With everything happening in the Middle East, Wisconsin and the entire world it seems, I was reminded of this video I put together back in 2008 after the passage of Prop 8. I was reminded that the human condition is that of strife, struggle and dreams. I wish everyone working for a just cause triumph and joy.
February 18, 2011
WOW! A Bird's-Eye View of Tahrir (Liberation Square) in Cairo Earlier Today.
What an incredible view from Tahrir Square. Tahrir saw a varying range of extreme emotions the last few weeks, and now has become a cite that's synonymous with "peace", "triumph" and "people power." A week ago to the day, Hosni Mubarak resigned. Today, the proud people of Egypt celebrated his departure in the same spot and in the same numbers that deposed him.
Your future is bright, Egypt. I love you.
February 17, 2011
Bahrain Kills Its Citizens
Here's what our allies are doing to their own people. Warning: graphic images below.
Many people have compared the uprising in Bahrain with that in Cairo. Similarities aside, uprisings largely depend on societal dynamics. Egyptian society is nonsectarian, and highly nationalistic. Bahraini society is far from it. The country is ruled the minority Sunnis and the disenfranchised are the majority Shiites. Right of the bat, you have a recipe for disaster. A disaster that's unfolding before our eyes today.
As the video and images below show, the Bahraini government is brutal and will do what it takes to put down this uprising. They can crack down all they want. It'll only make the people stronger!
February 16, 2011
The Egyptian Revolution in US Papers
The LA Times's coverage of the Egyptian Revolution was commendable (thanks, Daniel, for the NY shots.)
To Egypt, With Love ... And a Sincere Apology
Like hundreds of millions around the world, I was glued to CNN, Twitter and Facebook over the past two weeks as I watched in awe hope, promise and pride unfurl in Egypt--my motherland. I went from using Twitter twice a week a month ago to tweeting every two minutes about some new development in the Egyptian Revolution.
I was out of control! Partly due to my excitement to see people take control of their own destiny, but mostly because this was happening to the land that gave birth to me and my entire paternal lineage.
The land that I resented my entire life.
When the revolution first started, I wrote about my concerns regarding how the Egyptians were going to handle it. My words were mostly driven by doubt and uncertainty. The same doubt and uncertainty with which I had always viewed Egypt and the Egyptian people (and the entire Middle East for that matter.) The very doubt and uncertainty that were spawned from my resentment.
Although I didn't grow up in Egypt, I do come from a large, proud Egyptian family (my dad headed the telecommunications unit during the Yom Kippur War of 1973.) Egypt's culture, history and infectious Arabic dialect were part of my upbringing as we used to visit every year to spend time with family and friends.
I've loved everything about the culture, the music, the films, and the literature as much as I resented everything about the Egyptian social norms that were rife with venality, sycophancy, credulity and bravado. I used to think it was Cairo's loud, filthy and chaotic atmosphere that turned society into such a pariah. The whole thing was the antithesis of everything I respected and admired, and the fact that I was essentially part of this undesired fabric infuriated me even more.
My sister, bless her heart, was the only one in my family (besides my dad) who has always been a proponent of Egypt whenever the subject was raised. She stood by her and embraced all her faults and stereotypes. I used to think she was naïve to believe in a lost cause. Today, I'm eating crow and deservingly so.
Over the past two weeks, thirty years worth of resentment peeled away as I witnessed millions of people so incredibly determined to regain their respect, dignity and pride, take to the streets demanding a shot at freedom. I saw my brethren engage in a mortal fight for self-esteem and the chance to live out their full potential in life. It broke my heart and often made me cry to see young and old men, women, Muslims, Christians, nonbelievers, gay, straight, rich, poor, and everything in between willing to die for a chance to live a life I've often taken for granted.
I felt so small, so inconsequential, so judgmental and so pathetic. I was overwhelmed (and still am) to see in Tahrir (Liberation Square) the society that's incessantly lauded in Egyptian films, music and literature for years becoming a reality. A society that is the antithesis of the social norm of yesterday that I resented so much, and now came to realize was the byproduct of repression, oppression and indoctrination, all courtesy of Mr. Mubarak.
I owe Egypt, people and country, a very deep and sincere apology. I failed to believe in you the way your courageous youth (including my sister) had for all these years. I am very reassured about your future. I know that in no time you will rid yourself of the remnants of venality, sycophancy, credulity and bravado. You gave us all a valuable lesson on the triumph of the human spirit, will and endurance. On a personal level, you have taught me about humility, pride, and love.
As much as I have always been proud to be an American, I'm now as proud to be an Egyptian. Moreover, I have a renewed faith in all my fellow Middle Easterners!
Let's welcome genuine freedom and real democracy with open arms :-)
February 15, 2011
Ismail Elshareef
Geek. Visionary. Avid Reader. Thinker. Entrepreneur. Photographer. Aficionado of the The Arts, Fascinated by Culture.
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