Great to hear you're ok. - my friend told me the stories about the checkpoints on streets and all that and how much people were responsible. That's amazing. I've sent you a text on the number finishing with the quintuple 8... it didn't come through, services blackout?
Hey Tarek, Great to see you and your family are all ok. (al humdulilah) very disturbing to see and hear what is happening in Cairo. hope all clears up soon and we get the best result for the people of Egypt.
Welcome back online Tarek, people like you make this place what it is! Got your PM, really pleased to hear all are well.
Thanks Michal. Police was absent for almost 2 weeks and the people started forming checkpoints, creating road blocks and armed groups patorling residential areas. The government had suspended all comminication. Mobile phone service was suspended as well as internet and fax.
Thank you all for your kind words. Things have calmed down now, with almost no violence. The country is still struggling, but hopefully a resolution will be reached soon and we can move on. Mostly everyone here is satisfied with the revolution and it's results. We are very optimistic and we are sure that the next period in Egypt will be far better than the last decades.
A few pictures from the streets in Cairo, the last one is my daughter infront of a tank....... Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Great to hear you and your family are safe and well Tarek. Thanks for sharing pics! Looks like a war zone alright! Your daughter is beautiful and growing up fast. Take care my friend and stay safe.
Tarek - I din't want to assume one thing about the lack of Police presence over 2 week period, but I'm sure it's been discussed amongst your Local [Friends of Tarek Worldwide = FTW] Friends - can you elaborate on why; Police were absent for 2 weeks: and Compare how populace felt about Police; Before, During and After the 2 week period?
Police in Egypt before the uprising was not very popular among the population. They were feared from the average Egyptian because of their cruelness and they were disliked for their harsh and unjustified treatment of the people. People with no influence or authority suffered when they had to deal with the local police. The majority of the police became the enemy of the people. One of the demands of the the January 25th Revolution is better treatment by the police. In the first days of the uprising the people defied the police and attacked police stations and burned down police headquarters all over Egypt. Suddenly overnight the complete Egyptian police force disappeared from the country and remains absent till today, for over two weeks. There is no police security at banks, embassies or hotels. There is no police on the streets, not even traffic police. A few days after the uprising started the police sent their own people to perform acts of vandalism in the cities in order to force fear into the people. 5 major jails on the outskirts of Cairo were opened by the help of the police and thousands of prisoners were released on purpose and given weapons in order to create fear and unrest among the people. It was reported that one jail lost over 20 thousand rifles with amunition. The army with the help of the people had to use it's forces to collect the prisoners. Many of the prisoners are still loose. Last week the minister of interior responsible for the local police forces, Habib El Adli was arrested by the authorities for his actions during the revolution, removed from his post and will be brought to court. After two weeks the police force is still very weak and is still absent from many parts in Cairo. The army is still responsible for the security.
I'm happy it seems that brighter times are coming for Egypt. On the other side what Tarek didn't metnion is that people really feel connection with the national army as, unlike the police forces, army never harmed its own citizens.
Tarek and Intouch good to hear you are safe and sound. My father left Cairo in the mid-50s and my remaining immediate family trickled out several years later. We have many friends and relatives still in Cairo and Alex. A friend sent me the following email. How accurate is this? "Moderate Egyptians Christians and Moslems don't want Egypt to become another Iran or Afghanistan, However, no one is listening and every one is just looking at El Tahrir square where all the Extremists are. They are paying the uneducated and poor to stand with them. They are feeding them and paying them off. Money and weapons are being smuggled into Egypt from other Arab countries to keep it going. Other parts of the country are saying NO to all of this but NO ONE IS LISTENING OR VIDEO TAPING. Please make it known. NO to the Moslem-brothers, YES to fair and not paid off from the outside countries re-election. If Egypt becomes like Iran or Afghanistan, the whole world will be affected. Through Egypt's Suez canal the world is connected. They will use the canal as an economic weapon against the whole world. There are about 10 million Christians in Egypt who will be subjected to grave danger if this happens. The Iranian president has just congratulated the "Egyptians" for the uprising and said that he will aid their movement. What kind of 'Aid' is going to be supplied? and why? The people demonstrating get meals, water and blankets, who is paying for all of this? If you look at the faces of the people uprising in El Tahrir Square they are a lot of them with beards and mustaches or beards and no mustache. These are the Moslem Brothers. The youth who made the Jan25th uprising are coming on Egyptian National TV and saying we are not part of this. We just wanted reform to the status quo, and when the president listened we stopped and we agree to waiting until Sept. for the re-election. They are having another gathering in another area called Mohandeseen in Cairo not far from El tahrir square to say yes to reform but we don't want to be an Extremist country but the media is not even there. The Army found non-Egyptians in the El-Tahrir crowds from Yemen and other Arab countries paying off the crowds but no one is reporting this. Please Please pass it on and try to get this to the American Media and to the White house. This is one way of making it known."
i personally doubt the muslim brotherhood would achieve more than 20% votes in free elections. egyptians are not extremists. they demand democracy and a higher standard of living. both should be possible within corrected parameters. egypt is not a poor country. the problem is that economic growth has not trickled down and taxpayers money is not channeled correctly, if at all. 3 quarters of the pie are eaten before it reaches the table......
It's nonsense and twisted. Whoever wrote this quote is trying to misinform the people, readers and media. I personally have taken part in the protests in Tahrir square a few times and the people present are from all ages and all society segments. There are Moslems and Christians, students and wealthy businessmen, blue collar workers and company executives, politicians, doctors, engineers, male and female. They are all protesting for a single cause. Ofcourse the Moslem Brothers are present, they are part of the opposition. Other opposition parties are also present. The Moslem Brotherhood as an official entity did not take part in this revolution and officially announced that they are not interested in ruling Egypt and have no interest in the Presidency. All what they want is to be a recognized opposition party and to be represented in parliament. IMO, their behaviour and attitude during the current revolution in Egypt is extremely civil and they did not take advantage of the situation or try to influence the protestors. The American media is completey twisting the facts of the current situation in Egypt for it's own interests. America needs to stay out of our Egyptian affairs. This is a local matter and only Egyptians should decide on their future. America has no right to try to influence our decisions nor apply pressure on our government.
I am glad to hear that our fellow Fchatters and their families are safe. Although, it appears that the Muslim Brotherhood is keeping a low profile for now, I fear that in a new Egypt, the organization's fundamentalist ideology will take Egypt down a path that will not be good for Egypt, the Middle East and the rest of the world. When a country accepts more than $1.5 billion in aid from America, you have to expect it to come with a price. I pray for peace in the Middle East every day.
The price will never be the freedom of our own people. Oil, gas, securing Israel are acceptable prices to pay against the US aid, but never freedom. Already measures have been established yesterday to decline the aid from the US and source it from other Arab states. The US cannot and should not dictate how Egytpians should rule their country.
This is a short video of a terrible accident which was caused by a foreign embassy vehicle in Cairo during the protests: [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cWOK0Lfh7w&skipcontrinter=1[/ame]
