She Was at Tahrir Square

By: Nevine El Nossery August 2012 In the beginning, we did not understand what was happening. I was among the few who expected, that it will be a big event, two weeks before it happened. I was following the news, especially on Facebook and blogs which called for demonstrations I realized that it was serious, while people did not think so. We did not know where we were going. Are we changing a regime, a president? This was beyond our thoughts. Since 2008, I thought that the harsh situation in Egypt cannot last longer, and that it had to change. This was an excepted outcome. I was 100% with the revolution, yet I was part of the "couchparty". I didn't leave the house, I didn't go to Tahrir Square a single time. I was just following the news. I agreed, I supported the idea, but I didn't participate. I didn't because, I have two girls. I didn't also because I personally don't take risks. Since I was 18 years old, I participated in all the elections. Only once, I didn't go to the polls in 2010 for the parliamentary elections, because it was clear that the decisions were already made. And I decided not to waist my time. I always voted for the liberals in the People's Assembly and the Shura Council. For the presidential elections, I chose Hamdeen Sabahi, and for the runoff, I invalidated my vote. Why? Because I thought that both candidates were not the right ones. They were not appropriate for the people. Also, I did not vote in order to show popular dissatisfaction. They were almost 800,000 who spoiled their ballots. And this is not insignificant. I did not want to support either of them. For the coming period, I don't have a lot of hopes My only concern is education, falling in the hands of people who make us move backwards Women will be able to obtain their rights, because they are conscious and aware. Still it is too early... It is a shame that in the parliament, there are only a few women in the constitutive committee of the constitution This is not ok. In the parliament, there was a great woman, Gamila Ismail. She was ranked high in the polls, but even the liberal front did not support her, by giving her the chance: a seat so she can win. She could have been influential and pushed for changes. Until today all the mentalities, even the liberal ones don't believe that women can achieve anything. Yes, they see her. She goes to work, and takes care of the house. Still they feel that she is taking their place. And that if she exits the workforce, unemployment will decrease and this, of course, is not true. Women work certain jobs that men wouldn't do, like being a teacher, a nurse, or working in an office. In the beginning we were afraid, for our children, our brothers and our country. And after that, thank god, we were all going to Tahrir Square to help our brothers. I did go and stand with them and demand what they demanded. I was going there because we were hoping for changes, and for injustice to disappear. The prices are increasing, there's no housing. Where I work is where I live. Life is really difficult for all of us and for our children, for our young brothers and sisters... I felt that the revolution was the only way to get what we wanted. I went to Tahrir and was doing like all the other protestors. I was not afraid... Why fear? My children, my brothers and everyone I love was in Tahrir. Our children and brothers died. The days I went, men were protecting women. There was no harassment at all. They were protecting us and taking care of us. Our young men are great... I chose Sabahi because I really wanted him. -And not the Muslim Brothers? No, I did not want them. I was worried because of what we were hearing about them, because of the terrorism and what happened before. The atrocities that we witnessed made "the stones talk!" From what I hear, I am not polarized I always watch Al-Jazeera and the local channels. The first channel brings us all the news. I first chose Sabahi. And the second round, I voted for Mohamad Morsi, and not Shafik. No, I didn't want to put the knife on our throat I wanted to get the rights of the children who died. I want dignity for the martyrs. And I hope I can help. Thanks and good bye Om Eid. How are you doing? Father Hadi was here and I think he is coming to see you? He just left... OK, I will call you later my dear. Good morning Dr. Nabila In the beginning, we were afraid because we did not understand what was happening. And then we were happy with the changes that will occur. It was hard in the beginning, as we were facing some difficulties. Women were afraid going out by night. A lot of incidents made us worry. Many people decided to immigrate. As for me, I didn't want to leave and decided to stay in Egypt. Even with this situation, I felt that I had a role to play in Egypt, and I decided to stay Even if my family leaves in the US. My five brothers are doctors there and doing very well. I just want to stay in Egypt, because it is my country after all. My only role during the revolution was to reassure the people, telling them that this is God's will. And that we have to be sure that Egypt is blessed by God. Egypt was mentioned in the Qu'ran and the Bible... Amr Moussa was a very successful politician as the minister of Foreign Affairs. And as the Secretary-General of the Arab league. He is a decent man, I think. And besides, his political positions are very moderate. The second time, I chose Shafik, not because we wanted him, but because we were afraid that the country would be under the Muslim brotherhood control. We were afraid that the constitution would change and the Copts rights would be affected This is why we were reluctant to choose Morsi. But then we thought that this is God's willing... I wish to have social justice, because the gap is tremendous between the rich and the poor. I wish that they consider the poor, the ones who live in the cemeteries, who don't find what to eat, not even a bite of bread to be grabbed from the garbage. I wish that the government provides for the poor and the ones who don't have rights in Egypt. Like women and all the minorities. I wish that women get more involved into politics, and the parliament with a larger representation, and that they respect women, and don't consider them only as wives or mothers. And give them the chance to work and flourish. Good morning Mrs. Nahed. - Good morning. We didn't think that this revolution would take place. For Thirty years we were forced to be silent. No one was able to express his or her ideas, we were saying:"be careful, the walls have ears!" When the revolution started, thanks to the young people, it was quite a surprise for all of us. And yet, we all participated. In the beginning, we wanted to give president Mubarak a chance, so he can step down with dignity. We all went to Tahrir Square. But after "the battle of the Camel", when they attacked the protestors with camels and horses at this point, we wanted to eradicate the whole regime. Then, all of us went to the Square: the elders, kids, every body was at Tahrir Square. Even the Muslim Brothers. After the Battle of the Camel, everybody participated. One of the incidents that I remember very well was when the Art Museum was attacked by thugs. You would see young people holding their hands, like making a cordon around the museum to protect it. At this moment, they were very organized. The revolution was beautiful and spontaneous though. Among the young ones, one said :"Do you think that they are going to shoot us ?", and his mate replied: "I don't think so!" He did not complete his sentence, and he got a bullet in his chest and died! He died... Others had the same fate. Nobody was afraid, women were there. When I remember this, I have tears in my eyes. Women were all the time protected, and when a woman wanted to leave, the protestors would help her, and make way for her. In the beginning of the revolution, we were all mixed: women, girls, everybody... There were no distinctions. The beauty of it, is that no one would *** a girl! Even with all the crowd, I really tell the true with sincerity. After the president stepped down, and we were happy with that, the revolution still had to continue. Even with the counter-revolution, we were all the time going to Tahrir Square. After Port Said killing, when more than one thousand were killed at the football match, we had a protest in front of the Interior Ministry building, like any other one. But at this one, they infiltrated thugs to tarnish the protestors' reputation. And there were some clashes and violence. At this moment, we thought, as women, to create a cordon between the protestors and the soldiers. We thought that they would respond to us, as their mothers, and would step back. There was a lot of violence at this time... Other groups from Al Azhar and professors were already there. We went in three groups, and there were gas tears bombs and it was very hard to breath. We were not able to see, and the Al Azhar group joined the protestors. And some people heard us and left. Others stayed because they thought their brothers died and that they have to demand for their rights. But the protestors were not using any violence. These were acts of thugs, sent by the Interior Affairs Ministry I participated in a lot of protests, like the one for the constitutional addendum that I did not like And when we did not accept the dissolution of parliament, there were some frictions between the Muslim Brothers and the protestors. But at this particular day, all Egyptians were unified when it had to do with the whole country. The liberal, the secular, the Islamist, the Christian, the Muslim, all were together. From the beginning I really wanted to choose an Islamist, because during Mubarak's era, all our institutions, even the religious ones, were destroyed. This is why I wanted someone who would revitalize Islam. From now on, no president will dare to do anything wrong, he won't steal or manipulate us. So I think that we will not be better muslims without a fervent president This is why I wanted an islamist one and this is why I chose Abolfotoh in the first place Because he had popularity and was from the Muslim Brotherhood. But he broke away from the Muslim Brothers because they did not want to nominate any one at this time. The SCAF did not want the Muslim Brothers to be in power or in the parliament. This is why the Brothers responded and did not nominate any one. So Aboul Fotoh split from the Muslim Brothers and I chose him In the second round, I chose Morsi And I was convinced. There was also Shafik, and of course Shafik was out of question. Any respectful citizen would not choose him, except someone from the old regime, or a business man who would benefit from the old one. We see a lot of hope in him. We want freedom and social justice, within our religious ethics. We don't want freedom without limits which is advocated by the liberals. We want social justice among all the people We want freedom and justice, because those are principles that we did not experienced for the last thirty years We want the renewal of education, health, agriculture, industry... I think that the president Morsi took over a completely devastated country, God helps him... I think that women have all their rights, they are not deprived from anything. An islamist president leading us does not mean that he will limit women's freedom or their rights? Not at all, on the contrary, Islam respects women and give them all their rights Women today are judges, prosecutors, lawyers, members of parliament. They don't lack anything. They work, they are very aware, the proof is their participation in the revolution, hand in hand with men. I don't think that she is deprived from anything. All my aspirations touch upon both women and men And I don't think that it will be a totally islamic government after all. It will be a secular state under Islamic legislation, with God's willing. I think that before the uprising, there were no political agendas. There was only one party, a president and his entourage, and no debates. Even before the beginning of the revolution there were some protest movements. On January 25, we just heard some rumors about protests taking place. When I was younger, I used to participate more in protests, but lately not. In Mubarak's era, I stopped participating because I did not have any hope... When we heard about the protests, we thought that it is good, but still it was as any other protest. And I thought about going to Tahrir, but my family told me that the minister of Interior Affairs propagated fear among protestors. So my family didn't want me to go. I was very hesitant. Then I got a phone call about some demonstrations in El Batal Ahmed St. And this is an important street, in a very upscale neighborhood where people don't care about politics They told me that this street was very crowded with protestors, which has never happened before. Thus, I went immediately and I started to go every day after work. I used to go by myself, with friends, with my daughter, my husband, my mother, with everyone I know. - What was your role then? After Mubarak stepped down, we started to think that we want to change things, I started to look for a political group to work with, something that I had never thought of before. I joined the Egyptian democratic party It is a party that has young protestors and some of the respectful leaders in the political sphere, with whom I was eager to work. We created the party and started to have some activities We were also trying to reach out to people and explain to them who we are. We planned several presentations to attract people, we organized some events and craft activities for children in impoverished neighborhoods, as a way of awareness, and to reach people and to also encourage them to participate in the political debates. Having an uprising is not enough, they had to participate so changes would take place. With the parliamentary elections, we went in these neighborhoods and distributed fliers. We would talk to people and explain to them who the candidates are and what their programs are about. The first time, I voted for Hamdeen Sabahi, because honestly I did not find that any of the other candidates was reflecting what we really wanted after the revolution. They were all below the people's expectations. And yet Sabahi was the best among them, because he is the closest to my political views, especially in regards to social justice. And also because he was the only one with whom I share some political views. Maybe in another occasion, we would have someone better, but he was the only one. The second time, I spoiled my ballot, because I thought that the two choices were very far from what we needed, between having the old regime back and another candidate who represents the muslim brothers with whom I have a basic problem. Not because they have a religious agenda, but because after the revolution, they were part of our main problem, especially with the parliamentary elections and the presidential ones too. They also did some alliances with the SCAF. And of course, I did not accept that. This said, for me Mohamed Morsi was the best choice, because we did not want the old regime. Still, I don't expect anything from him. As I told you, he is far from what we want... He is not a revolutionary figure, neither is his party. I think that the economic situation is our biggest problem. We don't just want freedom of expression. We need people to be able to eat and live decently. Morsi is part of the right wing, and from the economic standpoint, he won't be able to achieve any changes. On the political level, I think that the situation won't change a lot, it won't advance nor will it deteriorate. We won't have repression, and we won't go backwards. What we gained from the revolution, we will keep it... I don't think the Muslim Brothers will adopt hard line policies, they want to gain the people's trust. And besides, they definitely want to stay as long as they can in power. So it is not realistic to do something that will disturb the people. Also, the economic and political problems that they will confront are bigger than to be part of any polemics that might hurt them. From the beginning, I took part of the revolution, and even before, I used to participate in protests with some other movements. I used to be part of some awareness groups, who worked on the corrupted regime that we were familiar with for more than thirty years. The revolution was for me a natural consequence of what was already happening. For more than thirty years, we have been living in economic and social deprivations, and the retreat of Egypt's regional role. And for the last ten years, Egypt's role was reduced to only serve the inheritance dossier. So I think that the revolution was a very important step. And yet, I believe that the revolution has to continue. From January 25 to February 2, it was a big step in the elimination of the system. And yet it was not completely over. I participated in several demonstrations and marches, like "The angry military", to get the people aware of the military regime and its wrongdoing. We were having marches and also we did some videos and documentaries, about the military rule and how we are controlled by a military autocracy for more than sixty years. A military regime who was enjoying economic and political privileges. And for this regime, the revolution's triumph would mean the lost of its privileges. And this is one of the activities that I participated in. I also participated in a workshop called "The Square Circle". It is a group of young people, that includes Salafists, liberals, Muslim Brothers, and its goal is to encourage the culture of dialog among people with different views, because we discovered that after March referendum in 2011, there was a split between the popular movements and there was a lack of trust between the different parties. So our goal was to encourage dialog and to learn to listen to each other. To listen to the others in order to understand them and not to distrust them. And one of the most prominent initiatives of our group was the "Enough discord" event. We created it after the Abasseyah events, to create some reconciliation between the different political movements, which consequently arose harmony between liberals, islamists and revolutionary socialists And this initiative had a big impact on grassroots organizations. During the first 18 days, the square's spirit was very friendly, because we were sharing one goal. Women were not exposed to any harassment. It just happened after the eighteen days. And I feel that this did not emanate from Egyptians themselves, but rather security measures. Harassment is not a common behavior among Egyptians, it was more an act coming from thugs or the SCAF, rather than protestors. The first time I chose Dr. Abolfotoh, because I am very interested in his ideas about dialog and unity. And to achieve the revolution's goals, we have to be united like during the eighteen first days. I really liked his teamwork, that reflects the diversity of the Egyptian society. And he was able to put an end to the polarization that we had since the referendum. In his campaign, there were left wing figures, liberals, Salafists and muslim brothers. Young people who were working all together. There was a lot of harmony among them. The one at the head of his campaign was Dr. Rabab Al Mahdi, a socialist activist. She was supporting him. And even if he belongs to the islamist movement, he was able to be open to different ideologies. And he was able to deal with all of them. This is why I thought that unity could be reached with him. The second time, I invalidated my vote. Both of them do not represent me. Ahmad Shafik is a military figure and I strongly believe in the secular state. Secondly, if he was not directly responsible for the death of the protestors, he is at least politically and morally responsible for it especially during the battle of the Camel. And by voting for him, I am supporting the old regime. As for Morsi, I completely disagree with the Muslim Brothers, especially after the revolution and their way of dealing with the situation after. I felt that they were siding with neither the protestors nor the revolution. They were indifferent to all the massacres, especially that when we were close to the elections, and with the declaration of the constitutional addendum, I felt like the whole thing was a show I did not want to give more power to the SCAF by helping one of the candidates to win. And then, we would have a president without any power. And this is what is precisely happening: Morsi does not have any power. I want to say that after the revolution, our vision changed a lot. Now, we are not only concerned with the president, but also the people, who will fight for his rights And like what the internationally acclaimed writer, Ahdaf Soweif, said, that Egyptians didn't change with the revolution but rather they re-discovered their potentials. And this is related to all women and men. Women were present in the revolution. Bullets did not differentiate between men or women. During the revolution, women were beaten, imprisoned. They were treated equally like men, as we saw through the media, like the very controversial case: the "virginity test". Women should have an influential role through education, and heading positions according to their competence. They must be awarded for their capacities and not for who they are. No distinctions should be made between men and women... This is an important value that we have to embrace. Those are general principles that we have to have through all our institutions. If we do so, there won't be discrimination against women I always participated in protests. I was part of many human rights movements, as the "Defense front for protestors". I was part of this movement and we used to receive calls, register the names of the arrested, their locations, etc. On January 25, I didn't want to go to the protest... I went to the office, and was receiving some calls. And around 2 pm, we got many calls from Cairo, and also the other provinces, notifying us of the spread of demonstrations all over the country. I couldn't stay, and I left the office. And since then, I was there almost every day. I remember, I was there the first day the revolution started, and by the end of the day, communication was cut. And when people decided to stay, blankets were brought. I delivered blankets with my car the whole day, and when I returned back, I saw the Square very crowded and people were running every where. A young activist from the "April 6 Movement", Mohamed Adel, was arrested from my car. And when I went back to the office, there were many injured and we started to call doctors, so they could come to rescue these people. We were also dealing with the urgent cases sending them to the hospitals. And we helped people to get back to their homes. Sabahi was more practical than executive. So I chose him. And this was a choice related to his program. At the second time, I spoiled my vote, because I couldn't give my voice to the muslim brothers, because for them, religion is the basis to any discussion. They are an exclusive organization, which means that according to them, I am not a good muslim. So I could not give them my voice. Not to mention the other issues related to the culture of religious countries, which I completely refuse. Like the marginalization of women in the public and the private spheres. At the same time, I couldn't give my voice to someone from the old regime, against whom the revolution was made. And not because he gave a good speech, it means that he will change things... First of all, women are an intrinsic part of the society. There are issues concerning the whole society and others concerning women, like personal status laws, maternity and child laws... And actually all the institutions that were sponsoring these laws and politics, they were dismissed after the revolution. And people with religious views, are very allergic to "women's rights"! And I think that we should be reassured, as women, that we have personal rights. We have to be able to decide whether we want to be veiled or not. As a woman, I have the right to work. No one has the right to categorize me or attack me for demanding my rights. As for the economic and social rights, there are so many! As an example, there are thousands of unreported employed women, because there is no a single institution responsible for their well-being. On a single day, I would encounter so many women, who work what we call "unofficial jobs", like house keeping, or workers in the agricultural sector. Girls are transported from their villages in vans, packed like in tuna cans. And if an accident occurs, and the van tips over in the lake with 20 or 25 girls, they might die, get injured or handicapped. And instead of supporting their families, they become dependent. And those are enormous numbers! Also women who work in stores, in hair salons, the ones who clean schools or hospitals, they don't have any health care. So the law must not punish us because we are poor and can't apply for an ID, Or because we can't read or write. This is not our problem, but it is a state's crisis. A state in which illiterates are more than 25 million... Good evening Mrs. Zizi. We were happy that we got rid of the old regime, and that the country was changing. In the beginning, I was really with the revolution But after, I was not very happy with what was going on. Every day they would go at Tahrir Square, at Tahrir Square... Why? It was enough and the revolution was over. Every time they would want something, they would go to Tahrir Square, why? I was a little upset with that... I chose Abolfotoh, because he is a religious man and he will not harm his people, like Mubarak... The second time, I chose Mohamed Morsi, because he is a religious man, and a decent one too. I hope that he will create jobs for the ones who don't have one and get the country to flourish. And I think that slowly he can change things. Four years are not enough... Slowly, slowly... I don't think that women are deprived from their rights. I don't know any one without rights... On the contrary, I think that they have a lot of rights! Whoever wants to work can work, whoever doesn't, their husband can take care of her. And they are all happy. This is what I see around me. I don't think that women need more rights than they have. Women are well educated... They are fervent believers, whether muslims or copts. This day I was watching TV and I saw people protesting. Two days after, I started to go to Tahrir Square. The revolution got bigger and the crowd too. So I went with them to protest. And I was participating a lot. After the "battle of the camel" and when I saw people beaten and killed, I felt that I want to be part of them. Since then, I was going every single day. I was meeting new people and talking to them... I was never molested there. I saw girls shouting... I was with them and made some good friends... - You were collecting food for the protestors, tell us about that? Yes, there were people donating food, and we were distributing it to the protestors. Me and others, at the Tahrir Square. Some people refused to take the food, even if they really needed it. I was also distributing fliers before the referendum, and some people didn't want us to distribute them. I never witnessed any harassment. No, seriously nothing happened. There were a lot of girls, and young men were protecting them at all times. I was lucky that I met a very kind man who was taking care of me. It was very crowded and I really did not see any incidents. There were a lot of students. Frankly, I am not educated, but I always felt that I was one of them... I thought that if Sabahee gets to the second round, I would choose him. - But why didn't you choose him at the first round? Because I was sure that he will be in the second one, and besides I was not able to vote the first time, but I can't remember now why I didn't. I thought that he represents all Egyptians, even if I don't know him very well. I thought he is a good person! Everything was good about him... I thought that he will take good care of people. - And why not the Muslim Brothers? Because I refuse them! I just refuse them! Women should have freedom in everything, and be able to live however they want. I have a lot of dreams... The most important thing for me is that my children can have a good education and a good life. I wish that for all: me, my children and all the Egyptians... We all deserve to have a decent life and a good education. Everyone should have a future... Inshallah! I hope so... Now, I am going home. Thanks and nice to meet you. Goodbye. Bye, bye...