Dialogue of Civilizations

You know the saying, if you're not moving forward you're going backwards ... That's about where Egypt is today. It's calm today, the 1-year anniversary of the dictator Mubarak's resignation/fall from power. There were thoughts/calls/hopes for strikes across Egypt, celebrating the anniversary and bemoaning it at the same time - bemoaning the new military dictatorship that has simply replaced the last one. Move over Mubarak, hello SCAF. So, it's a happy anniversary for us who feared more attacks by the military junta against peaceful demonstrators. But it's a sad anniversary as well, realizing that Egyptians still live under Emergency Law and military dictatorship, with economic collapse ever looming. On that gloomy note, see my post on Egypt's prosecution of American NGO activists (and the Egypt-US relationship).

Here's my brother Samer Abu-Ghazaleh, the mastermind, mover-shaker, and energetic leader of our first-ever Northeastern Alumni event in Saudi Arabia.

I've been suffering from a horrible back "issue" (sprain? strain? slipped disc???) since Dec. 31. I had to cancel a quick trip to Kuwait but kept my quicker trip to Saudi Arabia to meet our NU alumni and parents association AND, while I was there, to get 5-star medical assessment and treatment. My Lebanese Doctor in the Saudi Hospital, developed in partnership with Cleveland Clinic (yes, THAT Cleveland), with amazing Filipino and Indonesian staff, and whose Executive Director of Operations is Palestinian , all came together for this one American patient - and all this demonstrates the " global village " once again. The official purpose was our first-ever Alumni event in Saudi. Shout out to our Dean, Georges Van Den Abbeele, and our Alumni office, especially Kirsten Spilker, and mostly dear Samer Abu-Ghazaleh, a "double Husky" (BA & MBA). We had a great turnout of parents of current students plus alumni (and a few of their parent...

It's January 1, 2012, and all is well thus far in Egypt. That isn't to say "all is well" for all Egyptians. But only to say there is a calm here and as I may have said already, "still waters run deep." The calmness belies the lingering struggle Egyptians face against a tough military government; the struggle for justice; the struggle for fair elections (these are most definitely NOT); the struggle for economic growth and political stability. In brief, Egypt and Egyptians have a very long road ahead to get anywhere close to the ideals, hopes, and dreams of the January 25 (2011) Revolution. I have focused many of my visits to Muslim leaders (such as the Grand Mufti, Dr. Ali Gumaa, pictured here) and Islamist activists (such as an information official with the Ikhwan, Muslim Brotherhood).

Christmas Eve in Cairo, and all is well (as well as can be expected). Egyptians did indeed take to Tahrir Square yesterday, as mentioned in my previous post. Upwards of 50,000 people (estimate by Dostor news site) demonstrated against SCAF ("the military"), in particular their tolerance toward those in the army and police who killed, beat, and otherwise abused protesters over the past week. The protest was dubbed "Friday of Reclaiming Honor", given that the police and army were especially abusive of women protesters, ripping their veils off, exposing their bodies, kicking and beating women - both protesters as well as passers-by, who sought to help their Egyptian sisters and save them from the boot of the army. See today's report in almasryalyoum (by clicking here) Also demonstrating on Friday were those who support SCAF. They appeared in the thousands in Abbasiya Square chanting pro-military slogans, and denouncing those in Tahrir as "thugs" and van...

Greetings from a subdued Cairo. Remember that "still waters run deep". Egypt is calm, which doesn't mean it's at ease or fully secure. Egyptians went to the polls yesterday (Wednesday) for the second round of Parliamentary elections, and Tahrir Square was quiet. However, a friend of a friend of mine was killed in Tahrir the night before, having been shot by live ammunition. He was shot in the stomach and by the time he got to hospital, they could do nothing for him. He bled to death. The young man was a student at Ain Shams University, an athlete, and a huge fan of Ahly, the national football (soccer) team. Today (Thursday), Egyptians of various walks of life tell me they will go to Tahrir tomorrow - first, to protest last week's brutal crackdown, which lasted at least 5 days and resulted in at least 13 demonstrators killed, and which targeted women in particular. Young men (teenagers and 20-somethings) and "older dudes" (50+) tell me they are go...

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