An American in Tahrir Square

 
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 I recently returned from a month long adventure in Egypt and Turkey.

My fascination with Egypt began early in life. I considered my interest in Egypt completely unremarkable. Ask anyone with an interest in history or travel and surely Egypt is at the top of his or her list. I first booked my trip to Egypt 5 days before the Sept. 11^th World Trade Attacks. This resulted in the first ever intervention by my family, urging me to not go. They knew about my many adventures. How I was stranded in Ecuador during the border war with Peru. My encounters with criminal gangs in South Africa. Surviving a hurricane in the Yucatan. Photographing Juarez during the height of the Murdered and Missing story. Dodgy police and criminal encounters in Mozambique, Mexico City and well… all over the world. 

I was surprised that my family was at all concerned. After all, I am a self-defense expert, living a charmed life who always came home safe, if not on schedule. Reluctantly I agreed to go to Vietnam instead. The country had just recently opened up to tourism and that interested me. I was overwhelmed by the many offerings of condolences for the lives lost on 9-11. You see, this was just days after the attack and G.W. had yet to squander all the goodwill that most of the world felt towards America. While Vietnam was a great experience, I continuously regretted not going to Egypt, until I finally went.

In Cairo I had the same mindset I always have; to keep my opinions of Geopolitics to myself regardless of how informed, thought out or good intentioned I believed they were. But Egypt was enjoying the fruits of the recent revolution and apparently they like Barack Obama and talking about politics is something they were anxious to do.  My first hours there four people asked me if I was “happy that Obama was reelected?” My response of “I didn’t vote for him consistently elicited silence. Except for the one person who incredulously asked me “You voted for the other guy?” When I replied, “No, I voted for a third party candidate.” I was again met with silence but this time with a very confused look as well. When Nuri introduced me to her husband as “My new American friend Tony. He voted for a third party candidate”. I started to realize it was okay to satiate my curiosity about Egyptian politics.

Nuri was wearing a cross prompting me to ask if she was a Christian and what that was like in Egypt? She shared that she was a Christian and has never experienced a problem. “Christians and Muslims get along just fine here” she added. She went on to share that “the only real problems came from the Orthodox Muslims. Identifiable by beards and cold glances”.

Going to the epicenter of the revolution, Tahrir Square, was always on my, otherwise flexible, itinerary. My new acquaintances and strangers alike attempted to discourage me from going out of concern for my safety. But I was not concerned at all. I’d done my homework and was curious. Human nature in general, and being an American in particular, means being told not to do something often has the opposite effect. To reassure my new friends I just said I was going to the Egyptian Museum, that just happens to be in walking distance of Tahrir Square. And I did go to the museum and found it emblematic of Egypt’s woes. One of, if not the, greatest museum on the planet and it was in a miserable state. I could not help but wonder how a country so dependent on tourism could let this slide? Or how so many individuals, organizations and my favorite TV channels could be involved with Egypt’s antiquities and yet no money made its way to helping this magnificent place meet its potential. 

The protest were smaller than at the height of the revolution but they were very much happening. Yet another conflict between Israel and Gaza had just re-erupted after a two-day cease-fire, the very same day that Morisi had just made yet more repressive decrees. Giving himself unprecedented, sweeping powers that further infringed on freedoms. Which caused more resignations and protest. “He has appointed himself as Pharaoh” was the word on the street and in the media. I was encouraged to see an Egyptian journalist, Amed Fathi, speaking freely and being televised stating “In a country where more than 45% of the population is illiterate, it is easy to control them with religion”. Religion is used, of course, to control literate countries too and power grabs mixed with religion only makes “Arab Spring” struggles even more complicated.

As I passed a group of tourist I saw a kid point to a Mosque and overheard him ask, “What are those control tower thingies called?” He was correctly told they are “Minarets and used to call the faithful to prayer.” I loved the kid’s first impression. I’m sure he meant “control tower” like he knew from airports but I related it more to the journalist’s quote of controlling people through religion.  I’ll never view that piece of Islamic architecture again without remembering that phrase, “Control Tower Thingy”.

The Protest Art on the neighborhood walls was very telling and included slogans in English and depictions of patriots killed in the uprising. But there was not a shortage of real people willing to share their stories too. Stories of how corruption had created massive new apartment settlements that were never authorized and were devastating the local environment. Of how Mubarak, through his brother, would approach successful businessmen and make them an offer they couldn’t refuse. The “offer” was, make them a partner or else. The “or else” was, be murdered. They twisted up some joints of cannabis mixed with tobacco and were happily passing them around, saying “Before the revolution we could not so openly smoke”. The phrase “Before the revolution” was one I heard a lot of sentences start with. I asked what became of the police? I was informed that it was well known which cops were bad and which ones were not. “We got rid of the bad police and kept the rest” was the reply. I spent the day hanging out, meeting people and taking obscure pictures. I never experienced a moment of danger or confrontation.

The locals lived up to their reputation as a warm and peaceful people. They simply want Social Justice and all the other things that most people want. From Cairo to Luxor to the Red Sea area, I found the people friendly, patient and all equally eager to discus “The Revolution”. And President Morsi surely had it coming.  Even the name “Muslim Brotherhood” leaves out women and non-Muslims. He manipulated the political process. He packed the body that developed the constitution with ideologues with no place or voice for the liberal Muslims, the minority Christians and the modernists.

President Obama called it a “transition” not a coup. If it’s a “coup” we can’t continue to support the Egyptian military. It’s important to understand that the military plays a unique role in Egypt. They are involved production and industry that are private in other countries and would support a real democratic government, as long as they keep their power and position. And their leaders, unlike many under their command, were trained in the West and remain more secular. I find myself, uncharacteristically, in favor of continuing our financial relationship with Egypt’s military. I don’t feel the same about most other subsides, foreign or domestic. For example, I would end corporate welfare, stop junkfood subsidies and dramatically cut our bloated Defense Budget. I know that their military buys American weapons with much of the money we give them. Actually the money, 1.6 Billion, never leaves America. What if that money had been going to humanitarian efforts all these years? Things may be very different by now. And our contribution is dwarfed by the 12 Billion pledged by Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E and Kuwait. They even said they would cover an addition 1.6 Billion if we opted out. So that money is a lot less influential than most people think. Supporting Americas Industrial War Complex turns my stomach but that is money better spent than by invasion. Or whatever it is we are contemplating in Syria.

Syria was anther conflict that was with me on this adventure. I went directly to Istanbul from Cairo as Syrian bombs were landing over the boarder in Turkey. Turkish officials remain the biggest losers from the ouster of the Muslim Brotherhood regime. The Egyptian foreign ministry summoned the Turkish ambassador in Cairo, to protest what it called blatant Turkish intervention in Egypt’s internal affairs. Ironically, the Egyptians seem to have heeded P.M. Erdogan’s advice to adhere to secularism, which he gave them during his much-hyped visit to Cairo last while I was there. The majority of the Egyptian people are convinced that the Brotherhood model in Turkey is a threat to them, especially after the brutal crackdowns in Taksim Square. The fundamental differences between the two countries is Mursi, apparently wanted to fully implement AKP’s model in just one year, and forgot that Erdogan’s victories against the army and his secular opponents took 10 years and absolute US support to accomplish.

Egyptians have come to believe that Mursi was copying Erdogan’s model without regard to the fundamental differences between the two countries and their peoples. Mursi, apparently wanted to fully implement the AKP’s model in just one year, and forgot in his haste that Erdogan’s victories against the army and his secular opponents took 10 years and absolute US support to accomplish.

Maybe Egypt is a lesson for what SHOULD happen when a Democratically elected leader lies to get elected and then fails to govern as promised? Lamentably, America seems closer to becoming a Plutocracy, than a country that would overthrow a constitutionally bankrupt leader.  We wont even do that using the ballot box. Evidenced by the disgraceful 57% voter turn out in 2012. In America only five corporations control 90% of the media so don’t be surprised if you don’t hear about real discontent in the U.S.A., other than manufactured, regurgitated talking points from Corporate special interest groups.  Maybe that’s why what happened in Egypt is being called “The feel good coup of the year”? Because it sure would “feel good” to have some Representative Democracy here at home.