Disgraced to be Egyptian: A Testimony
د. عايدة سيف الدولة تفضلت مشكورة بترجمة شهادتي الى اللغة العربية. تجدونها هنا (أسفل) بعد الشهادة الانجليزية
I had learnt about the Sudanese refugees sit-in in Mohandeseen through my house helper Rousse. She is southern Christian Sudanese whose husband has disappeared during the civil war time and whom she knows nothing about. Rousse told me the story of her great escape to Cairo in a 10 days horror trip. She lives in a room in Ahmed Zaki district, a suburb of Maadi mostly inhabited by Sudanese refugees. At some times Rousse couldn’t work because of bone-pain and at many times she had to leave the room where she lives, unable to pay the rent.At 10:00 pm, Thursday December 29th I received an sms saying Mohandesin area is turning to a military camp and Sudanese refugees who have been sitting in for 3 months may be disbursed by force.
I arrived campus at 11:00 pm to find State Security Trucks and plain cloth police filling and closing the roads of Batal Ahmed Abdel Aziz, Ahmed Orabi, and Gameet el Dewal streets.
Public white busses lined up all the way from Donuts House till Mustafa Mahmud square with a few number of state security soldiers sitting inside them. I was able to take down some of the public busses wagon numbers as I walked 4129, 3696, 4107, 4136, 4335, 3416, 3534, and 3416.
Few minutes and all streets leading to Mustafa Mahmud were totally blocked. Police forces started cornering then disbursing civilian pedestrians.
At 1:00 am, and it was really cold, security forced started flushing the Refugees with three water cannons from three different sides. First spray lasted for almost 6 minutes and was rather high. We could see the water reaching as high as the 4th balcony of the near-by building. Probably it aimed at destroying the top of their shelters.
Refugees met the water floods with cheer and dance. We won’t go was their message. A reaction no one at the other side could understand and it rather provoked the ‘they deserve whatever happens to them – they are crazy’ type of thinking.
The few civilians who gathered to observe the scene from far were mostly quiet amused. I painfully heard comments such “let them take a shower to become clean”, “Egypt has been more than patient with them”, “security forces should’ve got rid of them from day one. They (Sudanese) are disgusting”. Laughs interrupted such comments as the refugees were sprayed with water. Few stood silent with eyes wide open at the scene, while only one objected and explained that Sudanese have demands and rights to be met by UNHCR.
A police officer told a friend as he smiled that they badly needed a bath after three months sit in. “We have orders to finish this tonight and we will” he added.
We resorted to the 2nd floor of a Cilantro Café just across the park to be able to observe, take pictures, and make phone calls. Choosing the time to attack the Refugees was more than well planned. Midnight Thursday in the New Year’s weekend. All the media I contacted were out of town for vacation. A handful of political activists arrived but were totally helpless. A couple of human rights activists were with us on the phone all night, mainly Aida. One lawyer, Zyad, was able to break to the refugees themselves but then was roughed up and forced out.
The rest? Another shame
Almost an hour later another 5 minutes of continues water showered them. This time water was low, strong and direct straight at the people.
Water stopped and a negotiation round started with a Refugees delegated committee, an Egyptian official, and a UNHCR official. The Egyptian said “UNHCR will do nothing for you. We are authorized by the highest power in the state to disburse this sit in today”. Refugees’ reply was “we will die on the turf”.
I was able to step to the second security circle surrounding them. A public bus waiting in the area had five Refugees at the back seat while a sixth one was being brutally beaten by 5 state security soldiers. From my position next to the bus I could see and hear him screaming as they beat him on his head and back with hands and batons, kicked him, and twisted his arm and wrist behind his back as his screams went louder and louder. An officer standing next to us explained that he is trying to break the window and escape because he is drunk. At this point a man from the back seat opened the window holding a few months old baby girl as he cried “we are not drunk, I am not drunk, he is not drunk, and this baby is not drunk. Her mother died here in this park”. They beat him to silence as well and continued with the sixth guy. A young man videod the scene on his cell phone and later Bluetoothed it to me.
Reporters, observers and the few activists who were there started to leave the scene as time passed with no further developments. It was very cold and my hands and nose were freezing. It was unimaginable to imagine wet people!
At around 4 am we managed to get to the building of Al Watany Bank of Egypt and only then we had a full clear view of the situation from high. In Mustafa Mahmud square, the part I could see from Gamet el Dewal and Lebanon streets, and the side street of the mosque I could count 60 state security wagons, 6 ambulances, 10 armored cars and uncountable busses.
At 4:45 am the troops were lining up properly and the first circle of formations moved closer to surround the refugees. Their warm up exercise echoed in the empty city as they exchanged stepping on each foot at once saying ho- ho- ho- masr! and singing ‘ya ahla esm fel wegood yaa masr’ meaning To Egypt, who has the most beautiful name ever, whose name was created to be eternal, for Egypt we live.. and for Egypt we die.
Refugees lined up and started warming up too but saying ‘allah akbar’, ‘la ilaha ella allah’ and ‘hasbona allah wa neama al wakil’ meaning there is no god but allah and only him we delegate to handle our injustice. The Christians chanted Halleluiah. And this set identity for the war players. The few civilian audience started cheering for the Egyptian army against the dirty / black / Christian parasites. Yes, there was no humanity in the scene.
At 5 am sharp the 3 water cannons flushed them again and right beside the water line security forces timely attacked the Refugees campus with batons and shields. After 1 minute the water stopped. Soldiers destroyed the rest of their makeshift homes and pulled up their front line of luggage throwing it away as other soldiers made their way in.
Refugees fought back with wood sticks (that was keeping their shelters), plastic empty water jars and gallons, and their hands.
The left side (the side of Radwan Ogeil store) fought back very bravely and was able to force soldiers retreat out for three times throwing on them their helmets after kicking them away but the other two sides soldiers were breaking in. Sounds of sharp metal hits were heard loudly. I guess these were the wooden sticks on the metal shields. Also sounds of screams, mainly women and children, echoed.
In 10 minutes time, a whistle was heard and all forces pulled out of the garden. Lines were reorganized. Extra troops added to Al Ogeil store side and in couple of minutes signal was given and they lashed back in.
This time was fierce. The street lights were cut off. Screams never stopped; the most acute were children’s. My eyes couldn’t follow where or where to look. It was cold. It was dark. I am sure the garden was muddy after all this water. Soldiers were brutal. They were just beating anyone anywhere stepping over anyone and anything.
Every 2 or 3 seconds a Refugee would be dragged out of the horror circle, beaten all the way out, another 3 – 4 soldiers will take grip of the Refugee so the first soldier could go back hunt another one. The soldiers receiving the Refugee beat him more up with batons on his back, bringing him down to his knee, slapping the back of his head, dragging him to a bus where other soldiers take care of the next stage. All the way through, obscenities could be heard.
This happened to men and women equally. Sometimes when the victim was a woman I saw a child trying to hang to her leg as the soldiers drag the mother.
I saw four Refugees carried by soldiers from their arms and legs, oftenly dropping midway in total motionless and I could swear they were dead.
The most horrible was the EGYPTIANS! Civilians who cheered as if they are cheering for the “army forces” freeing Palestine! As forces advanced in battle; the audience cheered, whistled and clapped. They were amused!
Resistance was weakening on Al Ogeil side and soldiers breaking fully in when my host, standing beside me in the balcony said “we are entering from the left side”. I looked back at him in shock. This is not “we”. He said “I mean the Egyptians”. These are not Egyptians. He said “whatever”.
I started shaking.
As the Refugees were dragged out in bigger numbers they forced them to sit the ground on groups casually beating them till soldiers will come pick them and put them in busses.
A friend later told me he saw an officer spitting on a bus as it moved away with refugees!
Resistance fully collapsed. As fewer Refugees were left inside the garden facing at least 2500 soldiers the screams became sharper, louder and desperate.
Everything was over at 5:30 sharp.
When I took control over my body, I picked up my car and followed 6 of the white public transportation busses carrying almost fainting Refugees and state security forces to Dahshur State Security Camp in Fayoum road. They arrived there at exactly 7:15 am. The camp is almost 40 kms outside Cairo. Distance could be more or less, I was so tired and so not well. The wagon numbers were 3686, 4107, 6132, 4335, and 3696. I missed the numbers of the first bus.
Returning back to Cairo I went directly to the battlefield. Let the pictures speak.
At 11 pm I called Rousse and found her at home. By coincidence she didn’t join the sit in that bloody night. I can’t imagine what I would – or wouldn’t – do if she was inside.
So far 20 people died. There is news that those who were taken to 6th October state security camp are all released. And some are released from Turah. No news yet from Dahshur.
Individuals, groups, lawyers, associations are protesting in the same place tomorrow Saturday 12 noon both the brutality of the Egyptian government and the disgraceful role of UNHCR.
But who would protest the Egyptian People?
The inhuman, the racist, the sadistic!
شهادة 2: ماذا حدث في ميدان مصطفى محمود؟
في يوم الخميس الموافق 29 ديسمبر في تمام الساعة العاشرة مساء وصلتني رسالة على هاتفي المحمول تقول بأن منطقة المهندسي أصبحت مثل الثكنة العسكرية وأن هناك احتمال لتفريق اللاجئين السودانيين المعتصمين هناك منذ ثلاث شهور بالقوة.
وصلت الى المكا في تمام الساعة الحادية عشر لأجد سيارات الأمن المركزي ورجال الأمن يملئون المكان ويغلقون الشوارع المحيطة به: شارع البطل أحمد عبد العزيز وأحمد عرابي وجامعة الدول. رأيت صفوفا من أوتوبيسات النقل العام تقف بداية من ناصية البطل أحمد عبد العزيز وحتى جامع مصطفى محمود، وبداخلهم عدد من جنود الأمن المركزي. تمكنت من تدوين بعض ارقام الأوتوبيسات: 4129 و3696 و4107 و4136
و4335 و3416 و3534 و3416.
بعد بضعة دقائق أغلقت جميع الشوارع المؤدية الى جامع مصطفى محمود. قوات الأمن توجه المشاة بعيدا عن المنطقة ثم تعمل على تفريقهم.
في الساعة الواحدة صباحا، كان الطقس شديد البرودة، بدأت قوات الأمن في فتح خراطيم المياة على اللاجئين.. ثلاث مدافع من المياة من ثلاث اتجاهات مختلفة..
أول دفعة مياه استمرت حوالي 6 دقائق وكانت شديدة العنف. كنا نرى تدفق المياة يصل حتى ارتفاع الدور الرابع لمبنى قريب من الحديقة. هل كانوا يرغبون في تحطيم أسقف خيامهم؟.
اللاجئون قابلوا مدافع المياة بمزيج من الغناء والرقص. لن نرحل: تلك كانت رسالتهم. لكن أحدا على الجانب الآخر لم يتمكن من فهم الرسالة. بالنسبة لقوات الأمن كان ذلك امرا استفزازيا وبدا الأمر وكأنهم حسموا بأن هؤلاء اللاجئين يستحقون أي ما سوف يحدث لهم.. فهم مجانين.
المدنيون القليلون المارون بالمكان وقفوا ليشاهدوا المنظر وبدا وكأنهم مستمتعين به. تألمت حين سمعت تعليقات مثل “دعوهم يستحمون ليصبحوا نظيفين” “كان يجب لقوات الامن أن تتخلص منهم منذ اليوم الأول” ” لقد صبرت عليهم مصر اكثر من اللازم”
“إنهم مقرفين” وتخلل تلك التعليقات بعض الضحكات في الوقت الذي كان السودانيون فيه يرشون بالمياه. البعض وقف مذهولا يراقب ما يحدث على حين اعترض شخص واحد بأن للسودانيين مطالب وحقوق يجب على المفوضية أن تكفلها لهم
أحد ضباط الأمن قال لواحد من الأصدقاء وبابتسامة عريضة على وجهه انهم في حاجة ماسة الى الاستحمام بعد ثلاث شهور من الاعتصام. لدينا أوامر بأن ننهي هذا الأمر الليلة. ثم أضاف: وسوف نفعل.
لجأنا الى الدور الثاني في قهوة سيلانترو في الناحية المواجهة للحديقة لنتمكن من الملاحظة ونقوم بالتصوير ونقوم ببعض الاتصالات. لقد كان توقيت الهجوم على اللاجئين مدبرا بحكنة. بعد منتصف الليل في عطلة نهاية الأسبوع ونهاية العام. كل من اتصلت بهم من الصحفيين كانوا خارج المدينة. وصل الى المكان عدد من النشطاء السياسيين لكنهم كانوا عاجزين عن فعل شىء تماما. بعض نشطاء حقوق الإنسان كانوا معنا على الهاتف طوال الليل. أحد المحامين، زياد، تمكن من الدخول الى حيث اللاجئين لكن تم ابعاده بالقوة من قبل البوليس
بقية النشطاء؟ عار آخر
بعد حوالي ساعة أخرى انهال عليهم سيل جديد من الماء. هذه المرة كانت المياه منخفضة وقوية وموجهة مباشرة نحو البشر. توقفت المياه وبدأت جولة من المفاوضات ما بين اللجنة المنتخبة من اللاجئين ومسئول حكومي مصري ومسئول من المفوضية العليا لشئون اللاجئين. قال المصري: المفوضية لن تقدم لكم شيئا. نحن مخولون من أعلى سلطة في البلاد لتفريق هذا الاعتصام اليوم. وجاء رد اللاجئين: سوف نموت على النجيلة.
تمكنت من التسلل الى الصف الثاني من رجال الأمن المحيطين باللاجئين. واحد من الأوتوبيبسات العامة المنظرة في المكان كان به خمسة من اللاجئين جالسين في المقعد الخلفي على حين كان خمسة من جنود الأمن المركزي يضربون لاجئا سادسا بوحشية. من مكاني الى جانب الباص كنت استطيع أن أراه وأن اسمع صراخه وهم يضربونه على رأسه وظهره بأيديهم وبالعصي، وهم يركلونه ويلوون ذراعه وراء ظهره وهو يصرخ بصوت أعلى فأعلى. أحد الضباط الواقفين جانبنا قال: أنه يحاول أن يكسر زجاج الباص وأن يهرب لأنه مخمور. في هذه اللحظة وقف أحد الرجال في المقعد الخلفي وأخرج من نافذة الباص طفلة لا يتجاوز عمرها بعض شهور وهو يصرخ: لسنا مخمرين. لست مخمورا. وهو ليس مخمورا وهذه الطفلة ليست مخمورة. أمها ماتت هنا في هذه الحديقة. تحول الجنود اليه ليضربوه على حين واصلوا ضرب اللاجىء السادس. أحد الشباب الواقفين التقط المشهد على هاتفه المحمول ثم أرسله الى.
المراسلون والمشاهدون وبعض النشطاء الموجودون في المكان بدأوا في ترك المكان يعد أن مر الوقت دون اي تطور جديدز كان الطقس شديد البرودة وكنت أشعر بأنفي ويداي تتجمد. لم أتصور كيف يشعر هؤلاء المغمورون بالمياه!
في حوالي الساعة الرابعة صباحا تمكنا من الدخول الى مبنى البنك المصري الوطني وفي هذا الوقت فقط تمكن من التعرف على الصورة الكاملة من طابق عال. في ميدان مصطفى محمود وما تمكنت من رؤيته من شارع جامعة الدول وشارع لبنان والشارع الجانبي للمسجد تمكنت من رؤية 60 سيارة من سيارات الأمن المركزي وأربع سيارات اسعاف و10 مصفحات وعدد لا يحصى من الباصات.
في الساعة الرابعة وأربعة وخمسين دقيقة انتظمت صفوف القوات وبدأ الصف الأول منها في الاقتراب اكثر والإحاطة باللاجئين. كانوا يجهزون أنفسهم وكان لصوتهم صدى في المدينة الصامتة حيث بدأوا في القفز من قدم الى اخرى على حين يهتفون هو – هو – هو – مصر ثم ينشدون: يا أحلى اسم في الوجود يا مصر.. نعيش لمصر ونموت لمصر!
كذلك اصطف اللاجئون داخل الحديقة ويدأوا في الهتاف: الله أكبر، لا إله إلا الله وحسبنا الله ونعم الوكيل. المسيحيون يدأوا ينشدون: هاليلويا. وبذلك تم تحديد طرفي المعركة.. المدنيون القليلون الموجودون في المكان بدأوا في تشجيع الجيش المصري ضد “الطفيليات القذرة السوداء، المسيحية”. نعم لقد كان مشهدا لا انسانيا.
في تمام الساعة الخامس صباحا بالضبط بدأت مدافع المياه تهاجمهم من جديد وبطول سيل المياه بدأت قوات الأمن هجومها على اللاجئين السودانيين بالهراوات والدروع.
بعد دقيقة توقفت المياه وقام الجنود بتدمير ما تبقى من خيامهم على حين قام الصف الأول من الجنود بقذف متعلقاتهم وحقائبهم بعيدا ليفسحوا الطريق لصفوف الجنود القادمة وراءهم.
اللاجئون دافعوا عن أنفسهم باستخدام العصي الخشبية التي كانت ترفع خيامهم ، وزجاجات المياه البلاستيكية وأيديهم.
اللاجئون الموجودون على الجانب الأيسر – تجاه محلات العجيل- دافعوا عن أنفسهم ببسالة ونجحوا في إجبار قوات الامن على التقهقر ثلاث مرات لكن الجنود كانوا بدأوا هجومهم من الجانبين الآخرين. سمعنا صوت ضربات معدنية عالية. أعتقد ان تلك كانت أصوات العصي الحشبية على الدروع الحديدية للجنود. وامتلأت الدنيا بصدى أصوات صراخ النساء والأطفال.
بعد عشر دقائق سمعنا صوت صفارة وانسحب الجنود من الحديقة. أعاد الجنود تنظيم ثفوفهم. انضم مزيد من الجنود الى الصفوف المتراصة أمام محلات العجيل. مع الإشارة الثانية بدأ الهجوم مرة أخرى. هذه المرة كان الهجوم شرسا. أغلقوا أنوار الميدان ولم يسكت الصراخ لحظة واحدة. كان أكثر الصراخ حدة هو صراخ الأطفال. لم أدري في أي اتجاه أنظر. كان الجو باردا. وكانت الدنيا ظلام. كنت متأكدة ان الحديقة لابد وان تكون غارقة في الطمي بعد كل تلك المياه. كان الجنود متوحشين.
كانوا يضربون الجميع ويدهسون كل شىء وأي شىء.
بمعدل كل ثانية أو ثلاث ثوان يتم جر أحد الاجئين من دائرة الرعب، ليتم ضربه طوال الطريق الى حين تسليمه الى ثلاث جنود آخرين ليتمكن من العودة واصطياد لاجىء آخر. أما الثلاث جنود فكانوا يواصلون ضرب اللاجىء بالعصي على ظهره ويجبروه على الركوع ويصفعوه على وجهه ثم يسحلوه الى الباص حيث يتولاه طقم ثالث من الجنود. وطوال لاوقت كانت قوات الامن تسب اللاجئين بأفظع الشتائم.
لقد حدث ذلك للرجال والنساء بدون تمييز. أحيانا حين تكون الصحية امرأة كنت أرى طفلا يحاول أن يمسك بأحد ساقي امه في حين كان الجندي يجذبها بعيدا عنه. لقد رأيت الجنود يحملون أربعة لاجئين وفي اكثر من مرة كانوا يسقطون بدون حراك على الأرض وأطاد أقسم أنهم كانوا ميتين.
أفظع ما في الأمر كان ردة فعل المصريين. فقد كان المدنيين يشجعون الجنود كما لو كانوا قوات مسلحة حررت فلسطين. وكلما تقدم جنود الأمن المركزي في معركتهم مع اللاجئين العزل كلما زاد التشجيع والصفير والتصفيق. لقد كانوا سعداء!
كان الجنود أمام محلات العجيل يستعدون للانضمام الىالمعركة حيث قال لي مضيفنا الواقف الى جانبي في الشرفة: “نحن ندخل من الجانب الأيسر”. نظرت اليه في ذهول:
هؤلاء ليسوا “نحن”. قال” أقصد المصريين”. قلت” هؤلاء ليسوا مصريين” قال: “مش مهم”
وبدأت أرجف.
في اثناء ما كان اللاجئون يخرجون في أعداد أكبر أجبرتهم قوات الأمن على الجلوس على الأرض على حين كانوا يضربوهم ليمضوا الوقت الى حين يأتي الجنود وينقلوهم الى الباصات. أحد الأصدقاء قال لي انه شاهد أحد الضباط يبصق على الباص وهو يتحرك بعيدا باللاجئين!
انهارت مقاومة اللاجئين تماما. وعلى حين تبقى عدد قليل من اللاجئين داخل الحديقة يواجهون حوالي 2500 من جنود الأمن المركزي علا صوت الصراخ حادا يائسا.
وانتهى كل شىء في تمام الساعة الخامس والنصف!
حين تمالكت نمفسي بعض الشىء أخذت سيارتي وسرت وراء ست باصات نقل عام بيضا حملت اللاجئين المصابين ومعهم قوات أمن الدولة الى معسكر الأمن المركزي في دهشور على طريق الفيوم. وصل الباص هناك حوالي الساعة السابعة والربع. المعسكر يقع حوالي على بعد 40 كم خارج القاهرة. قد تكون المسافة أقل أو أكثر بقليل. كنت متعبة.
أرقام الباصات التي شاهدتها كانت 3686 و4107 و6132 و4335 و3696. لم أتمكن من رؤية رقم الباص الأول.
عدت الى القاهرة، مباشرة الى ساحة المعركة. وسوف أترك الصور لتحكي ما جرى.
http://www.norayounis.com/2005/12/30/74
حتى هذه اللحظة مات عشرون من اللاجئين. هناك اخبار بإطلاق سراح كل من أخذوا الى معسكر 6 أكتوبر. البعض أطلق سراحهم من طره. لا توجد أنباء من دهشور.
أفراد ومجموعات ومحامون وجميعات سوف تتظاهر غدا السبت 12 ظهرا في نفس المكان، احتجاجا على وحشية الحكومة المصرية والدور المشين للمفوضية العليا للاجئين
Shame on us, shame on our security forces, shame and more shame on Egyptians who cheered for the…I can’t realy find the words, I feel like crying. Shame Shame Shame.
Comment by The Eyewitness — December 30, 2005 @ 21:35
I know what you feel and what you mean
It seems under pressure we love to see others suffer because that give us the impression and feeling that there could be worse, that we have a value compared with those refugees, I hate to say it but it seems very true just moments after talking with few of my friends, the close ones!!!
What a shame!!!!!!!!
Comment by freesoul — December 30, 2005 @ 22:06
Adly decided to show his unmasked fascist face. The massacre of Midan Mostafa Mahmoud (which would take its place beside Tal el Zaatar and Ajloun) should be the starting point for a new step in our campaign against Mubarak, Adly, and all the similar fascists.
Comment by Ahmed — December 30, 2005 @ 22:27
Noura thx for your coverage u let us see what we woudn’t see ,thx to take the risk to cover another crime against humanity of the bloody history of the Egyptian Security.
it’s so cruel and words coudn’t describe how it is unhuman
Comment by wa7damasrya — December 31, 2005 @ 0:36
تحية حارة يا نورا على التغطية المؤلمة جداً.
لا تعليق يمكن أن يصف مثل هذا الهمجية والتخلف …. شخص لا يملك شئ وعاجز تماماً عن فعل أي شئ ويلجأ إليك يطلب المساعدة من أجل ان يعيش .. مجرد ان يعيش .. ليست مسألة ترف .. فنعامله -حكومة وشعب- أسوأ من معاملة حيوانات ..
لا حول ولا قوة إلا بالله …
Comment by محمود — December 31, 2005 @ 1:01
I feel like crying. This is an inhuman crime that those who ordered it should be put to trial including the big old ugly man. Why do the comments mention only Adly? He is just a secretary of the big bloody monster. No one moves a finger without orders from him personally.
Thanks for showing this to us. However, the few Egyptian audience you mentioned are not representative of all Egyptians. Although I understand your disgust of those “people” and their comments, I will urge you to review the generalization. Some ingnorant unemployed youth who have nothing to do except hanging late at night in the street cannot represent all of us.
Comment by Amr — December 31, 2005 @ 1:46
Nora ,
No wonder i left UNHCR , i felt i was doing more for refugees when i volunteered for them than when i was working in the organization that was supposed to be their voice…. every day i wetn to Mostafa Mahmoud …3 months ? UNHCR left them there 3 months ? i know some of these refugees had closed and denied cases , but leaving them out there ? and for your info these refugeess could not be touched , i mean it could not be touched as long as UNHCR said they r under our umbrella … so this happening last nite means UNHCR gave the Egyptian authority the go ahead and the more i think about it … i feel i perosnally wanna go and ask every working in UNHCR how could u ? how could u know upper management decided to give the go ahead to Egyptian authority and be quiet ? how could u know that these ppl u wake up every day to defend their rights were going to be beaten this very night and u go to your bed and sleep ? Tyeb , i willa rgue that Eyptian public does not know what refugees are and the troubles they went through , but to cheer when a fello human being is being humilated ??? i wll say Egyptian authority was doing what it had … but UNHCR ???? UNHCR ?????????? UNHCR ????? i cant find an explanation … and i don’t even know why i am writing this entry … i am too shocked and depressed to talk …
Comment by Miral Zalabani — December 31, 2005 @ 2:09
I am too disgraced for words really. The thing that most angers me is that there is no logic (even if twisted) behind all this hatered. Many of us have become senseless savages
Comment by Alexandra — December 31, 2005 @ 3:06
Those cheering Egyptians, they just suffer from psychological disorders that make them show improper response. I don’t really blame them; they are just unconscious, not really evil.
Comment by M Y — December 31, 2005 @ 3:28
It is indeed shameful and desgraceful…
The least we could do.
http://groups.msn.com/HumanRightsInternational/general.msnw?action=get_message&mview=0&ID_Message=17877&LastModified=4675553990908127137
http://groups.msn.com/HumanRightsInternational/general.msnw?action=get_message&mview=0&ID_Message=17879&DDir=-1
Comment by Maryam — December 31, 2005 @ 3:49
Thank you for taking the time and effort to report everything that you saw in such detail. It is always on the borders of the world that the system reveals its true face. More or less, we are all refugees. Yet again, the Mubarak regime has brought infamy upon Egypt. The state-owned press is already reporting more on the numbers of Egyptian security forces injured than the reasons for why 20 Sudanese died. They are shouting in a storm. The outside world sees only the brutality, the ignorance, the racism and the tragedy. The outside world sees only a system of violence that justifies the equally ignorant and righteous policies of the likes of Cheney and Bush. This system will not last. It is on its last legs. It scores minor victories against innocents, but its guilt is displayed for all to see. Your post, and hundreds like it, help Egyptians to see that Egypt deserves better than Mubarak can ever offer.
Comment by Ian Douglas — December 31, 2005 @ 5:42
it wasn’t surprise for me how the police force deal with these poor people because they do so or maybe more with the Egyptian put what realy surprised me was the civilian reaction it’s realy shame …it’s realy shame that we not value the life or the humanity.
Comment by hany — December 31, 2005 @ 8:16
All praise to you for your moving and vivid report of this disgraceful incident. Keep the flame of truth alive, continue your work. I hope the world is listening.
Please take great care - my best wishes and sincere thanks.
Lancashire UK
Comment by Ted Matthews — December 31, 2005 @ 10:27
[…] نورا يونس علاء عبد الفتاح فعاليات الإعتراض على القتل العار عند المتعدي للطبيعي […]
Pingback by ديوان أبو يوسف » عندما يلفظك العالم — December 31, 2005 @ 12:19
شكرا نورا علي المجهود الكبير
فعلا
عار علينا جميعا
Comment by عمرو عزت — December 31, 2005 @ 13:14
اذن هما اللى لازم يخجلوا انهم شوهوا سمعة مصر لهذه الدرجة طالما بيعتبروا انهم صحاب البلد واحنا ولاد الجارية
Comment by عبد الله النديم — December 31, 2005 @ 13:49
ى هدية حبوب العادلى بمناسبة توليه الوزراة فعلا شئ مقزز و مهزلة اخرى من مهازل نظام متعفن لا يعرف سوى البطش و الاستبداد
Comment by ابن مصر — December 31, 2005 @ 14:29
Dear Noura
No words to say how much effort you did, thanx is the least i can say.
and thats funny.
Egyptian Civilians who laughed at this incidnt, who are Egyptians? 80% are poor people, uncivilised people, am sorry to say this but most Egyptians are away from the civilized world.They dont know how people act to improve thier living condition. they think they are the best (while civilized nations pitty them).
imagine if a girl made an accident with a microbus, can u imagie what will happen to her ? the microbus man can do anythign to her just anything, and u can imagine the rest about how the people in the microbus will say to her how they will look to her how they will ask the girl to move away so they can go on thier way, and if ….only if a police man was there he will check the girl’s body first and act in an arrogant way then do nothing to her (how much this police man’s monthly salary to even do an effort to help) i ve seen a man being beaten (Arba3ah we Nos area) infrot of his wife and daughter who was crying and the police man didnt do anything he just watched and left.
dear all lets admit that most of the Egyptians are uncivilized (sorry but it’s the truth) we should work on civilizing Egyptians first, as they still think they are pharaos and they are the best
being objective is not a shame.
i still wonder why didn’t Egyptian government make any use of Amr Khaled to Civilize Egyptian People, from a religious prospective he could have changed the people’s attitude, buy as usual the government is more clever than all of us.
Egyptian peole think that sinc they go to work and take thier salaries then they are ok, they dont know thier rightthe government is deceiving them for ages.
Comment by Khaled Abdel Moniem — December 31, 2005 @ 14:57
Nora,
I am sorry to say that I feel as if i am in another country, truly, i always feel this way not only because of what happened to the refugees but because of everything going on wrongly in this country and in the region and the world as a whole. I always feel i am an outsider as i can do nothing even to Egyptians and even to my own family and friends. it seems that there is a deep split between government and people as if they are two countries rather than one. that’s why i cannot really describe my feelings or even try to feel something. however, i was shocked when i saw on TV the Secuirty guy kicking and beating a helpless man and when i found that 4000 security men were brought about to fight 2500 refugees including women and children this my dear indicates very clearly how insecure the regime is. yet, we must admit that the Egyptian government would never have taken this action unless upon the request and under the auspices of the UNHCR, So it is the UNHCR to be blamed because it is an incarnation of ferocious globalization where wealthy countries and organizations are squeezing poor peoples of their wealth and resources and then they deny them their own rights. i am sorry to say that it is not the Egyptian security forces, only, who are to blame but the UN and the world at large. I am sorry for the refugees as they were the direct victim of such policies. but we must also bear in mind that their own country never responded nor did the UNHCR nor did any of the first world countries who supported so much the division of Sudan. we must recalculate everything anew in order to make things right.
Comment by hayam — December 31, 2005 @ 17:15
It’s a black day indeed for Egypt. Everything was just shameful. Police brutality and people’s prejudices against Black Sudanese are unbelievable. You’d assume, with all the racist treatment we get abroad in the West or in the Arab Gulf, that we won’t engage in the same behavior. Don’t we complain all the time about mistreatment of Muslims in the West, or how Egyptians get screwed in the Gulf, or this or that. If we do that to our Sudanese brothers in Cairo, we shouldn’t complain when they kick our butts abroad by racists.
Sudanese are only depicted in movies as drug dealers, bawabs, or prostitutes. I ask our “enlightened” artists, as they brag all the time about themselves, to do something about changing those stereotypes.
On behalf of so many Egyptians who feel disgusted by what happened, I’d like to appologize to my Sudanese brothers about what happened. Refugees should be welcomed in Cairo.
Comment by Hossam el-Hamalawy — December 31, 2005 @ 17:52
i am speechless , unhumanity? this word is not enough to describe what happened from the civilians, the soldiers? the UNHCR ?
اللى غايظنى اعلامنا ابن ال…… اللى عايز يطاعهم ( حشرات ناقلة للوباء - خامورجية- متطفلين و متبطرين على النعمة)ء
ابتلانى الله بمشاهدة الأخبار على قنواتنا الأرضية , و ده نص اللى اتقال:ء
1-الناس دى بدأيظهر بينهم “أوبئة” واخد بالك من أوبئة دى؟ و الأوبئة دى بدأت تنتقل للسكان المحيطين
( واضح ان ال…. اللى جاتله فكرة الأوبئة دى كان - بالاضافة لإنه ….- انه كمان غبى , اوبئة دى يعنى تيفود مثلا , و ده ماكانش الحال , أكتر حاجة باينة هى سوء التغذية , وده على حد علمى مش وباء)ء
2- مخمورين و قذفوا الشرطة بزجاجات خمر فارغة
( هما لاقيين ياكلوا لما يسكروا!! الاعلام عايز يبينهم ” صيع مايستاهلوش رحمة” , وحكاية زجاجات خمر دى افتكاسة من الألمعى المفبرك , اذ ذكرت كل وكالات الانباء انها “زجاجات” فقط , أما حكاية “خمر” دى حته كده فوق البيعة علشات الصورة تكمل)ء
خلاصة الكلام , القيادة السياسية هنا ماتفرقش عن اسرائيل فى اللى بتعمله فى اخواتنا فى فلسطين
اخر حاجة : كنت فاكر انهم علشان سودانيين حيبقى فيه شوية حرص فى التعامل علشان مايحصلش مشاكل مع السودان الشقيق , و لكن يبدوا نه ما أن تمت التربيطة بين النظاميين الحاكميين حتى تعامل معهم الأمن كما يتعامل مع ولاد البلد المصريين , كرم!! و زودها شوية و قتله 25 واحد واجب ضيافة, ما أرخص ابن ادم فى هذا النظام العالمى : قيمتك ضهرك , و لو مالكش ضهر مالكش قيمة , حسبى الله و نعم الوكيل
Comment by mahmoud — December 31, 2005 @ 18:44
I know that ur probably all hyped up because u witnessed this urself, also it seems that you have a sudanese women working for u or what not, but i think ur being a bit byass. 1st: The UN supposedly did whatever they could, they couldnt send them to third countries like the US and Canada, but they did reach a compromise with the leaders of the group, that said, they should have left last week already, thats one thing that accounts as their fault. Second: We let them spend 3 months on that turf, that is probably the longest sit it i have ever heard of, that said, u should also keep in mind that all this time the police forces guarding them were pretty damn pissed and might i add, scared shitless(talked to a couple of policemen at the site last month, turns out they were friends of three of the policemen that died during the last outbreak the sudanese had with the UNHR in cairo)….anyway, to justify the excessive force used by the police, would be at the very least inhumane since 20 innocent people died, but to claim that these people were brave and fought back?no screw that, they should have freakin left if they cared about their lives…the police warned them once, twice, obviously the egyptian police were about to end it, now to stand defiant against that with ur baby in ur shoulder?
not a very responsible act, and they should be blamed equally, side by side with the people u call inhumane and sadistic
Comment by TS — December 31, 2005 @ 18:46
Well done Noura,
The sense of shame is a pretty strong within me right now and, more than ever, I feel justified having left Egypt. But your honest and incisive coverage is helping me feel a shade of optimism. I’ve seen barbaric behavior by all races, all ethnicities and all nationalities so I can’t pretend that Egyptians are the only ones. But what is truly shameful about this case, is that we find actions like this acceptable and attempt to justify it through ourselves and, by extension, our media. I’m hoping that honest people like yourself can continue to shine a bright light on the ugliness that others try to hide. Only then can any kind of change be truly possible. Until that happens, I’m afraid, all we have is a raging sense of grief and shame. Sad days.
Comment by Mo — December 31, 2005 @ 19:08
ما نقلتيه مشكورة لا يدعو فقط للعار ولكن امانا مستقبل مرعب وسط كل هذة البربرية من الجميع :قوة انحطت وجماهير منهارة اخلاقيا ومنظمات فقدت حماسها الانساني
Comment by وليد نصر الدين — December 31, 2005 @ 20:41
Sudanese refugees dispersed by force
Nora Younis provides an eyewitness account of the Sudanese refugee sit-in in Egypt that erupted in violence when police stormed the protest center, which had been set up in an upscale Cairo neighborhood in front of the UN refugee office. The three&…
Trackback by protein wisdom — December 31, 2005 @ 21:52
This is flat out shameful by all standards!!! Hasbuna Allah wa ni’m al-Wakeel…Regardless of who’s fault and the background of this case, how did TWENTY people die here!! And, of course, this was the New York Times’ headline story this morning, Dec 31, 2005. Ina li Allah wa ina ilayhi raji’un..
Thank you Ms. Younus for the coverage.
Isma’il, CA, USA
Comment by Isma'il Kamal — December 31, 2005 @ 23:55
As an American I am disgusted. The fascistic behavior against Christians and fellow Africans is not surprising from Egypt. America should cease immediately all international aid to Egypt. The hundreds of millions of dollars we give is clearly a disgusting waste of funds. Shame on you all.
Comment by Chris — January 1, 2006 @ 0:04
Thanks to you for making all this effort to give us an eye-witness description of what happened. However, your coverage is emotional and negelcts the fact that these people have stayed in a park in an important place in Cairo for three months and refused an offer of $700 on-time pay from UNHCR. No country in the world would have allowd a crowd of more than 2000 people to stay like that endlessly. Given that the refugees refused to leave voulantrily, I’d assume that forcing them to leave was the only remaining option however difficult it is. This does not mean that i agree with how force was used. Actually from your description and the number of deaths, it’s clear that the use of force was excessive and inefficient. I agree with your shock at the comments of some
eye-witness civilians that viewed it as a battle between Egyptians and foreigners. But i think it’s a result of economic difficulities in Egypt that force people to think only about their own problems and ignore or underestimate others’.
Comment by Mohamed — January 1, 2006 @ 0:10
A Candle and a Dua’a
Dear Nora
A big hug to you…I received your sms at 1:30 am Friday saying you are there and the attack will follow in few hours and called and sent messages to all the media persons I know, but as predicted the Egyptian police chose well the timing..it seems they wanted the rich people of Mohandessin to enjoy new year evening without the scene of anyone asking for any rights around, surely not “black” poor people.
Friday was sad for me..and round noon I started calling for a satirday 5-6 pm silent vigil saturday in the name of the Egyptian Mothers’ Active Network.I knew some fellow activists started calling for a demonstration at 12 noon but thought there was no contradiction..let us have different forms of protest all day long to accommodate different peoples time schedule and political taste.And we did.Yesterday-Saturday-was like that.
I arrived there 5 pm sharp..felt very moved, and you know what..felt guilty too.I was there in my bed sending sms and calling friends while they were dying on the street..was this good enough?As a Muslim I felt horrified that Allah would hold me responsible for the “silence”…that’s why I called for the vigil..
When I saw you there Nora I hugged you…I felt you were still shaking..and you surely will need time to recover from that traumatic experience.I did not greet you for the report..nor for the courage, I just felt like keeping you in my arms and hugging you forever.Allowing you to cry and crying with you.
I brought to the vigil three candles, one for the victims of torture who died in prison for the last 24 years since Mubarak took over, one for the victims of the last elections that took place December 2005 who lost their lives because of state police brutality and violence-but also for all the victims of all previous elections, and the third for the sudanese refugees who only asked for decent life and who could have been dealt with differently…without loosing their life.
All those were killed by the same regime, the same police apparatus, the same state system.
As for the racism you complain about , it is a result of opression -as a commentator here above mentioned..only when people know what dignity is would they defend the dignity of others.You should pitty them.
I live in Maadi..many sudanese refugees live around.I raise my children to be good Muslims, meaning appreciate difference and diversity and respect all God’s creatures and foremost their fellow humans no matter what race, religion, nationality or ethnicity.I was struck that my 7 years old boy said few days ago watching a bunch of black sudanese come out of a church after celebrating xmas on the 24th :” I feel disgusted when I see these people.” I know that this was not my fualt nor my value system…so he must have heard it on the street..or among his peers joking or so. I tried to be calm and turned to him and siad: “Well..dear ..remember that your color was not your choice, so how would you feel if you were born black? Besides.. I just want to remind you that Bilal the companion of Prophet Muhammad who had a beautiful voice and used to say loudly the call for prayer was as black as they are..he was Ethiopian.” Ali kept silent for a moment and then said in shame: “Its true mum..now I remember.”
The lesson is simple: people have to be reminded..all the time..that we are all equal and humans.We are all the creation of Allah and stand equal in front of him.In many societies this simple fact is usually simply …forgotten.
Let us keep reminding people…our people…and other people.
I love you Nora..and I am proud that I know you.
May Allah bestow on you peace, help you heal your pain and allow you to come out of that difficult experience more strong, and let us mourn all the victims of that brutal totalitarian regime that managed to make people witness crimes without acting against them…even if the crimes were…against them.
Salam 2 you and 4 you , sister.
Heba
Comment by Heba Raouf Ezzat — January 1, 2006 @ 10:53
It’s good contribution of you Nora to that great job covering sad things done by human beings! The UNHCR should close down everywhere better than tantalizing refugees everywhere. Then, they( refugees) will depend on themselves.
Comment by Nasser Arrabyee, Sana'a ,Yemen — January 1, 2006 @ 12:54
شكرا على مجهودك ..رائع بجد ..تغطية من اجمل ما قرات..شكرا
Comment by رضوى اسامة — January 1, 2006 @ 14:09
عزيزتى نورا
قرأت تغطيتكم المفزعة
للمجزرة المروعة
وأحسست مثلكم بالعار
لكونى مصريا
وبالمناسبة
آمل أن تتكرمى بقراءة مقال
النيل هل يعتذر ”
للدكتور حمزة زوبع المنشور
فى جريدة
المصريون”
الإليكترونية”
عدد اليوم(1يناير2006
فى نهايةالمقال استشهد الدكتور حمزة ( الذى لم أتشرف
إلى الآن بمعرفته أو لقائه ) استشهد سيادته
بمقطع ورد فى قصيدة لى
نشرتهامنذ
أكثر من ثلاثين عاما
يقول المقطع
“فى هذا البلد الخزيان
قد تقصر حتى قدميه
فامة أطول إنسان “،
الآن وبعد أكثر من ثلاثين عاما مرت على كتابة هذه القصيدة،
وبعد هذه التغطية
المفزعة التى قرأتها لكم
أشعر بأن
كوننا مصريين قد أصبح أكثر من ذى قبل مدعاة للخزى والعار
ومع هذا
فإن
ما قد يقلل إحساسى بالعار
وما يجعلنى أشعر بشىء من الفخر
لكونى مصريا
أنه ما يزال بيننا
أمثال الدكتور حمزة
صاحب المقال سالف الذكر
وأمثالكم
وأمثال كل هؤلاء الأعزاء الذين قرأت نتعليقاتهم
على تغطيتك،
وكل أولئك الذين هزت ضمائرهم بعنف،
ما ارتكبته
أيدى شريحة مسعورة هى
من أبناء مصر للأسف
وما تفوهت به أفواه شريحة أخرى
لا تعرف إلا مصالحها الضيقة
من أبناء مدينةالمهندسين
الذين هم صدى لتكوين
وجدانى ساد واستشرى
فى زمن ردىء لعين
نصار عبدالله
Comment by د. نصار عبدالله — January 1, 2006 @ 16:12
hi noura,
thank you for this article.I look up on your strength what you did these hours.
I just have to write this comment.my background is a white non jewish german civilization.
I think I got your comment right when you talked about “egyptians […] cheered as if they are cheering for the ‘army forces’ freeing Palestine!”
it means for that egyptians would acclaim if jewish people got treated like sudanesian people did in Mohandeseen.your talking about inhuman behaviour - that it’s not acceptible what happened to these christian sudanese refugees.how can you make a statement where the same behaviour towards a human group seems to appear “ok”?
maybe you meant this sentence in another meaning, I feel for right now that you write that it would be acceptible to “free palestine” and to cheer this process which I think is a disgusting statement.
this statement is not only antizionist, it’s deeply antisemitic.antisemitism is hostility and hate toward Jews as a religious, ethnic, or racial group, which can range from individual hatred to institutionalized, violent persecution.
but again, let’s see what you say to that.
hannah
Comment by hannah — January 1, 2006 @ 18:58
I felt a mix of shame, outrage, and defeat. I felt ashamed that this happens to Sudanese in Egypt shortly after the shameful elections and the same level of violence against Egyptians. This comes only 2 days before the new year during which the government spends an unknown amount of money that probably could have made these refugees rich for the rest of their life. Why this violent agression and why now??? I felt outrage that this happens and we “Egyptians” can’t do anything to stop it or protest it. I felt defeated because I could not do anything from where i am in the US. Yet, I felt I had to do the least I can, speak up! It was my turn to do Friday Khutbah in our hospital. I spoke of how we, Muslims, have failed to prioritize our needs and concerns. How we would feel so humiliated if someone says something bad about the religion but not feel the same way when a government DOES what humiliate all of us beyond any religion. I told the attendants of the prayer that I speak against this agression “Thulm” as a Muslim, Egyptian, and a human. I told them that one of the worst things a human can do to a human is agression, like this one. This is worse than drinking which may hurt the drinker or other similar sins that affect only those who do it, yet we make a bigger deal out of it and we keep silent when Thulm/aggression happens. It hurts all of us, not because it makes Egypt look bad, but because it indicates the level to which we allow ourselves to be governed and represented by such government.
Why is it that there is no international investigation for this killing but there is one for Mr. Hariri. Why are we outraged when Serbs do this to Muslims in Bosnia but are quite when Egyptian authorities do this to Egyptians and Sudanese?
I know that we see a flow of internet expressions of anger like this one but what will actually change things on the ground is people on the streets and not so much our writings on the web. I shared my views with all of you but I am not comfortable yet. This is another source of my feeling of defeat!!!!!
Ina Lillah Wa Ina Ilaihi rajeoon.
Ibrahim
Comment by Dr. Ibrahim Awad — January 1, 2006 @ 19:19
Is this a message to Egyptians if they ever think of civil disobedience????????????
Comment by Dr. Ibrahim Awad — January 1, 2006 @ 19:27
Dear Nora,
I can imagine that I would have been in a worse state than you are now if I had seen the horrible scene against unarmed human beings just like me. Thank God I didn’t see it. I also understand your outrageous anger towards the police and the regime as a whole but I would like to write you some lines.
I’m afraid that the incidents that happen in our country makes us hate it and hate ourselves as well. As you just said, “This is not ‘we’ “. No matter what you say about anyone who took part in this massacre or those ignorant but (as Dr. Heba Raouf mentioned “oppressed”) citizens that cheered the sight, no one can blame you. BUT what I blame you for is mixing issues. I can’t ever imagine that Egyptians are racists against blacks. Just think of it for a moment, Ahmed Zaki who was prayed for at the very same place and mourned by millions of Egyptians was black, too. Another thing, are we, Egyptians, treated in a better way? Moreover, if this sit in happened by refugees from any other nationality or color (even if for Bosnians who are extremely white), would have anything changed? I doubt it. The only difference would have been that if a respectable country saw its citizens in a situation like that, living in a disgusting place and inhuman conditions, this country would have interfered to rescue its refugees abroad. See? The refugees are victims of their country that forced them to do so. They had no other choice. The police officers themselves are victims to a certain extent. They also had no other choice than to clear the square. I think they started in a human way but when the refugees rebelled, they had to take other actions. The refugees had the right to rebel against unjustice they face and to ask for their rights. However, it’s not their right to occupy another country (that already tolerated the situation 3 whole months) in that way. The police had the right to clear the place. However, it was not their right by any means to kill children, nor to be brutal towards humans.
Consider what the American, Chris, said in comment number 26 “shame on you all” and “America should immediately cease all international aid to Egypt”, just ask yourself and let him ask himself a question: If the same had happened in the US, how long would the “kind-hearted” Bush tolerate the Sudanese? How brutal would the US police treat the refugees. I think the answer would be: “Just as the US army have treated Iraqi unarmed civilians in Abou-Ghoreb prison”. I think it’s a shame for us to receive any financial aid at all, especially from a government (and I don’t mention citizens disagreeing with brutality) that is ruled as such.
My dear Nora, Egypt as a whole is a victim of corruption and lack of conscience everywhere and in every field. The whole world and the billions of citizens pay the price of some persons in charge selling the misery of their people to gain money or interests. This was a lose-lose situation resulting from politics, the dirtiest game ever.
Lot of condolescence to all sudanese, Egyptians, and human kind.
Comment by Samaa — January 1, 2006 @ 20:19
No More American Foreign Aid For Egypt
Asserts CaribPundit, a Caribbean conservative blogger: “Not one stinking red cent of American money, taken from a populace that is largely Christian and Jewish, should go to the
Trackback by Dean's World — January 1, 2006 @ 20:47
لاشك ضعف الأمة وتفككها والتمزق المستشري في اجسادهم والعنصرية المفرطه تؤدي الى ما نحن عليه لطالما هناك اختلافات متمسكين بها هذا مصري وداك سوداني واخرسعودي واخريماني ووووالخ0وان دل ذالك على شيء فأنما يدل على وهن عقيدتنا وبعدنا عن خالقنا وتسارعنا على الشهوات الدنيويه وكسب المال بأي صورة كانت ما تكن0 والمحاولات للتقرب من ربان لمسؤليه للتدفئه من تحصيناتهم 0 وكل مايجرى لنا ماهوا سوى مقابل اعمالنا وتهربنا من التمسك بشرع ربنا ولايغيرالله ما بقوم حتى يغيروا مابأنفسهم0 المؤمن في عصرنا محارب حتى من اهله ودويه وعشيرته التي تأويه ترفض الأعتراف به؟ ماذا دها الأمة والى اي مستوى متدهور نحن ننجرف 0فقد سقطت كل الأقنعه وماتت كل الظمائر وتجسدت معالم الحرب على الأسلام بمسماه الحرب على الأرهاب0 كلنا ارهبيين0 واي حرلايقبل المساومة على عقيدته ارهابي وكل مطالب بحق ارهابي وكل ناصح وكل صادق وكل معارض للحكومات المصنعة امريكيا او اوربيا ارهابي 0هولاء مصالحهم مع محبي السلام وعلى راءسهم بابا بوش وجده شارون واونكل بلير0 وعمه شيراك واونكل بركسوني 0 العالم في عصرالعولمه لامجال للتخلف الديني والرجعية الأسلاميه بل للعصرالذهبي المنفتح على مصرعيه للضلاالة والأنقسام والمصالح التي تسموا على كل قانون وشرع ربنا اي حكومه تم اختيارها من الشعوب بل معينون اما من امريكا او بريطانيا او فرنسا0والشعوب مغلوب على امرها لاحول لها ولاقوة الابالله العلي العظيم 0
Comment by باصهي — January 1, 2006 @ 20:54
Last November I had to pick up some donations from the building next to El Ogeil in Mohandeseen. I have been seeing those refugees for over a month then in the garden infront of Mostafa Mahmoud Mosque. I know that they are from Southern Sudan and I knew through a friend who used to work for the UNHCR that they have an issue going back to Sudan and an issue in getting aid from the UNHCR. I didn’t understand what was exactly the problem but I knew that their sit-in is a form of protesting. I see them very frequently as I live in the neighbourhood.
This night I parked my car and walked to the building. As I stepped out of the car, I found 3 young men of them sitting on the pavement. It was 11 p.m. and not many people in the street. For seconds I felt scared. In my mind I immediately associated them with violence and yes a big part of the association was because of their color. A stereotype of black being associated with violent! I started figuring out what would I do if they harrase me. I was really scared, but I found myslef smiling at the 3 men, and peacefully they returned my smile. Yes they smiled at me. On my way back to the car, I was no more scared of them. I smiled again a supportive smile and again they returned the smile.
Through the months November and December, I made sure to pass by the place where they stayed and read their banners. One of the banners read “We don’t want to go back home”. I always stopped infront of this one and thought “so whoever wrote this banner still thinks that Sudan is home, yet s/he doesn’t want to go back”. Each time I leave thinking how hard it is for someone to not want to go back to a place that he considers home. But I understand. They don’t believe that the peace accords signed bewteen the Sudanese government and the rebels will hold for long. They know that it is a matter of time before the accords fall apart and the civil war is resumed.I also believe so. They must have experienced horrors, horrors that made staying in the street on those cold nights in a foreign country better than going back home.
By time, I came to look at them compassionately. Many a time I thought of having a chat with some of them. Especially those people standing near the banner of “We don’t want to go back home”. Once I was waiting for a friend nearby and I thought of talking to a woman who stood near the banner, but I refrained. I was not scared this time, but I thought I might offend her.
Last week, I was telling a friend living close to the scene that it is getting very cold and wondering how are they managing especially the little children. When Nora sent the call for medicine email, I thought I would want to donate. That was Wednesday. I didn’t get a chance because the security forces were faster in voluntarily donating a medicine with a long lasting effect. They killed them!
Friday noon, passing by the scene, I found the cleaning guys removing the remains of luggage and banners. I wondered what has remined of my favorite banner. I thought to myself that if it ever came back, it would read “I don’t want to go back to life”.
Comment by Noha Sallam — January 2, 2006 @ 0:50
I agree with TS. This is a biased account as it does not look at it from the point of view of the egyptian govt. The sudanese were simply going to be escorted elsewhere since they didnt want to compromise with the UNHCR. They knew that if they dont move peacefully, they’l be beaten the crap out of and they simply decided to ‘fight back bravely.’ I must remind you all this is not a war - they are one block away from cilantro for instance, theyre in the middle of a residential area and they looted and destroyed buildings and cars etc by the way. I was personally there that night and the picture is not as bad as Nora explains it in her account (sorry nora, I must disagree). Finally, I hate the sweeping generalization you make about the Egyptian people - simply speaking, I’m an Egyptian and you described me on my behalf, do you even know me?
Comment by SAK — January 2, 2006 @ 3:33
سيدتى .. ليس خطأ .. القتل خطيئة ..
و لكن ما استغربه و يشعرنى بدوار دائم، هو رصدك للسلوكيات المنفرة للمواطن المصرى .. اليس هذا من تقومون بالمظاهرات دفاعا عن حقوق منعت عنه .. هل هذا هو من سيمارسها لو اتيحت له .. الن يكون من الأجدى القيام بالمظاهرات ضد المواطن المصرى .. نتظاهر ضد سلبيته .. ضد اهماله .. ضد عدم اتقانه ..
القتل خطيئة .. و لكن لو ناقشنا ما كان يطالب به المتظاهرون فسنجد أن أغلبه غير ممكن التحقق، و أنا أود أن أعرض لذلك و لو ايجازا لأنى وجدت الكثيرين يدلون باراء ليست مستندة الى اى معلومات عن الاتفاقيات الدولية المنظمة لشئون اللاجئين أو عن عمل المفوضية أو عن مطالب اللاجئين ..
أعتقد أن شكواهم عن سوء معاملة المصريين لهم و هى شكوى استمعت لها شخصيا من جانب عدد منهم و لن أقول “عدد كبير” حيث لا مجال للمبالغة فى قول شهادة، هى شكوى لا علاج لها الا ب “تأديب” الشعب المصرى من جديد!! فالسلوكيات فى الشارع تتطلب اعادة النظر فى دور الاب و الأم فما يلقون به الى الشارع هو منتج قليل الأدب
و لن أجاريك يا نورا فى دعوى الاضطهاد و عنصرية الشعب المصرى لأسباب دينية، فللأسف أغلب المضايقات الشائعة جدا فى الشارع و التحرش بالأفارقة من جانب الطلبة و العاطلين الشباب يكون محورها هو اللون و ليس العقيدة .. أنا شخصيا لا أظن أن المتحرشون أو المستظرفون قد يكون فى حدود علمهم أن هؤلاء “السود” يدينون بشىء!!
نهاجم بشدة رجال الحزب الوطنى حين نسمع من بعض متنطعيهم أن الشعب المصرى لم ينضج بما فيه الكفاية ليتحمل مسئوليات الحياة الديمقراطية، و نرد نحن ما لهذا النطع يتحدث عن نضوج أو مرحلة بلوغ لن يبلغها هو بمثل هذا النوع من التفكير الوصائى .. و لكن تصدمينا أنت بمثل هذا المقال ليكون حجة علينا لا لنا.
من مطالبهم ايضا و نتيجة لسوء الأحوال المعيشية و المضايقات التى يتعرضون لها طلبهم من المفوضية تهجيرهم الى احرى الدول الأوروبية أو الى الولايات المتحدة!! و و هذا فى رايى مطلب غريب قد يقدم الى منظمة هجرة أو شركة سياحة و ليس الى المفوضية.
فعمل المفوضية بالأساس تقنين وضع اللاجىء القانونى فى البلد التى التجأ اليها الفار من بلده لأسباب سياسية أو عنصرية أو دينية فهو فى طلب بحث حالته يطلب حمايته من ما هرب منه و لا يطلب السفر الى كندا مثلا ..
اكتفى .. و اشكرك لما بذلتيه من جهد فى تقديم تلك التغطية الممتازة علشان انا جالى الضغط من تلفزيون مصر
Comment by يوسف — January 2, 2006 @ 6:04
Let us not say bad things about Muslim treatment of blacks. Islam is superior help to the black man.
—————————–
The Prophet Muhammad was once asked what he thought of Habshees (Negroes). He is purported to have said:
“When he is hungry he steals, when his belly is full he fornicates.E(Race and Slavery in the Middle East, p.34)
————————————-
Yet, when a Habshee (negro) asked Muhammad if he could become a Muslim and enter Paradise, Muhammad replied:
“Yes, and in Paradise the whiteness of the Ethiopian will be seen over a stretch of a thousand years.E(Race and Slavery,
writers:
—————————–
Maqdisi (died 956A.D.):
“As for the Zanj [East African Negro], they are people of black color, flat noses, kinky hair, and little understanding or intelligence.E(Race and Slavery, p.52)
————————-
Ibn Qutayba (9th century):
“They [Negroes] are ugly and misshapen because they live in a hot country. The heat overcooks them in the womb, and curls their hair.E( p.46)
————————————
Sa’id al-Alndalusi (10th century):
“The only people who accept slavery are the Negroes, owing to their low degree of humanity and their proximity to the animal stage.) E (Race and Color in Islam, p.38)
————————————-
Nasir al-Din (13th century):
“Many have observed that the ape is more teachable and more intelligent than the Zanji.E( Race and Slavery in the Middle East, p.53)
————————————
Ibn Khaldun (14th century):
“Therefore, the Negro nations are, as a rule, submissive to slavery, because they have little that is human and have attributes that are quite similar to those of dumb animals.Ep.53)
———————————
Al-Jahiz (15th century):
“We know that the Zanj are the least intelligent and the least discerning of mankind, and the least capable of understanding the uniqueness of actions.E(Race and Color, p.59)
—————–
See:
Race and Slavery in the Middle East
Race and COlor inIslam
by Bernard Lewis
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/med/lewis1.html
Comment by Shaker — January 2, 2006 @ 7:35
Just one word
“Shame on ALL of us”
One Day WE will pay a price for that
your blood, my boold, our bloods …
Comment by The Dark Side of me ! — January 2, 2006 @ 9:32
Thanks for the coverage ya Nora.
This is another proof of how the regime has become just a rented dog for anyone who wants to do a dirty job without getting their hands muddied. As shocking as it is, the reaction of the bystanders is expected. The same brainwashed dirty-minded eager-for-action people. It’s all so sad.
Comment by hadouta — January 2, 2006 @ 13:54
That was very brave of you, going out there to report, very ‘journalistes sans frontiers’. New Year’s Eve on Dream 2, Ibrahim Isaa (Bless him) said of the Malta Aeroplane hijaking in the 80s “What is worse than to be kidnapped by a Palestinian? To be rescued by and Egyptian.” I will forgo the dicsussion on the ethics of the evacuation and go straight to criticizing the implemetation as I join the ranks of those numbed by the imbecility of the 4000 security guards that could not quietly each go in and select one refugee each to remove from the park . Nobody had to die. A lot of people had second thoughts about attending the vigil because apparantly Egyptian forces will risk an international incident fumbling to evacuate civil protesters from another country: how will they deal with dissenters from their own country whom they can massacre then bury them in their backyard and nobody will be the wiser…
Comment by Yasmine — January 2, 2006 @ 15:08
ya nora,
thank you so much for having gone there that night, to have witnessed and then reported what went on.
it is through courageous people like you that we can stem the tides of oppression & brutality.
i salute you - keep up the work!
to those who said that “I can’t ever imagine that Egyptians are racists against blacks.” - well … then (a) your imagination is quite limited and (b) you don’t seem to be living in egypt. ask dark-skinned people about their experiences. ask sudanese at egyptian universities. ask them about their experiences when they go out at night. ask egyptian men what they think about black women. ask them what they think about their daughters marrying black men.
egyptian society is racist. just like other societes.
–raf*
Comment by raf* — January 2, 2006 @ 17:17
know
Comment by tut nhial — January 2, 2006 @ 17:45
I am horrified and saddened. Noura and commenters, thank you for bearing witness. It takes great courage to speak up against the majority and your government. May God help you to stand, to protest, and to support the people who suffer. I can’t believe that the world is so quiet about this horror. If it had happened to white people it would be all over the media. How brave the Sudanese are. They must be organizing along Ghandi’s lines - they have no weapons so what choice do they have? God bless them.
Comment by Leila Abu-Saba — January 2, 2006 @ 20:00
The world hears, and sees, but the UN has done little or nothing for years about such cases, so don’t be too surprised when they do nothing again.
JB
Texas
The United States of America
P.S.
Isn’t it odd the way both refugees cried out to God, and yet did not stop to bludgeon one another about the manner in which to do so? Lessons from such odd quarters…
Comment by J Buechele — January 2, 2006 @ 20:39
[…] An eye-witness account of the incident last Friday night in which at least 23 Sudanese refugees were killed by Egyptian police, including some chilling photographs, is posted at this website. […]
Pingback by LDWorldWide » Blog Archive » More on the Sudanese refugees — January 2, 2006 @ 21:24
Nora- That is an amazing account of this horrible event. Prayers are with the Sudanese and the Egyptians today in the wake of these deaths.
Comment by Jim Hoft — January 3, 2006 @ 5:21
عزيزتى نورا / اعلم جيدا ان ما حدث شى مفجع ولكن الشعب المصرى هو المظلوم الثانى لسنا مسئولين عن اخطاء حكوماتنا وكيلانا يعلم ماذا يفعلو ايضا بالمصريين القضيه هنا مش انهم سودانيين القضية عند الامن ان فى امر من فوق فوق دى فين عمرك ما هتعرف انا اعتذر لكل صديق سودانى واقبل يد كل ام مات وليدها وانحنى احتراما لدفاع السودانيين واتمنى الا تحدث تفرقة بيننا وبينهم لاننا افارقه ورسالتى الى السودانيين (لاتحكمنا بما لم نفعله ) كنت اتمنى ان اموت مكان الاطفال ولكنى حتى لا املك هذا تحياتى واعتذارى الى السودانيين
Comment by asma — January 3, 2006 @ 11:09
[…] Disgraced to be Egyptian: A Testimony […]
Pingback by Nora Younis » Disgraced to be Egyptian: A Testimony — January 3, 2006 @ 11:37
I was kinda surprized that the Egyptian government did not intervene earlier. To me that was unusual patience and tolerence from our side, and i actually thought that for a change ‘Egypt’ is being more civilized. But, thanks to Noura, we all now how the Egyptian Security System works; brutal, hearless and evil.
As for the cheerleaders, as said earlier, they are products of supression and abuse; a big bunch of superficial and ‘emotional’ beings. They would cheer to the beating of helpless sudaneese, and they themselves would cry when they know that some of them died. Their emotions aren’t deep, they are not evil- i am not angry at them, I am more angry at the system that made them what they are.
But a question non of us ever asked, what should a government do in such a situation that is threatening their security. I mean I still stand firm against the beating and the killing, but what is the right thing to do? I myself don’t know, but I hope someone else does.
Tnank You
Comment by Tarek — January 3, 2006 @ 12:27
Hi,
There was a protest there a few days ago, by Egyptians - and I got an sms telling me when and where - I didn’t go. I didn’t go because unfortunately, I’ve been caught up in my own life for the last 2 months and I really had no idea about the situation. I can’t go, and possibly end up fighting - when I don’t know the issues. So I didn’t.
I’ve read your post, and - despite the brutality of the situation, and of the actions taken to ‘resolve’ it - I still don’t know how this whole thing came about. I’ve just read arguments both ways.
So - aside from the brutality - and the issues themselves - I can say this; yes - the reaction of ‘most’ Egyptians - is often unmeditated and thoughtless. I remember on the morning of the World Trade Center collapse - that many people…were happy about it. A cheap sense of revenge is what I saw there, what in Egypt you’d call ’shammat’. It was…spite.
However, I am an Egyptian as well, and I was in tears watching people jumping to their deaths, and I felt in my heart a heavy burden. I knew this was bad news. Bad news for all of us. For the people dead, and for the state of the world, and the region as well. I knew this would be the catalyst for bad, bad, bad things. And - I wasn’t the only one. Despite the many expressions of happiness, I know others who were horrified and heartbroken.
Sadly, I now read - a comment - by a ‘Chris’ ?
In which he says:
“As an American I am disgusted. The fascistic behavior against Christians and fellow Africans is not surprising from Egypt. America should cease immediately all international aid to Egypt. The hundreds of millions of dollars we give is clearly a disgusting waste of funds. Shame on you all.”
Well, Chris. You can suck my member. The fact is - If you were in any way decent, you would not even mention that they were Christian or African - that they were human should suffice. As for US Aid to Egypt, trust me - we don’t want it. It’s money given to agents on the take, and counted as a debt against us all. Please. Cease the AID. Jeezus.
And Chris, if you’re worried about dollars going to bad ends, you might want to consider how much Israel is costing you, on a daily basis. And what the goal of the expenditure is; nothing but sheer theft, assasinations, subjucation, and genocide.
NOT to mention - have you ever heard of Iraq?
Jeezus, Chris, get a life.
Anyway.
My 2 cents.
Comment by Omar Kamel — January 3, 2006 @ 15:30
[…] SUDANESE REFUGEES MASSACRED.. This story out of Egypt is heartbreaking–and infuriating. A blogger reports from Egypt, with pictures: “Disgraced to be Egyptian: A Testimony” …. (NRO) […]
Pingback by CaNN :: We started it. — January 3, 2006 @ 15:37
Nora, I don’t know how to thank you for your being witness and share this with us. I feel like crying. Sadly, I lived in Egypt for four years, I love that country, but I don’t find it strange what has happened, not what the state forces did and, even sadder, what many people in Egypt think about and treat Sudanese. That beloved country needs a change, not only a political one, a humanistic change, whatever it may bring about it. I’ll pass this testimony around and hope it will be useful in some way. Sheddi helek!!
Comment by Sergio — January 3, 2006 @ 15:53
i think what happened is an example of the miserable state our country reached and do not except our government to respect the humanity of these refugges as long as it does not respect the humanity of its own people and treating them like animals and may be worse. I only blame the egyptian people for this state our country reached as they became irresponsible and not carring for our own country and i think that what happened in the last elections is a clear example for this. i will end my comment by a phrase that i always say to myself when i see who bad our country became ( it is a dirty country and the peolpe living in it deserves no better than this as long as there manners are going worse from one day to another)
Comment by amr ibrahim — January 3, 2006 @ 16:39
Comment by maher — January 3, 2006 @ 16:42
not you only who feels the shame, not only this situation……i am abroad for 4 months now and whenever i hear news from egypt i feel not only shamed but also guilty to keep silent in front of all this owful things happening to our country. we must stop saying we are egyptians, must stop being a part of a civilzation that always fought for beside the right side whatever the strength of the enemy. we must stop saying we are pharos, arabs or muslims as i don’t think that these people were such weak and bad as us. believe me when i tell you i don’t know whether the ignorance , or the poverty that controls our behave in last elections with all the swards in the streets and all the blood for nothing more than continuing falling down or the people was talking around u that those sudanese deserves what happened to them. any way please stop calling anybody egyptian as it is better to think of them as a brand which died and ended and just could be seen in museams.
Comment by hasan — January 4, 2006 @ 3:16
Oh, I wasn’t able to stop my tears … Where is mercy, love, caring and helping.
I’ve just seen a program about that events … and it was lying and accusing others.
When are we going to learn to say the truth ??
May God have mercy.
Pureblood
Comment by pureblood — January 4, 2006 @ 3:19
Have you read Collapse by Jared Diamond? In it he postulates how the genocide in Rwanda and other similar civil strife may be related to overpopulation and environmental stresses. Cairo has been straining at the seams for 30 years or more. I do not mean to let the government off the hook with this - but this incident could be a reflection of what happens when too many people compete for too few resources: water, shelter, food. It’s a wonder Egypt hasn’t exploded long before this, and a testimony to its people that it hasnt’.
Comment by Leila Abu-Saba — January 4, 2006 @ 9:41
انا بشكر القوات المصريه علي ما فعلته فلا تحكموا عليهم بانهم قتله وهما مالهم دي اوامر ولازم تتنفذ بلزوق او بلعفيه وبعدين صح كان في زجاجات خمر
وكمان معاكسات منهم للبنات المصرين
Comment by alaa — January 4, 2006 @ 13:04
لي تعليق و تحليل أفردت له مدونة عن تصرف المشاهدين المصريين المباركين لقوات الأمن , رجاء الاطلاع عليه على:ء
http://benhoz.blogspot.com/2006/01/blog-post_04.html
وشكرا
Comment by mahmoud — January 4, 2006 @ 15:56
Nora, thanks for writing this. I know the shame when my country commits crimes, so I can at least begin to appreciate how you felt seeing this and the courage it took to say so.
BTW, Chris, you’re not entitled to come in here and act superior unless the dead from Fallujah were resurrected while I wasn’t looking. We’ve committed our share of crimes; condemn this one by all means, but don’t have the illusion that we are moral paragons who can look down on the Egyptian people.
Comment by Jonathan Edelstein — January 4, 2006 @ 16:38
Thanks for this eyewitness entry on the subject, I’ve been following the story online the last few days. Perhaps you can submit this entry to a few online publications (Muslim Wake Up! comes to mind as one) so it can be brought to more people’s attention.
Regards
Comment by Leila M — January 4, 2006 @ 19:51
بجد اللي ميعرفش يقول عدس انا ساكنه فلمهندسين جامعة الدول اللي تحولت لمزبله والتبول فلحداءق بجد احسن حاجة اتعملت هي انهم مشيوااا
Comment by alaa — January 4, 2006 @ 21:40
Without any attempt to under express the brutality of the repressive mechanism, Your sincerely effective reportage, reveals the incompetence of the Governmental Egyptian system as the provider of Safe Heaven to the refugees and UNHCR system to handle the operation of Reception, Protection and Re-settlement of the Sudanese refugees in Egypt.
Moreover, your report is under covering the racial and ethnic discriminatorily behavior of Cairo’s social society, at this stage of Egyptian history.
The Sudanese refugees have been granted safe heaven in Egypt. That is why they came to Cairo, expecting that they had escaped from the war Zone. During all the time of the south –north conflict, the Egyptian government formally accepted the refugees but UNHCR had difficulties to obtain clear procedures for the Asylum of the refugees. In addition, they have been badly harassed by the civilian. They and their families have been subject to harassment in the streets, schools, market, house land lords, transportation, etc.
The main question now is: What will happen to these refugees; in Dahshur and all over Cairo. Protest on UN Secretary General will never be a solution. There is urgent need for Human Right Mobilization; open Dialogue and Public hearing, by all parties in order to Restore the Dignity of the Refugees and to find effective solution to their re-settlement.
Wish you enough Energy to follow up on this case and others.
Comment by Mostafa Nosseir,Rio de Janeiro.Brazil — January 5, 2006 @ 5:24
[…] Testimoney (2) What happened in Mustafa Mahmud? […]
Pingback by Nora Younis » Testimonies on the killing of Sudanese Refugees — January 5, 2006 @ 12:07
I am not as angry at the police as i am angry and ashamed of the public Egyptians. Maybe this is the culture of weakness that Egyptians are now portraying. sometimes when you are too weak to fight for yourself and your own families, you want to feel that others are the same. Egyptians are unjustly treated all day liomg from th police and all other sources. I guess that is how Egyptians are feeling about the Sudanese.
By the way, I have many South sudanese working for me and for my family members and they are loyal to us. What can I say to them, Is any apology good enough, I guess not.
When human beings start to enjoy seeing other human beings hurt injustly, they have lost the most important aspect the characterizes civilized human beings” empathy”. Lets morn the what used to be the good Egyptian and think how to prevent the Egyptian children from loing their sens of humanity.
Thank you Nora for being who you are and expressing what some of the Egyptians really feel.
Comment by Mervat Tawfik — January 5, 2006 @ 15:55
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
شئ مُذهل ومُرعب الذي نقرأهه هاهنا …ومؤكد ماواجهه اللاجئين السودانيين كان قطعة من الرعب ذاته ليكن الله في عونهم وعوننا نحن العاجزين عن فعل شئ ، أشكرك عزيزتي نورة لأجل التغطيّة وقولك شهادتك ، لكني أختلف معكِ عزيزتي في عنوان شهادتك تلك ، لا ولن نحتقر كوننا مصريين مهما حدث ، فمصر ليست الحكومة ..ولن تكون..
مصر هي وطن بحد ذاتها وهي التي نعمل ونثور ونغضب لأجلها ، ولن تقوم أفعال قلّة - مهما كثر عددها - بتغيير هذه الحقيقة أو جعلنا نزدري كوننا مصريين ، قد نحزن ونكتئب ونغضب لأن يعتقد فينا الآخرون - نتيجة أفعال غير مسئولة وبربريّة بهذا الشكل- السوء كمصريين ، لكننا مؤكد لن نتنصل من مصريتنا أو حتى نشعر ولو للحظة بالعار لكوننا ابناء هذه البلد التي أعياها التعب وأذلتها الأيام وتحكم بها من لا يصونها ولا يحميها ولا حتى يحفظ ماء وجهها ولا يُعامل شعبها بما يُرضي الله..
وحتى لو وُجِد من المصريين من أهانوا مصريّتهم تلك ، فهناك مَن يعتز بهذه العروبة والمصريّة أيضًا ، لازال هناك مَن يُعدّ نموذجًا طيّبًا للعروبة ..
بالنسبة لما جرى نفسه ورأيي به ، هو أنني أختلف تمامًَا مع المهزلة التي حدثت ولم ولن أرضى أبدًا أن يُهان أخٌ لي في العروبة أو الاسلام بل وفي الانسانيّة بشكل عام اطلاقًَا بأي شكل كان ، ولا يُمكن أن نتحول لآلات قتل مسعورة تُنفذ دون فهم أو تركيز أو حتى مراعاة لأقل الضوابط التي حضتنا عليها أدياننا قبل قوانيننا وأعراقنا الدوليّة….ولأننا عرب وإخوة ..وحتى لو لم يكن من تعرّض لهذه المحنة عربيًّا فهم بشر وهذا يكفي لكي نُراعي ذلك جدًا ..
لكني كذلك لا أتفق مئة في المئة مع الأمر من بدايته في الأصل - وإن كانت تنقصني المعلومات الكاملة -، وأعني بذلك تجمهر وتجمّع الإخوة اللاجئين السودانيين في ميدان عام والعيْش بشكل تام في منطقة كهذه شاهدتها بنفسي منذ أشهر لمرة واحدة تقريبًا ، أنا أحترم مشكلتهم وأعلم أنهم لاجئين ويجب أن يُوجد لهم حل ، ولو إفترضنا جدلاً أنهم لجئوا لمصر وذلك لدورها الدولي أو لأجل المفوضيّة الخاصة بحقوق الانسان هاهنا في مصر ، فلا أفهم سر التجمهر في مكان حسّاس كالذين كانوا به ؟ مكان محاولات - مجرد محاولات - العيْش فيه مستحيلة لأنه ليس منطقة سكنيّة أساسًا ولم يقتصر الأمر على أيام بسيطة ، أيضًا المشكلة أننا نعجز كمصريين عن تحمّل أنفسنا وهناك ملايين الأماكن العشوائية في مصر التي ينقصها أقل القليل من الخدمات الأساسيّة لكي يعيش ساكنيها كما البني آدمين ، فمن أين سأُخصص لأي فرد زائد - مهما كانت جنسيته أو ديانته أو عِرقه - أقل القليل من العيشة الآدميّة اللائقة كما طُلِب ؟..لا أُدافع عن الحكومة هاهنا فلسنا بصدد البحث حول لماذا أصلاً لم يتوفر للشعب نفسه أصول الحياة الآدمية اللائقة..لكني أُفكر بصوت عالي وأحاول أن أكون حياديّة ..
الأمر أُشبهه في رأيي بأن أكون ساكنة في بيت ما ، يكفيني رزقي بالكاد وأولادي كثيرين ومنهم من لا يجد حتى الطعام ، ويأتيني قريبٌ لي من البلد يطلب مني أن أتركه يجلس لدي عدة أيام حتى تُحلّ مشاكله ، فأقبل بصدر رحب وأترك له الصالة فأجده بعد أشهر قد عاش عيشة كاملة وأحضر عائلته وعائلة جيرانه وجيران جيرانهم ..الخ، وإستتب لهم الأمر ولم تُحلّ مشاكلهم حتى الآن بينما أنا متضررة من وجودهم في مكان حسّاس - هو واجهة الييت نفسه - بشكل لا يُناسبهم هم أولاً قبل أن يناسبني أنا نفسي ، بالإضافة لعدم استطاعتي ايواءهم أصلاً أو ادخالهم أيًَّا من الغُرف لقصور في مواردي ، فأضطر أن أطلب منه آسفةً أن يرحل أو أن يحاول ايجاد مكان آخر لمعيشته هو وأسرته لأنني أعجز عن تحمّله وليس لعيب فيه أو قضيته اطلاقًا ..فأجده مُستميتًا على البقاء - وربما يكون لديه حق لعجزه وعدم مقدرته على ايجاد حلول ما - ويرفض بشدة أن يُغادر ، فأضطر حينها لاخراجه قسرًا ، لكن مؤكد ليس بهذه الطريقة البشعة الخالية من أي نوع من أنواع الانسانيّة والأخلاق ، لكني فكرت أيضًا ماذا كنت سأفعل بالضبط طالما هو يرفض الذهاب وحده؟ وماهي الوسيلة الآمنة إذًا لجعله يخرج بسلام طالما هو يرفض ويستميت في الرفض؟…أعني أن الأمور خرجت عن السيطرة طبعًا بالمهزلة التي حدثت وبالغ جنود الأمن جدًا فيما فعلوه وتحوّل الأمر لمجزرة أو مذبحة وليس لاخلاء كان يُمكن حدوثه بشكل أكثر رُقي وحضارة وآدمية مما جرى..وبحلول أخرى كثيرة..
كذلك الوجود غير المُرتّب له وغير المناسب لجماعة ما يُعرّض المُجتمعين والمتواجدين معًا للمشاكل ، فكما فهمت حدثت تجاوزات من بعض اللاجئين - حيث أنه من الطبيعي جدًا حدوث أخطاء أو تصرفات غير مسئولة من بعض الأفراد في مجتمع ما يحتمل الخير والشر والجيد والسئ ولا يُعيب المُجتمع نفسه في شئ بالمرة - هذا من جانب ومن جانب آخر فقد كان اللاجئون لا يعيشون في بيئة جيدة للمعيشة أساسًا وتعرضوا لكَم كبير من المُضايقات والمُعاكسات والرخامة من بعض المُستظرفين الذين وجدوا في الأمر تسلية وتجديدًا لحياتهم على مايبدو !، مما يجعل هناك ضررًا واقعًا على الطرفيْن أصلاً …يجب انهاءه ووضع حل له لكن ليس بهذه القسوة والبربريّة والغباء والحقارة…
هذه أفكار وأسئلة بأمانة أُحاول الاجابة عنها شخصيًّا قبل أن أتحدث هاهنا ، فالأمر مُحيّر وليس محسومًا كما أُلاحظ من الردود ، فهناك من يعترض على اخراجهم ذاته رغم كل المُعطيات وهناك من يعترض على الطريقة الشنيعة وأنا مع الفريق الثاني..
في الوقت ذاته أرفض بشدة تحميل الامر أبعادًا أخرى ، بجعل الأمر يبدو أنه مقصورًا على الاعتداء على مسيحين دون مسلمين أو العكس ، وتصوير الامر أنه فريقيْن يتحاربان مما يُلقي بظلال على تمييز عنصري وطائفيّة وماشابه ، ومجرد احساسي أن هناك من يُفكّر بهذا الشكل يُثير دهشتي ، وقد صدمت لردود أفعال جزء من المصريين والذين حضروا الواقعة وتعاملهم المُشين ، فالخطأ الحاصل واقع وكان سيقع على أي شريحة من البشر طالما التنفيذ يكون بغباء وبدون فهم أو بإعتبار الأمر - من قِبَل الأمن - قضية حياة أو موت أو دفاع شرعي عن مصر ضد الأجانب الأشرار !!! ، ومن قِبَل الأهالي شعور - غير مُبرّر ومُثير للذهول - بعدم الأمان وتهديد السودانيين لوجودهم ، وعدم وجود حل بوجود اللاجئين عندهم وتبّني جزء منهم لمواقف حمقاء أو عنصريّة بشكل يُثير الذهول ..
ورغم رأيي هذا فأنا كنت أتمنى حقًا لو يتم الوصول لحلول أفضل كنقل للاجئين لمكان مؤقت أفضل أو شئ أو حتى ترحيلهم على دفعات لعدم مناسبة مكان تواجدهم الحالي ، وحتى نصل لحلول وسط ، لا أن يحدث ماحدث..أو حتى ايقاف هذه المهزلة قبل أن تكتمل طالما هناك أطراف تطوعت للحل السِلمي لا الاستمرار كالآلات البلهاء في تنفيذ المهمة المُقدّسة !! ..لا أدري بحق أنا حائرة..ومصدومة لنقل ما يجري في أوطاننا العربيّة على يد الاحتلال الغاصب إلى أراضينا ذاتها لكي نرى ذات المُمارسات الشنيعة ..ذُهلت من استقتال جنود الأمن في ضرب وسحل السوادنيين وكأنه تار بايت مثلاً أو عمليّة تأديب ..كان يكفي يا بشر ما جرى لهم حتى اللحظة ولتعتذروا منهم عنه أو لاضطراركم للجوء له أصلاً ، وبأن تتم مُعاملتهم بآدميّة حتى يتم ترحيلهم ..لا أن يستمر مُسلسل الرعب هذا…
لست مًُنحازةً لأحد - وإن كان قلبي يعتصر ويدفعني دفعًا للدعاء على الحمقى والأوغاد الذين ابتلانا بهم الله والذين يُحطّمون كل يوم أي شئ جميل وحقيقي في حياتنا ولمن تسببوا في هذه المهزلة - ..أنا فقط أفكر بصوت عالي وأتحدث عن حيرتي الشخصيّة من خلال ما أسمعه وأتلقاه منذ يوم الحادث المشئوم..
وأُكرر رسالة أختي (asma ) في الأعلى..:
أنا اعتذر - بالنيابة عن كل مصري - لكل صديق سوداني أُهين أو جُرِح أو شعر بالمرارة بسبب ما جرى ، وأُقبّل يد كل ام مات وليدها ، وأنقل تعازيّ الحارة لكل من فقد عزيزًا في ذاك اليوم العصيب..
واتمنى الا تحدث تفرقة بيننا وبينهم لأننا إخوة مهما جرى..الى السودانيين (نرجو كم لاتُحاكمونا بما لم نفعله )
كنت اتمنى ان اموت مكان الاطفال والنساء … وياليت كان بإمكاني ايقاف هذه المهازل …ليتنا لم نشهد هذه الأيام العصيبة..فاليرحمنا الله برحمته ويقينا شر الغيْب ويُقيلنا من عثرتنا ويحمينا من شر الغد …وأن يغفر لنا ضعفنا وسلبيّتنا ..
اللهم أزل الغُمّة يا أرحم الراحمين ..,وحسبنا الله ونعم الوكيل فيمن ظلمنا وآذانا..
خالص تحياتي واعتذاراتي العميقة…
Comment by Ebtehal — January 5, 2006 @ 18:07
I know you won’t publish this as i only see you publishing from people who say well done and things like that.. Well i tell you SHAME ON YOU NORA !!
Comment by Rastaman — January 6, 2006 @ 18:41
You let a guy like that chris guy say shame on us egyptians.. well can you imagine what would happened if a bunch of sudanese egyptians tunisians nigerians or any other brethrens (brothers) would occupy a main square in new york for freaking 3 months time?? They would be behind the sun as we say in egypt.. i see the police waited for three month then as you said they tried to negotiate and the sudanese said we won’t leave.. ok what do you want?? they want to go to canada europe or the US.. Even Egypt is not good enough for them(as i know the government offered them a stay in Egypt while the UN said they are not refugees and can go back home). Well they refused.. police started the water high up so they would start to leave without getting hurt and they wouldn’t.. i totally agree with moving anybody who occupies any part of my land by force for any period ofr time! off course i do not agree with the outcome and the casualities but i do believe that the sudanese brought that to themselves.. And I want to add to all of you guys who try to make this a thing between moslims and christians. If they were some moslem egyptians who would defy the government and occupy a square like this they would have been pumped from behind la moakhza..
I am totally against the Mubarak regime now for many different reasons but that does not blind me into seeing everything in one colour.
Wake up you people and peace yo
rastaman vibration
Comment by Rastaman — January 6, 2006 @ 18:51
ياجماعه بلاش الحنيه دي يعني كان عجبكم منظر الحديقه اللي امام جامعععععععععععععععععع والتبول فيها وشرب الخمر ولاغرب الولاده والمعاكسات للبنات المصرين امام جامع اصلا السودانيين محترموش الارض اللي قهعدين عليها وانا لو مكان الحكومه المصريه كنت مشتهم من زمان لان بجد استنوا عليهم اكتر من الازم
Comment by alaa — January 6, 2006 @ 21:51
يعنى ايه استنوا اكتر من اللازم عليهم؟
هما كانوا طلبوا منهم يمشوا قبل كده؟
كان ممكن جدا يتم التعامل معهم بطريقة اقل حقارة ووحشية
لكن للاسف جنود الامن المركزى قد انهوا للتو دورهم المشرف فى الانتخابات البرلمانية وقبلها فى الاستفتاء ..يعنى لسة متعودين على كده
وحسبنا الله ونعم الوكيل فى قتلة الاطفال والنساء فى وقت الفجر
Comment by داليا — January 6, 2006 @ 22:45
[…] Nora Younis Nora’s amazing account with pictures is a must read and can not be summarized here. You have to read it fully. Nora collects several press clippings about the event. And several eye witness reports. […]
Pingback by Global Voices Online » Blog Archive » Egypt: The Massacre of the Sudanese Refugees — January 7, 2006 @ 1:14
This is an excerpt from a post published by “the interpreter of maladies”:
“I passed by this makeshift camp twice a day five times a week for the past three months, never did a refugee cause any disturbance, not even a fistfight. They would wash and keep the place reasonably clean, come christmas they even put up a tree and a gigantic placard wishing us cold-hearted passer-bys a happy new year. Once I saw a police car have trouble starting, two refugees gave the policemen a hand until the car drove off. I even say the policement that were alert for the first few days they were posted, relax as they got to understand the nature of the refugees.”
Read the whole post here:
http://ymotawy.blogspot.com/2005/12/blog-post_31.html
Comment by Nora — January 7, 2006 @ 19:30
انى لا ارى اى مبرر لما فعلته الحكومه المصريه
انى هذه الافعال بغير الغريبه عنهم
فقد سلطوا من قبل بلطجيه العتبه والمتهمين من داخل قسم الموسكى لضرب المتظاهرين المحتجين على حبس الدكتور ايمن نور
وادعو الله ان يرعى اللاجئين السودانين اللى كانوا فاكرين ان مصر بلد امن
وندعوا لموتاهم بالمغفره وبالجناتوالسلوان لذويهم
محتج مصرى على ما يحدث فى البلاد
مطالب باستقاله حبيب العادلى
ويوسف والى
واسقاط راس الافعى.حسنى مبارك.
Comment by ahmed elbagoury — January 8, 2006 @ 4:57
ياجماعة انتوا ليه ماسكين في حكاية ان في تفرقه بين ابيض واسود مصر مامشتش السودانيين علشان سود احنا مش متخلفين للدرجه دي طب ما في مصريين سود مثال اخوانا في النوبه لقصر واسوان ولا كمان مصر مشتهم علشان سكان المهندسين اغنياء مصر مشتهم علشان مشاغبين وسكراء ومرضي وممارسة الجنس في حديقه عامه وبعدين اللي يلعن مصر ويكره انوا مصري دا مايستهلش انو يكون مصري ولا حتي يستاهل انو يشرب من نيلها
Comment by alaa — January 8, 2006 @ 18:20
Nora, thank you for all you have done, for all you are doing, and for this post.
To those who are more concerned about the people living in posh Mohandisseen’s delicate sensibilities’ being offended by the site of human suffering than the human suffering itself: please pause and think for a moment.
Comment by Elijah — January 8, 2006 @ 19:44
[…] Don’t miss Nora Younis’ excellent and full account of the night when the Sudanese refugees were dispersed. It’s worth reading in full, as are the revealing comments. […]
Pingback by The Skeptic الشكاك » Sudanese Refugees, Khaddam — January 8, 2006 @ 20:29
Comment by dody — January 9, 2006 @ 14:03
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
شكراً على المجهود الرائع ولكن لا يكفى الإعتراض على الفساد ولنكن أكثر إيجابية فى إعتراضاتنا على أفعال النظام المهيتة التى لا تدل إلا على فشله وديكتاتوريته ولذلك هو لا يأوى إلا الحشرات
Comment by منار — January 10, 2006 @ 0:12
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
ربما لو كانوا يهود أو أمريكان لكان الوضع إختلف ولسكنوا أفخم الفنادق وتمن النظام رضاهم ولو قدم لهم كل يوم تنازل جديد ولكن مشكلتهم أنهم أفارقة من دولة مضطهدة
ولماذا لا نقدم إعتراضا جماعاً ونطالب بمحاكمة دولية لهذا السفاح الدموع الذى لا يحمى إلا النظام المتعفن ليضمن بقائه إلى أبد الآبدين وحسبى الله ونعم الوكيل
Comment by منار — January 10, 2006 @ 0:17
Anyone with a heart no matter of what race, color or country I feel could not be moved to action after what has been read. I wish I were closer I would help with any children that I could but I can remember all in prayer.
Comment by Brandy Devine — January 13, 2006 @ 23:22
innalilla……
Whatever happened to that Mohajer-Ansar relationship we are supposed to have with the disenfranchised?
I hope and am sure that the hospitable masses of Egypt are helping the displaced, away from the glare of the state/press..
what a depraved army action…
Comment by Fuad — January 16, 2006 @ 4:09