Friday, February 18, 2011
Between Baghdad and Cairo....
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Peace be upon you…
I am currently in Cairo. I arrived two months ago and applied to the American University. I was admitted in a graduate study program that will last for at least two years. It saddens me of to be away from Iraq. However, studying is a break for me from the suffering I experienced in Iraq during 2010 when I worked there for ten months. I was exhausted from the civil Societal organization that I worked with. Now I want to utilize the time to major either in Management of Civil Societal Organizations or Management of Public Sector Reforms. I find both majors important and can help me with my line of work in the future with large organizations or with governments.
*******************
What about the youth uprising in Egypt and their commitment to the gathering in Tahrir Circle for almost twenty day. It has been an amazing experience indeed. It impressed everyone. At the beginning of the turbulent, I received several e-mail messages from my friends and relatives asking me to leave Cairo. But I refused the idea completely for many reasons. First, I don’t want to act like a tourist as if this place doesn’t matter. On the contrary, I consider it as a second home to me. Also, I was observing how people are dealing with the crisis, not the ruling party or the Government. I was amazed by the Egyptians’ unity, strength, faith and patience. I met some skeptical and sarcastic people here, but they were a minority.
Indeed, the Egyptian were rewarded by God, and their dream of change was realized. The majority were determined to move on and never retreat. Mubarak gave up the presidency and left the country. It is like a dream. No one imagined that this will happen.
The night prior to his resignation, people were gathering in Tahrir Circle boiling from anger. Then he gave his speech at 11:00 PM. He said that he is staying in power and that he will not give it up. He reiterated the same old story about his memories and ambitions. Before he finished his speech, people started yelling: “Go”, “Go”…
The situation was so scary, we went to sleep thinking that the country will divide on itself in the upcoming few days. The stubbornness of this man will inevitably cause a civil war. In the evening of next day, we heard women singing and cars honking in the neighboring streets. We opened the TV to see what’s happening.
It turns out that Mubarak gave up the presidency and the High Council of the Egyptian Army will assume the authority. Thank God. I felt that the predicament was ended and that normal life will be restored very soon, even with better future in God’s willing.
************************************
Every day passed while I was here during the crisis, I was thinking about Iraq and what happened to it during the invasion of 2003 and how the Iraqi army and security forces were dismantled. Thus the country drowned in chaos and thefts. They brought Iraqi leaderships from abroad who are already in accord with the invader to rule the country. A new Iraqi constitution was worded by American hands and minds and it was signed by Iraqi leaders. How were the Iraqi patriots and opposition to invasion were killed or jailed. How were the Iraqi army leaders, scientists elite, and religious figures assassinated. How was the country driven into civil war through militias formed by parties that ruled in Iraq with invader protection…
In less than eight years I observed two contradicting models.
Praise to God!
One model entails foreigners come from abroad to change the system in a country, outlining its policy, writing its constitution, and deciding its future. All that happen amongst violence, blood shedding, damage, destruction, disappointment and failure. This is the model that America applied during the invasion to Iraq in 2003.
I saw the second model in Egypt now , where people decided for themselves to bring down the system and change it peacefully with minimum sacrifices of properties and souls. Now, they are looking forward to building a better tomorrow and a better life. They will write a new constitution with pure Egyptian spirit and plan the future of their country according to their needs. They know what is best for them and their future generation.
In the past few days, I observed how the Egyptian media spread in the streets, standing on cars, and balconies, and they were all saying: “We Love You Egypt”. And I observed how the army and people were united with each other to protect Egypt, Egyptians and Egyptian properties… of course, this happened because they don’t have foreign invader amongst them.
This is the natural and spontaneous way of life for any nation on the face of earth during periods of crisis and calamity. The strength of Egyptians is represented in their unity and in their harmony with themselves. No one was able to tear them apart.
The weakness of Iraqis is represented in the sectarianism. The invader dwelled on that and found a fertile environment to spread its poison and tear the country.
Congratulation to Egypt on its revolution. In God’s willing, they will achieve all of their dreams to build a democratic, stable and prosperous country and I wish for Iraq what I wished for Egypt, but when will this happen?
How many years will pass and how many sacrifices it will take until Iraqis achieve their dream of stable, safe, and united country as well as a prosperous future?
God only knows when this will happen…
I think it is a distant dream …..
Peace be upon you…
I am currently in Cairo. I arrived two months ago and applied to the American University. I was admitted in a graduate study program that will last for at least two years. It saddens me of to be away from Iraq. However, studying is a break for me from the suffering I experienced in Iraq during 2010 when I worked there for ten months. I was exhausted from the civil Societal organization that I worked with. Now I want to utilize the time to major either in Management of Civil Societal Organizations or Management of Public Sector Reforms. I find both majors important and can help me with my line of work in the future with large organizations or with governments.
*******************
What about the youth uprising in Egypt and their commitment to the gathering in Tahrir Circle for almost twenty day. It has been an amazing experience indeed. It impressed everyone. At the beginning of the turbulent, I received several e-mail messages from my friends and relatives asking me to leave Cairo. But I refused the idea completely for many reasons. First, I don’t want to act like a tourist as if this place doesn’t matter. On the contrary, I consider it as a second home to me. Also, I was observing how people are dealing with the crisis, not the ruling party or the Government. I was amazed by the Egyptians’ unity, strength, faith and patience. I met some skeptical and sarcastic people here, but they were a minority.
Indeed, the Egyptian were rewarded by God, and their dream of change was realized. The majority were determined to move on and never retreat. Mubarak gave up the presidency and left the country. It is like a dream. No one imagined that this will happen.
The night prior to his resignation, people were gathering in Tahrir Circle boiling from anger. Then he gave his speech at 11:00 PM. He said that he is staying in power and that he will not give it up. He reiterated the same old story about his memories and ambitions. Before he finished his speech, people started yelling: “Go”, “Go”…
The situation was so scary, we went to sleep thinking that the country will divide on itself in the upcoming few days. The stubbornness of this man will inevitably cause a civil war. In the evening of next day, we heard women singing and cars honking in the neighboring streets. We opened the TV to see what’s happening.
It turns out that Mubarak gave up the presidency and the High Council of the Egyptian Army will assume the authority. Thank God. I felt that the predicament was ended and that normal life will be restored very soon, even with better future in God’s willing.
************************************
Every day passed while I was here during the crisis, I was thinking about Iraq and what happened to it during the invasion of 2003 and how the Iraqi army and security forces were dismantled. Thus the country drowned in chaos and thefts. They brought Iraqi leaderships from abroad who are already in accord with the invader to rule the country. A new Iraqi constitution was worded by American hands and minds and it was signed by Iraqi leaders. How were the Iraqi patriots and opposition to invasion were killed or jailed. How were the Iraqi army leaders, scientists elite, and religious figures assassinated. How was the country driven into civil war through militias formed by parties that ruled in Iraq with invader protection…
In less than eight years I observed two contradicting models.
Praise to God!
One model entails foreigners come from abroad to change the system in a country, outlining its policy, writing its constitution, and deciding its future. All that happen amongst violence, blood shedding, damage, destruction, disappointment and failure. This is the model that America applied during the invasion to Iraq in 2003.
I saw the second model in Egypt now , where people decided for themselves to bring down the system and change it peacefully with minimum sacrifices of properties and souls. Now, they are looking forward to building a better tomorrow and a better life. They will write a new constitution with pure Egyptian spirit and plan the future of their country according to their needs. They know what is best for them and their future generation.
In the past few days, I observed how the Egyptian media spread in the streets, standing on cars, and balconies, and they were all saying: “We Love You Egypt”. And I observed how the army and people were united with each other to protect Egypt, Egyptians and Egyptian properties… of course, this happened because they don’t have foreign invader amongst them.
This is the natural and spontaneous way of life for any nation on the face of earth during periods of crisis and calamity. The strength of Egyptians is represented in their unity and in their harmony with themselves. No one was able to tear them apart.
The weakness of Iraqis is represented in the sectarianism. The invader dwelled on that and found a fertile environment to spread its poison and tear the country.
Congratulation to Egypt on its revolution. In God’s willing, they will achieve all of their dreams to build a democratic, stable and prosperous country and I wish for Iraq what I wished for Egypt, but when will this happen?
How many years will pass and how many sacrifices it will take until Iraqis achieve their dream of stable, safe, and united country as well as a prosperous future?
God only knows when this will happen…
I think it is a distant dream …..
# posted by Faiza Al-Araji @ 10:17 pm 
