Osama Bin Laden

   I, like millions around the world, woke up this morning to the news that Osama Bin Laden had been killed in a U.S air raid on his house in Pakistan. Now, I consider myself to be a fairly laid-back and tolerant person, but part of me is glad he's dead. The other part is worried about what his followers might do in his memory and how many more innocent people around the world will suffer because of this man's intolerance and hatred. 

  He was directly and indirectly responsible for the death of millions. Apart from those who died in attacks he and his associates planned and carried out , there are the thousands who died in retaliation attacks. Muslims around the world were reviled and hated like no other time in history and despite more than 90% of us condemning  his tactics we all suffered for them. Muslim women who wore head-scarves were attacked and the amount of security checks that young 'middle-eastern looking' men had to go through, especially at airports were almost insulting. It wasn't just Muslims who suffered of course, Seik men who wear turbans were attacked after being mistakenly identified as 'terrorists'.

   While I am not naive enough to believe this to be anywhere near the end of Al-Queada, I can and will hope that Bin Laden's death coupled with the recent pro-democratic awakenings in the Middle East will at least help to repair the damage one man has wrought on an entire people and that we Muslims feel that we can reclaim our religion from the fanatics who shout the loudest.

Sharm El-Sheikh and Sham El Nessim

    Recently the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. In 2010 there were a series of shark attacks that killed several people and since he was deposed in February 2011, former President Mubarak has taken up permanent residence in the city. Despite all this and the drop in visitor numbers since the Revolution, it is still a popular destination for tourists, especially those looking to combine sun, sea and sand and stunning natural beauty with an active nightlife. The waters of the Red Sea are ideal for snorkeling and scuba diving.

   Sham el-nessiem is an Egyptian national holiday and is a uniquely Egyptian way to welcome spring. It translates literally into "smelling the breeze"  and dates back to Pharaonic times. These days it falls on (Coptic) Easter Monday and is celebrated by all Egyptians irrespective of religion. It is celebrated, as most festivals in Egypt are, with food; in this case, coloured boiled eggs, green onions and salted fish (ringa and fessekh). These are usually eaten as part of a picnic as most families head off somewhere green. I remember when my cousins and I were young, we would all head off to the family orange grove and the smell of orange blossom still brings those memories back.

  This year a friend and I headed off to Sharm El-Sheikh for the long weekend and I have to say, it was one of the best ideas we'd had for a while! She was able to get us a good deal via her workplace so we were staying in a lovely 5 star resort at a fraction of the cost. The hotel was nice, the room large enough for the 2 of us not to constantly be in each other's hair and the view from the balcony was lovely

View from our room.

The other advantage this hotel had to the one I stayed at two years ago was that the beach was right within the resort. A three minute walk (through the pool area and garden) lead you to a walkway from which you had a glorious view of the red sea.

First view of the Red Sea

   While I would have been perfectly happy to spend all 4 days on the beach, snorkeling, reading and soaking up the sun, my friend had other ideas. She insisted that she wanted to climb Mount Sinai and visit St. Catherine's monastery. I was slightly less than enthusiastic as I had done this on my last visit and it was exhausting, freezing and took up a whole day. However, remembering just how tiring it was I felt I couldn't leave her to do it alone so we booked 2 places on a trip leaving the night we arrived. Unfortunately, the trip was poorly organized and our guide was rude, badly spoken and aggressive, but enough of that story now! On the bus journey to the mountain the air-con was on full blast and that was just enough to bring the cold I'd been keeping at bay all week to full strength. By the time we started the hike, my nose was completely stuffed and breathing and hiking at the same time was becoming problematic (I've discovered I like breathing...it helps keep me alive), so in the end I only made it as far as the first rest-stop on foot and then carried on on a camel!

Me on the camel watching the sunrise over Mount Sinai

    My camel pilot Saleh (a Bedouin native to Sinai) and I had a good chat as we made the trek up, he's been doing the job for about 3 years and that on a good day he can hire his camel about 4 times in either direction. The best tourists in his opinion are Indonesians as they nearly always opt for a camel ride up , while Russians are far less likely. I asked him how the revolution had affected business and he told me that they've definitely had fewer people this year but the numbers were starting to pick up again. 

  The view of the sunrise was as stunning as I remember and I'll let the pictures do the talking.

  In the end we weren't able to go around the monastery as the monks had decided to close to visitors in preparation for Easter services, but we did manage to use the facilities there and I snapped a picture of the door to the main church decked out for the occasion.

    Back at the hotel I took some paracetamol and slept for 12 hours straight! Luckily I got my wish and was able to spend the next 2 days on the beach.

Personal Log of the Events in Cairo, January 2011

Please note that this is a personal log of the events in Cairo starting Jan.28^th. The events mentioned are eyewitness reports and from news networks and this is not intended as an official report.

Friday Jan 28^th: The day of the massive after prayer demonstrations.

  Egyptians woke today to a complete communications shutdown. All mobile phone networks and internet service providers were down on orders of the government. This is because the majority of organization of the demonstrations was conducted via Twitter and Facebook. This is the first time that the internet has been completely shutdown in a specific location.

  I spent the day glued to the coverage on the television in particular Al Jazeera International which had daylong coverage from the three major cities, Cairo, Alexandria and Suez. In Cairo, the main live feed was being broadcast from next to the Ramses Hilton and The 6^th of October Bridge opposite. This bridge is a main road of the city linking the suburbs on either side of the Nile and is often called the city’s spine. 

  The images were both heartwarming and infuriating. There was a definite sense of pride in the protestors, especially when they confronted the police and security forces informing them that they would be praying. The images of them praying while the police stood and watched was amazing, especially when you realize that the protestors standing around the prayers were Christians, watching out for their Muslim compatriots. That’s the Egypt I know. However, as these things invariably do, the situation soon turned violent. As prayer was nearing its end, a tear gas canister was hurled at the worshippers. Say what you will, that was an act of cowardice.

  From then on, things seemed to get worse, especially as far as the security forces were concerned. Following more attacks on the demonstrators, mostly involving the shooting of tear gas canisters (from the bridge, which seemed to be blocked to traffic at the time) that were lobbed back by the protesters who had taken position outside the hotel.

  This continued for several hours until the protestors were eventually able to overwhelm the security forces and managed to reclaim the bridge, despite a curfew being announced from 6pm to 7am. Several armored vehicles were set alight as were several buildings including the N.D.P’s headquarters. These were scenes repeated in cities around the country, my friend told me her family in Alexandria was trapped in their own home by the tear gas that was in the air and the vehicles and various other items that had been set on fire nearby.

   There were reports that at one point the protestors made a human shield around the Museum of Antiquities.

   By the end of the evening, the police and security services had retreated and the army had begun to roll onto the streets to be greeted by jubilant crowds. I counted at least 8 go by my house, one of which is still parked by my building, probably due to our proximity to the sensitive government buildings. There was also the unmistakable smell of smoke in the air that evening, similar to what can be smelt after a bonfire.

  At midnight, the President made his first address since the nationwide protests began. He did not comply with the people’s demands to stand down and instead announced that the government would resign and new ministers would be appointed.

   Inevitably there were casualties many of which did not become known until the following day.

Saturday Jan 29^th: When the looters came.

    Angered by the President’s address in the early hours of the morning the people of Egypt took to the streets again, this time in their 10s if not 100s of thousands. Cairo alone saw approximately 50,000 congregate on Tahrir Square in the centre of the city. The police were conspicuous by their absence and the army was being hailed by the people whenever they came into contact, with the protestors frequently seen shaking hands with the soldiers. Many of the live images show people climbing on to the tanks and armored vehicles to greet the soldiers, chant, and wave the Egyptian flag.

   The army is not and never has been seen as the repressive force that the police are. This is evidenced by the fact that despite being deployed by the same government that ordered the police onto the streets, the army has remained mostly hands off with regards to the protestors.

   The brutality of the police forces was made apparent today when the bodies of those killed in clashes yesterday were shown on television with the grieving relatives waiting outside the morgues. These were images repeated around the country with reports that in areas where there were no news cameras, the police had not used water cannons and tear gas but had moved straight on to live ammunition.

   The first side effect of the situation started to reveal itself today once darkness fell. Reports of looters invading homes around the city soon spread and neighbourhoods started taking matters into their own hands to secure their properties. People are being advised to stay indoors and not open the door to anyone unless they know them. In my area, locals (mainly the men and youths) have organized themselves into shifts to watch over the buildings throughout the night. They are armed with whatever they can find; sticks, knives, pipes, strips of rubber tires, guns if they have them. One neighbour has been patrolling with his mastiff and I could swear I’ve seen one person with what looked like a sword. This being repeated all over the country, everyone I have called have said the same about their street.

Sunday Jan 30^th: My 26^th birthday!

   It will be a memorable birthday anyway! There is still no-or extremely minimal- internet access in Egypt today, however my friend in England  has been in touch and has been able to pass on my number on Facebook. It was lovely having a call from an online friend I’ve never met before who has promised to pass along messages to my online community.

   Reports also began to come through late last night and today of the people who have fled the country. These are mostly high ranking business men who have links to the ruling party. The message to leave is obviously getting through to some people!

   Everything is still tense; there is a sense of lawlessness, with people arming up to protect their homes come nightfall. The army is patrolling main streets and areas but around the suburbs and residential areas of the city, it’s the citizens in charge of security. A friend and work colleague with family and friends in Alexandria told me that her friends there actually managed to capture looters.

   On a personal level, I know how nervous I am as I’ve started cleaning! We now have lovely clean sparkly windows and I’ve cleaned out some kitchen drawers, believe me, this is not normal behaviour for me!

   Some countries have begun to urge their nationals to leave Egypt, with Turkey and sending planes to evacuate their expatriates and the US has advised its citizens to leave.

    Al Jazeera- the Arabic language news channel- has been taken off the air, presumably due to their daylong ongoing live coverage of the events. However, Al Jazeera International is still available as are other news networks. But in a change from previous days, the journalists on the ground are no longer being named or giving their locations (beyond which city they’re in) as the Cairo bureau has been closed.

    People are gathering once again, hoping to get into Tahrir Square. The main major roads are being closed off and patrolled by the military but the protestors are being allowed into the square, but from smaller streets and through checkpoints. These seem to have been set up to allow the soldiers to check the protestors for weapons or to ensure they are not plain-clothes police trying to enter the square and cause riots. There were reports of gunfire in the square when a fire engine attempted to enter and was attacked by protestors fearing that it would be used as water cannon.

    The army has announced that they will come down hard with regards to the curfew and there are reports that they have been ordered to use live ammunition against the protestors. I’m writing this at 3:20 pm which is 40 minutes before the curfew comes into effect.

   It’s now 4:06 and the curfew is officially in effect. The sky over Cairo has been filled with the sounds of fighter planes (F15) as the circle over Tahrir Square. From my balcony we can see in the direction of Tahrir and the planes as well as the occasional helicopter can be seen.

   6:00 pm: Mr. Mohamed El-Baradie, the former head IAEA has just been elected by the opposition parties (The Muslim Brotherhood, the April 6^th movement and the Kefaya party among others) as a figurehead president to negotiate with the government on behalf of the opposition. He is now heading towards Tahrir Square to join the protestors.

   9:15 pm: Listening to an NDP member talk to Al Jazeera, saying that “millions and millions of Egyptians want Mubarak to stay!” What a load of crap! It has also been announced that the curfew has been extended to 3pm to 8am starting tomorrow (Monday) and that the police force will return to the streets. Time will show whether or not this is a good thing.

   A silver lining to today’s cloud; my best friend called me to tell me that her sister had given birth to a baby boy in the early hours of the morning.

Monday Jan. 31^st:

    This morning my brother and I ventured out in an attempt to find an ATM that has some money. The first two had no cash and at the last there was a queue and I was only able to withdraw 100 pounds which turned out to be the last of the money in the machine. While we’re lucky that money isn’t actually running low at the moment at home, we were hoping to get most of our salaries out of the bank.

    It was interesting to see what the streets were like, I haven’t actually been further away than the local shops since Friday, all the shops on the way to the nearest square and shopping district (Roxy) were shuttered up. The road leading to my old primary school is partially blocked by an abandoned police van which had obviously been attacked as the windshield was smashed and the tyres slashed. The police are supposed to be back on the streets today, but I only saw 4 traffic wardens. Traffic in Cairo is normally chaotic and bumper-to-bumper whatever time of day, today there were significantly fewer cars on the road and pedestrians were also at a minimum. Our taxi driver on the way home said that he was giving up and going home for the day, we had been his first fare in over 2 hours.

   We are also beginning to see the start of shortages of some basic foodstuffs as people have begun to panic buy and stockpile. The local bakery hasn’t been making baladi or traditional bread and is limiting its production of rolls and completely stopped non-essential things like breadsticks, biscuits and cakes; once his supply of flour runs out, chances are he’s not going to be able to get anymore.

   Watching the ‘new’ government being sworn in. What a joke! All the major ministerial posts are the same; no one has changes apart from the interior minister, culture minister and prime minister. That is NOT a change in government! The man is delusional. I just hope that this will spur foreign especially Western governments to start to call for his removal. What he has done is fan the flames even more.

    5 Al Jazeera journalists have been detained, although it’s not clear whether they are from the Arabic or the International channel. The Arabic language channel was taken off the air here in Egypt yesterday and all the licences were revoked. Again, banning the free press and trying to control all media is not the actions of a rational stable government. Hoping for more widespread condemnation of the President and his government following these actions.*The journalists were later released.*

    Some more bad news today, my friend’s little nephew didn’t survive the night. He had been born almost 6 weeks prematurely but it seems he was too weak despite being in an incubator.

   The new Vice President Omar Suliman has reported that the President has delegated the responsibility of negotiating with the opposition to him. Obviously, this is something the President feels incapable of doing, or even announcing himself.

Tuesday Feb.1^st: The Million Man March

    Today over a million Cairians made their way to Tahrir Square to continue the eighth day of protests. Although the original plan was to march from there to the Presidential Palace in Heliopolis (a distance of about 3-4 Km), this was changed to instead remain in the square and continue the protest there instead of running the risk of losing their position there.

    The streets have been eerily quiet all day today and a friend who lives near the palace has said that the entire street (it’s one of the main roads here in Heliopolis) is full of security forces and barbed wire is everywhere.  

    At the moment we are waiting for the President to make a statement, whether it will be what we want to hear or not and what will happen if it isn’t, is yet to be seen.

Just listened to the speech. Too angry to write a reasonable response. I think the protestors are saying it best; “Irhal!” “Get Out!”

Define Thyself

   This post is a response, of sorts, to Nikki's post HERE. The premise is simple' how do you define yourself?' What, as well as who, are you? So this is my attempt to define myself.

   I'm British. Then again I'm also Egyptian. I'm not particularly more one than the other, there are things I love and things that annoy me about both countries and both cultures. I may be shocked or even disapproving of something in one country that I wouldn't bat an eyelid at in the other. Over the past couple of years I have realised that I'm no longer trying to fit in to one in particular culture or identity, quite simply I am what I am, which is my own combination of what I see to be the best of both.

   I'm a Muslim, but while that's a big part of what/who I am it's by no means all I am. It's just one of the building blocks, a major one, but not really the corner stone.

   Since I left university, I've had a similar dilemma to Nikki. For years I was a student, studying was the main thing I did, despite anything else I may have done on the side. Now however, if you were to ask me I would say a teacher, even though I'm technically still a student teacher and am not actually in charge of my own class. I feel closer to a teacher than a student and hope to have my own class next academic year once I'm qualified.

   I enjoy writing, but first and foremost I'm a reader. Ever since my mum got me reading Enid Blyton as a child, I've read anything that interests me whether it's classic literature, "chick-lit", bestseller or online. I read for enjoyment which is the main reason I didn't want to study English at university, I didn't want to have to read something and then analyze it. I've started doing that more now, but only for myself.

   I'm a traveler at heart, but my funds are limiting me at the moment! One day though!

So that's me according to me: British. Egyptian. Muslim. Reader. Teacher. Optimist. Friend. Traveler. 

Ramadan and Food!

   A nice juicy steak with all the trimmings. A big bowl/plate of pasta. A pizza with your favourite topping. Roast potatoes. Molokhya*. Fatta*.  Whatever food you like, and sometimes even ones you don't like much, at some point during the  day in Ramadan you will be thinking about food. If you're not thinking about it, you're talking about it. Or watching a cooking programme. Or reading recipes. Or shopping for/preparing food for Iftar-literally breakfast-the main meal of the day. 

  It may be breakfast Jim, but it's not as we know it! Forget cereal, toast and pancakes. This is a breakfast of soup and dates rice or potatoes of vegetables and meat, especially  in Egypt, meat reigns supreme. No gathering of friends or family would be complete without copious amounts of meat. Red meat cooked in various ways, chicken, turkey, you name it, chances are it'll be on the table!

  

A traditional liquorice juice seller.

  The juices are equally varied but usually include Ammr elDin which is an apricot drink, made from sheets of dried apricots dissolved in hot water (much like sheets of gelatin). Karkadeh is a tea made from the hibiscus flower and can be served hot or cold. Kharoub  is another favourite in my house as is liquorice. All these drinks have medicinal benefits,  some can help regulate blood pressure (Karakadeh lowers while liquorice increases), cholesterol and blood sugar levels-essential when a person has been fasting.  


  And now, dessert! Although the sweets eaten in Ramadan are available all year round, they have a special place in any Ramadan meal. In Egypt most people stick to Oriental sweets at this time of the year, the most popular being konafa a dish made with shredded fillo pastry, drenched in syrup and stuffed with nuts or cream or raisins. Basbousa is a semolina dessert again cooked with syrup. Baklava, golash (pastry not meat) and various other sweet things also make an appearance. 

     


  Sohoor  is the meal eaten about an hour before dawn as a chance to fill up the tank before another day of fasting (all that food from earlier doesn't count!). This is a much lighter meal usually of eggs, fool( broad beans) and cheese. 


  It should be noted at the end of this piece that although food plays a major part of this holy month, it is about much much more. This is the first time I've experienced Ramadan in the heat of summer (Ramadan gets earlier by about 11 days each year, following the lunar cycle) and never in my life have I been more grateful for a glass of cold water and count my blessings that I have access to clean, safe drinking water. And that is the main reason behind this month, to remind us of how lucky we are to be able to eat and drink and to give a taste (if you'll excuse the pun) of how people with little or no food and water feel everyday and to remind us to help as many of those people as we can. A common sight in streets during this month is Moa'ed Rahman  or Mercy Tables where people pay or provide food to feed the needy, these are open to anyone all throughout the month.


All images were found using Google Images. No copyright infringement intended. 

Ramadan Lanterns

   Well it's that time of the year again; Ramadan! The ninth month of the Islamic Hijri calender. (The word Hijri comes from the Arabic word Hijra or migration, as the Islamic calender counts years from the Hijra-when the Prophet Mohamed left persecution in Mecca for Medina.) In Egypt one of the most obvious signs that the Holy month of fasting and piety is about to begin, apart from worse-than-normal traffic, is the appearance of the 'fanoos' or the Ramadan lantern.

    The origins of the fanoos isn't exactly clear some think it is an evolution of the use of candles in certain Ancient Egyptian religious ceremonies which was adopted by Coptic Christians and then by Muslims. The story I've heard most often is that the use of the fanoos during Ramadan was popularized during the Fatamid period when the Chaliphe ordered the streets of Cairo be lit at night by lanterns.

   Traditionally fawanees are made of tin and coloured glass (see pic above) by artisans all over the country, often using recycled scrap metal. Unfortunately recent years have seen an influx of cheap, mass-produced plastic lanterns from China. These often bear very little resemblance to the traditional fanoos, can play music (either traditional Egyptian Ramadan folk songs or the latest hits) and are completely lacking the soul and calender of the traditional models.

  The aforementioned Ramadan folk songs are another sign of the month, this first one is traditionally associated with the fanoos. Entitled "Wahawey ya Wahawey" it celebrates both Ramadan and the fanoos.


This second is a called "Ahlan Ramadan" or "Welcome Ramadan"


So, Ramadan Kareem to you all!!

All images on this page were found via Google Images. No copyright infringement intended.