Citizen participation is a powerful thing - Iran record turnout, defiant rallies

So, besides the record turnout for voting in the Iranian Presidential election, thousands are protesting what are widely considered to be fraudulent election results (normally the results are certified by the supreme leader--Currently Ayatollah Khomeini-- after three days, but this election was called a landslide for Ahmadinejad (the incumbent) after only three hours.)

Great crowdsourced coverage on Twitter #IranianElection
Great live blogging on The Huffington Post
Continuously updated images from PicFog

And Mashable's how-to guide so you can choose your own social media to track the Iranian Election and other current events in the future



Interestingly, CNN is getting repeatedly lambasted for its abysmal coverage of the rally. I wonder if it's because getting video out of Iran is so difficult, even under the best of conditions (only the state-run media have the equipment to send up a satellite beam), and according to reports the Internet has been variously blocked, tampered with, and shut off to prevent protesters from communicating and prevent journalists from getting the story out.

Favorite slogans: "WHERE'S MY VOTE?" And where indeed, when you read Juan Cole's analysis

Democracy. Wow. I attended a blogging conference in 2005 where someone gave me the book We Are Iran, which contained excerpts from Iranian bloggers intended as a counter-narrative to the image of Iran portrayed in the Western media; they definitely evidenced a desire for greater freedom and democracy -- had no idea this was coming so soon though. What an election.

Calling a spade a spade

India's Muslims have defied popular jihadi "martyrdom" rhetoric, instead calling Mumbai terrorists by the Koranic term for "murderers," and refusing to bury them. Thomas Friedman discusses the situation in The New York Times here. He notes that by making this distinction within Islam, India's Muslims are creating an ideology that is the way forward for successful, peaceful democracy in the "Muslim world." Since India's Muslims are the second-largest Muslim group, this is no small thing.

Home!

I am back in the United States, making a quick stop in Louisiana before heading to Washington, DC to begin working. It's so strange to be here, resuming my former life, knowing that all the while

There, drowsing in golden sunlight,
Loiters the slow, smooth Nile,
Through slender papyri, that cover
The wary crocodile.
The lotus lolls on the water,
And opens its heart of gold,
And over its broad leaf-pavement
Never a ripple is rolled.
The twilight breeze is too lazy
Those feathery palms to wave,
And yon little cloud is as motionless
As a stone above a grave.
- "Cleopatra" by William Wetmore Story

I would like to say a final thank you to the Monroe Rotary Club for this absolutely amazing opportunity. I am happy to report that in my new job I will be using my improved Arabic and increased understanding of the region to work for an NGO on their pro-democracy programs in the Middle East and North Africa region. And on that note, I would like to share a final editorial by renowned commentator and Middle East expert Robert Fisk. A bit harsh, but timely and insightful into the general political state in Egypt: http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fisk-the-rotten-state-of-egypt-is-too-powerless-and-corrupt-to-act-1220048.html

Happy New Year!

Adventures in Ethiopia, or Why Ex-pats Overwhelmingly Favored Obama

I had some time off of work following the US Elections, and I took an amazing trip to see two of my college friends where they now work/live in Tanzania and in Ethiopia.

I was in Ethiopia at the end of my trip. I miscalculated how much time I had in Addis Ababa and found myself with an extra day. Having done and seen all I had set out to do and see there, I was a bit at a loss for how to spend the afternoon. A bit worn out from my travels, I was hankering for the mellow pastime of shisha smoking, a veritable national sport in Egypt.

Contrary to what many people assume, shisha is not "Hashish" or any other illegal drug -- it's flavored tobacco smoked out of a water pipe. Many people think it is healthier than smoking cigarettes because the smoke is very smooth -- even non-smokers tend to find it pleasant. It's actually about the equivalent of smoking cigarettes, health-wise, and so not a fantastic habit. It is a very Egyptian thing to do, however, and sitting in shisha cafes playing backgammon is one of the most effective and authentic ways to get to know everyday folks in Cairo.

"Smoking a shisha is nothing like smoking a cigarette," a 71-year-old man said as he looked up from his Hookah."Cigarettes are for nervous people, competitive people, people on the run," he said. "When you smoke shisha, you have time to think. It teaches you patience and tolerance, and gives you an appreciation of good company. Shisha smokers have a much more balanced approach to life than cigarette smokers."
-- shishapipe.net

So, when I wanted to relax and catch up on my journaling, a shisha cafe is the first place I thought of. However, since I was in Addis Ababa and not Cairo, I wasn't sure where to go. After asking a few kind strangers I wound up in what appeared to have been a private residence converted to what could only be termed a shisha "den." Unlike the "cafes" in Cairo, with little tables and chairs, or (in very upmarket or tourist places) plush sofas and pillows, this shisha place had cushions placed on the ground, lining the 4 walls of every room, piled with pillows. Rather than a few general shisha guys walking around and refilling coals like a US waiter refills glasses of water, in Ethiopia you get a dedicated attendant, kneeling by your pipe and fetching tea. And this was no highbrow establishment, either!

I should add that many patrons were not partaking of shisha, but rather the local drug of choice, Chat (known in Yemen as "Khat"). It's an herb that is chewed, giving an effect most often compared to caffeine. Clearly a foreigner, they gave me a room to myself (several were full of robicund locals) and enjoyed my sisha in peace (while reading the MOST AMAZING biography ever written, The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt). After a while, a gentleman entered and ended up being a cambridge-educated international law professor. He was keen to talk and I wasn't, but we did exchange small pleasantries including a commentary on the election of Obama. Quivering with excitement, he had this to say,

I thank America. I thanks America, because you really showed us something big. America is the moral of the world, and they have taught us even more about democracy and what democracy really means. Really they do, they do live this democracy, when a black man can be elected President. Now when people discuss human rights, they can no longer point to slavery in America as a distraction and an excuse, or the 'oppression' of the blacks. America is really an example now.

It's amazing, given that this came from a fairly internationalized black man. It's also amazing to know that he isn't the first person who has told me that African countries point to America's history of slavery as a tactic to stymie pressure on their governments to curtail human rights abuse. So I guess we can think of this election, whatever your thoughts on the outcome, as one more diplomatic advantage for America just because the election of a black man happened. This apparently (more than all of the other things America has done) proves that we can practice what we preach.

This was further notable as the first conversation in which I didn't have to vehemently defend America in the face of raised eyebrows and angry accusations. Reflecting on that at dinner with friends last night, we all agreed that the following conversation has been common:

"Where are you from?"
"America"
"Bush-- not good, yes?"
**Ensuing discussion of American politics.**

People seem to find this completely ordinary, whereas the reverse almost NEVER occurs.
"Oh, are you Egyptian?"
"Yes."
"Mubarak -- pretty corrupt, no?"

That just wouldn't happen. And I really can't articulate why, except to say that my first thought when I think "Egyptian" is shisha, pyramids, camels. I guess that, when it comes to America, Bush/American foreign policy is the association nearest the surface for most foreigners -- especially most foreigners living here.

Tough Love for Israel?

Tough Love for Israel? - Op-Ed - NYTimes.com


I never blogged on our spring break trip to Lebanon, Syria, and Israel. Jillian posted the article linked above to her Facebook profile, and I think it sums up the way we all felt after seeing the situation firsthand.

At least I know that I am totally with Kristof until the end--I've been there, I've crossed through the checkpoints. As it is now, it's degrading and annoying -- we were 3 American girls, and we still had to wait 6 hours on the way in --but if that's needed, then fine. But there must be a less restrained flow of tourists and commerce, however possible. The communities that have been walled off are literally sucked dry. No tourists, no income -- even Bethlehem, which should be teeming with pilgrims -- was virtually deserted. If people have nothing to lose, then what's to discourage becoming a suicide bomber?

It should also be said that all residents we met (and graffiti on the wall) considered America to be completely complicit in the building of the wall and equally responsible for their subsequent suffering, so this directly affects our interests as Americans. Our taxi driver was Palestinian and, pointing out the illegal settlement next to Bethlehem, addresses us, truly baffled, "Americans, why?"

Below are photos of the wall, known euphemistically as a "security fence." It's also worth noting that Israel has been building this structure further into the Palestinian territory than their actual border goes. The last one is especially telling:

In case you can't tell, that's a gate in the wall, an Israeli soldier, and an American one-dollar bill.

A real Delta to Delta connection!

According to this article on CNN, Louisiana crawfish (referred to here as "crayfish"-- the author is clearly not one of our southern brethren) reached Egypt by accident and have been wreaking havoc on the river ecosystem ever since. A plague to fishermen, they are known locally as "the cockroach of the Nile." However, scientists from Ain Shams university in northern Cairo are on a campaign to teach the population how tasty, nutritious, and helpful the "crayfish" can be. In the fertile Nile, they reproduce at twice their normal rate - and they have no natural predators. Check out the video -- these mudbugs are ENORMOUS!

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/08/17/eco.crayfishegypt/index.html#cnnSTCVideo

Earthquake!

I woke up early this morning to do some homework before class, and as I was sitting in my bed squinting, sleepy-eyed, into the morning sun that was streaming through my sliding glass doors, I noticed that Cairo was refusing to stay in one place. I put on my glasses and peered out, and everything was still shaking a bit, and then I felt the whole tower (I live on the 20th floor) swaying. For a moment, I thought perhaps it was the people who live above us moving around in unison, as we have concluded through highly scientific comparative analyses of the way they walk that at least two of them are quite large. But no, I thought, that wouldn't make the whole building sway--would it?

It wasn't until I peered into my open closet and saw all the clothes on hangers swaying in unison in the reverse direction of the rest of the building that we really were having an earthquake. My internet is being spotty so I haven't been able to identify a news source for confirmation, but my teacher confirmed it at school today. She told me that it was announced on the radio but unable to be covered in print due to a government ba on printing articles about earthquakes. Apparently after the disastrous earthquake in 1992 much of the population slept outside, filling the streets with pallets and bodies and bringing all traffic to a standstill as well as causing safety and sanitation problems. Afraid of a repeat, the government forbade covering earthquakes in the media -- or so my teacher said.

Insha'allah!

You can't go 10 minutes in Cairo without hearing the phrase "Insha'allah" or "God-willing." (It literally means "if it is the will of God"). If you mention anything in the future, or with an uncertain outcome, Insha'allah better trail that answer or you run the risk of jinxing yourself, a bit like refusing to knock on wood.

This article from the International Herald Tribune writes about the ubiquitous word and its cultural significance. http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/06/19/africa/20inshallah.php?page=1

My favorite excerpts are:

Egyptians have always been religious, from Pharaonic times to the present. Any guidebook to Egypt alerts tourists to Egyptians' frequent use of inshallah in discussing future events, a signal of their deep faith and belief that all events occur, or don't occur, at God's will. "See you tomorrow," is almost always followed by a smile and, "inshallah."

But there has been inshallah creep, to the extreme. It is now attached to the answer for any question, past, present and future. What's your name, for example, might be answered, "Muhammad, inshallah."

"I say to them, 'You are already Muhammad or you are going to be Muhammad?' " said Attiat el-Abnoudy, a documentary filmmaker in Cairo.

... (The article goes on to explain the rising importance of religious symbols to both the pious and the secularized people, as Islam becomes ever-more the cornerstone of cultural identity)...

But it is not just about faith in the celestial, that has people invoking God. It is also, at least for some, a lack of faith in the earthbound rulers who run the place. People here are tired — of the rising prices and the eroding wages, of the traffic, of the corruption, of the sense that it is every man for himself.

"In this place, when something works, or you want something to work, you thank God, because it's certainly not the government who is going to help you," said Sherif Issa, 48, a taxi driver in Cairo with a nicotine-stained mustache and a fair size belly. "It's because everything is going in the wrong direction — who can we look up to except God?"

The Vagina Monologues--for Egypt

The Christian Science Monitor recently spotlighted a project put on by a club at AUC to highlight some of the challenges women in Egypt face. Over the past two years, The Bussy Project

"has collected stories from Egyptian women about some of the country's most taboo topics, including street harassment, sexual abuse, divorce, female circumcision, and the confusion that arises in a culture that discourages male-female interaction but makes women's primary social responsibilities marriage and childbearing."

I have mentioned street harassment in previous postings. It is virtually impossible to walk anywhere without having men mumble comments into your ear as you walk past or shout things at you from the other side of the street. These range from "Wow! Wow! Wow! Niiiice!""and "You come with me? I give you 100 pound." I have been told by native speakers that some of the Arabic comments are quite a bit dirtier--I suppose that is one instance in which the language barrier is quite welcome.

I know that foreign women are subject to a bit more harassment than average as we don't blend in and therefore attract more attention, but this problem is by no means limited to ex-pats. However, I was surprised to see it listed here as most Egyptians pretend that it does not exist, or that wearing a head-scarf proves your respectability and eliminates the harrasment. This is not the case, and I'm impressed that this project calls a spade a spade in the face of a lot of cultural pressure to ignore the situation or blame women for creating the problem by being sexually tempting.

The article states:

Project participants say they are tired of women's issues being ignored or pushed aside in Egypt, but are also upset at the way that many in the West think about Arab and Muslim women.

"I'm passive, weak, uneducated, veiled from head to toe, one of his four wives, work in the kitchen all day," says "Muslim Woman." "That's what you think, right?"

"My liberation won't come from the one who has oppressed me – bringing me democracy?" retorts her companion on the stage. "You think you're really gonna send Condi to tell me how to be free?"

While the directors cite The Vagina Monologues as their inspiration, the use of character names like "Muslim Woman" reminds me a lot of the concept behind the Broadway show Avenue Q, with it's confrontation of stereotypes in character names like "Christmas Eve" and "Princeton," and songs with titles like "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist."

Most importantly, though, in a country where 44 percent of the women are illiterate and 90 percent of married women have experienced some form of female circumcision/genital mutilation, feminists still have a lot of progress to make. It's good to see them finding a voice, and great to see international coverage of that fact.

The original article is here.

Sandstorm!

We are having a sandstorm! I would like to post a picture of it but you can't really see anything because it is at night. The wind is blowing so hard that it blew the door of Sarah's bedroom open and wind came gusting through the house, producing a high-pitched screaming through all the cracks--it's still whistling eerily through all the windows. The entire apartment is shaking and vibrating and we keep hearing things knock around outside. Visibility is terrible--normally I can see almost to the edge of Cairo, but today I can barely see across the Nile, which is only about 200 meters from our building!

If it is still going on in the morning, which I think is unlikely (although I am not intimately familiar with sandstorms) I will take a photo!