Egypt’s Mutants in the Classy World

Written by Menna Tarek Khalil.

Once upon a time I came to live in Egypt when I turned 9. I kept convincing myself that Egypt is “Om el Donya” and my home country where I should live and  die! But what happened to me on Tuesday 12/2/2013 at L’Aubergine (Heliopolis branch) is unacceptable!!!

PAUSE

REWIND

I’m Menna Khalil. I was born in Kuwait and was raised with expats. So. I got used to accept differences. Then, came to live in Egypt when I was turning 9. I’m 27 with double major in English Literature and Fine Arts (painting). I work as a FreeLancer Trainer (Business English and Soft Skills). Moreover, I’m a Jewelry and Fashion designer now. Being veiled never stopped me from enjoying life to the maximum. I’ve friends from all over the world with different backgrounds, ideologies and preferences. I’m an advanced diver and I’m crazy about traveling and learning new languages.

 FASTFORWARD

PLAY

I had a birthday party in L’Aubergine Restaurant & Bar at 9:30. I was rushing to catch it. At the door the man (bouncer), who doesn’t know A,B,C how to deal with people, said: “VEILED WOMEN AREN’T ALLOWED TO ENTER”

Me: “EXCUSE ME!!!!!!” (I called my friend Karim and I asked him to come out and I asked the man to get me his manager. The manager comes (wearing casual and looks like BALTAGY (in other words no relation to what a MANAGER to a restaurant or a bar should look like, no offense to BALTAGEYA)

Me: “ARE YOU THE MANAGER?” (In SHOCK!!)

Manager: “AIWA ANA el manager!”

Me: “How come the bouncer tells me I can’t enter?”

Manager: “AHHHHHHH EL MO7AGBEEN MAMNOO3 YED5OLO”

Hala: “but we had an EXCEPTION for two!”

Me:“Excuse me if veiled aren’t allowed to enter. Why did you make an exception for two??”

Manager: “3ashan el 3adad kebeeeeeer.”

Me:“Since you made an exception, why didn’t you inform the people below you that under the name of Karim 2 veiled girls are entering???”

Manager: “………….. (Silence)

AH MA2OLTESH!!!!”

Me: “so I stand at the door with the bouncer telling me you can’t enter, till 7ADRETEK MATETLA3 AND SAY YES I CAN ENTER!!!!!”

Manager: “AHHHHHH!”

Me: “THIS IS AN OFFENCE AND I DON’T ACCEPT IT!!! YOU DIDN’T DO YOUR JOB!!!”

Manager: “………..(Silence)

3andek 7a2 ana nesseit a2oul, momken ted5ouly”

Me: “I DON’T WANT ANYMORE!!!!!!”

(BARE IN MIND GUYS ALL THIS CONVERSATION WITHOUT THE WORD “SORRY!”)

I said happy birthday to my friend and I went to another place, but I decided to take an ACTION against what happened and I’ll take all the LEGAL procedures against them!!!

L’Aubergine isn’t only discriminating veiled women of their own religion their own country, but discriminating Men according to their Complexion and Race!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Let me add another story to the same scandalous place L’Aubergine. An American friend of mine shared a story that happened to her own Black Sudanese friend!!

Rosita Navarro (American friend posting on Facebook) L’Aubergine also refused service to my Sudanese friend on his birthday after he had already made reservations. They discriminated against him as he showed up late to his own birthday celebration. He tried to lie and claim his reservations didn’t exist even though we were all sitting at his reserved table upstairs, then they claimed they only allowed couples in, so I went downstairs to get him so it would be a ‘couple’ then they kept giving him and our other Sudanese friend nasty looks and comments until we finally got up and left. They were disgustingly racist and I would never step another foot in that place.

STOP

PLAY

What do you think people of our community and famous places like l’Aubergine or other places who wants to embody the Western lifestyle, but don’t want to embrace the freedom of religion or how you express it!

Is Freedom allowing girls nearly topless to enter, but decent Veiled girls not to in an Islamic Arabic Country!!!!!!!

I can’t believe those places and this mentality which are sick with double standards!!  I can’t believe that I am ACCEPTED as being veiled out of Egypt and here people don’t!

No door selection has ever happened to me out of Egypt in Fancy restaurants, pubs or clubs though I’m different I’m more covered and I don’t drink but no one give me a look. Here in Egypt I think someone will lose his appetite if he saw a veiled woman eating on another table!!!!

Why are Women classified into Veiled or Non-Veiled, White or Black, Muslim or Christian? What is wrong happening with the rotten way of thinking and perceiving what is right and what is wrong?????

Places in my country made us STRANGERS who can’t fit in!!! Made veiled girls like Mutants in the Classy World!!!

They can’t accept us! Either we transform and change or disappear from their world!

ليه لأ ؟ | Why Not ?

شاركنا وأبدأ البناء معانا .. غير الواقع

:تابعونا على فيسبوك

http://www.facebook.com/Imprint.Movement.eg

:وعلى تويتر

http://twitter.com/Imprint_Mov

حركة بصمة
حركة اجتماعية تطوعية ليس لها أي توجهات سياسية أو دينية تأسست في يوليو 2012 بجهود شبابية خالصة انبثقت من رحم الثورة في محاولة لبدأ البناء المجتمعي بعد ظلام دام أكثر من ثلاث عقود في ظل حكم جائر قامع للحريات والأفكار وفرص الإصلاح
مع تغير الساحة السياسية وآليات صناعة القرار نتوسم الأمل في تحقيق تطلعاتنا مما يحتاجه المجتمع من إصلاح وتقويم ودعم للايجابيات وأيضا الوقوف كخط دفاع  ضد أي سلبيات تشوه مجتمعنا المصري

The Imprint Movement (Harakat Basma in Arabic) is a voluntary social organization founded in July 2012 to confront some of the most challenging issues in Egyptian society, from widespread illiteracy to the plight of street children. The movement’s first project focuses on combating sexual harassment.

A call for action

Today I went to a funeral of the brother in law of a friend of mine, he died because of an heart attack and he was 26 years old almost my age. I was really frustrated to hear the news just because he is my age and suddenly just like that he was gone. The scene at the funeral was heart-breaking, his mom and brother at the door and people are paying their respects while they are trying to hide their pain and holding their tears from flowing, his fiance same thing while greeting everyone with sadness in her eyes for losing her partner before even starting their life together, his friends sitting their with tears in their eyes probably remembering all the good times they had with him. My friend was devastated crying and at the same time trying to console her in laws for losing their son.

It took me back when I was in university i had a friend who always used to say i wish i would die and she used to say it in a very comfortable way, we used to respond saying dont say that hopefully Allah will not give you such evil, she used to respond death is not evil its good, i will be with my creator; He will treat me better than the people on this earth.

Years later my best friend showed me this video about a woman talking of how beautiful death is and I understood what my friend meant. Since the Arab Spring a lot of people died just because they called for freedom, bread and social justice. I faith that Allah has sent them to heaven.

We must realize that death is closer than we think and in order for us to face it with a smile we must be productive in our lives and do things that would positively impact others. Lets start taking matters into our hands and stop depending on others to make changes while we sit and watch. We all have talents and we are all unique as a result our contribution to the world will be unique.

Fight for Freedom…fight for justice…fight for love…fight to gain control over your life…fight for what you believe in…your silence will not do anyone any good it will only do harm and will let you go through life unnoticed. we are all here for a reason and we should find out what that reason is.

We must seek the truth..the truth about everything…question everything..everything you were given you were given for a reason. we are humans therefore we must think and think critically about everything.

This is not a call for depression but a call for action to make our lives worth while…

When I die i hope people would remember my good deeds, if i ever hurt anyone please FORGIVE me.

Everyday we wake up its a new day…a new chance for change…new life to impact…smile when u wake up..enjoy the times you have with family and friends…make the best out of every minute with them…dont argue over petty things but create a dialogue and make the effort to understand them.

We will not live forever but our deeds will…

“It’s better to die upon your feet than to live upon your knees!” Emiliano Zapata Salazar

Whats Next?

So now we have an elected president “Mohamed Morsi” who doesn’t really strike me as a revolutionary I mean we all know that he was the spare of the Muslim brother that came to replace Al-Shater but all that doesnt matter now we must help get through this because whether we like him or not if he succeeds we all do if he fails we all will fail.

Many people are saying the revolution continues and we must face the SCAF others are saying we must bring them to justice. Now they are 2 institutions against each other SCAF and Muslim Brotherhood so any confrontation will end up violent and bloody.

What does SCAF want? a safe exit? share of the economy? what if we give them this and at the same time we pull the rug from underneath them step by step. Whether we like it or not they are there and its a fact, the only way we can get rid of them swiftly is through a civil war, we really would be VERY naive to think they will give up power and wake away. They WON’T….

lets focus on putting a constitution, getting back the parliament and do rehabilitation of the police. Lets do what Germany did..Germany was divided but they kept on united and they kept on elections then a generation after a wall came down and look at Germany its one of the leading countries in the EU.

I know that many will consider my post as treason but I think its the best peaceful option we have right now, it will take longer but its better on the long run than creating a war now with SCAF especially that they have the weapons.

lets all remember that we all have a duty towards to the country and that having a president doesnt mean we sit back and let do all the work because he cant and wont succeed without us.

As for all the fears towards the muslim brothers. The muslim brothers have more problems that veiling women or having them stay at home. If they tried will stand aganist them because a) we wont let them control our freedom and b) we wont let them destroy our economy by imprisoning 50% of the workers in Egypt.

The revolution continues on the streets and in the offices and in our Hearts but we must wisely continue it without being the puppet of anyone. The only way to do that so to do what is not expected collaborate not collide. Focusing on the development of the country doesnt mean forgetting the punishment of the those who did us wrong but just postpone until we are in full power or at least when we have enough power to bring them to justice without causing a war between us and SCAF

Marwan-The youngest freedom fighter

This is Marwan, he is was fighting with us on the battle of Mohamed Mahmoud because he believed in the cause. he said i am fighting them because they are trying to take away my home (the streets) .

This is a reminder of whom we are fighting for. I hope one day we will be equal and we will all live with dignity

دة مروان كان معنا في محمد محمود، سألته إنت ليه هنا قال لي إن هو هنا عشان الشرطة عايزة تاخد مكانه (الشارع)…يا ريت نفتكر احنا بنعمل ثورة لمين و ننسى مصالحنا الشخصية شوية عشان إلي مش عارف يعيش يقدر يعيش بكرامة

بتوقيت القاهرة التحرش ضد المتظاهرات فى ميادين الثورة

يستضيف حافظ المرازي عدد من النشطاء السياسيين لمناقشة ظاهرة ة التحرش الجنسي والعنف ضد المتظاهرات فى الميادين الثورية.

We said NO they said Yes

After the sexual harassments and assaults that has been happening all week; A few activists and I decided to do an anti-sexual harassment stand in Mohamed Mahmoud where everything happened on friday the 8th of June. The stand was fine; about 60 people showed up even though about 500 people RSVPed on the event on facebook (sad i think). Then we decided to go to Talaat Harb when it got dark.

A human chain, men formed a cordon, around us and we started moving. Several women expressed their disagreement with this and said we dont need protection. In principle they are right we should be able to walk without protection but in practice mobs in Tahrir are targeting women, and if/when it happens that 50 men attacks at the same time there is no way that anyone can save us in time.

This is exactly what happened 2 girls and a guy who broke the chain and went out; one of the girls got groped so she slapped the guy who did it, he tried to attack back but the men started beating him. The rest of the crowd didnt see what happened they are seeing many men beating up one man so they interfered to save that man, in the middle of all this some other men took advantage of the situation and started attacking the girls. Luckily our men were able to get them to a bakery where they stayed till this fight over.

One of the men had a gun (we dont who he is probably one of the shop owners ) and fired once in the air thinking he will disperse the men but it actually brought more men, others from tahrir thought there are thugs and started running towards talaat harb, towards us. We started running because we didnt people to run over us, we wanted to hide in one of the shops but the wouldnt let us in, 2 min later (which seemed like an hour) our friends got us out and we were fine. we kept moving towards Bostan street then to the Egyptian Museum. We were finally out of harms way and I learned later that the girls were able to leave the bakery into a taxi then home.

I think several would disagree with me but i really believe that those assaults are planned and deliberate to make us not to come to tahrir. Anyone who fears the power of Tahrir has something to gain out of this. I am really frustrated that Tahrir is turning into such a horrible place.

What happened was really outrageous but we got the attention of the media and we gave an interview with Hafez el Mihrazy on Dream 2 which was a really good interview (this is a short clip of it), several newspapers wrote about us and showed their support.

This is just the beginning of a long and tough fight but we will not give up and we will clean up Egypt. We will continue to do anti-sexual harassment campaigns…

We will NOT be silenced….Nothing will keep us down.

Photos Taken by Leil-Zahra Mortada. 

Survivors

After the assault that happened to me and my friends on saturday i was getting really depressed and frustrated unable to focus on anything. But i got tons and tons of support  and solidarity messages from all over the world, my spirits started to be lifted again. Also my friend who got hurt is a fighter…she is a survivor…I love her spirit….my respect for her and admiration grows bigger and higher…So proud of her.

I also met a few people who wanted to do something and secure the square one of them is AbdelFattah Mahmoud, he started a group to gather volunteers to secure the square and he keeps reassuring me that he will do everything in his power to make Tahrir a safe place again. The group he has is still small but growing and wish that more people would join him in this.

On talking about what happened I discovered that i am not the only one and there are other women out there that suffered this but were  ashamed to talk about it. There is nothing to be ashamed of we did nothing wrong and dont let anyone tell you differently.

My friends and I will always have ghosts hunting us because of what happened, some of us worse than others but we will not back down and we will not give up the fight. Some wants to control our freedom and our lives but seriously the hell with them, we are here and we angrier than ever.

Finally, I would like to ask the women who got harassed on tahrir or any other place to speak up not necessarily in public but at least to her family. Talking about will make you feel better and also the men in the family will know how bad you feel. When women start to talk to their men about it and show them how disgusting this is to you; they will eventually will think twice before harassing a woman or will help stop harassment.

Awareness against sexual harassment starts at home with the family then spreads out.

Here are some contacts that would be helpful in case of sexual harassment in Egypt:

Nazra: @NazraEgypt: Nazra for Feminist Studies aims to build an Egyptian feminist movement http://nazra.org/ or call 01011910917

Nadeem Center: @elnadeem: El-Nadeem Centre for the rehabilitation of victims of violence and torture http://alnadeem.org or call 01009952374

both organizations above will document what happened and could also provide counseling if you need.

To report the place where it happened go to HarassMap @harassmap: mapping sexual harassment in Egypt through SMS reporting  http://harassmap.org

Grateful for everyone who helped us

We can’t Win

We can’t win because we are not united…we can’t win because we are looking for our own interests not the country’s however if we were smart we would what is best for the country and then eventually we gain much more than we could imagine.

We cant win because we wake up after its too late…presidential committee? now? really? The law of political isolation? Ya lahwyyy where were you when Shafiq was hanging his posters?

Protesting on the streets, closing off the streets and squares will not do any good anymore…that card is dead and gone…we need to start educating the people on the constitution and what are their rights and duties so that we wont hit the wall like what happened in March with referendum amendments in the constitution…

Most of the people are tired exhausted and most of them are getting poorer and desperate by the day. Everyday that passes by we are losing our revolution. we need to use new methods of pressure. Education is the key its the long term solution for our problems….The old regime and current are running the Egyptian people to the ground…they are making harder and harder everyday to put food on the table.

The majority are starting to hate the revolution because they believe its what is causing the instability… can we please start to show them that its not? we are currently choosing between 2 candidates and we r choosing the one we r less afraid of…fear should be in the equation at ALL…but this is the reality that we have to deal with due to all the mistakes that we have done in the past year and half.

This is how things look right, the world sees that we had a fair elections and we were stupid enough to choose someone from the old regime…then we are objecting on it…democracy is a bitch that just bit in the ass…we must accept it and deal with it.

The trial of Mubarak was a nice charade…and we all knew it was but yet we acted surprised that they were all acquitted….they were tried in a civil court and the evidence were all burnt or destroyed, so did we really expect them to be found guilty? they should have been tried by a revolutionary trial but its too late now to ask for that. You know why we didnt ask for that from the beginning; for LACK of education…knowledge…the capability to think critically.

Now we are back chanting and protesting AGAIN doing the same mistakes…definition of stupidity repeating the same action and expecting different results.

Dr Aboul Fotooh and Mr Sabahy formed a coalition and offered to join Morsi, Sabahy said no and the 3 of them couldn’t reach a solution..now what do we do? I think we keep that coalition and start doing good things for the country, develop it and create jobs…they both have a team that would do anything for their country…but instead they are using all their energy on the streets protesting and making more people hate us and the revolution.

SCAF is tossing us around like a ball because they know that we dont know how to think critically, we dont know our Constitution, because the majority of the people are illiterate and just want to put food on the table.

Can we channel our energy to educate people? can we channel our energy in finding similarities not differences?

We dont have the luxury to choose the candidates who represent our ideas….we never did.

At the end everyone has the right to protest and chant but we must think of the consequences

I felt evil

Saturday evening I went to Tahrir with no interest in protesting I just went to check things out, I was really frustrated about the fact that the Egyptian people were not united. That everyone was looking for their own interest and not the interest of the country and its people.

There werent many people at first but then many came and it felt we were coming together. I was so happy. we were 5, 3 girls and 2 guys and we were walking in the square among the crowd and I thought it would be safe. But it wasn’t. Suddenly men started grabbing us away from each other. They started groping me and grabbing Hijab (headscarf) then i lost friends…I was terrified …some men hid me behind a small kiosk but i kept looking my friends i couldnt find them. I was able finally to reach one of them and she told me she was safe.

The other friend was hurt very badly, my heart aches for her and I keep playing the whole thing in my head over and over again, she was right there infront of me then someone grabbed my ass so i looked behind then looked back and she was gone, I kept looking for her i couldn’t see her anymore, it was as if i was in high sea and all the waves are just tossing me all over the place.

How can people be so evil…why is it that no one is held accountable for what they do? those men are walking freely on the streets looking for their next victim and there is nothing I can do about it.

I was raised that good people get rewarded and bad people get punished but i came out to the world and its not true. its the other way around….and i feel betrayed…i feel angry…i feel guilty for not protecting my friend….I wish it was me not her….

Who should I blame for this? Mubarak for destroying my country’s education so those men have no respect for women and have become just animals ….our useless police who are incapable of defending us…our religious leaders who claim that they want whats best but they don’t go to these young men and teach them whats right….our educators who turned into business men…our politicians who just want power…who???!!!!

I don’t know who to blame…But i am really angry at many religious leaders who prefer to appear on TV thinking they reach more people while there are certain people who dont even have a TV…our leaders tweet and do commercials targeting a specific segment of the people leaving the mass majority who needs help….

I am angry at everyone who just do remote control charity and not get involved in the society and try to help them….just throwing some money thinking they have done their part in helping the society…

I am angry at all the mothers who teach their sons that they superior just because they are men….and tell their daughters that they inferior just because she is a woman…

I am angry because me and my friends were humiliated….

I am angry but I am not broken…

I have seen the best and worst of people that night…I have faith that Allah will help me through this and will give me the strength to help others…

I know that many will not like that i wrote this about Tahrir square thinking i am trying to vandalize the image of the Egyptian revolution…but this is not my intention, I have participated in almost all the battles and marches since Jan28 2011 but Sexual Harassment in Egypt is growing and growing and we need to address it. We ignored it for too long and it is becoming a monster that is eating us all…I feel hate towards those men who molested us…I cant smile in the face of anyone that i dont know anymore…hell i cant smile the way i used to….

I am sorry for not being there to protect my friend…i am sorry for being weak…i am sorry that it was her not me…i am sorry that my country is fucked up…i am sorry that my leaders are addicted to power…i am sorry for the women of Egypt…

I hope no one else will have to face that fear….

I hope that world turns and things get better…