Its an old photo, but aren't they just adorable?

A summary from Bloomberg Businessweek:

SAIC gets $46M deal for Egyptian military center

Science Applications International Corp. won a $46 million, 3-year contract to build a training center for Egypt’s military, the company said Tuesday.

Work will be done mostly in Orlando, Fla., and San Diego.

The company had built two other training centers for the Egyptian armed forces. The third center is designed to handle large training exercises.

The shares rose 3 cents to close at $12.97

——————-

Meanwhile, Egyptian media is unable to even discuss the issue, let alone publish or broadcast this information. Why? Because our rulers, the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) strictly prohibits it. Its the unwritten code. SCAF warns all publications or television channels against doing so. SCAF is the new red line and they are here to stay.

I’m not going to write some eloquent, elaborate, enticing reaction to this piece of news. I’m simply going to say that in July of 2011, in the events of Abbasiya, Egypt’s beloved SCAF accused protesters and April 6 youth movement of acquiring foreign funding and having “hidden outside agendas.”

I just want to preserve in my blog forever this tiny piece of info, which is merely a minuscule part of a larger picture that paints SCAF as they “canoodle” with the enemy. Not that the US is the enemy, no. But when outside governments force your rulers to go by their rules in order to convenience them and their allies, then that government becomes a bully. (In this case, I’m referring to US & Israel, in case you did not notice).

Ousted president Hosni Mubarak and his cronies also did the same during the 18 days of January 25. Here they are, our rulers constantly conditioning the people of the world to hate each other, while they all collaborate and conspire behind our backs.

Meanwhile, Egypt-based media is totally prohibited from discussing such issues regarding SCAF and Egypt’s military aid from US or other countries *ehem*cough*Israel* (even though the news concerns Egyptians first and foremost, after all Egypt’s army is the people’s army). No, we, as Egyptians can’t talk about these things. Why? Because if ALL Egyptians knew that SCAF was getting funding from US and Israel to uphold THEIR rules and demands instead of the Egyptian people’s, then the power would return to the hands of the people, where it really belongs.

Welcome to your new dictatorship my lovelies. SCAF is here to stay, whether literally, or behind the scenes. They aren’t going anywhere. You didn’t really think the ruling military council who stifles free press, bans issuing of licenses for new, free satellite channels, imprisons 12,000 civilians and tries them in military courts, and fines activists for voicing their views will really allow fair elections and relinquish power to someone “chosen” by the people?

Oh, how we Egyptians are romantic dreamers. We’ve got lots of work to do. And no, it does not have to do with the “wheel of production,” AKA 3agalet el entag.

—————–

Direct link for statement of the company who was awarded the deal: http://investors.saic.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=193857&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1604042

Egypt will never forget. We will continue to make their dreams come true.

Rest In Peace

Below is a first hand account from Professor Laila Mustafa Soueif on the assault and arrest of 32 year old Amr Abdullah Bheiri by Military police & army officers.  Please visit this facebook page to help us free Amr.

Amr Abdullah after he was beaten by military police. photo courtesy of Mona Seif.

Testimony to the arrest of Amr Abdullah Bheiri during dawn on Saturday, February 26, 2011

Introduction d. Laila Mustafa Soueif
Lecturer, Faculty of Science, Cairo University
National ID 25605018800105

At about two o’clock the morning of Saturday, February 26, 2011 Kasr El-Aini Street, in front of the People’s Assembly, following the resolution of the sit-in, which was resolved violently by the armed forces, and military police.
Some elements of the Army kidnapped Mr. Amr Abdullah Bheiri (32 years from Kafr El-Zayat) and took him aside and beat him violently with blows to the face for no apparent reason. At the time we were all preparing to leave, but we told the forces we wouldn’t leave unless they let Amr go and let him come with us. Then a senior officer from the army came to calm us down and told the low-ranking officers to bring Amr Abdullah, who was at the time severely injured in the face.

So then we walked towards the Kasr El-Aini Street with Amr, and with us was Dr. Shady Ghazaly Harb, and Mr. Takadom Khatib, a Teaching Assistant of Ethics in Mansoura & a member of the March 9 Movement for autonomy of the universities, and my daughter Mona Ahmed Seif al-Islam Abdel-Fattah and my son, Alaa Ahmed Seif al-Islam, Abdul Fattah and his wife Manal Hassan, Bahieddine Mr. Ahmed Abdullah (relative of Mr. Amr), who was assisted by his cousin and injured during our violent expulsion from in front of the parliament.

Stopped next to us were  2 young men in a car (unfortunately I do not know the name of any of them so far) and they offered us assistance to take us where we needed to go. So we told them no, but please take Amr and his relative Ahmed Abdullah where they need to go. Then Shady and Takadom and my family and I walked away on foot in the streets of Garden City to go our separate ways. Shady and Takadom got in Shady’s car to leave.

Minutes later, Takadhom called me and told me that Military officers had stopped their car, told them to get out and arrested them all. So I went back to the Kasr El-Aini Street, and found all of them, including Shady & Takadom, and the 2 young men –who stopped their car to provide assistance to the wounded Amr Abdullah and his cousin Ahmed– all arrested and surrounded by several army officers. About four o’clock in the morning I called for Mr. Takadom and learned from him that he and Shady were  released, but the other four were taken. Mr. Takadom said they arrested the other four guys because they said they found with Amr, a weapon (said to be a pistol).

At two o’clock in the afternoon Saturday, February 26, 2011,  the statement issued by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces
announced that he will release those arrested this morning I called for Mr. Ahmed Abdullah to assure he was released. he said he was released, but the two men in the car who gave them assistance were also released, but Amr was not and that he knows nothing about him at this point.

I would like to stress here that Amr Abdullah Bheiri was not carrying any weapon whatsoever, not a pistol or anything. He was being detained and beaten by the army in front of parliament when we told  them to let him go so that we would take him with us so we could all leave together. They let him leave then. So if he really had a weapon, the army would’ve known before they let him leave with us, but it seems that they’ve tried to fabricate a charge against him to justify his detainment.

My daughter Mona Ahmed Seif, Dr. Shady Ghazaly, and Mr. Takadom Khatib had filmed and took images of his injury. It was clear to the military that we intended to report this matter. This might be why they framed him and fabricated his charge so they could justify detaining and beating him.

Each of the young people  who were detained had reported that they had been severely beaten during their detention,  and some reported to being subjected to torture by electric shock.

Laila Mustafa Soueif
Teacher of Science, Cairo
Signed on February 26, 2011

I translated the above letter from Arabic with the permission of Mona Seif. The original version written by Professor Laila Mustafa Soueif  is posted on her daughter’s blog. (http://ma3t.blogspot.com/2011/02/26-2011.html)

According to Activist Mona Seif, Amr is now being transferred to Military prison.

———————————

Be warned, some language is explicit.

The video above shows the Head of Security in the province of Damnhour, Egypt talking to his team of police officers, basically pumping them up so they can continue to “crush” civilians if they are out of line. They see civilians as subordinates, as thorns that they have to crush, not citizens they must protect. In a democratic, civilized society, this kind of talk can’t even be targeted towards criminals or murderers.

This is what has been happening for 30 years and this is what sparked the revolution in Egypt in the first place. Egyptian civilians and workers simply cannot continue to be treated without dignity. They cannot continue to be stabbed in the back by their should-be protectors. And, they definitely can not remain silent as all of this continues and their revolution gets crushed after hundreds of Egyptians died, thousands suffered, and were tormented.

Again, as long as the old regime, people like Prime Minister Shafik, & the man in this video are still in power, our revolution did not succeed. The problem is that this video is not a single incident. This is how most police officers and officials think and act. This is the mentality that cost us 356+ Egyptian lives. It’s the same mentality that has opressed us for decades. It’s the same mindset that crippled freedom of speech, reform, and unity in Egypt.

After this video spread, officials responded by saying this man was “moved” to another province to another position. What good will that do?! It’s not like they moved him to another country, he’s still poisoning Egyptian society. This won’t work anymore.

عاشت الثورة المصرية

Mubarak socializing with tourists in Sharm el Sheikh. photo from flickr.com

When Mubarak told his Vice President Omar Suleiman to announce to the Egyptian people that he was relinquishing, or voluntarily “letting go” of power, Mubarak and his family supposedly headed to reside in their palace in resort city of Sharm el Sheikh.

After all the violence his administration subjected us to and the deaths of our fellow Egyptians (before and after Jan 25), we all felt a relief that day on February 11, 2011 when Mubarak finally decided to step out of the picture. However, today, concerns are different. The revolution still has demands which were not met, but let’s just focus here on one of the main concerns of the revolution: Removing Prime Minister Ahmed Shafik, who was appointed by Mubarak himself. All of these factors, along with Mubarak’s presence in Sharm are valid threats to the revolution. Here’s some simple reasons why:

Shafik is a close friend to the ex-president, in fact they’ve been buddies since Shafik was a fighter pilot under Mubarak in Egypt’s 1973 Yom Kippur war. Having him in power as our prime minister is a conflict of interest. The fact that he was appointed by the ex-president also makes him illegitimate in the people’s eyes. Not to mention, appointing friends and family should not be the case. This is not a mafia, or a country club. This is a nation where people need to finally have the chance to elect their officials.

Therefore, Mubarak & his family will not be prosecuted as long as Ahmed Shafik and his cabinet are in power. To further understand why, we can see look to the case of Libya for example, Louis Moreno Ocampo, prosecutor from the International Criminal Court in The Hague, clearly stated that ICC cannot investigate Muammar Qaddafi for any crimes unless Libya files a case and demands justice. The same goes for Egypt. As long as our general prosecutor and our cabinet (the people who have power allow the ICC to investigate) remain the same from Mubarak’s regime, then we have accomplished nothing.

As long as Shafik & the rest of the cabinet is still in place, this will never happen. As long as Mubarak is living under the sovereignty of Egypt, he is untouchable. It’s because he knows very well what he’s doing. He knows that if he leaves, it will not only be a slap in the face for him, but he will be investigated and prosecuted at the International Criminal Court because he will no longer be protected in Egypt by his lifelong friends and cronies. It’s not that he wants to “die on Egyptian soil” as he put it or because Egypt is his beloved. If Egypt was indeed his beloved, as president he wouldn’t have invested in property all over the world and instead, he would’ve invested more in his beautiful country and its people that he neglected for 30 years. Or maybe that’s just too patriotic, but that’s just my humble opinion.

Many are still wondering why we can’t just leave Shafik as prime minister and let Mubarak stay in Sharm and ask for his assetts to be frozen until prosecutors can investigate. The answer is, nobody should be above the law. Mubarak and his cronies taught the police and the regime that they are above the citizens. Mubarak ordered the torturing of political prisoners. He knew that his administration was corrupt, in fact, he chose them! His administration and his ruling party also ordered  prisoners and thugs to escape, loot, rape, kill and do whatever they want.

The fact that the Commander in Chief of the armed forces and the nation allowed all of this to happen is a catastrophe. It is his responsibility to ensure the safety of his people. And, there is not such thing as “well maybe he didn’t know.” Because, frankly, that would be an even bigger problem and it would make him even more guilty.

To find out details about who Ahmed Shafik really is, view this link, which is in Arabic.

In order for the revolution to be completed successfully, justice must be served and the current government must be changed.

To understand more on why Mubarak’s presence in Egypt serves as a threat to the revolution, you can watch Dr. Mohamed Hassanein Heikal give his insight on the issue:

Reports from Cairo today, Wednesday 23 February 2011: Interior ministry is on fire.

According to AlJazeera Arabic breaking news, the office that was burning contained information regarding criminal charges, such as murders, money laundering, etc. (جنايات)

I wonder why? Isn’t Habib Al Adly, Ex-minister of interior supposed to go on trial soon? And, isn’t the police and national security responsible for the deaths of 350+ civilians & protesters since the beginning of Jan 25? Aren’t they also responsible for subjecting civilians to torture and violence?

Just a reminder, the day after Ben Ali’s regime collapsed, the first thing police and security did was burn down a prison with detainees inside. (Tunisian government also participated in torturing/detaining prisoners for the United States.)

This is exactly the kind of thing that the revolution was fighting against. Where is justice? Where is accountability and transparency? If a revolution pauses, it ends. The fact that the army could not secure the Ministry of Interior from burning today is a catastrophe. The revolution is not over. If it had succeeded, the police who set fire to the Ministry of Interior wouldn’t even be allowed to walk the streets after the crimes they committed before and after the Jan 25 revolution. If it had succeeded, Mubarak would not be chilling in Sharm El Sheikh. After all, that’s what he was always doing when he was in power anyway. It’s not like he cared to fix the country or he actually stayed in Cairo to tend to civilian needs.

Ironically enough, just two days before this fire incident, Army generals were live on Egyptian TV saying that they were conducting investigations and gathering evidence in order to bring all corrupt officials to justice. How will they complete their investigations if evidence could be destroyed at the ministries were the corruption emerged? Many corrupt officials still haven’t been arrested yet, and you can’t expect them to welcome their evidence & history to be exposed.

This is why revolutionaries of Jan 25 are asking for faster and more transparent steps to be taken. This is why they want the rest of the government cleaned out, because corrupt officials who were members of the former Mubarak regime still remain. They are still in positions of power and are fighting for their immunity at the costs of Egyptian lives, justice, & freedom.

It’s time for everyone who abused their position of power to be held accountable. It’s also time for all of the revolution’s demands to be met. Only then will this revolution be complete.

Protesters in Egypt

When Hosni Mubarak finally decided to step down, he told his vice president, aka henchman, Omar Suleiman to announce to the Egyptian people that he was “letting go” of his position as president. Mind you he didn’t even have the nerve or courage to let us know himself, but whatever. Anyway, shortly after, reports came out stating that the ousted-dictator had fallen into a coma. To be honest with you, I wasn’t sure if this news was true, but since his health had been deteriorating for a while, I did not doubt it.

Before Egyptians said "Game Over," Tunisians did same thing

Today, it was announced that Mr. Ben Ali, the Tunisian dictator who was ousted weeks before Mubarak, also fell into a coma and that his condition is not stable. Now, I’m not an expert, but come on Ben Ali, couldn’t you be a bit more original? Why’d you have to go and blow both your covers by making it so obvious? Both dictators were supposed to face charges for crimes against humanity. Both dictators also stole funds that their countries are demanding to be returned.

Now, this is just my personal opinion, which might not be worth much, but it seems too coincidental that both dictators are now suffering the same faith. Oh, never mind. Why not? They were both ousted and suffered the same exact faiths so far.

But no, seriously… can’t speak for our Tunisian neighbors, but as an Egyptian, I demand justice.

Protesters at the Egyptian Embassy in The Hague. Courtesy of ANP.

When the Egyptian revolution started on January 25, 2011, many people were going through mixed feelings and conflicting ideas. Some were enthusiastic, while others were against the protesters even though they knew that their demands were 100% justified and answered to everyone’s needs in society.

The uprising was something that millions, specifically youth, in Egypt and in the region just itched for.

After Mohamed Bouazazi, Tunisia rose. Inspired by Tunisia’s revolution, which brought their dictator Ben Ali of 23 years down in 23 days, Egyptians felt a nudge and they too woke up from a deep sleep. They too brought down their dictator of 30 years in just 18 days. It was not easy for us by all means, but we did it. And, we proved our potential to the world.

Many of the people in Egypt have asked some of the educated, well-off youth who helped start the movement, “why do you care if you aren’t living in poverty?”

On January 26, 2011, a day after the pro-democracy protests in Egypt began, an Egyptian man tried to immolate himself in front of the Egyptian Embassy in The Hague, in the Netherlands– just minutes away from where I live. Days later, protests in solidarity with the Egyptian people erupted in the Netherlands and in several countries around the world.

I guess what I’m trying to say is, wherever you are, instability will reach you. This is one world, it’s one pain, and it’s one planet. In Egypt, you could be driving your car to work, school, or just walking down the street and you’ll find a beggar child or woman. You can also find children searching through the trash for food. When our youth realized that there is something they can do to bring down the corruption, they did not hesitate. They put their lives on the line and kept pushing and pushing till they completed the first step.

Aside from that, we care because we love Egypt. We also care because stripping someone of their basic human rights takes away their dignity. We care because we can no longer stand and watch injustice, especially when there is something we can do about it. We’ve all felt injustice at one point and wanted the chance to cry out against it and defend ourselves. Whether you realize it or not, it does affect you, whether its psychologically, economically, physically, or emotionally… it does matter and it will directly affect you one day. For years, history has proven this fact because we al know that history repeats itself. Ben Ali stepped down after 23 years because his nation cried out against his crimes and injustice. As a dictator, he became history. Shortly after, history repeated itself again. Egypt cried out and then Mubarak stepped down.

Many of our parents and grandparents simply wished for the chance to witness it in the making. And, who can blame them? For 30 years, open dialogue in Egypt was not accepted.  Ideas weren’t even allowed to be proposed, unless of course they were the ideas of the ruling family and their cronies. For 30 years, those who said anything against the regime or even proposed different ideas risked being exiled, jailed, beaten, or even killed. For 30 years, little or no reform  –of any kind–  developed in the country. Which is no surprise. You can’t expect change when you’ve had the same stream of corrupt, worn-out ideas flowing constantly with no end, with no one questioning it even or demanding it to stop.

Now the day has come.  After 18 days of constant protests, police brutality, and 350 martyrs later, on February 11, 2011, Mubarak finally stepped down. It was a hard road and Egyptians, influenced by their brave Tunisian neighbors, broke the barrier of fear.

The long-term benefits will not only open doors to a prosperous future for Egypt’s youth, but they will also allow the muffled cries of those in the region to finally be heard. The uprising will also show many in Western nations a side of the Middle East that they never even thought existed. It has shown the world that the Middle East has had enough. Enough of their own dictators, and enough of the Western world supporting their oppressors. They’ve had enough of the suffocation and of being labeled as something that they are not. Our own government in Egypt labeled us as ignorant, “not ready for democracy,” and extremists. They labeled us these things to justify their oppression. To use this as an excuse to control us and not allow us any breathing room.

Yes, it will take time for democracy, but it won’t take time for change. Change is here. We have no excuse any more. Now, when you express your frustration, someone will at least listen. Why? Because the power always has and will always be with the people. The rulers of every nation know this, and that’s why they suffocated us. Tunisians and Egyptians have proven it. Egyptian demonstrators shook the nation everyday to the point where the army feared if this went on any longer and Mubarak did not step down, then the country could collapse. We started something and we must finish it. And, as citizens of Egypt, as citizens of this world we must support those who are standing up for their rights. Because, one day we could be in their shoes. In fact, ever since January 25, we all were. All of us, all over the world felt the ground move when Egypt shook.

Egypt has immense potential in every field and every aspect, and now it’s time to let it out.

Millions of Egyptians gather for freedom

First of all, yes. It is a revolution underway, not just an uprising. As several historians and politicians have already confirmed.

Once again, the revolution is not open for discussion.

Egyptian revolutianaries are well aware that the road ahead is tough. They paved it. I’ll tell you one thing though, what’s ahead, willl never be as tough as the past 30 years. What’s done is done. We’ve waited 30 years for freedom, change, & a decent life. We want it now, not later, and not after 8 months so Mubarak can avoid being tried for crimes against humanity.

Mubarak buying time, appointing different people with same policies is not what we asked for. That’s not what hundreds of Egyptians died for. That’s not what our young men and women, not much older than you and I, were murdered for on the night of February 2nd when the NDP, Mubarak’s ruling party, paid thugs to massacre them at Tahrir Square, our Liberation Square. They did not get ran over and murdered by Mubarak’s police cars while they were peacefully marching just for a few concessions to be thrown out to us. We owe it to them. Animals should’nt even be treated this way. Egypt, just like any other nation should be allowed freedom, democracy, and real elections. Democratic, free nations are no different than us. We’re Egypt. We are history, future, past, and present. We are innovators, we are liberators, we are pillars of history, religion, art, and peace.

We are not better than the brave men, women, & youth who put their lives on the line so we can live and hold our heads up high outside and inside Egypt. On the contrary. They are our heroes.

We will not wait a day longer. Those who want to argue, don’t. Save your opinions. Our words mean nothing at this point, it’s up to the heros in Tahrir & all over Egypt to decide now. If you want to have any kind of say whatsoever or remain credible as a human being: Help them by doing whatever you possibly can. And I will not tell you what you can or can’t do, only you are aware of that. Stand up for what you know is right, regardless of what anyone thinks. Whatever you do, don’t let them down when things start to get a little rough.

“Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” -Ben Franklin

عاشت الثورة المصرية

Saturday, February 5, 2011 at 9:36pm