Andrew Marr show‏

الجمعة ١٩ - يونيو - ٢٠٢٦ ١١:١١ صباحاً

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Andrew Marr show‏

اضيف الخبر في يوم الأحد ٢٠ - فبراير - ٢٠١١ ١٢:٠٠ صباحاً.

Notes from a personal letter written to a friend by the wife of the Commander of the Egyptian Navy some years ago:

Two important points I failed to write to you about, one ghastly and one glowing, are the following:

1. TV satellite programmes, with graphic photographs of some of the torture chambers in police stations, including one in Alexandria, showed the instruments used against the population. The death under torture of a young man last Spring in my city actually was one of the sparks that led to the revolution. A new opposition movement was formed at the time, and became part of the core of the protest organisers. In addition, families now speak openly about what their sons suffered at the hands of the Mukhabarat, after having been muzzled by the perpetrators of those crimes, with threats of retribution. One of them is Fouad's grand-nephew. The young man had absolutely no political activities, but was picked up while on his way home, one night. For ten days, his mother didn't know his whereabouts ... until she contacted her cousin, a close friend of Suzanne Mubarak. He was released, on condition he and his family don't ever reveal what happened to him during his detention ... but the boy seemed psychologically broken.

For more on that, you could read Robert Tait's article in the Guardian on 9 February, although he only experienced a "mild" detention, much less than the more sinister crimes many of us already knew about.

By the way, Mubarak's going-away "present" to us, Vice President Omar Suleiman, would have thrown Egyptians under the yoke of a sadistic leader. He is said to have enjoyed personally supervising the torture of the people "renditioned" by the US, and even devised new ways of torture. He was very popular with the Israeli government, and had a direct hot phone line to Israel. "Bibi" was overjoyed by his appointment. I suggest he be "exported" to the US or to Israel ... I'm sure he'll be highly appreciated there. Ha! Ha!

2. Now to a shiny bright picture: Despite Pope Shenouda's call to the Coptic community to stay away from the demonstrations, thousands of his parishioners joined, as a show of solidarity with Muslims. On 6 January, the Coptic Christmas eve, Muslims from all walks of life, held a vigil as human shields, at churches across Egypt, following the New Year eve's massacre at a church in Alexandria (now documents have proven that it has been the work of the police, under the supervision of the former Minister of the Interior).

We were deeply touched when we saw the Copts holding hands and encircling the Muslims at prayer times, to protect them, while the police used their water cannons, their bullets and their gas canisters against them all. They also helped their Muslim brethren in the pre-prayer ablutions, by pouring water for them ... and because the youngsters didn't have enough mikes for all those in the square to hear the word "Allahu Akbar" which is repeated during prayers, the young Copts relayed the words to those far from the mikes, and could be seen and heard shouting "Allahu Akbar". I still get goose pimples, even while I'm writing.

Memories ... emotions ... facts keep coming back.

If you feel like forwarding my emails to others, if you think they're worth it, please do so. Like millions of my countrymen and women, I'm proud of our youngsters' revolution, when vision and technology triumphed over tyranny.

Much love

Nadia

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