 days further Mubarak, the dictator who terrorized us for decades finally stepped down. The sweetest moment of victory ever short-lived, knowing what we experienced for months after and until now by the extension of Mubarak’s dictatorship under SCAF. So many people around me are disappointed and discouraged with how things are turning out since Mubarak stepped down, but being part of how things were before the revolution makes me so much more hopeful now. I always like to have the big-picture perspective on most events even in my personal life, and what I see now for Egypt is nothing less than greatness and unprecedented achievements in 2011 despite all the massacres and SCAF’s iron fist on Egypt.

Pictures speak louder than words so instead of telling you all the events that made the Egyptian revolutionaries my heroes of 2011. Below is the year of the revolution in pictures highlighting the most powerful images I chose for 2011. This is why there is hope, as long as we are breathing, we will fight for our freedom, social equality, and dignity. We die for freedom, but we live on hope & resistance. May 2012 be the year of freedom. Revolution until victory.

NO MORE FEAR! – Jan28

NDP ON FIRE (for 3 days) – Jan29

The Bastard IS OUT – Feb11

WE RAIDED STATE SECURITY – March5

WE WON’T FORGET OUR MARTYRS – May6

THE BLOOD OF ATTEF YEHYIA – May15

KHALED SAID GRAFFITI ON MOI – Jun6

BATTLE FOR MARTYRS – June28

WE ARE BACK IN TAHRIR, WON’T GIVE UP! – July8 sit-in

ARMY RAID ON TAHRIR – Aug1: Ramadan 1st

FLAGMAN – Aug21

ONE DAY REV – Sept9

MASPERO MASSACRE – Oct9

NOVEMBER UPRISING – Nov19

OCCUPY CABINET – Dec16

There so much more ..but one video says it all. SCAF MUST BE EXECUTED IN 2012!!!

With all the painful images above, I am not depressed nor worried. I have seen the strength, courage, and bravery of the Egyptian revolutionaries. We never stop fighting, we never give up, we will continue until victory and I have no doubt that we will EXECUTE SCAF.

#RevSoc: We want to dismantle the state of oppression – نريد اسقاط الدولة المستبدة

Revolutionary Socialists Press Conference @eSocialists

After a conference by the Revolutionary Socialists in Egypt on the future of the revolution that was held at the Center for Socialist Studies in Giza on 13 Dec 2011, the Revolutionary Socialists found their video (below) of the 20mins talk of Sameh Naguib being edited into 2 & 3 mins and re-posted with titles such as, “Revolutionary Socialists want to dismantle the State” or “The Revolutionary Socialists’ ruthless plan to burn and destroy Egypt.” As if we had raged war against the people of Egypt ignoring all our well established and credible resistance against oppressive regimes and systems from capitalism to Israel, and all in between, which is all very transparent on our website and in their files at State Security. I am not posting this to defend Revolutionary Socialists or convince how “awesome” and revolutionary we are, but simply to sum up what has been happening.

A media war directed by SCAF and led by Ikhwan & other political groups against revolutionaries and anyone who is challenging their interests to remain in power, has gone to the dirtiest tricks to protect their interests and kill the revolution.

Freedom & Justice Party newspaper 25 Dec 2011 "Revolutionary Socialists: Violence First!"

Why especially the Revolutionary Socialists? I think because Sameh Naguib hit the nail with a hammer on its head exposing SCAF & Islamists. The video gave them all the right “keywords” like “dismantling of state” to incite fear in the public even more and turn the public against the revolution while all the deadly clashes in the past few days were taking place. Another reason is the timing. SCAF chose to do this attack now & not before, since we have statements as early as February that give the same message as the video, simply because they are shifting the blame & the attention from their own crimes committed against revolutionaries onto revolutionary groups like the Revolutionary Socialists & others, who are gaining popularity on the ground for their radical stands against SCAF.  SCAF’s stupidity is gaining us more and more support because revolutionaries, with us or not, are against SCAF more than ever before.

This was our official response to the dirty organized campaign against the revolution & the Revolutionary Socialists. Statement in response to “accusations” in English & Arabic. We also held a press conference reaffirming our strong stand against SCAF and reassurance of the dismantling of the State of repression, inequality, and injustice in order to build a State based on freedom, social justice, and dignity for human rights.

Videos of statements and testimonies below.

Feel free to share this post in solidarity with the Revolutionary Socialists in Egypt. Add a Pic Badge on your twitter or facebook. Follow us on Twitter @eSocialists & Like our Facebook Page

Down with military rule! Long live the Egyptian Revolution !

@BBCNewsNight Hypocrisy & Insults

BBC NewsNight chooses Kissinger as the "expert" on Arab Spring

I was invited to be on BBC NewsNight on Thursday, 15 December 2011, along with Henry Kissinger, Tawakul Karman, Simon Schama, and Jeremy Greenstock to speak on the prospects of the Arab Spring. They emailed me the following questions to answer before the show, and I gave them a brief on my position on each: (copied & paste from the email here:

My brief answers were as following:

When I got on the show, which will hopefully be uploaded to youtube so I can posted here, I was faced with the most western-centric, orientalist, and racist point of view on the Arab Spring. Comments about the Arab spring ranged from “a cry for western democracy,” calling the Middle East “the Muslim world,” “Islamist threat to democracy and prosecution of minorities,” to posing “western technology as what made these revolutions possible.” It was impossible enough to bare Henry Kissinger’s deep voice on the other end of the line being asked as an “expert” on the Middle East let alone the Arab spring & “Islamist scare” they portrayed. Henry Kissinger?! The one whose exact polices ruined our country and many others to the ground?!! unbelievably stupid. I was going to explode out of frustration for not getting ANY chance to address these comments (insults in my opinion). I hardly had a minute all together to express my point of view or have any questions directed to me except 2 compared to the other guests, who dominated the already dominated western/oriental point of view on the Arab spring. The least any professional media outlet would have done especially speaking on the topic of “democracy” was to give an equal time to all the different speakers or the different point of views.

I was able to get in 2 sentences about the western (US in particular) aid to SCAF, who is leading counter-revolution and acting on the “prosecution of minorities” that other speakers wanted to label it as the “Islamist threat,” but I linked it that it is SCAF who is prosecuting minorities alluring to the Maspero massacre. I also added that the west has NO positive impact what so ever on these revolutions in fact we are going exactly against it.

I sent them an email afterwards explaining my frustration, and requesting to never be invited again on NewsNight as a guest. I do expect an apology and a response to my email copied & pasted below.

“BBC News Night

When you invited me on the show, I was okay to arrange my own ride in

the middle of the night when streets are not safe and activists are

being kidnapped by state government & army everyday to fulfill your request

of being a guest on the show. Secondly, I requested to be introduced

as “a revolutionary socialist activist” and you said no problem, but

Kristy Wark did NOT. I was asked by Jake Morris to give my opinion about

possible questions on the show, and I had no problem responding on the

spot with my opinion.

As the show went on, I noticed that you had total of 5 different

guests including Henry Kissinger, who if you had done any kind of

research or simply took my answers to your questions seriously, you

would know that my point of view is the exact opposite. YET, your

presenter Kristy Wark completely cut me off, and never gave me the

chance to get an equal opportunity as the other guests to express my

point of view. Please review the tapes and actually calculate the

amount of seconds i was able to speak compared to the other guests

when I have a complete opposite opinion of this very orientalist,

western-centric, racist discussion of the Arab Spring. If you saw that

i was too much or too “radical” for your racist/discriminatory show to

cut me off like you did, why did you invite me & not give me enough

time to express my point of view like others? or is it because i

didn’t follow the western-based argument about the “Muslim world” or

the ignorant “western technology” comment from Greenstock, so you shut

me up? I felt very disrespected for bringing me there in the middle of

the night to only frustrate me by not giving me a chance to speak. I

would have been much more comfortable sitting at home and not getting

the few seconds I got on the most insulting show on the Arab Spring

that i have ever witnessed.

Please do not ask me for any news night interviews again. Your entity

incites and affirms the western agenda that our revolution stands

against and if you are professional journalists you would at least

give all sides an equal opportunity to present their view, but you

chose Henry Kissinger (with all his history) to be more of an “expert”

on the Arab Spring (given how much time you allowed him to speak) than

someone fighting there and knows more about what is happening (given

why you invited me in the first place). The least you would have done

is an equal time to each speaker but you proved to me how

unprofessional you are.

Thank you for a night of deep frustration.”

Following day I received this email from deputy producer of NewsNight, Liz Gibbons:

This was my response:

“I am not changing anything about my blog, and you can sue me. Just

because you kept inviting me to report on what was happening during

the 18 days of Tahrir doesn’t give you any right to insult me in

return on the show and expect me to be okay with it. I felt

disrespected, and violated by the condescending tone and the whole

orientation of the discussion. All the feedback I got from those who

saw the show, completely agreed that I was cut off by Kirst Wark, and

you can check twitter for that. I can hold whatever opinion I have and

I know that you will never accept it because you are unprofessional

and your righteous indignation is the proof of it.”

I have no comment.

Dead and Facing Military Trial – الشهيد المتهم مينا دانيال

It was not enough the night the military police decided to shoot and run-over protesters murdering over 30 Egyptians during the Maspero Massacre on black Sunday , 9 October 2011. Thousands of Christians went out in peaceful protests and marches denouncing the tearing down of Edfu church in Southern Egypt. What started as a peaceful march out of Shubra to Maspero, state TV building, ended as the mass murder of protesters, whom mostly were Christians including a dear comrade Mina Daniel . The video below shows the collection of images showing military tanks running over bodies of protesters and soldiers firing their guns at civilians.

All this was not enough for the Supreme Council for the Armed Forces, who held a press conference denying any of these vivid images blaming “infiltrators” and those “inciting violence” ensuring that there will be an investigation. About 28 “infiltrators” are facing military tribunals for the Maspero massacre, and they are all being charged with inciting violence and/or destroying military property. Out of those accused the first one accused and charged is ironically Mina Daniel, the first dead military trial victim and martyr. Others include the prominent blogger and revolutionary activist Alaa Abdel Fatah now facing 15 days detention for refusing to recognize the legal legitimacy of military courts when he was summoned today.

This is the face of counter revolution, SCAF; they kill you and accuse you for the crime they committed. The military headed by the dictator Tantawi is doing all they can to ensure the revolution is dead, but luckily dictators are always stupid and they are being exposed increasingly everyday. I salute Alaa for his stance in refusing to recognize SCAF as the legal power, but accuse it as part of the massacre. They can kill some of us, they can detained some of us, but they cannot stop all of us.

Families of Martyrs Demand Retribution

Families of martyrs and protesters wait for hours for a trial session that takes about 3 minutes with a verdict of yet another postponement to July 25th. The protesters outside the Tagamooa El Khames court gather and chant aggressively against El Adly calling for “death to the dog Habib El Adly,” the ex-interior minister accused of killings of Jan25 martyrs and being responsible for systematic torture and abuse under the Mubarak regime. The anger towards any police figure was apparent when protesters hurled stones at all the police vans coming out of court and armored police cars carrying the 7 accused in the case. The circus continues with no justice serviced, while families of martyrs continue their sit-in at Maspero demanding 1) The efficient and transparent prosecution of all police involved in killings of martyrs 2) The adequate compensation to all families and those who were injured, 3) For Habib El Adly & Mubarak to be held responsible and tried fast without tampering with the law, and 4) For the policemen who are accused to be put on trial while being off-duty.

Virginity UNcheck and SCAF Circumcision First

I find myself sleeping every night and waking up with nightmares and anger about SCAF. Before the revolution it was Mubarak and now it is Tantawi. From military trials, to torture, to virginity checks, and lately the prosecution of journalist Rasha Azab for exposing torture cases by the military, SCAF have left no freedom that they haven’t robbed. We must stand in solidarity with Rasha Azab, not because she is a brave, kind, honest, and wonderful human being, but because if we didn’t then it means we are okay with the behavior of the military that Rasha was exposing in Al Fagr article. She is the first journalist to be tried by the military prosecutor for criticizing the SCAF and exposing army torture. No constitution will ensure our freedom of speech if we don’t take a radical stand against censorship of press. Rasha’s case whether you agree with her personally or not is about this very principle.

If we let this case pass like Michael Nabil’s case, then we are falling in the constitutional trap SCAF is throwing at us, when in fact things on the ground in our daily lives are actually deteriorating. Those who are so focused on the constitution first are completely forgetting that with SCAF still in power, torture still practiced in prisons & stations, virginity checks conducted on female protestors, censorship of press & media, and evicted families still living on the street after promised national housing, no constitution will solve these practical issues without real pressure on the ground not on fancy paper.

I urge you to build pressure on issues that effect the daily lives of citizens today in the streets instead of focusing so much on the constitution. Although I believe drafting a constitution and building political parties is important, but it seems that the overwhelming majority of the political forces in Egypt now are focused on this while forgetting whom or what they are actually trying to help and achieve through this constitution. If the end mean for establishing this constitution is equality, democracy, accountability, freedom of speech, and justice, then why don’t those people also support cases that fight for those principles like Rasha Azab’s case, the evicted families living in front of Maspero, the family of martyrs on June 26th, the workers facing court this Saturday, and countless other cases. This is the revolution in my view. If we don’t win those battles that are fighting for the principles of the revolution, then we are not gaining any ground in this “revolution.”

Rash Azab Facing Charges رشا عزب بعد انتهاء التحقيق

Rasha Azab explains her interrogation with the military prosecutor regarding the article she wrote in Al Fagr newspaper on military abuse and torture. General Hassan El Rouieny has filed a legal case against Rasha Azab and Al Fagr editor in chief Adel Hammouda accusing them of reporting false news and challenging national security, in which case they could face military prison sentence in a military court. Rasha Azab is now the first journalist to be tried in a military court for writing an article criticizing SCAF. It is completely unacceptable and wrong that this would be happening to a journalist in a post-revolution Egypt, which demanded freedom of press and freedom of speech.