I am in awe of the young protesters I addressed: Egyptians united by injustice and an anger that won't be tamed
Alaa Al Aswany in Cairo
Alaa Al Aswany in Cairo
(Alaa Al Aswany, the Arab world's bestselling novelist, is the author of The Yacoubian Building, Chicago and Friendly Fire. By day a Cairo dentist and by night a writer, he is published in twenty-two languages worldwide.)
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 27 January 2011
".....More ordinary citizens are now defying the police. A young demonstrator told me that, when running from the police on Tuesday, he entered a building and rang an apartment bell at random. It was 4am. A 60-year-old man opened the door, fear obvious on his face. The demonstrator asked the man to hide him from the police. The man asked to see his identity card and invited him in, waking one of his three daughters to prepare some food for the young man. They ate and drank tea together and chatted like lifelong friends.
In the morning, when the danger of arrest had receded, the man accompanied the young protester into the street, stopped a taxi for him and offered him some money. The young man refused and thanked them. As they embraced the older man said: "It is I who should be thanking you for defending me, my daughters and all Egyptians."
That is how the Egyptian spring began. Tomorrow, we will see a real battle."
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 27 January 2011
".....More ordinary citizens are now defying the police. A young demonstrator told me that, when running from the police on Tuesday, he entered a building and rang an apartment bell at random. It was 4am. A 60-year-old man opened the door, fear obvious on his face. The demonstrator asked the man to hide him from the police. The man asked to see his identity card and invited him in, waking one of his three daughters to prepare some food for the young man. They ate and drank tea together and chatted like lifelong friends.
In the morning, when the danger of arrest had receded, the man accompanied the young protester into the street, stopped a taxi for him and offered him some money. The young man refused and thanked them. As they embraced the older man said: "It is I who should be thanking you for defending me, my daughters and all Egyptians."
That is how the Egyptian spring began. Tomorrow, we will see a real battle."
No comments:
Post a Comment