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Rantings of a Sandmonkey

Be forewarned: The writer of this blog is an extremely cynical, snarky, pro-US, secular, libertarian, disgruntled sandmonkey. If this is your cup of tea, please enjoy your stay here. If not, please sod off

Sunday, July 24, 2005

The story of the protest part 2

So anyway, I head out of work and head straight to my Mohandeseen house to drop my bag, my credit cards, and my Ipod just in case something happens at the protest or things get ugly. Karim calls me and asks me to make sure that everyone keeps it decent at the protest, which I tell him that I will do my best to ensure that that's what happens. I start calling the numbers he gave me and talking to the other kids and we agree on meeting in front of Le Pacha and then take it from there. One my way there Highlander calls me from London to wish me luck and to tell me that she is with us in spirit. Najla calls me and informs me that she contacted AFP and they are sending someone and that she also called Josh from the arabist – who is in Jordan mind you- and he said that he will try to send someone as well. While all of this is happening I was getting very excited: I am flying high on this energy you get when you realize that something you helped plan is actually coming to fruition. So I arrive at Le Pacha and I meet with 3 of Karim's friends. A second car then arrives with Nadine and 3 of her friends with the banners. Nadine's brother shows up with his friends and suddenly we are 10. Big Pharaoh calls me and tells me he is on the bridge, Dee calls me and tells me she is on her way, Mohamed is nowhere to be found. Whatever. Anyway… So while I am choosing the banner I will be holding , I notice that one of the girls that came with Nadine, jumped into Nadine's brother's car with his friends and they just left. Suddenly our number was down to 7- with Big Pharaoh who was roasting on the bridge- and then the whining started from one of the girls " But we are only 7. That's not enough. We should wait and see if others will come". So I was like " the others know we are meeting them on the bridge, so we should just head up there and hope they will show up as promised". She pouted and rolled her eyes but ended up coming with anyway. Once I got on top of the bridge and met BP I was like "where is the girl?" "Her Boyfriend threatened to break-up with her if she came. So she couldn't join us." He said, then he asked me "Where is Mohamed?". I looked at him and smiled and said: "Do you see him anywhere?" He looked back and smilingly said "Nahh". He didn’t seem surprised, and neither was I. Some things are just expected, especially from someone who accused Twosret of helping organize this thing in order to "make her life in the west easier". Some people, man. Ugh. Anyway… So the rest of the squad shows up and we start taking our position on the bridge. We chose a spot that has the Nile in the backdrop. Karim called from the States asking what's going on and I informed him we were taking positions, so he wished us good luck, and informed us he had another friend coming. We then started holding the banners in the view of the incoming and outgoing traffic. People's response was mostly the same: Astonished at first that something like this was happening, and then they showed their support by either honking or giving us the thumbs up. We were getting so many thumbs up I was loving it. The people were with us. Just as I knew they would be. And then, of course, the Egyptian police showed up. It was in the form of a little police soldier ( the police in Egypt follows the military structure, with soldiers and officers and generals), who came and asked us what we were doing and if we could go. We explained to him that we were protesting against terrorism, not against the regime or anything. He told us that he was actually happy that we were doing this, but he has his orders from the officer at the middle of the bridge, and he didn't want us on his territory. Ok, remember the rule about "if they ask us to disperse, we would leave"? Yeah, I did too, the kids there didn’t. They started arguing with the soldier, while I kept asking them to just let it go. The two guys decided to go and talk to the officer like he would respond to common sense. This just gave us the chance to just stand on the bridge longer, getting more attention from passersby's. Karim's friend called me, telling us that he is downstairs, while another friend- veiled girl mind you- of Nadine showed up. We were getting closer to 10 people again. Not that whiney girl cared: "We are too few. This is stupid!" , she would say and I was like "dude, it's the principle. You are here to make a stand, not to hang around with many people. If that's why you came, then you can leave, but if you are here to make a point, then stand your ground". That shut her up again, but she was now giving me a deadly look that said " I don't like you. You don’t respond to my whining and I am used to getting my way!" Blahhh…. So we are joined by Karim's last friend just around the time the AFP guy came and started interviewing us. While we were answering his questions , the 2 guys came back from talking to the police officer. "He told us that we have to leave because there are reports of a bomb blowing up on the bridge" one said, while the other quibbled "Yet he is ok with that wedding celebration that is happening right over there" pointing to a group of people celebrating a wedding by standing on the bridge. "Bullshit" the reporter, who was old and Jordanian, smirked. "So, time to leave guys?" I asked, and they all seemed to agree. We decided that if the bridge is a problem, that we would go and stand in front of the Gezira sporting club. "It would be a great place to get more supporters" the girls said. I was like sure, why the hell not. So we go downstairs and we are finally greeted by Dee. She joins us and start to walk and cross the street and stand in the position that would allow incoming traffic from the streets and the bridge's exit to see our signs. We hold them up, and it's the same scenario that just happened on the bridge: Honks, thumbs up, followed by the police coming over. This time it wasn't just a soldier: It was 2 officers and 2 soldiers. Oh baby, we must've been disturbing the peace by our silent peaceful protest. So the expected conversation started : "would you mind leaving? You guys can’t stand here!" "Why, we are protesting terrorism, and we already left the bridge. And it's not like we are protesting the government or anything. We are protesting what happened yesterday, We are actually with you!" "We understand and god knows we are with you, but you know that we are on high alert ever since the bombings and it seems that someone reported you guys and now they might send cars to arrest you all. We don’t want that to happen. So why don’t you just leave?" " And go where?" "Anywhere else!" "But there they will tell us to leave as well! What are we supposed to do?" (While all of this is happening, I was holding the "No to terrorism" banner to my side, this way the incoming traffic can see what we are protesting and what the police is hassling us for) The exchange was cut by the buzz of the guy's walkie talkie. It was a big cahuna on the other side, inquiring about the situation and wondering if any riots erupted yet. The police officer was like " No sir. It's just a bunch of college kids holding peaceful signs. Nothing political." He then looked at us and was like "Please just go. I might have to arrest you." I responded angrily " so this is our reward from you guys for standing up against what happened? We are actually doing this for this country. Because we are disgusted by what happened. And that's how we are treated? We are sorry for condemning those terrorists and standing against them then!" The first officer looked really torn and dismayed and the other one responded and said " Look. God knows we are with you and share what you believe and think. And If it was up to us we would let you guys stay. What you are doing is a wonderful thing and god knows we are not against you. We lost friends and colleagues in those bombings. But it's the higher-ups. They don’t care what you stand for. They just want to assure that no "hassles" occur in their zones." Just as he was finishing his story, the other officer gets a buzz on his walkie talkie : "did you get rid of them yet?" the voice asks. The Officer says " No sir, not yet!" and the voice from the talkie quickly says "What are you waiting for?" and the guy says " They are not causing any trouble sir, and they all look decent and from decent families." He looked really conflicted, and for a second i really felt bad for him. The officer then said " Look, there are ways to do this. Inform us first. Call the PR department in the ministry and we will arrange protection for you. They wouldn't say no to something like that. But until you do we can’t let you keep protesting". The other 2 guys started arguing with him: "But it's our constitutional right, yada yada" and while this is happening Najla calls me and asks for updates, I inform her and she was like "I am coming immediately". My attention was then drawn to this new lady standing next to the reporter asking him about what the deal was: How did this thing come into fruition? When did they organize this? She asks me and I explain to her that it is organized by Bloggers and she was like "What? Are you trying to tell me that stuff like this happens in Egypt? That's unbelievable! I am impressed." And she then started calling this guy Gamal Eid who is a human rights activist and got me to speak to him on the phone. He asks me who we are and what we stand for and what our blogs are, and then he is like "Are you guys familiar with manal and alla? You are? I work with them all the time. Then I will find you guys. What you are doing is great by the way. I wish more people would do things like that!" I thank him and hang up and notice that there is another girl ( a really cute one) who is standing with the group, I approach them and I realize that it is another reporter, this time she is from Al Ahram weekly. She starts interviewing us. The Police officer starts getting nervous. He doesn’t want a protest reported in his district on his watch, but he is starting to fear it's already too late. He starts asking us to leave again, and me and Big Pharaoh decide to heed his call, when Najla calls me and is like : "I am here. Wait for me!". She comes out of the car, and she joins us while the reporter interviews us. The Police Officer is suddenly intimidated. He keeps his distance while the interview is taking place. Anyway, the interview ends, we all shake hands and agree on trying to get a permit for the next protest and hope to organize it better. Karim calls me and thanks us for holding our ground and doing what we did. I thank him for thinking about it and organizing this all the way from Boston. Najla informs me that she knows people that would love to join us, and I am like "then we will call them next time. Hopefully we can pull something by Friday. But I want that permit just so we can shut them up!". She asks me what do I think of having the next protest in front of a mosque and I tell her that I am afraid that some idiots join the protest and start a riot and ruin it. She agrees with me that it's a real possibility and tells me "that the problem lies that everyone has a different outlook and approach to this situation, and they all squabble about their differences. It would be nice if we got over our differences for a greater cause." I tell her that that's our biggest problem, that this is what pisses me off, "that we are fighting on way too many fronts: against the government that doesn’t want us to protest, against the people who view our protest as an insult and the people who agree with us but have different approaches that threaten the message." For once it would be nice to hold something like that and be assured that no idiots will take it over and start rioting and then the police reacts and the message gets lost in the Mayhem of it all. She nods her head in agreement. "The important thing is to not to view today as a failure" she said and I responded " Who said I was? It's a great success, considering the little time we had and the disorganization. Not to mention, this isn't the end. This is just the beginning. We managed to do something to nobody did in this country before and we were less then 10 people. And we held our ground, for 2 hours, against the police's wishes and without a permit! A failure? This is an amazing success story" I finish with a relaxed smile. She smiles back at me. Later on I call Big Pharaoh and ask him how he feels about all this. "I loved it. This was great. For the first time I feel like I accomplished something!" he says. "I know what you mean" I respond. "And what's important , is that we got our message out!" I couldn’t agree more!

35 Comments:

At 7/24/2005 04:19:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Bravo. Habibi. Bravo.

 
At 7/24/2005 04:26:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

That's fantastic. Congratulations. It doesn't matter how small the numbers were - it's all got to start somewhere. Best wishes for the future ...

 
At 7/24/2005 04:45:00 PM, Blogger Kat said...

Fantastic. You know, I am thinking, we could do a big blog protest against terrorism. I'm going to post your story around and, the next one we should coordinate across countries. We've got Brit Blogs and German Blogs and mil blogs Bahrain Blogs.
'
If we had a day for all the blogs to organize, imagine what we could do? Maybe a bunch of small protests like this but linked around the world.

Maybe I'm talking crazy, but I'm thinking big.
'
What do you think, bud?

 
At 7/24/2005 05:03:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

heh heh what a small world we live in, so you got tangled up with gamal eid eh.

btw he works for The Human Rights Information Network

 
At 7/24/2005 05:21:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

"This is just the beginning."
Damn right it is. I'm almost pretty sure that someday we'll look back at that day and be like,'wow, & we actually started out with ten people..'
The thing is, we did something today. We spoke out. We managed to get a little attention.
Everyone just keeps complaining about the way things are. All talk, no action. Now's the chance people, speak up, get your voice heard, make a difference.

 
At 7/24/2005 05:26:00 PM, Blogger Louise said...

Way to go, people!! Don't stop now. Don't give up. The world is watching and waiting. Young people, the future is yours, and you can make it better!! You can do it!!

 
At 7/24/2005 05:29:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm so impressed! You did a great job reporting on the development of the protest too. Have you seen the site www.werenotafraid.com ? It's just a place to post photos with the message "We are not afraid". But the blog protest is a good idea. www.powerline.com has a big audience in the usa and they might give you some publicity. Also www.instapundit.com is another. Good luck. Stay strong. Be careful.

 
At 7/24/2005 05:30:00 PM, Blogger Solomon2 said...

A most wonderful beginning. Thank you.

Could you, would you, have done this had you chosen the path carved out for you by your family?

 
At 7/24/2005 05:45:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sam,

You handled yourself in a very savvy and shrewd way. You got good publicity, you maintained good relations with the police, and you found out how to do it even better next time. I'd say your little protest was most effective for a first try.

Your family is operating on the assumption that the status quo is going to remain forever. They want you to operate within a system that is Gone With the Wind. You know better than that, and you are preparing yourself for a leadership role for the future. Great start.

Bridget

 
At 7/24/2005 06:03:00 PM, Blogger Kat said...

Instapundit has you linked

http://instapundit.com/archives/024437.php

 
At 7/24/2005 06:03:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Congratulations on a great success! Sounds like you guys really kicked ass!

 
At 7/24/2005 06:17:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

As I said on BP blog, gutsy effort!
You have shown the terrorists that you are not going to run and hide no matter what they do. It is people such as you who will defeat the terrorists.

 
At 7/24/2005 07:11:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Great job, Sam!

Hey, on CNN today I saw many, many Egyptians at Sharm El-Sheik wearing white T-shirts and holding "No to Terrorism" signs. Did you hear about or see this? Then they showed them later lighting candles. I was really surprised.

*

 
At 7/24/2005 07:20:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sam,

Here's a link to a blog entry with photos on the "No to Terrorism" rally at Sharm El-Sheik today.

It looks like others were thinking just like you guys in Cairo (and Boston).

*

 
At 7/24/2005 08:10:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

You are a natural leader Sam. You're going to change the world.

 
At 7/24/2005 08:29:00 PM, Blogger Solomon said...

Congrats Sam. Great posts. Do we get to know who's who in the pics? Is Big Pharaoh the big guy? (I hope)

 
At 7/24/2005 08:47:00 PM, Blogger Highlander said...

Wonderful Sandmonkey and all the others who made it , this is the nucleus of something great I hope. I'm really happy and excited, I wish I had been truely there in body as well with you guys and not just in spirit.. yes I'm sure that you have touched many people that day my friend ! Great pictures by the way and the girls are cute too ;)

Hope the next protest/vigil will bring even more people.
By the way it seems that as Karim was saying that many people which we had not emailed had received the email from others , so it has caused a ripple effect and prompted a protest in Sharm a-Sheik has well ! I'm really excited about that too, did you see it on TV ? they were wearing white T-shirts just like you guys and carying banners with the same phrases . This is good something has started people are listening and acting I guess .. see it was worth all the trouble you went to all of you in the end ! Good work Inshallah Egypt and all our countries will be safe.

 
At 7/24/2005 09:11:00 PM, Blogger Tsedek said...

Mabrouk Habibi!

Tse.

 
At 7/24/2005 09:46:00 PM, Blogger Grizzly Mama said...

You all are great! Thank you for such bravery and God bless you all!

 
At 7/24/2005 09:47:00 PM, Blogger leap_frog said...

This is incredible, really incredible.

That you guys actually did this, and as did it well, just incredible. You Bloggers of Egypt are a special bunch.

Sam you knew your instincts about this were correct and the 'thumbs up' from the public proves it. Man reading your words gave me goose bumbs, even the second time I read it. Have a feeling the soldier would have loved to join you. Maybe next time he can.

Love the pictures and saw the TV clips.
Way to go folks, this is amazing.

 
At 7/24/2005 09:58:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Great idea Sam, and I'm so glad you went through with it. Maybe next time you'll have a permit and the police may even join in with you! The No to Terror rally in Sharm was awesome- perhaps we could organize protests against terror across Egypt- Cairo to Alex to Sharm to Luxor. Like when Kefaya tried that. Seriously Sam, this is great and I am unbelievably happy that you pulled through and got media attention- I've got some other ideas for how you can get more turnout-

1. Post information and stuff on Egyptian online forums, there's plenty of them, and if you want some links e-mail me

2. Try to insist on contacting the Kefaya and Youth for Change people, eventually they'll give in, they're a pro-active bunch.

3. I think if there was a way you could spread the news in churches (and mosques)in Egypt, you'd get a lot of turnout

4. Maybe you could post fliers up at AUC or something- I'm sure there's a lot of room there for an idea like yours, and it's not a huge campus

So tell us Sam, which one are you in the picture? I'd like to encourage all the non-Egyptian viewers of this board to please visit Sharm el-Sheikh. It is one of the most beautiful places in the world, and if you go soon prices will be low and the beach empty. That is the best way to slap the face of the terrorists.

 
At 7/24/2005 10:04:00 PM, Blogger Mohamed said...

Man, I'm glad I didn't find you on that bridge.

 
At 7/24/2005 10:05:00 PM, Blogger Twosret said...

SM,

What can I say. I recall very early on how we both agreed even if we disagreed. Today I feel proud of my friend SM, moved by your courage and enthusiasm. Keep going please this is just the start and I promise you all the support I can give you.

Thanks to Highlander who stayed up till 5 am with me to make sure all egyptianblogs are informed. We are not in Egypt but we promise to do whatever it takes to keep this movement going.

Deena,

You have done what a lot of people couldn't do today. I'm so proud of you and others who joined.

Kat,

Count me in great idea. I will drive to kansas city to help if needed. Great idea!

 
At 7/25/2005 01:18:00 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

What happened yesterday was extatic for all of you im sure (Excluding the whinners of course), im sure i would^ve been flipping to if i was there 2. A great cause, small numbers struggling to create something out of a void, damn i salute you. Wish to meet you all as soon as i come back. Cheers Sandmonkey your the shit

 
At 7/25/2005 05:56:00 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

All journeys begin with a single step. Cheers to you all!

 
At 7/25/2005 06:58:00 AM, Blogger Kat said...

Hey..I'm up for it, Twosret. I also have a lot of free time right now and know some bloggers in the area. Maybe we can connect in the near future. Sadly, I believe there will be another instance when we will be shocked by the depravity of these folks and will need to say it again.

However, I'm all for not waiting until the next time. Pre-emptive strike as it were. ;)

 
At 7/25/2005 07:15:00 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Just a note to say THANK YOU!

 
At 7/25/2005 07:43:00 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

This is great!!!! Thanks for making my day.

 
At 7/25/2005 08:27:00 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

You guys are going to be remembered as the catalyst for major change in the Arab world. Take care and be safe. We are with you.

Theresa

 
At 7/25/2005 12:44:00 PM, Blogger newc said...

That took balls.

You can always see the light with people who concern for the future.

This says volumes about your faith and your good character.

Thanks!

I Love Egypt!

 
At 7/26/2005 12:19:00 AM, Blogger egyptiansally said...

Very cool of you guys. And it's amazing how quickly you guys responded to this.

Sorry I couldn't be there to lend my support.

 
At 7/26/2005 01:13:00 AM, Blogger haal said...

I salute your effort and intitiative, but just try to put things in perspective. Maybe you did a good job on a personal level, and this matters tremendously to boost your sense of achievement, but you also have to admit that it was not heroic as you described. Not to mention the Bust attitude of, whoever is not with us is aganist us!

 
At 7/26/2005 09:53:00 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

This was a positive step toward expressing your opinion and the opinion of Egyptians. But does Islam condemn terrorism? As Egyptian Muslims we do condemn terrorism but I believe that the initial spread of Islam itself was based on the use of the sword (terrorism). It is best to protest by saying Egyptians against terrorism rather then Muslims because we would be contradicting ourselves.

 
At 8/04/2005 09:08:00 PM, Blogger Louise said...

Wow!! Glad I missed this one. You know whenever I read some looney-tooney quoting Bush as follows:

"Not to mention the Bust attitude of, whoever is not with us is against us"

I know immediately that this is a person who neither reads, understands or thinks for himself or herself. It is a misquote, my darling Haal. It is a misquote that is repeated over and over again by all foolish airheads who would never think to verify it before repeating the mistake themselves.

This is what Bush actually said: "Either you are with us, you are with the terrorists." You can even play the video of the speech he made and hear it coming out of Bush's mouth yourself. Just click on the link that says "Listen to the President's remarks"

His actual words have a very different meaning that the one the indoctrinators holding your strings have taught you to ape, but somehow I doubt you understand such nuances.

 
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