Israeli Embassy attacked

Israel’s Embassy in Cairo has been attacked – this was the first news I read this morning. First I thought: oh no, not that? Is there anything more stupid coming to their mind?

For months, one terrible news follows another in this country. Last week’s events reflect what is going on:

• All over the country, post employees are on strike; that means many people can’t obtain cash and companies are blocked
• Football fans are clashing with the police and recently have mixed with demonstrators
• Islamists want to ban bikinis and alcohol – goodbye tourism
• In future, individually travelling tourists should request their visa from the Egyptian Embassy in their respective countries prior to travelling to Egypt, instead, as until now, upon arrival at the airport
• At former President Mubarak’s trial including his sons, former interior minister El Adly and his aids, turmoils occur regularly: lawyers yell at and physically attack each other, family members of those died during the uprising do the same; the judge has to stop the hearings repeatedly because of those turmoils; outside the police academy – where the trial is held – Mubarak supporters and opponents end up in bloody clashes.
• Every Friday – for seven months already! – there are demonstrations on Tahrir square in downtown Cairo – yesterday supported by many cities all over the country

If lawyers behave uncivilised in front of a judge, what is going on in the middle and lower class people’s head and soul? Sheer fury, anger, hatred, frustration – nothing else.

Is this the reason why Israel’s Embassy has been attacked? How is it possible that an Embassy is not being protected more carefully by his host country? Especially after the recent border disputes during which Egyptian guards were shot “unintentionally”? Or is there maybe reckoning behind? Is there a group that is interested to sow more instability and conflicts? The Near East is alaready in an upheaval… Yet what if the peace treaty between Israel and Egypt becomes void and Israel finds itself „alone“ amidst of „Arabs“? What else will we have to face then?

What initially seemed to be a rather stormy, but controllable wave, is gradually developing to a mature tsunami: the enormous waves that are rushing all over Egypt from all sides (even from within) are on the verge of destroying everything.

Feast days in Hurghada

Actually, feasts are something enjoyable. And in fact, I am truly happy for those who have something to celebrate.

However, when there are more important feast days in Egypt, as it is the case at present after Ramadan, I do prepare myself for inconveniences. Why? Hurghada is being flooded by “better-off” Egyptians from Cairo and Alexandria and I don’t know from where else, that are able to afford a couple of holidays in Hurghada. This year’s Eid Al-Fitr looks like this from my personal experience:

Riding peacefully my bicycle in the early morning hours, a car is suddenly at the same level and driving the same pace. First, I do not react but then, I turn my head and click! a picture is taken from me by some shortly the puberty escaped Egyptians. The car is full of this kind of guys. After having successfully taken a picture, they accelerate. Have I meanwhile become a point of interest?

Normally, I wisely avoid going downtown on one of those holidays, but that’s not always possible. So I am waiting at about noon at the roadside for a microbus. One of those posh cars (preferably a Mercedes Benz or BMW) is slowly driving up and stops in front of me. The occupants (see above) glare at me as if they had never seen a decently dressed European female.

In the evening, I am waiting at the roadside for a microbus. It’s been dark since 7pm. Slowly, a car is approaching with full beam and flashing like a taxi driver; full beam so that I can’t see anything. The occupants (this time older and fat) examine me and then accelerate. Am I a prostitute? When finally a microbus is arriving, I greet the driver in relief with an “Alhamdulillah” (Thanks God) through the window.

My mobile phone is ringing and I answer the call in hope for a new student. A man is introducing himself in half Arabic, half English with his name as a doctor in his sixties. I do not understand him completely and ask if he wants to learn English. No, he says, not really. He wants to marry me!

Dear Egyptians: not all European female are buyable and not every one of them unconditionally wish to have one of you. When do you get this?

Fortunately, in Egypt as well, feast days find their end. What remains is the question whether I prefer the short time harassment of the rich or the on-going daily harassment of the workers and peasants ;-) …

Muslim Brotherhood opens education centres

This was yesterday’s online news from Youm7.

Egyptian households spend an average of one third of their spending on education for private lessons and another third on private tuition. Together with the expenses on transportation, 80% of their spending for education accounts for benefits that are already provided by the state.  One may draw one’s own conclusions about this.

The Muslim Brotherhood made a clever move by opening their own education centres in all governorates: low income families will be financially relieved and gratefully accept this offer. At the same time, the Muslim Brotherhood can spread their philosophy disguised as a social act.

New Road Signs

New Road Signs! Yesterday morning I was rather amazed at a crane standing in the middle of the road. The double-tracked road was closed, an alternative route was not indicated. That was no problem for me on my racing bicycle. Car drivers from outside, however, first stood still in irritation, then crossed the central reservation and drove on the contrary lane onwards and from there, they entered the roundabout correctly. Proof: alternative routes are not compulsory.

old and new in harmony

To be honest, I wish that other circumstances would be renewed than simple road signs – however professional and metropolitan they might appear.

Boomerang

What has happened during the last two days in Sinai between Egypt and Israel reminds me – without playing down the consequences of these incidents – of a boomerang.

Whoever shot the Egyptian front officers (Israel or terrorists) – it’s Egypt that has the problem. The poor safety situation all over the country, especially on Sinai, virtually invites terrorists and thugs to settle down and pursue their businesses. It has been all over town for months already, that terrorists, al-Qaida branches and “regular” thugs are staying in Sinai. The Bedouins living there are not very well-disposed to the Egyptian state as well, because they have been neglected. There is hardly any infrastructure, no industry, just a fistful of jobs in the diving business. Has Sinai served as a rampart for Egypt only?

Now it takes its revenge manifold for the neglect of the Sinai Peninsula: the peace treaty is at risk, a fact that has shaken up the Western political world. In addition to all its huge problems, Egypt has to attend to this unsteady peace treaty directly. And at the same time, it has to stand firm that the safety all over the country is in danger and needs serious efforts to be re-established.

The Egyptian people have never backed this peace agreement with Israel – because of Palestine – and have now every reason to protest again against Israel; what they unmistakably are doing at present. Egypt itself has added fuel to the fire!

Egypt, it’s burning on several places! Hurry up, otherwise the boomerang hits you back!

The gatherer

It’s not hot yet; the sun sends its rays from hardly above the horizon. Most of the people are still asleep.

The lad is maybe 10 or 12 years old. Probably younger. He isn’t tall but lean. His sun-bleached long hair is mazily hanging down to his chin. He is wearing a shabby dark blue sweater and baggy, torn trousers that once might have been green. Or grey. Or blue. His eyes are wandering in the early morning shade over the ground, into hollows, ditches and construction sites. His right hand is pulling a huge, white, tear-resistant bag alongside him while his feet are gliding swiftly over the bumps left over by the consumer society.  Broken bricks, crushed cans, cardboard shreds, bottle caps, glass splinters, cigarette packages, plastic pipes, fruit juice packages, plastic bottles, aglets… and last but not least sand and stones.

The lad disappears between walls, knows where to find what he is looking for, what makes him get valuable cash from the recyclers.

One and half an hour later, a white, round monster is moving on the sideway in the direction towards the gate where a donkey carriage is waiting in the shadow. The lad can hardly be discerned: his hands are holding tight the collected goods above his head, his back is heavily bent so that his head is on the same level with his knees. His looks are concentrating on the next 50 centimetres of bitumen. The load is heavy, he is almost crawling on all fours which he would, if he didn’t need his hands to clutch his load. Only a couple of meters are left, but he tumbles down, remains laying on the hot bitumen to rest and breath. Then he picks himself up, carries his load further on towards his dad who is waiting in the shadow of the donkey carriage.

No TV spectacle any more

The trial against ex-president Hosni Mubarak and his sons was continued today – and immediately adjourned. That's how it will go on...

The hearing was once more held in front of live cameras – for the last time. The humiliating spectacle has come to an end, the judge decided it so.

That’s right, if right will be applied.

Yet it is less right, that another activist has been summoned to the military because she allegedly expressed herself negatively about the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. She was released on bail. During the last couple of months, activists have repeatedly been detained on exactly this pretext. Censorship is still alive, freedom of expression is still not granted in Egypt.

Update August 19: the charges against the activist of having insulted the army were droped. No reasons were given...