Thursday, September 20, 2007

On Hot Tin!

A questions that is asked over and over: "What happened to the Egpyptians?"

I will not go over a degrading Education and a collapsing Health System. I will skip pauverty and very poor living standards. All of these has been gone over so many times in so many places.

But may be due to these factors -and others not stated here- something is building up in our society: Agressive Intereference in Other People's lifes.

A very strange incident in the papers dragged my attention to this matter.



"An army soldier was performing his service on a watch tower. From his place on that tower, he saw a man and a woman making love. They were in a shop nearby. The soldier pulled his fire arm and shot both of them, killing the woman and injuring the man." This is how the story was published in Ahram.



When I read that, I could not believe myself. The soldier made himself a judge, jury and excutioner of innocent people. He shot them without even asking. May be they were man and wife and if they did not how could they be condemend to death in such a fashion. even more problematic, by whom: An army soldier with a duty to protect them in the first place!

This is an outstanding example of something we suffer from every day. Everyone is watching, judging in everyone else's life.

"How come you are unveiled?"

"Men with big beards just give me the creeps"

"I heard he drinks"

And so many more examples.

Frustration is building up and it feels like the whole society is boiling to an explosion.


This is very true and it is apparent in our every day to day ordinary situations.

Snatch a Ladie's purse in dowtown Cairo, chances are may be one or two would chase you. However, kiss a girl at the same place, you'll probably get nicked and beaten by at least half a dozen!!


This interference started out perhaps 30 years ago in the 1970's as a trend of social judging. When Egypt was opening and embracing Gulf State ideas and ways of living. At the mean time, these rich petroleum states were attempting to force their culture over the world just by virtue of having more and more money to spend.

Egyptians came back from the Gulf Countries with a new Bedouin identity. We hate the West, underestimate the power of science and reserach and lough at the word "Civil Society."
The entire world is now watching us with sorrow.
The Gulf states blossoming with Petrol and Trade money ran full speed on the path of Business and Modenization.
Egypt is left trapped with Libya, Sudan, the So-called Palestine and burnning Lebanon. What an ill fate...