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<font size=4><b>A Tale of Two Squares and Two Movements <br>
</b></font><font size=3>Franklin Lamb <br>
<a href="http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/adetails.php?eid=39276&cid=41&fromval=1&frid=41&seccatid=19&s1=0" eudora="autourl">
http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/adetails.php?eid=39276&cid=41&fromval=1&frid=41&seccatid=19&s1=0<br>
<br>
</a>Cairo<br><br>
This observer spent a good part of Christmas Eve divided between two main
Cairo Squares, Tahir and Abassiya, while waiting for a Visa from the
Libyan Embassy.<br><br>
A tale of two Squares and two Movements<br>
<b>Alexandria, 415 or 416</b> <br>
<img src="http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/edimg/2011/MiddleEast/Egypt/Hypatiamurdered_1.jpg" width=450 height=214 alt="[]">
<br><br>
<br>
In the year 415 or 416, on the streets of Alexandria, Egypt, a band of
Christian monks seized Hypatia, one of the last great thinkers of ancient
Alexandria, beat her, and dragged her body to a church where they
mutilated her flesh with sharp tiles and burned her remains.
<a href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/specialsections/womens-history/Hypatia-Ancient-Alexandrias-Great-Female-Scholar.html#ixzz1hYQB8UzP">
<b>Read more.<br>
</a>Cairo in year 2011</b> <br>
<img src="http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/edimg/2011/MiddleEast/Egypt/cairoin2011.jpg" width=450 height=313 alt="[]">
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<img src="http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/edimg/2011/MiddleEast/Egypt/cairoattacks.jpg" width=450 height=329 alt="[]">
<br><br>
<br>
It is evident here that the "blue bra girl" or "Tahrir
Woman” whose assault by the Egyptian army has brought intense wrath upon
the ruling Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) and similar attacks are
much on the minds of protestors in both Squares. But in Abassiya Sq. the
participants focus more on the provocative demonstrators in Tahrir Sq.
many of whom they claim are baltagiy (hoods or thugs). Tahrir
Square demonstrators feel about the same way regarding the pro- SCAF
(Supreme Council of Armed Forces) demonstrators over in Tahrir
Square.<br><br>
In Abbasiya Square close to Noor Mosque, the attitudes and trappings are
in opposition to what has been happening in Tahrir Square. Same
souvenirs, candy, caps with the Egyptian flag on them, T-shirts, face
painting, but with a different political message.<br><br>
At Tahrir Square, visitors are lectured about the current protests
focusing on “Reclaiming Honor” and condemning the military for violence
against protestors while chanting slogans such as “Egypt’s women are a
red line.” Referring to women who have been beaten by the military
including the “blue bra lady” demonstrators encourage each other with
chants like, “Raise you head high, you’re more honorable than the one who
stomped you.” Last week’s violence at Tahrir Sq. left 17 dead and
more than 900 injured and justice is demanded.<br><br>
The ruling Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) has since apologized to
Egypt's women for the infamous incident, but it has also stepped up a
campaign to portray the demonstrators as vandals).<br><br>
At Abassiya Sq. slogans about the dignity of women and the value of
martyrs tend include the not very subtle message that those Egyptians
demonstrating in Tahrir Sq. are paid to be there and most are unpatriotic
and influenced by foreign elements. Is there are country in this
region that has experienced an uprising where we have not heard
essentially these same messages?<br><br>
What I found interesting as I arrived at the Cairo Airport was the huge
bill board (s) proclaiming: “American young people need to grow up more
like Egyptian youngsters.” At the end of the quote is the signature
Barack Obama. I have no idea if it’s an accurate quote from Obama’s June
2009 speech at Cairo University but some here seem to think it is and
they ask about it.<br><br>
But even more intriguing , and quite surprising, are the number of young
and older demonstrating Egyptians who are very knowledgeable about
current American politics and even quite arcane details of US Middle East
policy. And their keen interest to discuss this subject even with
the maelstrom swirling around this city of 25 million increasingly
stressed citizens.<br><br>
Maybe in the spirit of the holidays the current crop of Republican
candidates could be forgiven for trying out various stump speeches on
their audiences. But not according to Egyptians I spoke with at
both Cairo main Squares now that the campaign for US president is up and
running.<br><br>
The near unanimous opinions I heard included the insistence that the
messages of US candidates for President as they tour Iowa and New
Hampshire need to be rejected by American voters for the good of the
USA.<br><br>
One student told me, “They are reaching new lowsand that is truly
low--in American political discourse.” Before I could explain that
I found Egyptian politics these days much more interesting than American
politics, one young lady blurted out, “But Michele Bachman, who rival Ron
Paul tells us simply hates Muslims told one Iowa audience that she is
qualified to be President because of her grasp of foreign affairs and
that being on the House Intelligence Committee, “I get the same
intelligence briefings that President Obama does.” <br><br>
Is that true?” She asked. Before I could utter a syllable, the same
female student continued, “Not only is that not accurate what she claimed
about getting the same intelligence briefings as the US President
but Michele then announced that as President she would close the American
Embassy in Tehran, apparently unaware that President Carter did that 32
years ago. How can these candidate be so ignorant and still run for our
Presidency?”<br><br>
Then someone asked why Mitt Romney is assuring audiences in America and
presumably Tel Aviv that his first trip as President will be to go to
Israel.<br><br>
Next I received a quick mini-lecture on the subject of, “and not to be
outdone in groveling to Israel and ignoring American interests, former
history teacher Newt Gingrich informs the world the Palestinians are an
invented people while Rick Perry sees no difference between what Israel
wants and what’s best for America. How is it possible they can say such
things and run for President?”<br><br>
Stunned, I am dazzled by how well informed these students are. In
fact, reports just in from Iowa and New Hampshire (12.24.11)
suggest that this wannabe Republican nominee quartet, among other
candidates this year, believe the issue they have been pushing may be
pure electoral gold: the fear which they believe American voters have of
Islamic Terrorism.<br><br>
Nervous about losing Israel-lobby cash, given their inclination to take
the Bush and Obama administrations assault on civil liberties even
further than attorney generals Ashcroft, Gonzales, and now Holder have
done, the right wing Republicans are touring the early primary
states vilifying, by innuendo, Arabs, Muslims and Islam itselfnot
to mention Hezbollah, Iran, Syria and Hamas.<br><br>
Claiming that "the Democrats do not understand the full nature and
scope of the terrorist war against us," the quartet tells their two
audiences (the one in front of them and much more importantly, the one at
the AIPAC HQ in Washington, the latter supplying virtually all the
Presidential candidates with reams of position papers on Hezbollah, Iran,
Hamas, terrorism etc. and busy raising what they claim will be the most
money every distributed in the history of the United States by the Israel
lobby for a presidential election) that, as candidate Bachman likes to
assure her audiences, "This war of terror ends when they stop coming
here to kill us! Never, ever again must we be caught with our guard
down.”<br><br>
All the current Presidential candidates insist that American support for
Israel with endless special arms programs and evermore cash and green
lighting crimes against Palestine has nothing to do with the fact that
the US is being driven out of the Middle East and that the American
government has never been held in lower repute.<br><br>
Mitt Romney claimed to speak for all the current White House aspirants
when he said Arabs and Muslims have no hard feelings from the nearly one
million deaths the Bush-Obama administrations have needlessly caused with
their wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and support for Israel's fifth
aggression against Lebanon, while urging a sixth. At the same time the
Obama administrations violates international law weekly by impliedly
threatening Iran with a nuclear attack in violation of Article 2 (4) of
the UN Charter with its “all options are on the table! hysteria.
<br><br>
Egyptian students ask: “Do these same candidates expect American
voters not to be concerned about the projected two trillion dollars of US
taxpayer money wasted -- money that every one of your countries 435
congressional districts needs for education, medical care, repairs to
your deteriorating infrastructure, and myriad other urgent
needs?<br><br>
Egyptians in Tahriri and Abasssiya Squares have a better grasp of
American politics and many of us have.<br><br>
The precise authenticity of Barack Obama’s quote on the huge billboards
at Cairo International airport is not sure. But the insights and
wisdom of the Egyptians protecting at both Tahrir and Abbassiya
Squares this season are most impressive and worth heeding as
American go to the polls to vote in the coming months.<br><br>
<b>Franklin Lamb</b> is doing research in Lebanon and Libya and is
reachable
<a href="mailto:c/ofplamb@gmail.com">c/ofplamb@gmail.com</a><br><br>
He is the author of The Price We Pay: A Quarter-Century of Israel’s Use
of American Weapons Against Civilians in Lebanon. Dr. Lamb is Director,
Americans Concerned for Middle East Peace, Wash.DC-Beirut Board Member,
The Sabra Shatila Foundation and the Palestine Civil Rights Campaign,
Beirut-Washington DC<br>
Shatila Palestinian Refugee Camp<br>
Beirut Mobile: +961-70-497-804<br>
Office: +961-01-352-127<br><br>
Source: Al-Manar Website<br>
26-12-2011 - 11:28 Last updated
</font><font size=3 color="#FF0000">26-12-2011 -
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