Uprising...an exhilarating combination of syllables that,quite surprisingly , drove an 85-million population to dance,chant and prostrate all at once.
Parking our car a few blocks away from Tahrir square was inevitable. You can hardly squeeze yourself through the packed up streets,let alone driving through! Passing by numerous tanks on our way to tahrir,my family couldn't help but smiling and waving at the soldiers ,who were obviously seated on the top their tanks,chitchatting with peaceful protesters ,and marveling at the millions walking side by side ,crossing Kasr AL Nile bridge,on their way to tahrir.
Street vendors were working at their best,selling flags,hair bands,hats ,you-name-it goods bearing the egyptian flag... you can see them with their pushcarts allover the place.The trinity of red,white and black,representing the Egyptian flag was dominating...just about everyone was dressed up in a marvelous ( and sometimes contemptuous) combination of the three colors.
The mood was upbeating. Just the fact of seeing hundreds of thousands marching along the streets in a very peaceful and respectful manner never failed to impress me.Personally walking down a street in egypt (before Jan the 25th) meant facing a disdainful sum of gawks,theft( if you're bad-lucked) and name-calling.You can envisage what a relief it was for us to hear cheerful cheers,glimpse smiling faces and feel that you're surrounded by your people..people willing to sacrifice their lives for your sake...for in Tahrir square we were a big family,sharing a big aim and working hard BIG time!
Nothing propelled people to rush down to tahrir more than the shed blood of our martyrs.With over 500 dead and thousands injured,you couldn't but pick up the 'COME AND TAKE IT' flag from their freshly wounded hands,and work your way through thugs,criminal policemen,rotten regime,pro-mubaraks,catcalls and bribes to reach the highest spot in Tahrir square,and roar "DOWN WITH THE ROTTEN REGIME!"
We passed by a subway station,and realized we're so close to tahrir...it's actually my first time ever to reach my destiny without asking around...the reason behind so is quite simple : practically EVERYONE was heading in the same direction...today I'm finally not getting lost :)
Females wearing burkas and gentlemen welcomed and inspected the oncoming protesters...They would rummage through our bags,and then apologize dearly for doing so, justifying their acts by : We're doing this for your own safety...so please do pardon us!
Once inside,one gets hit by an air of overwhelming patriotism.I developed a lump in my throat that just won't away...never before had i set my eyes upon such a view.Thousands who've camped in tahrir square developed very practical and innovative means to spend the time.Tents were hitched along the sides,peeking into them you can see sleeping bags,playing cards (oh yea you don't get bored in there!) cassette players and some nice fellows waving at you.Getting an electrical supply wasn't hard at all ,for they've accessed the lampposts' electrical input,wired it up to their cellphone,laptop and other chargers,and hallelujah! A cost-free 24/7 supply of electricity is what you get for being a bit innovative.
Those people included some of the best electricians,engineers,doctors,lecturers,university professor,scientists,university students,children,infants and a whole lot more...no wonder you'd instantaneously find help whenever needed.Few minihopsital,for instance have been created on the spot (they were formerly mosques). Pharmacies were also set up by the generous contributions of everyone,i've had the priviledge to help out in sorting out drugs in one of these minipharmacies,you see I had to categorize a huge pile of drugs,which happened to be one of the innumerable piles filling up the place.Never before have I seen such a huge supply of meds of all different kinds,they even had an autoclave in there,dear me!!!
Philanthropy was the dominating trait.When it came to food,the word koshary pops into my mind right away :D people shared food,drink,jokes and they even took turns in protecting each other while praying. One singular act that gave us all goose pimples is seeing our fellow christian brothers circling around us (us would refer to hundreds of thousands) during prayer times,and blurting " Today we'll die for the sake of our brothers"...and actually Muslims did the same,where the very next day when christians had one of their rituals,muslims held hands protecting their fellow christian citizens...talk about love,care and patriosm...
These incidences brought a lot to the surface.It waved a sure fact in front of our faces: The current regime is the only factor that has split egyptians down,we're naturally accustomed to bearing one another,and to prefer others over one's self...but the falsehood of egyptian state media and the grotty living that many have been given ,planted hatred in each one's heart for others and what fueled it was nothing other than dolefulness of every day's humdrum.
Every time going back to tahrir square made me feel rejuvenated.Tahrir was more like a soul-charger for everyone..souls which have long been oppressed,defeated,mistreated,lied to, and silenced were finally breathing out.It was a no mean feat for our ministry to smother the uprising.It was more like water gushing out through a huge hole in a blocked water-pipe,as if relieved to have been set free.Victory was afoot and we knew it,we just had to hang in there a bit longer,pray a bit harder and yell a bit louder.
Praying Maghrib in such an atmosphere was like an ultimate relief to one's soul.Females would pray quite close to males,for we hardly had any space to move.I finished my prayer and went up to a nearby photographer who showed supreme interest in our congregation for prayer; flashes of light from his camera kept hitting my eye while i was praying. I asked him politely if he could only take pics of the males,for females' prayers tend to be a bit too sacred to be overlooked upon by others.He apologized sincerely and turned back to the praying guys.Not too long after my finishing prayer I heard a rapidly spreading chorus of "Allaho Akbar!" mingled with cries of surprise,awe and disbelief."Mubarak has finally stepped down!" shouted a nearby guy..WHOA!was it not for our respect to those still praying,our roaring would've probably toppled the rest of the regime,physically :D The prayer finished and prayers joined in the chanting,prostrating as a sign of thanking The One who's made all this happen...
Hundreds of thousands queued up on their way to join us in Tahrir square...the mood was definately upbeating,people were dancing.On top on everyone,despite the pain and losses we've endured,despite the sorrowfulness we've felt,despite the will of any dictator,the Egyptian flag waved in the air,stressing on the fact that we're all here for the sake of a beloved country,protecting it and willing to die to protect it...
One of the best sayings about Tahrir was "Tahrir is such a small country within a larger one"
A country where steadfastness,bashfulness and philanthropy took the upper hand.
A country where women were protected,not gawked at by lads.
A country where innovation prospered.
A country where a dictator was brought down,by the will of God.
A country that has,and shall continue to thrive by the will its people...
Parking our car a few blocks away from Tahrir square was inevitable. You can hardly squeeze yourself through the packed up streets,let alone driving through! Passing by numerous tanks on our way to tahrir,my family couldn't help but smiling and waving at the soldiers ,who were obviously seated on the top their tanks,chitchatting with peaceful protesters ,and marveling at the millions walking side by side ,crossing Kasr AL Nile bridge,on their way to tahrir.
Street vendors were working at their best,selling flags,hair bands,hats ,you-name-it goods bearing the egyptian flag... you can see them with their pushcarts allover the place.The trinity of red,white and black,representing the Egyptian flag was dominating...just about everyone was dressed up in a marvelous ( and sometimes contemptuous) combination of the three colors.
The mood was upbeating. Just the fact of seeing hundreds of thousands marching along the streets in a very peaceful and respectful manner never failed to impress me.Personally walking down a street in egypt (before Jan the 25th) meant facing a disdainful sum of gawks,theft( if you're bad-lucked) and name-calling.You can envisage what a relief it was for us to hear cheerful cheers,glimpse smiling faces and feel that you're surrounded by your people..people willing to sacrifice their lives for your sake...for in Tahrir square we were a big family,sharing a big aim and working hard BIG time!
Nothing propelled people to rush down to tahrir more than the shed blood of our martyrs.With over 500 dead and thousands injured,you couldn't but pick up the 'COME AND TAKE IT' flag from their freshly wounded hands,and work your way through thugs,criminal policemen,rotten regime,pro-mubaraks,catcalls and bribes to reach the highest spot in Tahrir square,and roar "DOWN WITH THE ROTTEN REGIME!"
We passed by a subway station,and realized we're so close to tahrir...it's actually my first time ever to reach my destiny without asking around...the reason behind so is quite simple : practically EVERYONE was heading in the same direction...today I'm finally not getting lost :)
Females wearing burkas and gentlemen welcomed and inspected the oncoming protesters...They would rummage through our bags,and then apologize dearly for doing so, justifying their acts by : We're doing this for your own safety...so please do pardon us!
Once inside,one gets hit by an air of overwhelming patriotism.I developed a lump in my throat that just won't away...never before had i set my eyes upon such a view.Thousands who've camped in tahrir square developed very practical and innovative means to spend the time.Tents were hitched along the sides,peeking into them you can see sleeping bags,playing cards (oh yea you don't get bored in there!) cassette players and some nice fellows waving at you.Getting an electrical supply wasn't hard at all ,for they've accessed the lampposts' electrical input,wired it up to their cellphone,laptop and other chargers,and hallelujah! A cost-free 24/7 supply of electricity is what you get for being a bit innovative.
Those people included some of the best electricians,engineers,doctors,lecturers,university professor,scientists,university students,children,infants and a whole lot more...no wonder you'd instantaneously find help whenever needed.Few minihopsital,for instance have been created on the spot (they were formerly mosques). Pharmacies were also set up by the generous contributions of everyone,i've had the priviledge to help out in sorting out drugs in one of these minipharmacies,you see I had to categorize a huge pile of drugs,which happened to be one of the innumerable piles filling up the place.Never before have I seen such a huge supply of meds of all different kinds,they even had an autoclave in there,dear me!!!
Philanthropy was the dominating trait.When it came to food,the word koshary pops into my mind right away :D people shared food,drink,jokes and they even took turns in protecting each other while praying. One singular act that gave us all goose pimples is seeing our fellow christian brothers circling around us (us would refer to hundreds of thousands) during prayer times,and blurting " Today we'll die for the sake of our brothers"...and actually Muslims did the same,where the very next day when christians had one of their rituals,muslims held hands protecting their fellow christian citizens...talk about love,care and patriosm...
These incidences brought a lot to the surface.It waved a sure fact in front of our faces: The current regime is the only factor that has split egyptians down,we're naturally accustomed to bearing one another,and to prefer others over one's self...but the falsehood of egyptian state media and the grotty living that many have been given ,planted hatred in each one's heart for others and what fueled it was nothing other than dolefulness of every day's humdrum.
Every time going back to tahrir square made me feel rejuvenated.Tahrir was more like a soul-charger for everyone..souls which have long been oppressed,defeated,mistreated,lied to, and silenced were finally breathing out.It was a no mean feat for our ministry to smother the uprising.It was more like water gushing out through a huge hole in a blocked water-pipe,as if relieved to have been set free.Victory was afoot and we knew it,we just had to hang in there a bit longer,pray a bit harder and yell a bit louder.
Praying Maghrib in such an atmosphere was like an ultimate relief to one's soul.Females would pray quite close to males,for we hardly had any space to move.I finished my prayer and went up to a nearby photographer who showed supreme interest in our congregation for prayer; flashes of light from his camera kept hitting my eye while i was praying. I asked him politely if he could only take pics of the males,for females' prayers tend to be a bit too sacred to be overlooked upon by others.He apologized sincerely and turned back to the praying guys.Not too long after my finishing prayer I heard a rapidly spreading chorus of "Allaho Akbar!" mingled with cries of surprise,awe and disbelief."Mubarak has finally stepped down!" shouted a nearby guy..WHOA!was it not for our respect to those still praying,our roaring would've probably toppled the rest of the regime,physically :D The prayer finished and prayers joined in the chanting,prostrating as a sign of thanking The One who's made all this happen...
Hundreds of thousands queued up on their way to join us in Tahrir square...the mood was definately upbeating,people were dancing.On top on everyone,despite the pain and losses we've endured,despite the sorrowfulness we've felt,despite the will of any dictator,the Egyptian flag waved in the air,stressing on the fact that we're all here for the sake of a beloved country,protecting it and willing to die to protect it...
One of the best sayings about Tahrir was "Tahrir is such a small country within a larger one"
A country where steadfastness,bashfulness and philanthropy took the upper hand.
A country where women were protected,not gawked at by lads.
A country where innovation prospered.
A country where a dictator was brought down,by the will of God.
A country that has,and shall continue to thrive by the will its people...
