Three years ago Husband No. 1 and I went to Egypt. I'm not an African-American Egyptianist, i.e., someone who spends time arguing who invented mathematics first -- the Greeks or the Egyptians. (For the record, nor am I descended from great kings and queens of Africa.) Fred had gone and recommended we go, so we did. I now realize that my brain and many other Americans' brains need to be scrubbed because more than once when, after telling someone I travelled to Egypt, they'd ask, "Didya ever go to Africa?"
"Well, yes. I travelled to Egypt." Check a map if you don't believe me.
I love that country and hope to, need to go back. We went to Alexandria one day and toured the modern Library of Alexandria where, I kid you not, I was treated like a movie star. One moment I'm looking at a lithograph from the the days of Napoleon's sojourn in Egypt and the next minute I'm shaking hands with children asking me who I am, where I'm from and so on. As stunned and flattered as I was, that's not why I love Egypt. It's the people I met (some of whom may be out in the streets today). We were very aware that as Americans we were undoubtedly safer in Cairo than in New York. You figured out right away that Mubarak's regime would never ever let a Western tourist come to harm. Husband No. 1 and I used to count the different uniforms we saw representing different police and/or military forces. We stopped at five and then wondered how many plain-clothes were around, too.
When I read or hear of people here complaining about the US being a police state I roll my eyes, because, frankly, they don't know what they're talking about. Egypt is the real thing. It is what a dictatorship looks like smells like acts like. Here's an example of what an authoritarian regime does to its people: The man who drove us to Alexandria spoke excellent English. He explained that he worked in the States for several years as King Faisal's driver (when the King was in California). At one point he was offered permanent residence (imagine that happening now) and he turned it down to return home. Now, he said, if Islam didn't forbid it, he (and all other Egyptians) would commit suicide.
Egyptians are risking their lives in ways most of us Americans never have and can't imagine. I am in awe of their courage. I recommend visiting Mona Eltahawy's blog to find out more.
"Well, yes. I travelled to Egypt." Check a map if you don't believe me.
I love that country and hope to, need to go back. We went to Alexandria one day and toured the modern Library of Alexandria where, I kid you not, I was treated like a movie star. One moment I'm looking at a lithograph from the the days of Napoleon's sojourn in Egypt and the next minute I'm shaking hands with children asking me who I am, where I'm from and so on. As stunned and flattered as I was, that's not why I love Egypt. It's the people I met (some of whom may be out in the streets today). We were very aware that as Americans we were undoubtedly safer in Cairo than in New York. You figured out right away that Mubarak's regime would never ever let a Western tourist come to harm. Husband No. 1 and I used to count the different uniforms we saw representing different police and/or military forces. We stopped at five and then wondered how many plain-clothes were around, too.
When I read or hear of people here complaining about the US being a police state I roll my eyes, because, frankly, they don't know what they're talking about. Egypt is the real thing. It is what a dictatorship looks like smells like acts like. Here's an example of what an authoritarian regime does to its people: The man who drove us to Alexandria spoke excellent English. He explained that he worked in the States for several years as King Faisal's driver (when the King was in California). At one point he was offered permanent residence (imagine that happening now) and he turned it down to return home. Now, he said, if Islam didn't forbid it, he (and all other Egyptians) would commit suicide.
Egyptians are risking their lives in ways most of us Americans never have and can't imagine. I am in awe of their courage. I recommend visiting Mona Eltahawy's blog to find out more.
No comments:
Post a Comment