بالعربي: Open letter to my Egyptian friends

This is the translation of my "open letter" into Arabic. Many thanks to Sahar and her family for your help!

ابدا بنفسك

اصدقائى الاعزاء

هل تعلمون أنى أعيش فى مصر منذ مدة اتابع الاحداث اناقشها معكم واستمع الى مخاوفكم عن الحياة وعن الوطن لا احد فينا سعيد لما الت الية االامور فى السنوات الثلاثة الاخيرة واشعر باالاسف لكل شى اود ان اقولة لكم من اجلكم ومن اجل مصر كلكم تريد ون ان تغيرو الوطن وتحلمون تغير بلد كبيرة مثل مصر انها وطن 90 ميلون مواطن ومساحتها حوالى مليون متر مربع إنها وطن لشعب ذو مبادى وايمان وثقافات متعددة هناك نقص فى مياة الشرب والطاقة التى تضيع فى التلوث الهوائى ومياة الصرف والمخلفات على شاطى البحر وفى الاعماق هل معنى هذا  أن مصر أكثر الدول فسادا هل تريدون ان نتغيروا على 

الرغم من ذلك لااحد يريد ان يغير سلوكة اذا اردت ان تغير بلدك ابدا بنفسك .

الحياة الاجتماعية تتمحور حول الاحترام .

احترم الاخر ان جيرانك مختلفين عنك ويتصرفون بطريقة مختلفة ماذا فى ذلك لاتتدخل فى شئون الاخرين واهتم بشئونك هل يهم ان يكون هناك طبقة عليا وطبقة صغرى لماذا اتعامل من اهم وا اقل منك بقسوة ونتملق من اهم اعلى منك هم ليسو افضل منك او اسوا منك كلهم بشر ويستحقون الاحترام احترم المراة لاتتحرش بها لاتنظر اليها على انها فقط اداة للجنس بل هى بشر وعاملهن معاملة خاصة ليست عليك ان تحب اوتفهم اختيارات الشواذ ومن لايومنون بالله ولكن عليك ان تظهر لهم الاحترام على انهم بشر مثلك .

هل تستطيع القيادة.

أن الرجال المصرين يفتخرون بانهم ذو أخلاق 90% منهم يصبحون وحوش وراء عجلة القيادة لماذا لا تتوقف وتدع المشاة يعبرون الطريق ؟

لماذا لاتحافظ على مكانك فى الحارة الخاصة بك ودائم التنقل من اليمن لليسار برجاء احترام قانون المرور لذلك وعندما نتناقش مع اخرين لابد من الموضوعية لكن لماذا يكثر الصراخ فى الماكن العامة ويتطور الى شجار كبير حتى مع اقرب الاصدقاء هل فى استطاعتك الوصول بالمناقشة لطريقة مقنعة ومهذبة هل تريد مضايقة المارة والجيران ومن حولك رجاء اجعلها مناقشة متحضرة اما التحدث فى المحمول فى اللاماكن العامة والذى اصبح من الضرورات بل وأهم من الماء والغذاء . انت حر لكن لاترفع صوتك وانت تتحدث فى التليفون وتجبر الاخر من سماع ما تتحدث بة نحن لانريد حقا ان نتعرف على حياتك الخاصة .

هل لديك ميعاد مع شخص ما ؟ لاتتاخر عن ميعادك واذا تعزر وصولك فى الميعاد اتصل وابلغ عن سبب تاخيرك هل انت من المحظوظيين ولديك وظيفة ؟ مئات من الالاف لايعملون فلماذا لاتعمل بجد والتزام ؟ لماذا تعمل بنسبة 60% من طاقتك لماذا فى نصف الطريق ولا تكمل ما بدات عملة اذا كان لديك وظيفة فهذا التزام ولكن عدم التزامك يعنى انك لاتستحق راتبك .

أعلم انك مختلف معى فى الراى وتريد الرد لكن الاخرين يقومون بذلك هل تريد الانتحار والقفز من اعلى قد يربد البعض القيام بذلك ولكنة ليس حلا

الحياة الخاصة .

 فلتكن خاصا بك انت وحدك أعرف الكثير حول هذا الموضوع انت غير سعيد فى زواجك وتريد الطلاق شريك حياتك غير سعيدا ايضا وكل افراد الاسرة غير سعداء واجة نفسك بصراحة وتوقف عن النفاق والخضوع للعادات والتقاليد البالية  فهى حياتك انت وليست حياة الاخرين هل تريد ان تنشا اطفالك فى عائلة منافقة  هل تريد ان تغرس بداخلهم النفاق الاجتماعى ام تريد هم اي يحيوا حياة افضل وتريد ان تتزوج بمن تحب ولكنها تدين بدين اخر

او من طبقة أخرى او من بلد اخرى كل هذة العوائق التى من صنع الانسان .

ولابد اسالك هل هى حياتك ام حياة من يريدون أن يضعوك فى قالب زواج معين يقضى بك الى التعاسة وانت شريك حياتك ويسخرك لارضاء العائلة لماذا لانكسر القيود هل ستسمح للاطفالك بتحطيم القيود ام انت تريد حياة افضل لاطفالك  اليس كذلك.

البئيىة والتلوث والنفايات .

هل تحتاج فى كل مرة تذهب فيها لشراء كولا او عصيرلماذا تاخذ كيس بلاستك لوضعها فية خصوصا اذا كنت ستشربها على الفور

لماذا لاترفض بابتسامة هذا الكيس البلاستيك ؟

هل فكريت فى هذة الاكياس البلاستيك التى تذروها الرياح هنا وهناك فى الصحراء وفى البحرهل فكرت بمدى الضرر الواقع على الشعاب المرجانية والاسماك والطيور على الارض من جراء ذلك فهذة الاكياس تاخذو وقت طويلا قبل ان تتحلل فكيف ستشعر عندما ترى بلدك مغطى بالنفايات القبيحة التى توذى العين والصحة توقف عن الحاق الضرر بالبئية  

تنام والنور مضاء ...

مصر لاتتحمل كل هذا الاهدار فى الطاقة من المهم ان تبدا بتغير حياتك ؟واذا لم تفعل فمن سيغيرهالك هل يبدا اطفالك فى تغير نمط حياتهم ام سيبقى كل شى كما هو ولاشى سيتغير ابدا فكيف اذن بالله عليك سبتغير بلدك للافضل أن لم تتغير انت .

أعلم جيدا ان اصدقائى المصرين تعلمو يعملون جيدا أن رسالتى لكم من القلب 

برجاء شارك ذلك الخطاب مع الاسرة  

                                           وشكرا لكم جميعا

LoLliPoP and other snapshots

Cycling on my racing bicycle on the Safaga road, oblivious of all around me; being aware that a car slows down beside me and thinking what the driver might want. When the pick-up is right beside me, the front-seat passenger holds out a lollipop towards me. ^-^

*****

Hurghada is crawling with police. Since the regime’s comeback, there are checkpoints in every street. I’m wondering where they hid during the last three years – there are so many! Yet, they leave me alone when I’m on my bike. ^-^

*****

Reluctantly, I go to the police to file a charge. The building is in a deplorable condition; apparently the restrooms are being renovated, because cement bags, toilet bowls and workmen can be seen everywhere. The Brigadier-General greets me politely and listens attentively to my translator. Later on he tells me about his journeys to Europe – in his best English. I can’t spot a computer anywhere; the records of the delinquents consist of thousands of yellow file cards with a photo and are situated in an old wooden box. The police officer, who phrases my file in Arabic manually written, offers me – even before I can have a seat – a chocolate biscuit. ^-^

*****

When you can’t understand it anymore… it’s Egypt.

Deutsch

Full of hope

(posted on my German blog on 14 January 2014)

Watching the photos on internet giving impressions of the first day of the referendum over the revised constitution, and listening to what my Egyptian acquaintances say, my eyes fill with tears.

The people say „Yes“ because they finally wish serenity and peace in their country. They are fed up with the demonstrations, the religious representatives’ promises and the bombings. They are tired and exhausted after three years full of hope and fight – that seem completely useless at the moment. They want to live, laugh and work again. They want to eat, drink and sing again. They want to discuss football and not politics.

Who can blame them???

Last year, my guard said with zest that Morsy got rid of the army and everything will be fine – Insha’Allah. Today, he said with zest, everything will be fine – Insha’Allah – and the army is no problem. Freedom will come gradually. – I can understand him and the other 50 million…

Deutsch

Shut up

(posted on my German blog on 12 January 2014)

Egypt is heading back with giant steps into a repressive past. Those who are not with them, are against them, is declared to be a traitor and silenced.

The „protest law“ that has been launched recently does not only aim to curb the demonstrations of the Muslim Brotherhood which have become a routine, and to take violent measures against them. It also silences the opponents of the present regime. Who are the opponents? What are the holders of power afraid of?

Currently, dozens of famous and hundreds of less renowned activists are jailed. They are those courageous ones that were the driving force of the uproar of 25 January 2011. Other thousands of innocents who were sitting, standing or walking in the wrong place at the wrong time, in addition to journalists, Muslim Brothers and other “state enemies” are locked up as well. The activists are accused to have demonstrated without prior permission, to have called for protests or – even worse – to have damaged state property or to have attacked the police. The one who speaks up is at risk of finding himself in the hands of the police. During the retrial of Khaled Said’s murder, a poet was conducted away by the police; some protestors held signs demanding justice (for Khaled Said) in front of the court house. When the police arrested some of them, the poet asked a police officer “why do you arrest them?”? Now, he too, is jailed (Masr El-Youm, 7.1.2014).

Millions of pounds are spent on banners hung up all over the country, inviting the people to say “Yes” on tomorrow’s referendum over the revised constitution. Yet, the handful of people that distributed flyers calling to vote against the constitution was arrested. The regime is scared of those who disagree. Not to mention the fact that with the wasted money many people in need could have benefitted. The money is wasted because the constitution will be accepted anyway. Or does anybody doubt it?

I was warned by an acquaintance: I should take care where I comment. Indeed, I was virtually attacked and insulted when I expressed my doubts over the substance of the news. According to the mishmash that has been spread by the media for months, the police constantly discovers planned bomb attacks, spies terror cells, kills terrorists, prevents a 12 year old from blowing himself up, and detects hidden bombs. Not all of this can be true. First, I did not even understand the reason for being branded. However reality is: who is not backing the present (and old) regime, i.e. who does not rejoice with the majority, is either a MB supporter or a spy funded from abroad. Anyway, he/she is a hypocrite and someone who hasn’t got a clue about Egypt. I don’t, that’s true; but I watch and listen. And then, I think and this is anyway already too much.

The majority in particular does not want to think, but to follow a hero who guides them to paradise – in Egypt this means stability, security and away from the misery. Whoever promises this will be hailed as a hero and unquestioningly followed. Thereby, they fall from one trap into another. The one, who dislikes it, is an opponent who has to be locked up so that he/she never ever comes up again with the idea of inciting uproar.

I wonder: how strong is such a regime that is scared of its own people? Meanwhile, the minority waits and keeps silent. Sooner or later, this will change again and the majority will realise that it had fallen into a trap. After the uproar is before the uproar - despite repression and violence.

Deutsch

Witch hunt open

(posted on my German blog on 26 December 2013)

The witch hunt has been publicly declared open. Fingers were pointed at the MBs by the government and by the public after the attack on the police headquarter in Mansoura. However, no evidences are given and the MB have distanced themselves from the attack (it’s another question, if they speak the truth) and although the group Ansar Beit El-Maqdis confessed the assault.

The people from Mansoura could not contain their anger and furiously destroyed shops, buildings and other Muslim Brothers’ properties.

The MB were declared a terror organisation and everyone that belongs to that group may be arrested. Yet: how can one recognise a Muslim Brother? They are organised like a secret society and it consists of inner and outer circles whose members are privy to its secrets according to the grade of their affiliation. Then, there are sympathisers. Numbers are unknown, only estimates circulate: several million supporters – which can be understood given the Brotherhood’s charitable activity – and several hundreds of thousands of members.

That means, they cannot be recognised. All those millions of followers and those who are grateful for cheap food, free schools and 50 pound notes for their votes: are they terrorists?

Everybody who looks or behaves like a „Muslim Brother“ can be hunted. Equally, as Christians are still being chased and their belongings being pillaged. Equally, as it happened to the Jews in Europe.

It’s enough to make you weep. This witch hunt will spread more hate; it will result in more casualties who have to be revenged, and in more grief for the plagued Egyptians. The bombing will not stop because of this, on the contrary. What on earth do the government, respectively El-Sissy and his colleagues think?

The “war against terrorism” is extensive and meanwhile, the repression includes also those activists, who stood behind the uproar of 25 January 2011. They have just been sentenced to several years in jail.

Does the world soon have to observe, how Egyptians slaughter each other? Only four weeks to go to the third anniversary of 25 January. When is the next uproar?

Deutsch

ابدا بنفسك - Open letter to my Egyptian friends

Dear friends,

You know that I’ve been living in Egypt for quite a while. I follow the events, I discuss with you and listen to your worries about your life and your country. None of you is happy, we are all disappointed from how the last three years have turned out. I’m sorry for all of you and I’m sorry for Egypt. But there is something, I would like to tell you:

You all want to change your country? You’re dreaming of changing a huge country like Egypt:

• that is home to 90 million people,
• whose surface is almost one million square meters,
• that is home to people of different ethnics, faith and cultures,
• that cannot provide for enough drinking water, corn and energy,
• that is drowning in smog, sewage water and waste ashore and in the sea,
• that is among the most corrupt countries of the world?

You want to change all this and much more than that??? Yet none of you is trying to change your own attitude. If you want to change your country, you first have to change yourself! ابدا بنفسك

Social and public life – it’s all about respect

Please, respect other people. Your neighbour is different from you? He behaves differently? AND SO WHAT? Mind your own business!

Lower class, upper class? What’s that? Why do you rant at the sweeper and bow to the manager? None of them is better or worse than you: all of them are human beings and deserve respect.

Please, respect women. Don’t harass them, don’t gape at them as if they were only sexual objects and no human beings. Treat them as if they were princesses – they deserve it.

What’s the problem with gays, lesbians, atheists and believers of other religions? You don’t need to like them or understand their choices. But show them respect – they are human like you and me and everything else is neither your nor my business.

You’re driving? Egyptian men boast themselves for being gentlemen. However, 90 % of them turn into monsters as soon as they’re holding a steering wheel. Why don’t you stop and let pedestrians cross the street, but instead, you accelerate and almost kill them? Why don’t you stay in your lane but switch from right to left and from left to right at your own discretion? Please respect the traffic rules – this is what they are made for.

You’re having an argument with somebody? Ok, figure it out. But why do you need to shout in public and even start a brawl or worse: start a big fight with your friends’ support? Can’t you just figure it out in a decent way? Do you really need to bother all passers-by, the neighbours upstairs, downstairs and those on the other side of the street as well? Keep it civilised, please.

Talking on the phone in public seems to be more essential than drinking water or eating bread. I got it. But then, please don’t raise your voice and let dozens of other people listen to your talk – we really don’t want to know about your personal stuff.

Are you having an appointment? So don’t be late! And if you happen to be late, ring your buddy up and tell him about your delay.

You’re among the lucky ones who have a job? Hundreds of thousands haven’t got one. So then why don’t you do your job properly? Why do you deliver only 60% of quality, why do you accomplish only 60% of the task? Why do you stop halfway? Why do you leave it half-finished? Having a job is a commitment – but if you’re not committed, it means you’re unreliable and not worth the salary.

I know, that you want to reply “but others do it as well!” AND SO WHAT? Do you jump from a skyscraper when someone else does???? Yes, most probably you do…

Private life – keep it private, it’s yours only

You told me so many sad stories about this subject. You want to divorce? You’re unhappy, your partner is unhappy and everybody else in your family is unhappy, too? So, skip the hypocrite honour, traditions and culture of your tribe or family! Is it your life or those of the others? Do you want to bring up your children in a hypocrite family, teach them hypocrite values or do you want their life to be better than yours?

You would like to marry the one you love, but he / she is from another religion, country and social class and any other of those man-made artificial obstacles? Again, I ask you: is it your life or the life of those who want to force you into an arranged marriage that will leave you and your partner unhappy, that will force you to play a role just to satisfy the honour of the family? If you don’t break the circle, will you allow your child to break it? Or will you force it into the same unhappy life? But of course, you want your child to have a better life than yours, don’t you?

Choose your own life and respect choices of others, please!

Environment, pollution, waste and that kind – care for it

Do you really need a new plastic bag every time you buy a can of coke? No? You drink it anyway right away? So then why don’t you refuse the plastic bag with a smile?

Have you ever thought about all that plastic bags and bottles and cardboard boxes and cans that the wind swirls into the desert and into the sea? Have you ever thought what damage it does to the coral reefs, to the fish, to the birds, to mother earth? Have you ever thought that plastic takes ages to decompose? Have you ever thought about how ugly it is to see all that rubbish all over your country and what harm it can bring to your health? Stop littering, please! Stop dumping debris on streets, squares, in the sea and in the desert. If you can’t find a rubbish bin right away, take your rubbish home and dispose of it there – and teach others to do the same. Be an example for those around you.

There are millions of poor people in your country. Many of them aren’t able to eat one’s fill every day. You know it, don’t you? So how come that you venture to throw away food and half-empty drinks?

Your country suffers from power cuts and lacks of enough energy supply. I’d think that everybody would try to be economical with it, yet I’m wrong! Is it really necessary, that your air conditioner is running while windows and doors are wide open? Has no one ever told you that doors and windows should be shut? Lights in staircases are on all night – why? Streetlights burn during the day – why? You sleep with the light switched on – why? It’s such a waste of energy and of money! Egypt can’t afford to waste it.

ابدا بنفسك

If it’s not you who start to change your life, who will do it for you? Will your children start to change their lives? Or will everything remain the same always? So that nothing will ever change? How then, please tell me, should your country ever change?

I know that most of you, my Egyptian friends, are aware of this and behave accordingly. This is an open letter, so please share it with your friends and your family and their friends and family.
Thank you.

Deutsch

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas and happy New Year.

May you be able to spend these days with those who love you. May the next year bring you what you wish the most of all.

El Qamar