Cairo Sunrise

Cairo Sunrise

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Egypt, you inspire me.

I have so many thoughts recently, I could not POSSIBLY put them all into writing.  90% of my thoughts these days are about Egypt, for obvious reasons.

If you have not been following what is going on, please do.  I won't use this time to give my opinion on what I think would be best for the Egyptian people, because who am I anyway?  It is for the Egyptian people to decide what is best for them . . . that's the point of this revolution.  I will say that although I hope the U.S. doesn't stand by and continue supporting a government that hurts its own people, I do not think it is the U.S.'s role to help decide what happens next.  The people in the Tahrir Square (and p.s. if you haven't caught on to this one yet, Tahrir means Liberation, which poetically sums up the significance of these past 13 days) are making their voices heard.  It will be their voices that guide their future.

As a single Western woman who wants to live in Egypt, I can only hope, for my own good, that Egypt does not choose to take the path of an Islamist Revolution. . .  Yes, they are on the fence of going in that direction, but I'm not sure how many Egyptians would choose that path if they knew they had a voice.  And now they know that.  Even the Egyptians who would rather have stability and calm over revolution now know that they can have a voice if they want one.  We cannot know what the future holds, but never has there been such an opportunity for change as today in Egypt's history.

But what I really want to reflect on right now is the Egyptian people.  I fell in love with them in May when I visited there and worked with a nonprofit that has been helping the poor in Egypt for fifteen years.  I couldn't explain what it was about them, but this past week has demonstrated perfectly what I could not put my finger on.

The Egyptians in Tahrir Square this week have shown the world their passion, their determination, their fearlessness, their courage, their commitment to defending the honor and dignity of their people . . .
The list goes on.  I have been following the events in Tahrir as closely as anyone else (especially through this live blog: Click here for Al Jazeera's live blog in Tahrir), but what I have loved are the stories I hear from individuals or the ones that go viral on the internet that show the human kindnesses amidst the chaos.  Here are a few. . . there are tons more but my mind is sort of on overload so these are the ones that are at the forefront.

I'm sure many people have seen this one posted, of Christians protecting Muslims during their prayer time, deemed necessary by police attacks on Muslims while praying in earlier days:
http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/02/03/5981906-christians-protect-muslims-during-prayer-in-cairos-dangerous-tahrir-square

And although this was from a month ago, I think it's essential to include, because I've heard many comments that Muslims would not do the same for their Christian countrymen.  Wrong.  A month ago, when some websites were calling for attacks on Coptic Christian churches on the Coptic Christmas, Muslims banned together to form human shields around them:
http://www.humanistlife.org.uk/2011/01/after-the-terror-egyptian-muslims-attend-christian-mass-in-solidarity-as-human-shields/

Many people are outside of their homes since last Saturday night, protecting their families and belongings.  They have shown such camaraderie, and although many people are having a hard time distinguishing whom to trust, they are standing by one another.

An Egyptian friend's words. . . "PROUD TO BE AN EGYPTIAN, for the first time in my life" ~my egyptian brother in Cairo

Food sources have been depleting since the protests started.  People have been sharing as much as they can, and protecting each others' families and apartments as they go search for food. A story from a friend whose family is mostly in Egypt: "well a few weeks ago my uncle died...a few days before the riot broke out there was supposed to be a giant happy birthday celebration for my grandma's 75th. so my uncle was hosting it at his house and so he had to buy a Giant amount of food.when my uncle died. they canceled the party. then came the riots...which means that load of food became storage which became a great resource for the family that can't go out and find groceries right now..."


And then there's this :)  http://yfrog.com/h2wybbj

And then there's this. . . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPhj5XnPjaU

And this. . . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLWaAf0oSgk&feature=youtu.be&a

Oh, and this . . . http://www.reuters.com/news/video/story?videoId=185217632&rpc=60

Oh, and. . . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ0BwMOaC68&feature=player_embedded

These are a beautiful, passionate people.  Look at them when left alone by the police. . . they dance and sing and wed with free spirits.  Many a slideshow on the web are showing their solidarity with one another, the inclusion of women and children in the protests, the lack of distinction between Christians and Muslims, a complete disregard of the very real fear of torture and punishment for political opposition that has been instilled in the people of Egypt.  What courage.  A courage I will likely never be asked to display. . . but so many Egyptians have risen to the occasion.

What a people.  Again, I end this entry with the same sentiment as before. . . It will be my honor to serve alongside these people and live life with them, when the time is right.  You inspire me, Egypt.

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