Christmas Trees and Molotov Cocktails on a Not So Silent Night...

I  ventured onto facebook this morning and was slapped in the face by one of the most surreal moments I have had in Egypt thus far.  It was like being at the intersection of two parallel universe where beings exist alongside each other, they intersect with each other, but they are incompatible and the inhabitants of the two different universes are not aware of the intersection.

As I scrolled down the ‘news feed’ literally one after the other over and over were photos of Christmas and photos of yesterday’s clashes between military police and protesters outside the cabinet building in my beloved Cairo.  I think that words are not the best way to describe this so here is a brief version of what I saw:

My purpose in sharing this with all of you is not some "put my American friends in their place" social commentary on the triviality of Christmas trees and ugly sweater holiday parties, but rather a statement on how the reality of living here in Egypt has shifted my entire worldview.  And how every once in awhile my two worlds come crashing together in ways that are both difficult for me to reconcile and make me wildly uncomfortable. 

I honestly do hope all of my American friends and family enjoy their Christmas season.  It is a beautiful time of year, full of lights and smiles, where everyone can talk openly about peace and hope without being labeled a socialist or out of touch left wing idealist.  Unfortunately late December in Egypt and much of the world is not so cheery and "peace on earth-y," it's a bit more dodge molotov cocktails thrown at you by the military from the roof of a bulding-y.

Love from Cairo,

Martha

The week the shit hit the fan. Again.

I was awoken this morning by the sound of low flying helicopters.   Surely out to "protect the people" as they participate in the first post-Mubarak parliamentary elections.  I still haven't decided how to feel today.  It is somewhere between anxious and hopeful, doubtful and cynical.  The elections are here.   The elections we have been hearing about for so long, the elections I have spent weeks discussing with my friends, my students, my co-workers.  The elections that have been the backdrop of CNN and Al Jazeera coverage of a heartbreakingly long and chaotic week in this city that I have fallen so head over heels in love with.  

While I would like to say that today is the beginning of a new Egypt, the reality is that it is not.  It is more of the same bullshit with a shiny new cover.  Many Egyptians are battling with whether or not to vote in this scam of an election.  For one, most (even the most educated among Egyptians) have not had the time, or the guidance to understand the candidates, the parties, or even the overwhelmingly complex process itself.  It took me hours to even gain a basic understanding of the process.  Not to mention there are almost 50 new political parties since February.  There are many who are choosing not to vote because they doubt the legitimacy of the elections themselves - how can they participate in an election being run by a regime they are trying to topple?  But then there are the optimists.  The ones that feel that this election does matter, even if only symbolically.  So we will see how today and tomorrow go.  The process here is in 3 stages.  Cairo and 8 of the other Egyptian governates vote today and tomorrow, 3 weeks from now 9 more governates vote and 3 weeks form then the remaining 9 will cast votes.

Leaked Ballot

I sat down many times during the recent 6-day battle between protestors and security forces to write this blog.  Each time I began I was unable to finish.  I didn't know what to say, what angle to take, how much information to include.  Should it be my story?  Should it be Egypt's story?  From what I have seen in the news it appears that the U.S.  media did a fairly good job of covering this so I will focus more on my experiences.  

On Friday the 18th I went to Tahrir with Scott and Theo.  The mood was very upbeat.  There have been protests almost every Friday since I got here.  Most call for an end to emergency law and an end to military trials of civilians.  Increasingly however, as SCAF has failed over and over again to keep its promises, the call has been for SCAF to step down.  The protest on Friday the 18th was organized mainly by various political parties.  We were there for an hour or so and had some interesting experiences.  People left and right were asking to take pictures with us, at times I honestly felt like a celebrity of some sort.  Most were happy that we were there, supporting them and their cause.  There were a few who asked why we were there which as always turned into interesting conversation.  One guy explained to us that the end of the American Empire was near at which time the Middle East and Islam would rise to be the new world power so we should consider becoming Muslims.  When we'd had enough we grabbed some popcorn and rice pudding with konafa and headed out.  (A note on Tahrir:  AMAZING street food.  Grilled corn vendors, Tahrir sweet potatoes, popcorn, juice, etc)

Friday night families of some of the martyrs from the January Revolution as well as some activists peacefully spent the night in Tahrir.  Saturday morning, security forces stormed the square forcefully using batons and tear gas.  By Saturday evening the air was thick with tear gas and a central security force truck was on fire. Thus began the 6-day battle between protestors and central security.   This battle did not happen in the midan (square) itself, but on a side street, Mohamed Mahmoud St, leading to the Ministry of the Interior. This street has been renamed "Eyes of Freedom Street" by protestors because police purposely shot at protestors eyes.  Dozens of people have lost eyes in the lat week.  A prominent activist named Ahmed Harara was blinded this past week.  He lost one eye during the Jan 25 revolution and the other this past week at the hands of the police.  

Central Security claimed to be protecting the Ministry of the Interior and protestors were protecting Tahrir.  Throughout this 6 day battle tear gas (provided by the good 'ol US of A) was constant.  Protestors threw stones and Molotov cocktails while the police shot tear gas, rubber bullets and live ammunition.   The tear gas used this time around is supposedly a CR mix as opposed to a CS gas mix. This is illegal by international law and while the US won't use it domestically, they have no problem supplying the Egyptian military and security forces with a seemingly endless supply.  This gas is much more harsh than the gas used in January.  It has led to multiple deaths by asphyxiation.  Convulsions, temporary blindness, temporary paralysis and other symptoms generally not seen from tear gas have kept Tahrir's well-equipped and staffed field hospitals full all week.  I was lucky enough (note sarcasm) to be in Tahrir on Monday the 21st when central security mass gassed the square.  Details are unclear but it is believed that they pumped gas through the subway vents that run under the square.  I will spare you the details but will tell you that it was unpleasant.

The level of organization and support in Tahrir is inspiring.  Despite thousands of people in the square an ambulance lane was kept open to bring injured protestors in to the main field hospital (usually on motorcycles or carried by other protestors) and then out to a nearby hospital if needed in ambulances. This was a CONSTANT traffic.  A Twitter feed, "Tahrir Supplies" coordinated what supplies were needed at field hospitals with volunteers buying, delivering and picking up supplies from all around Cairo. Medicine, surgical supplies, inhalers, food, juice, blankets, you name it.   On the days when tear gas was strong in the square people were walking around with spray bottles containing either milk or a yeast, water and vinegar mix to ease the incredibly painful sting of the tear gas on steroids being used against the people.  Even the men fighting on Mohamed Mahmoud were well organized, sending fireworks or flares up wherever new fights broke out so that medical help and more street soldiers knew where to go.

Those of you that know me don't even need to ask if I was there.  Of course I was there.  I witnessed the effects of CR gas first hand and I would do it again.  One of the most frustrating parts of this week for me has been reading accounts of Americans and other foreigners who went to Tahrir and had bad experiences because they failed to take the necessary precautions or decided to get more involved than they should have.  What is happening in Tahrir and on Mohamed Mahmoud is NOT OUR BATTLE.  I believe it is important to show support but I think it is even more important not to get in the way.  I feel that as a foreigner going to Tahrir I have many responsibilities.  First of all I am responsible for making sure I am going to a part of the midan that is safe.  (Nowhere near Mohamed Mahmoud st).  Secondly I have a responsibility to go with people who know where I should and shouldn't be and who speak enough Arabic to help me out if I get into trouble.  Thirdly I have a responsibility to be there for the right reasons. 

I knew that going to Tahrir (especially after Tantawi's speech in which he said "foreign hands" were behind the protests) might not be the safest or most comfortable place for me as a foreigner and a woman to be.  While on the 18th people were loving the fact that we Americans were there, as the violence intensified SCAF pointed fingers at foreign agendas and tear gas with the words "Made in USA" fell constantly.  This made people very skeptical of foreigners in the square, for good reason. I knew that if I was going I needed to be able to explain why.  I also knew that for those of you at home asking why I was there, I needed a good explanation.  So here it is...

I believe that what is going on even right now in Tahrir Square is important.  I support the right of the people to speak out against their government without fear of retaliation or violence at the hands of the military and the police.  I stand with the Egyptian people as they fight for democracy and justice in whatever form it may take and for however long it continues.  Who am I to say that I stand with anyone if I am not willing to actually literally stand with them.  Furthermore, I have friends who spent all 6 days on Mohamed Mahmoud St risking their lives for this cause.  I would never be able to reconcile saying that I support them if I stayed at home as they stood in constant tear gas, under fire from live ammo and rubber bullets.  

The last week has not been an easy one but it has certainly been an inspiring one.  I spent every day worried about my friends on the front lines.  Day in and day out I went to work with this thought in the back of my head.  At the same time I got to spend every day surrounded by my students whose interest, curiosity and passion inspire and uplift me every day.  This is their future and they deserve for it to be everything that has been promised to them.  Everything that they want.  The Egyptian people are passionate, resilient and strong and one day Egypt will belong to them.  Until then you can bet your ass that if Tahrir Square is in the news.... I’m there.

Love from Cairo,

Martha

When the Bad Turns Ugly...

Today is certainly a sad day in Egypt.   I’m sure most of you have seen the news that last night a number of people died during a protest march that eventually turned violent.  It is also clear to me from emails and facebook messages I have received that the news about this news in the states is not surprisingly overly alarming.

A little background.  There is a long history of violence between the Copts (a Christian sect) and Muslims in Egypt.  Copts have long felt marginalized and victimized by the majority Muslim population here and so their grievances are nothing new.  A few weeks ago a Coptic church was burned in Aswan.  This has set off a number of protests by the Coptic church calling for increased protection of Copts by the military who they feel do not offer them the same support and protection as they offer the Muslim population.  I have read that last week a soldier hit a priest during a smaller protest.  Yesterday’s protests appeared to be peaceful.  Copts were marching from an area of the city called Shubra to the state TV building Maspiro.  Two men leading the march were wearing long white robes reading, “martyrs on demand” others were carrying signs reading “god protect you my children” etc and chanting, “this is our country”. 

Apparently (mind you this is all from what I have read and seen over the past day) as the protestors crossed under the 6^th of October Bridge stones starting hailing down on them from above.  They continued their march and turned towards Tahrir Square where they were met by stones being thrown by the Egyptian military, tar gas and shots being fired into the crowd at random from armed tanks.  At this point things become even more unclear.  I think that protestors tried to turn around and head back the way they had come.  Out of nowhere two tanks drove at high speeds erratically through the protestors swaying from side to side on the road very clearly driving into crowds of people on purpose.  I watched this on live TV from a café a few miles away. 

As of this morning dozens were wounded and at least 26 are dead.  Many were crushed by the armored vehicles and others were shot.

Earlier in the evening the news stations were showing live coverage of the events.  Around 9pm however the military took control of the media and ended all live coverage.

It is my belief that the violence that was carried out yesterday was largely at the hands of the military.  I have seen photos of high ranking Central Security Forces amidst groups of thugs inciting violence as well as read multiple first hand accounts claiming that this is the case.  The takeover of the media last night would suggest this as well.  It appears that this was an attack on the Coptic Church by official Egyptian actors.

This is being seen as a national tragedy in Egypt.  All political parties and candidates have expressed outrage at the attacks and all Egyptians:  Christians and Muslims are in mourning at both the loss of life and the actions of the military.

At a time where SCAF is already losing the faith of Egyptians this latest move is sure to cause an even larger rift between the people and the leadership.

I would like to make it clear that as of today this was an isolated incident.  It took place in only one area and was over by this morning.

I am sure the West will capitalize on this as a way to highlight more violence in the Middle East and the prevalence of violence against Christians.  While after last night this cannot be denied please realize that this does not reflect the will or desires of the majority of Egyptians.  I talked about this incident in great detail with my students today all of whom were appalled at the actions of the thugs and the military. 

If you have any questions I would be more than happy to answer them. 

Love and tears from Cairo,

Martha

Revolutionary Stay-cation

The people re demanding more regular blog posts so I promise you all I am going to try.  Problem is I wake up at 5:15 am so every time I try to write I fall asleep.  It’s a rough life. 

It has been a good, busy few weeks.  Last weekend I had the busiest best Friday I’ve had in awhile.  I went to Tahrir with Caroline for a protest for a few hours.  We met some very interesting people including this man who brought along his cat:

Revolutionary Cat / Man Who Gave Us the
Gift of Mexican Food

(He also told us about an AMAZING Mexican food joint here in Maadi that was opened by a friend of his whom he met while working in Texas as a helicopter engineer.  This Texan guy came to Cairo to visit friends who took him to one of the shotty “Tex Mex” chains at the mall; the only Mexican in Cairo at the time.  He was like “I can do better than this” so two yrs worth of research and finding investors later, he opened El Sombray…the real gift of the Nile.   Hahaha.)

OK, that was a pretty serious side story sorry.  So while we were at Tahrir we wandered around the corner to the sit in being held by the family members and friends of the Blind Sheikh.  Omar Abdel-Rahman is currently serving a life sentence in the US for seditious conspiracy associated with the 1993 bombing of the WTC.  Honestly, he’s a straight up terrorist.  But Caroline has been chatting it up with one of his sons.  

Sit in in support of the Blind Sheikh

On the way back to Tahrir we had to go through a checkpoint.  These checkpoints are set up by civilians around the square to make sure no Israelis or any other “enemies of the people” are headed in.  I was taking a picture of the demonstrations on my phone (since my camera decided to die 10 min into the whole affair) when this woman ran over from a checkpoint all sorts of mad telling me I couldn’t take pictures and demanding I hand over my phone.  1.  Um….no and 2.  No pictures?  THIS IS TAHRIR SQUARE!  How the heck do you think your revolution made it out of Egypt?  CAMERA PHONES!  

Anywho, some man ran after her telling her it was ok, totally normal and to leave me alone.  But not before they searched my bag.  Oh Egypt.

Said Trouble Causing Photo

Here are some more Tahrir pics:

Love at first sight?!

We left Tahrir to head over to Café Riche to meet Hassan’s parents whom (I’m sure you’ve gathered from previous posts) I love.  They had been at Tahrir most of the day with Sean Penn.  OK, not WITH Sean Penn but I wanted to get it in here that Sean Penn did spend a few hours walking around Tahrir with an Egyptian flag.  Why?  Unclear.  (Shouldn’t he be at Wall St protests?)  Café Riche is a well-known café close to Tahrir where King Farouk is said to have met one of his wives, where famous authors such as Nagib Mahfouz have frequented and where flyers and posters were printed and the 1919 revolution was organized.  You know the type of place.  Beloved by artists and revolutionaries.  I was pretty much in heaven.

So from Café Riche I went to Scott and Theo’s and Scott and I took the metro to Dokki to an amaaaaazing Yemeni food place and then to a rooftop café called Nomad to have a few beers and smoke shisha.  My shisha was a bit unstable and at one point began to fall over so in a brilliant move I reached out to save it with the hand that I had my beer in, dropped the beer directly onto the glass bottom of the shisha and in a steaming, wet explosion shattered the whole damn thing.  The beer survived however.  7amdulilah.  It was a mess.  And horribly embarrassing.  Needless to say we quickly made out exit from Nomad, but not before I got glass between my flip-flop and foot and cut my foot open.  Cuz that won’t increase my chances of getting hepatitis…walking around Dokki and taking the metro with an open wound on the bottom of my flip flopped foot.  Anywho, from Tahrir we went out on a fallukah, which is a pharonic looking sailboat on the Nile.  It was late, around 11 and it was so peaceful and relaxing.  We then headed to Hurriyah, a bar downtown for a bit.  Busy day, eh?!

The rest of week was fairly par for the course…sleep, school sleep, dinner, sleep, start over.  Dina and Ahmed were here for 5 days and it was so so so good to see them!  D is about 5 months pregnant and this was the last time I will see her without  a kid!  weird!

We have a long weekend that began yesterday because of the October 6^th holiday, which I will get into in a minute.  Most people went out of town, but Sarah and I are having a Cairo stay-cation.  We went to City Stars yesterday and shopped for 6 hours.  6 HOURS!  Insanity.  I spent thousands of pounds.  THOUSANDS.  I feel good about it though.  Got some stuff I need (watch, shoes for school, sunglasses) as well as a great deal of things that I do not need but that make me very happy indeed.  Tonight is a friend’s birthday and we are considering staying in one of the nice hotels downtown tonight and spending all day tomorrow sitting by the pool and getting massages.  We will see…

On to a more serious side of things let’s talk about politics shall we?!?!?!

Yesterday was a national holiday in Egypt in observance of the start of the 1973 Arab-Israeli war (Otherwise known as the Yom Kippur War).  President Sadat said that Egypt would only enter into negotiations with Israel if they returned land in Sinai and the Golan Heights.  Not shockingly Israel refused.  Sadat said he would risk the lives of “1 million Egyptian men” to regain the land.  Egypt and Syria launched a pretty sick surprise attack on Israel with the Egyptians coming through at Sinai and the Syrians into Golan Heights.   They made it pretty far in, Egypt crosses the Suez Canal within a few days, but the Israelis pushed back hard, eating small Egyptian and Syrian children along the way.  (not really.)  The Camp David Accords followed forcing Israel to give back the land it captured during the 6-day war.  Its implications ended up being a bit more symbolic than tactical.  The Arab world felt vindicated by early advances in the conflict and Israel ended up a bit less confident and invincible.  I’ve read that part of Sadat’s motives in launching the attacks was also to convince the Soviet Union who had long supported Egypt’s military to provide more advanced arms and supplies lest he tell the Egyptian people that the Kremlin had deserted them and they turned on the Soviet Union to find help in the Americans.  Interesting stuff all around.

12 yrs later, during a parade celebrating the Egyptian crossing of the Suez Canal during the 6 days war, Anwar el-Sadat was assassinated and power was handed over to the then Vice President, the one and only Hosni Mubarak.

The news coming out of the states over the past few weeks has me wondering, ‘why is it that I always miss civil unrest?  I was late to Egypt, missed London riots by a day and now my very own country is finally starting to protest and IM NOT EVEN THERE!  I must admit I’ve been skeptical of the whole “Occupy Wall St” movement for a few reasons.  It seems largely unorganized with no real set demands.  Yes, I understand, we want an end to corporate America’s stranglehold over the government, but what SPECIFICALLY do these protesters want?  And are they going to keep on marching, keep on camping out, keep on getting arrested and keep on getting beat up by the police until they get it?  There’s just something in me that says ‘no’.  I was fairly moved by a video I saw of a march going through Chicago.  The protestors were chanting, “we are the 99%” and “Whose street?  Our street”.  I definitely got goose bumps. 

The second reason I’ve been struggling with Occupy Wall Street is the constant references to Tahrir Square.  Now I understand that they are using Tahrir and Egypt as inspiration and to show solidarity, but where was this solidarity when Egyptians were being shot at by rubber bullets and water cannons?  I was at Egyptian solidarity marches in Chicago in January/February and they were tiny.  So I am somewhat bothered that all of these people failed to show up then and are now drawing inspiration or solidarity or whatever it is only after the fact.  Not to mention the fact that people here in Egypt literally risked their lives to protest against their government.  Do protesters in the states have the passion and motivation to take it that far?  More than one friend here (Egyptians included) have told me that I am just being pessimistic and that they respect the connections between US demonstrations and Tahrir Square.  I understand where they are coming from and I want to get there….I really do.  But all I remember right now is being downtown at the Egyptian Embassy and having crowds of people across the street watching us march and doing nothing.

Speaking of protests Ill tell you about the rather large one last week with “revolutionary cat man”.  This was called in response to recent moves by SCAF (Supreme Council of Armed Forces who are now ruling the country) intensifying the Emergency Law, putting more restrictions on freedom of speech and limiting the ability of protestors to organize.  There were stages set up with speakers and a fair number of people tried to stay the night but were forced out due to said restrictions.  However, the next day, SCAF met with the leaders of 13 political parties to propose a timetable for handing over power, elections, new constitution, etc.  I read that part of this agreement included an end to military trials for civilians but I have not been able to confirm this.  The way the timetable works has many people worried that the military in fact has it’s own candidate for president.   Parliamentary elections will begin November 28^th with both houses meeting in March of April to elect a constituent assembly to finalize the new constitution, which will then be put up for referendum.  (The people will vote ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on it.)  Once the constitution is approved they will wait 2 months then have presidential elections.  Um…what?  That is a loooooong ways away!  This means that SCAF could feasibly be in chare until the end of 2012!  There is also some concern that parts of this agreement, which in rhetoric prevent former members of Mubarak’s party from participating in elections, may also prevent some revolutionary parties from participating as well.  It’s a mess.

In related news the Mubarak trial presses on.  Sheathed in secrecy and closed doors.  The media has been banned from attending the trial and there is very little news coming out of it.  Last week Field Marshall Tantawi testified.  While it is not known what his testimony was he came out after and told the media that "Nobody asked us to open fire and nobody will open fire" on the people.  In effect saying that Mubarak never gave direct orders to shoot at protesters.  EFFING LIES.  So apparently that’s not going so well.

Despite these setbacks it would be unfair and dishonest to deny that not everything is going south.   There have been very positive changes in Egypt since January that I believe will eventually turn the tide of all of this.  I read a great blog recently (thanks Read E.) that outlines some of these positive changes. 

1.  Despite recent hiccups, the media is much more pluralistic and open post revolution. 

2.  Liberals have established themselves as a force to be reckoned with.  Pre revolution there was no chance of movements like April 6 would be able to even compete with parties like the Muslim Brotherhood.  But now they are right up there with the rest.  Not only are liberal parties legit, the course of political discourse in Egypt has turned decidedly to the left among many groups.  Not only in discussions about leadership, but in terms of individual rights especially among the more religious Islamic and Coptic segments of the population.

3.  Politics used to be a “hush hush” topic in Egypt.  I remember when I came here last July being told not to discuss politics.  But now it is all the rage.  Taxi drivers talk about it, people sell political shirts and newspapers on the street, workers are protesting and striking, thousands of people spend their Fridays in Tahrir square, football fans march from the stadium after matches to Tahrir chanting and carrying posters.

So amidst the criticism and despite the bumps in the road no one can deny that post revolutionary Egypt is a much better place than it was a year ago.  I feel so fortunate to be here during such an inspiring time and so in awe of the Egyptian people and what they have accomplished in such a short amount of time. 

I wish so much for my people back home to show the same passion and commitment in making the changes the U.S. so badly needs.  No one is firing rubber bullets at you, no one is firing water cannons at you or threatening to torture your family.  In relative terms to the situation here and in this region it is so much easier for you all to get out there and make your demands known.  DO IT!  If the Occupy Wall Street movement is going to use rhetoric in solidarity with Tahrir Square it must also do so in action.  Things need to change and you all have what it takes to make it happen.  If you had asked most Egyptians in the early days of the revolution if Mubarak would step down they would have told you no.  If a movement led by a group of 20 and 30 year olds can topple a 30 yr dictatorship that banned protests and political opposition parties and ordered the military to fire on his own people as they prayed, there are NO EXCUSES for Americans not to take this all the way.  Make me proud people….

Love from Cairo,
Martha

It’s a perfect morning in Cairo.  Still cool enough to have my windows open, quiet and serene.  There’s a beautiful tree outside my window with the most vivid red/orange flowers.  I am sitting on my bed drinking coffee and not in a rush to do anything or go anywhere.  Bliss.

School continues to go well.  We are still playing the “get the schedules right shuffle” whereby my classes change weekly.  It is a bit frustrating as every time I think I’ve mastered my students’ names I get new ones.  The names are a bit tricky for me.  I am bad at learning peoples’ names to begin with and some of my kids have names I have never heard before and/or names that are difficult for me to pronounce.  So I have started giving my students nicknames.  My favorite is “snoozy” for my student who told me “ya miss…I snoozed” after an impressively loud sneeze. One of my classes has decided that everytime I give them  quiz they are going to quiz me in Arabic.  I think they are dong better than I am...  

We had school on 9/11, which was an interesting experience.  Many of my 12^th graders were aware of what happened on that day, but most of my 10^th graders were not.  They knew that it was a significant day and that it had something to do with planes flying into buildings in New York, but beyond that they were unclear as to what happened that day and what came after.  Don’t worry…I didn’t fill their heads with too much conspiracy theory.  Just the right amount to teach them to question everything they hear. 

I am teaching early man to 10^th grade and apparently they do not learn about evolution.  They literally remove the pages about evolution from the biology textbook.  So since no one told me I was not allowed to discuss it I talked about it for about 10 minutes.  Many of my students had heard of the term ‘evolution’ but had no idea what it was.  I drew a rough description on the board which I was sure to capture because it is hilarious.  This, ladies and gentleman, is the only evolution description some of these kids may ever get:

It hasn’t been all work and no play though recently!  Some friends of ours had a 70’s party last week that was a lot of fun. They also made amazing Mexican food two nights ago.  Last night some friends had a “paint our apartment party.”  They had everyone painting on the walls of their dining room.  It was really impressive and I look forward to seeing the end result. 

 

70's Party

The political situation here continues to be dramatic to say the least.  There are ongoing protests and strikes across Egypt.  Last week 4 university presidents were asked to step down and there were mass demonstrations at the American University in Cairo (AUC).  Egyptian sate security forces raided the offices of an Al Jazeera channel in Egypt.  The channel broadcast all Egyptian news and has run into problems with the government here before.  Although Egypt is much more liberal than many of its neighbors, the censorship of the media is still a problem. 

 

 A few weeks ago I went to a demonstration in Tahrir Square.  The demands revolved around hastening the pace of change after the revolution as many feel that things are not changing.  The list of demands is as follows:

1.  Permanent End of military trials of civilians


2.  A clear timeline with exact dates of when the military council will hand over power to an ELECTED CIVIL authority (the initially promised 6 months have now finished). 


3.  Cancelling the new law issued by military council that prohibits sit-ins and strikes.
 

4. Change the new elections law that helps the same old corrupt businessmen win the elections.


5.  Implement the minimum pay for public sector workers and maximum salaries for senior officials. 


6.  Implement Egyptian laws that will ensure the corrupt heads and symbols of Mubarak’s ruling national party, and who have been proved to have rigged Egyptian elections for years, can no longer stand elections again.

7.  Ensure the Egyptian police focus on ending crime and criminality rather than attacking law-abiding citizens. 

 

That same day there were violent protests outside of the Israeli Embassy, which resulted in a break in.  While I did see some coverage of this on Western news outlets what I did not see was any coverage of the reaction of political leaders here who all condemned the attacks.  Emergency Law is back in full effect at this point.  There is a lot of talk of this law being illegal but it continues.  This includes everything you might assume it would.  However this newest edition of Egyptian Emergency Law is even more strict than in the last days of the Mubarak era.  Any action disturbing the flow of traffic, disruption of work or even the spread of rumors (presumably aimed at facebook and twitter) is considered illegal under the law.  This is clearly aimed at protestors and strikers.  Anyone arrested under emergency law is tried in an “emergency court” which is a like a military court and denies defendants a fair trial or the right to appeal.  Since early September there has been increased military and police presence everywhere including road blockades and checkpoints.  

That's all for now! 

Love from Cairo,

Martha