Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Gamal Mubarak Follows in Footsteps of Ahmadinejad

Due to the success of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his rising popularity in the Middle East for defying the international community on top of which is the United States for his murky nuclear energy agenda, the son of our President Gamal Mubarak wants to follow in his footsteps. The fact that Iran is isolated and that the Iranian people are trapped for their rulers' doings is not regarded as a bad thing but it is regarded heroism by Egypt's ruling National Democratic Party.

Gamal Mubarak believes that this way he can win some popularity among Egyptians, by becoming the hero who will be fighting for nuclear energy and may be dragging IAEA inspectors to Egypt (International Atomic Energy Agency) to show the world how Egypt is important.

And since anyone in the Middle East becomes so popular among the peoples of the region when he starts an anti-American propaganda, Gamal Mubarak offered a new Arab vision to the Egyptian people, urging the rejection of "foreign ambitions" trying to shape the region.

He said, during the annual ruling party convention, “We reject these foreign ambitions to erase Arab identity in the framework of what they call the Greater Middle East initiative." In fact, he echoes his dad’s continuous statements about erasing the Arab identity. In fact, I would like to try erasing this fake Arab identity for the sake of trying. May be things will go better.

Until this day, I am wondering about this Arab identity. The continuous generalization of big slogans that leads to nothing but massacres in Southern Sudan, genocide by chemical weapons as in Iraq, denying the Berber their language as in the Maghreb countries or persecution of minorities like the case in Egypt with the Copts and kicking all Jews from all their native countries at the beginning of the second half of the last century by all military coup d’etats. The list is long under the umbrella of this sickening Arab identity.

However, the idea of the Arab identity sells well among many Egyptians and Middle Easterns. In fact it is considered an achievement. In a country where unemployment rates reaches 70% and illiteracy hits more than 40% it must be good to have an achievement that is for free does not need any effort. Everyone at the end of the day will feel like heroes. The problem is that it is an identity with no values and does not give much at the individual level. It emerged and survives under all totalitarian despotic regimes. It is not the European Union where countries enter for their political democratic achievements and high economic performances.

I have no idea why the son of the President has to recycle such a decaying idea. This does not herald good.

I do not really care much about the Arab identity as much as I care about lifting emergency laws and giving freedoms to the press and having an independent judiciary system and fair elections and ensuring the right to fair trials and having safe public services and transportation.

I am not really impressed by including the word “nuclear” in any context unless it is clear and well-explained. Who are the nuclear experts that the National Democratic Party is taking advice from? Pakistan? Who delegated the NDP to decide for Egypt to go nuclear? I believe handling the illiteracy bomb that is being manipulated by Islamists is the best way to ensure a safe future for Egypt. Splashing ideas here and there does not sound like a platform but rather propaganda.

Apparently, the address was not meant only to connect with the Egyptian people but also stressing the continuation of undermining the international role that Egypt can play by insisting on recycling decaying ideas that proved it s failure.

7 Comments:

At 5:11 PM, Blogger Assem said...

hat tip! Great piece!

 
At 1:22 AM, Blogger programmer craig said...

Don't worry, FFE. Remember that Saddam was a hero for defying the UN and the whole world during the 90s. Who thinks of him as a hero now?

Hugo Chavez is a hero now in Latin America, spending all his oil money to pay off the poor for their support instead of improving his country. Latin America has had heroes like him before, and he will be forgotten, just as all those others were.

The alliance between Chavez and Ahmadinejad is interesting and alarming because you get "heroes" from different sides of the world with completely different ideologies joining forces. But their forces are the forces of repression and corruption, bolstered by un-earned oil wealth. A viable state cannot ever be built in such a manner.

Egypt has no oil. Which, in a way, is good. No Egyptian leader can follow that route, realistically.

And, when the regime in Iran falls, what arab leader would want to follow that model, then?

By the way, am I the only one who has noticed that the world's worst governments are the ones that are sitting right on top of an monstrous oil field?

I've seen arabs say oil is both a blessing and a curse. Where is the blessing? Completely undeveloped countries, with unresponsive and corrupt governments. This is good, in what way? And the worst part of it is, this pan-arab identity is holding down the countries that don't have oil, and don't have any free money flowing from the ground.

By the way, it is good to see you back :)

Were you on vacation?

 
At 7:16 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks FFE for pointing this out. I was watching Nile while he was delivering that speech. Did daddy teach him that line or must every mindless statement get repeated and recycled ad nauseam by our politicians with no real understanding of the issues involved? Honestly, it's embarrassing to think that he might represent Egypt in the future à la Bashar. Al haweyya arabiyya al--to2olish we've been able to solve all of our problems in the country starting with him and his father's rotting dictatorship!

 
At 7:27 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

"I thought he might offer Egypt a progressive alternative to the Islamists that are trying to take over our country"

Well, coming to think of it, the "Islamists" have taken over your (our) country back in the 7th century, maybe you need a bit of history reading. You never cease to amaze me.

Akis Patsourakis

 
At 10:02 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

well done peter!

why not an Egyptian identity instead of a filthy arab identity?
why no-one called for our true identity?
what is that stupid arab identity is all about? who are those arabs?

 
At 8:47 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

stop supplying us with fake and liar news just you must be brave to confess that you hate gamal mubarak nothing else

 
At 2:38 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

You make some good points but they are also general. You fail to actually mention the names of these 'Arabs' that are causing your country a hard time. Would it not be better to find out what their names are rather then just saying 'Arab'. I say this because otherwise you are just lumping all Arabs together and also you should think about seperating Arab leaders from Arab people. The reason I mention this is important. I know that as an Egytian you hate being lumped together with the rest of the 'Arab' world as you have your own idenity. It is therefore hypocritical for you to make out all Arabs are therefore the same, the fact is they are not. I think the second point Id like to make is that whether you like it or not, Egypt has had its own bad leaders and hardline Islamists. Of course this isnt a good thing and Im well aware that this isnt the choice of the actual people of Egypt. However you fail to actually acknowledge this and instead just resort to blaming Arabs. The Arab League and the Arab Higher Comitee were partly started in Egypt at least. I know this isnt the choice of the Egyptian people but it doest get away from the fact that it was partly started there. The Muslim Brotherhood was started by an Egyptian Islamist, not an Arab one. Im fully supportive of a free and democratic/secular Egypt but dont forget there are other 'Arab' nations that face similar if not the same problems. Dont forget also that Palestinians have a real difficulty with idenity. They dont even have an official country/state. They are constanly told and spoken about as soley being Arab when like Egyptians they are really very mixed. The president of Egypt seems like he has a bad human rights record full stop. He was born in Egypt so therefore is Egyptian. He may be some hoe for Saudi Arabian royals but dont push that onto Arab people. Peace

 

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