Documentation: Flyers from National Unity Friday

This Morning's Headlines: National Unity Friday

Photos from Yesterday at Tahrir

Friday Demonstration in Tahrir

Just a quick note after getting up here in Cairo to say how excited I am about today: This is the first and only Friday I'll spend in town, and there is a major demonstration against sectarian hatred planned for Tahrir Square.  This is, at least in part, why I came to Egypt, to get a sense for the 'spirit of the square,' and so I'm hoping that all remains peaceful and positive during the demonstration.

I spent yesterday with several scholars who were in Cairo throughout the revolution and learned a great deal about a wide range of topics I had questions about, among them, the geography of protest on the square, the workings of the popular committees protecting neighborhoods, and attitudes towards foreigners throughout.  I am encouraging one particular friend to write about these matters herself, as she has tremendous insight to share.

No doubt by the end of today I'll have plenty of pictures, videos, and thoughts to pass on: I'll keep you posted!

Why Coptic Protest Is Good for Egypt

There is much hand wringing in Egypt at the moment about the decision of Copts to mount a protest in front of the Radio and Television Building in the center of Cairo.  The subtext of much of this anxious commentary is that Copts are merely playing into the hands of those who would seek to divide the nation, namely, the Salafis and the counterrevolutionary elements of the former regime.

I find this rhetoric frustrating and, frankly, condescending in the extreme.  Indeed, those who suggest that Coptic protest is 'bad for Egypt' or 'damaging to national unity' fail to realize that the Coptic protests at Maspero take much of their inspiration from the revolution, and this is repeated again and again in the speeches and chants of the protesters.  The revolution has opened a door for peaceful protest in Egypt that, presumably, should never be closed again.  How, then, could advocates for the revolution view this protest as retrogressive, as a step backward?

The logic of this argument appears to rest on the assumption that all manifestations of sectarian identification in Egypt are 'bad' and 'damaging,' and that, at the end of the day, sectarianism is merely a diversion from Egyptians' principal concerns.

This view is not only condescending but, in an important sense, tragic, because it betrays an extraordinary lack of understanding, on the part of the commentators, of contemporary Coptic life and culture.  That there is a distinctly Coptic culture, which is central to the self-understanding and self-identification of the Copts, is a fact which seems to have eluded these commentators.  Hence, the Coptic protests at Maspero need to be understood not simply as a response to those who burned the church at Helwan, or to the government officials who approach violence against Copts in a cavalier manner.  The protests need to be understood as a call for acknowledgment of contemporary Coptic life and culture, of a distinctive Coptic identity.

To suggest that all forms of sectarian identification are 'engineered' for malevolent political purposes is, in an important sense, to devalue Coptic life, culture, and identity.  Of course there are forms of sectarianism that are bad for Egypt, not least sectarianism that involves violence in whatever form.  But is Egyptian identity so fragile as not to allow for cultural differences within the community of the nation?  Is it not time to cast aside a monolithic 'national unity' discourse that has no tolerance for distinctive, public Coptic and Muslim identities, in favor of a vision of the nation as pluralistic?

The choice of the Radio and Television Building as the site of protest was quite deliberate: The Coptic protesters want their distinctive lives and concerns publicly acknowledged by fellow Egyptians.  This means inclusion, not separation.  I can only hope that the civic spirit of the revolution will allow for a pluralistic Egyptian identity in a way that post-colonial Egyptian culture hitherto has not.

The Long Road of Revolution

This was a difficult day.  I awoke to the news of the lives lost to sectarian violence the night before in Muqattam.  In light of this, rather than head directly to the Radio and Television Building where Copts have protested the burning of a Helwan church for the past several days, I thought I would spend time in Tahrir, in an effort to recall the hope and optimism that followed Mubarak's departure.  As my cab driver had related last night, I found Egyptians from all walks of life milling about the square, furiously discussing the future of the country, but agreed that both Copts and Muslims were essential to the success of the revolution.

Worthy of note was the transformation of the way in which young and old interact: There is a respect for the young the likes of which I have not seen in this country before.  Whatever attitudes of condescension may have existed in the past are now often replaced by a profound respect for the enormous accomplishment the determination of the young has brought about.  The old seem to hang on the words of the young in a way that is both moving and inspiring.

It was equally moving and inspiring to witness the Coptic protest in Maspero: Much like the revolutionaries of January 25, to whom they repeatedly acknowledged a great debt, these Copts were giving voice to long held but suppressed views.  For one familiar with the internal politics of the Coptic community, the scene was unforgettable: Defying the wishes of the Church hierarchy and the traditional expectation of quiescence in the 'national unity' narrative, the Maspero protesters demanded, quite simply, acknowledgment of their concerns.

I returned to my hotel with a palpable sense of history in the making.  Within hours, though, the young people I had heard chanting and debating in the morning were attacked in a scene reminiscent of the last days of the Mubarak regime.

A cry went up from the square that gave me chills, and I soon saw the banners and tents on the square (above left) torn to shreds by thugs (above right).  'History in the making' became 'history repeated.'  The road ahead for the revolution is a long one, to be sure.

Arrival in Egypt: Initial Impressions

I promised I'd record at least a few of my initial impressions here, though I must confess that I'm quite literally a zombie, having caught only minutes of sleep on the Frankfurt-Cairo leg of the journey.  So I'm aiming for a minimum of coherence in what follows.

Perhaps the least surprising point first: There were very few tourists on the flight.  This was my first visit to the new terminal building at the airport, and thus I can't particularly judge the scene there, but I must say that the immigration formalities were not nearly as chaotic as I've observed in the past.  One of the meet-and-greet folks I chatted with at baggage claim mentioned that the number of tourists had picked up particularly in the past few days, and that there were even package tourists arriving from Latin America and East Asia.  But I must confess that I was particularly shocked when I walked into the lobby of my hotel, only to discover a place that usually bustles in the evening utterly dead.

Equally depressing was the sad story this fellow related about having had his car stolen in Giza yesterday.  When he reported this to the police as required by his insurance people, he was apparently told that there were hundreds of cases like his flooding in at the moment.  This anecdote only lent greater credence to rumors I had heard lately about problems with property crime, but of course, rumors can be formidable weapons themselves, so I'll reserve judgment.

My spirits were lifted considerably when chatting with my cab driver (as they almost always are, cab drivers just have that effect, I find).  There's nothing like a torrent of political talk to get one's colloquial Arabic flowing again!  The driver was still reeling over the reports of corruption in the Mubarak household, and repeatedly asked how Hosni and Gamal could have become quite so breathtakingly greedy.  This led into a general conversation about how clueless Arab leaders had become about their own populations, and there were a few choice insults reserved for Qaddafi and his oratory.  But what was so inspiring about the fellow were his comments about how Tahrir has gradually evolved into a sort of garden open to all who want to discuss their problems and concerns.  People still gravitate to the square for an ineffable sense of comfort.  And he was relating this as we were entering the square on the way to my hotel.  I can't help but admit that I was moved, both by what the driver was explaining and the sight of the tents still in the square, together with countless Egyptians simply milling about and chatting.  Clearly this is one space that Egyptians have seized in a durable sense.  I recall chatting with friends about Cairo's notorious problem with green spaces (or the lack of them): Wouldn't it be marvelous if Tahrir could truly become a sort of public garden for the people?

Well, just a few initial impressions.  Now time for a fuul overdose and sleep!