Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Saturday, May 01, 2010
Egyptian protesters shout slogans during a demonstration outside the Supreme Court in Cairo. Dozens of Egyptians scuffled with police outside a prosecutor's office in central Cairo during a protest against beatings and arrests at an earlier pro-reform demonstration...
Thursday, March 18, 2010
School violence .. a global crisis?
The independent daily al-Masry al-Youm reported today that a wave of violence in different schools left one 17-year old student dead in Cairo after a teacher pushed him off a 4th floor balcony.
Another student was stabbed by another in a fight in 6th october city, and a
third was abducted and brutally stabbed by two brothers in Ismailiya.
Both stabbing victims are in the hospital in critical condition.
Is it just a coinicidence that these happened in one day? What is happening to students and the teachers? Is it a cultural problem,social or economic?
Many people blame everything on poverty. They say because they are poor, they stea,because they are poor they are desperate and they tend to do anything, even kill,to get some money.
Others blame the bad state of the education system, both the text books and curricula problems as well we the system within schools and qualifications of teachers.
Others blame the political state of the country, and the lack of flow of information, the state of human rights in Egypt, as well as the Emergency law imposed on the country for decades.
It remind me when my school was closed for three days after a fight between school boys fromour schools with others from neighbouring schools led to the death of one of them, and severe injuries of others. It was painful to think of the parents of this guy, did they except that their son would die in a schoolfight? Did they know the kind of weapons he carried in his bag instead of the books. Was he too spoiled because his parents were rich, or was he angry because his family was poor and tey could not afford the things he wanted?
No one had an answer, no one knew why he died, some said over a girl, some said drugs. No one wanted to come out and talk openly about it and discuss it with the rest of the students in the school complex. It was forbidden to ask why this happened, or even wonder was it the family's fault, or the school's or ours. While some were asking silently, others did not even care to feel sorry for how things ended for his family and his friends, they were just happy to enjoy the few days off school.
And that was the most painful part.
Another student was stabbed by another in a fight in 6th october city, and a
third was abducted and brutally stabbed by two brothers in Ismailiya.
Both stabbing victims are in the hospital in critical condition.
Is it just a coinicidence that these happened in one day? What is happening to students and the teachers? Is it a cultural problem,social or economic?
Many people blame everything on poverty. They say because they are poor, they stea,because they are poor they are desperate and they tend to do anything, even kill,to get some money.
Others blame the bad state of the education system, both the text books and curricula problems as well we the system within schools and qualifications of teachers.
Others blame the political state of the country, and the lack of flow of information, the state of human rights in Egypt, as well as the Emergency law imposed on the country for decades.
It remind me when my school was closed for three days after a fight between school boys fromour schools with others from neighbouring schools led to the death of one of them, and severe injuries of others. It was painful to think of the parents of this guy, did they except that their son would die in a schoolfight? Did they know the kind of weapons he carried in his bag instead of the books. Was he too spoiled because his parents were rich, or was he angry because his family was poor and tey could not afford the things he wanted?
No one had an answer, no one knew why he died, some said over a girl, some said drugs. No one wanted to come out and talk openly about it and discuss it with the rest of the students in the school complex. It was forbidden to ask why this happened, or even wonder was it the family's fault, or the school's or ours. While some were asking silently, others did not even care to feel sorry for how things ended for his family and his friends, they were just happy to enjoy the few days off school.
And that was the most painful part.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Promoting equality
Last year, an 8-year-old Egyptian. Yassin Geassa, who lives in Alex, won a prize in the drawing competition that was organized by the European Commission gender equality.
The picture he drew was beautiful, I was surprised to see how such a young boy can depict a problem in Egypt this way. So simple, and so much true and expresses the reality in Egypt.
I feel proud every time I look at it, and hopeful that may be the next generation would have a better life, because if they understand the problem this way, then they will be able to figure out ways to solve it and move forward.
The competition was launched on International Women's Day again this year. Check the website for more info, and spread the word if you know talented students who are interested
(Up until the 14th of May, Egyptian children in the age of 8 to 10 can submit their drawings on the theme of "Once upon a time there were a girl and a boy; together they wanted to make the world a better place..".)
On women and marriage
We need to change the culture of marriage in Egypt. The theory saying you should be married before you tunr 30 bec then you'd be a spinster had increased the rate of divorce in the country.
Though now, more women are working, and more women are, at least, trying to do something with their lives, rather than sit around like in the past centuries, the culture of marriage did not change.
Every day I meet a new girl who feels inferior because she will turn 28 or 29 and she is not married yet. They do not see it as it should be seen, that they just did not meet the right person yet. They, due to society pressure, feel that they are doing something wrong by refusing to settle down for men, they do not feel comfortable with, whatever the reason was (social, cultural, or that they just do not love them, and sometimes they know from the very beginning that there is no chance that they fall in love later on).
So, they feel they have a year or two, either they get married to escape being doomed and called "spinsters", or, they just refuse to let go of their to wait until there is someone who might, after all nothing is certain, just might be the right one.
But, this topic, as many others about the Egyptian society, would take us to the vicious circle about education, how we are brought up to think this way, how not getting good education makes our thinking as limited as our ancestors were two centuries ago; about poverty and how a father wants his daughter to get married as soon as possible so that her expenses would be covered by her husband because he has another children to provide for, while things are getting more expensive, the father is not able to gain more money; or talk about unemployment and how men think women should get married and stay at home so that young men can find jobs when they graduate, bec at the end any man is more qualified for any job, just because he will need to provide for a family some day.
This talk is endless, I can go on forever. Despite the trials of many to make the Egyptian society look shallow, by depiciting problems without understanding or feeling them, the Egyptian society is filled with details, and explanations, and problems, but no one can find solutions for them.
Though now, more women are working, and more women are, at least, trying to do something with their lives, rather than sit around like in the past centuries, the culture of marriage did not change.
Every day I meet a new girl who feels inferior because she will turn 28 or 29 and she is not married yet. They do not see it as it should be seen, that they just did not meet the right person yet. They, due to society pressure, feel that they are doing something wrong by refusing to settle down for men, they do not feel comfortable with, whatever the reason was (social, cultural, or that they just do not love them, and sometimes they know from the very beginning that there is no chance that they fall in love later on).
So, they feel they have a year or two, either they get married to escape being doomed and called "spinsters", or, they just refuse to let go of their to wait until there is someone who might, after all nothing is certain, just might be the right one.
But, this topic, as many others about the Egyptian society, would take us to the vicious circle about education, how we are brought up to think this way, how not getting good education makes our thinking as limited as our ancestors were two centuries ago; about poverty and how a father wants his daughter to get married as soon as possible so that her expenses would be covered by her husband because he has another children to provide for, while things are getting more expensive, the father is not able to gain more money; or talk about unemployment and how men think women should get married and stay at home so that young men can find jobs when they graduate, bec at the end any man is more qualified for any job, just because he will need to provide for a family some day.
This talk is endless, I can go on forever. Despite the trials of many to make the Egyptian society look shallow, by depiciting problems without understanding or feeling them, the Egyptian society is filled with details, and explanations, and problems, but no one can find solutions for them.
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Even the Sun is Sad!
.
Caption: "We are Basma, Farha and Laila. We are three sisters, very sad because our father and mother always prefer our brother Hossam more than us. They take him to school every day on the donkey, while we have to go to the farm all day walking".
This painting is drawn by an 8-year-old Egyptian. Yassin Geassa, who lives in the coastal city of Alexandria, won a prize in the drawing competition that was organized by the European Commission.
This competition called on children in developing countries to express their vision of gender equality through a drawing. The choice of the children was mainly focused on education such as the rights for both girls and boys to go to school and to study for a profession.
An exhibition of the winning drawings will be inaugurated in November 2009 in Morocco at the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
Caption: "We are Basma, Farha and Laila. We are three sisters, very sad because our father and mother always prefer our brother Hossam more than us. They take him to school every day on the donkey, while we have to go to the farm all day walking".
This painting is drawn by an 8-year-old Egyptian. Yassin Geassa, who lives in the coastal city of Alexandria, won a prize in the drawing competition that was organized by the European Commission.
This competition called on children in developing countries to express their vision of gender equality through a drawing. The choice of the children was mainly focused on education such as the rights for both girls and boys to go to school and to study for a profession.
Yassin goes to school in the morning, and attends an arts' school in the afternoon. Through his painting, he wanted to express his objection to discrimination against girls and to say they have the same rights as he does.
An exhibition of the winning drawings will be inaugurated in November 2009 in Morocco at the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
I am glad that some Egyptian boys think that there should be equality between boys and girls in the basic things like education and work. Hopefully there are more boys and girls like him, so that the next generation would be better and women would find better treatment in Nefertiti's country!
Photo courtesy of the EU delegation in Egypt
Friday, September 04, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
blaaa
I wanted to tell you so many things, but I keep stopping myself. I don't know how will you react and I dont think I will bear another setback! and here I write meaningless words knowing that no-one will read them and if any one did, they wont understand anything.
And I know you will never read them, and never understand or know how it feels now.
And I know you will never read them, and never understand or know how it feels now.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
It crossed my mind!
إخطفني ياللي تحبني ع الحصان
الدنيا قالت يوم في ماضي الزمان
إخطفني ياللي تحبني ع الـــــفرس
الدنيا قالت .. قام خطفها الشيطان
عجبي
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