المقاومة مش بس سلاح! Resistance at its finest

A little girl inflicted with Cancer draws what she wishes to have in the future. 

During the famous street battles of Mohamed Mahmoud street, Egypt, between security forces and the revolutionaries. 

اغضب..اعترض...اجري...اضرب...بس كل دة مش مقاومة..المقاومة انك تفضل واقف مكانك...ساند اصحابك...واللي مش اصحابك..ساند كل صاحب حق..حتي ان مكنش حقك...انتم ملح الارض!

Mohamed Mahmoud battle also.

متخليش المجتمع المعاق يكتف حركتك...راحت رجلك؟ فيك مخ وقلب وعقل وايدين و صوت..كمل!

After Mohamed Mahmoud battle, the revolution and the fight continued, even with many people losing their eyesight as snipers targeted them. They did not stop. 

خسروك حاجة؟ حاجة واحدة؟ طب لسة في قد اية تقدر تكسبه؟ الحياة مش حاجة واحدة

علي قد تمسكك بالفكرة...علي قد ما تضعف ظالمك..يأسك املهم..واملك يأسهم!

نيران هتافك...تحرر صاحبك الممسوك...متزهقوش..زنزا علي دماغ ابوهم..اقرفوهم..و دي جل المقاومة!

 Jewish American peace activist Rachel Corrie, carrying no weapon but a microphone, was crushed to death by an Israel Defense Forces armored bulldozer in Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, while trying to stop them from demolishing the house of a Palestinian family. She left her "democratic" country, peace of mind, luxurious life, and decided to travel all the way to a war zone and stop a genocide. Glory be to the Honest in their beliefs. Glory be to the Human!

 A depiction of a WWII soldier CRAVING some music, some love, some normal life in the midst of the agony of a war he did not want to join. He still can relate to the human within himself. He was not turned into a complete monster by the war machine.

Usually when in danger, most people run away from the source of danger. But have you seen a whole nation, marching, together, towards it? Not caring, only advancing to achieve what they dream of!
If that is not resistance, what is?

Resist their predetermined ideas, their sectarianism  their oppression, even when you do it with a voice, and a flag! That is all you need to implement an idea that lives on.

Your faith is not a cliche. Your identity is not to be bashed. Self assertion is a right. Homeland is not a piece of land, it is the Identity. It is where, how, and why you were made to be the person you are today. Every single thing in it helped shape the person you are today.

اطلعي من قوالبهم..منتيش مغلوبة علي امرك..منتيش كنبة و كرسي...انتي زيك زيهم..مكانك كتف بكتف معاهم...يمكن قبلهم..متقبليش تتظلمي..لا برؤية حد ليكي بطريقة مهينة..ولا بايد عساكر غشيمة!

Fight back against the stereotypes which shows you as weak, passive, insecure. You are what you decide to be! Fight back, the oppressor, and the manipulative society which shackles your free will to choose whatever you want to choose.

 مش قادر غير تحدف طوب؟ ما تحدف طوب..خسران اية لو حدفت؟ لكن ممكن تخسر اكتر لو محدفتش...ازئلزهم..هما و اسلحتهم الكبيرة..

 After the assault on Gaza, 2012, two Gazan girls can still find a way to play around and find happiness in the middle of rubble and the ruins of the now-lost not so many memories they left with their destroyed house.

An Egyptian lady in the city of Port Said sits to drink her cup of tea after the city had been bombed by Israel, Britain, and France. She's lost practically everything she owns, but she can still enjoy the simplest details!

Crime? Being a communist! Having a different thought, different ideology. If you can not live by their standards, die fighting for yours! It would be meaningless if you live by something you do not like or believe in!

An Iraqi boy draws the war planes that bombed his house, killing all his family members, and injuring him. And even before he feels better, he held his pencil and drew everything he still remembers to document what has happened, to glorify the history of his nation and family, and to fight back against the imperialist lies of war mongering.

Egyptian female workers fighting for their rights, 2010, standing in defiance against the central security forces who wanted to forcefully close the company in which they work, and end their sit in. نساء الطبقه العامله - 2010 عاملات مصنع المنصوره أسبانيا للنسيج

و احفظ القضية...تحفظك!

Asserting identity, no matter how hard the tide is turning!

This is in remembrance of and solidarity with every woman who fought back. In solidarity with every woman who fought back and won...But mostly, in solidarity with those women who fought baqck and lost, but did not stop fighting!

الأستاذة بسمة بلعيد ، زوجة الشهيد التونسي شكري بلعيد الذي قتل لمعارضته النظام القمعي..تزغرد اثناء تشييع جثمانه

Mrs Basma Belied, wife of the Tunisian opposition, leftist, leader who has been assassinated weeks ago. She is ululating,  making a wavering, high-pitched vocal sound resembling a howl with a trilling quality, which women make when they are in celebrations. For Muslims, they believe that when someone dies for a cause, they die a martyr, and are sent directly to heaven, and that is why we celebrate martyrs, as well as mourn them.

Carte postale représentant [mettant en scène] l’exécution d’un communiste, Munich, mai 1919.

موقف بقي عادي...

المشهد كالتالي...شاب قوي ..شكله صعيدي او من ارياف..لابس جلابية..والشمس ناحلة وبره..

ماما  نازلة من التاكسي شايلة حاجات كتير...قرب مني شاب و قالي : اشيل لك الحاجات دي لحد البيت و تديني حاجة؟

ماما: بس البيت اهوه يا حبيبي..معلش.. وابتسمت 

الراجل رد كأنه بيحاول يجاهد يثبت منطق..يثبت حقه..كأنه بيقول حاجة منطقية جدا و حصل عكسها فهو مش قادر يستوعب..بصلها اوي كدة و قام مزعق بنغمة مفيهاش هجوم علي ماما..بس استنكار لتاّمر كل الحاجات ضده.. "بس انا جعان...انا جعان و معييش فلوس و مكسوف اطلب من اي شاب فلوس عشان اكل بيها..مش عارف اطلب فلوس عشان اكل..انا نزلت من البلد عشان جالولي هنا هتلاقي شغل..بس مفيش..مفيش..وانا جعان..جعان اوي"

امي اديتله اللي فيه النصيب..وشالت حاجتها و دخلت..وقفت تاني علي باب العمارة تطمن عليه و انه معاه ما يكفي..بصت عليه من بعيد لاقيته واقف باصص لها و علي وشه نظرة امتنان كأنها انقذته من غرق عبارة مصرية مصرية اصيلة..و قام رافع ايدة و مشاورلها بما يعني شكرا..وطبطب علي صدره في امتنان و ابتسم و مشي بسرعة جدا...

و امي قررت تقضي بقية اليوم عياط شوية..حسبنة ع المسؤولين شويتين..واللهي تشوفوها في عيالكم تلات شويات..ودعا للشاب دة واللي زية عشر شويات...

المشكلة في اللي حصل..ان الشاب دة وجع كرامته كان اقوي من كفر جوعه..بكم الجوع اللي خلاه يصرخ في الاخر..مطلبش من حد..و يوم ما فتح بقه..طلب خدمة قصاد خدمة مش صدقة من حد..

اللي بيحصل في البلد مش بس بيكسر بطون وقلوب..بيكسر كرامة..بيكسر النفس...مغلطش اللي هتف "كرامة انسانية"!

زيح عنا يا رب...داوي قلوبنا يا رب...و اطعم كل محتاج...وساعد كل محتاج نفسه عزيزة في بلد ملهاش عزيز!

First clash between Civilians & the Brotherhood in Egypt. For History!

6th, December, 2012.

Excuse the typos and the grammatical mistakes. Thought I should document this before I forget or go to sleep. 


Told my mom I was going to see some friends at a cafe, and it was the first time I lie to her. As soon as I knew that Ikhwan are packing protesters from other cities, blind sheep, I knew a civil war was at Egypt's doorstep. I decided to go to the presidential palace where revolutionaries were camping, staging a sit in against Morsi's constitutional declaration and the the constituent assembly whose members are only Islamists. I don't have a problem with Islamists. I have a huge problem with the domination of one political force on the political scene, and the exclusion of all the other forces. So I decided I should go for these reasons, and other reasons. And also because, out of previous experiences during clashes, I learned that the greater the number of protesters is, the lesser the attacks are expected. So I just wanted to secure those who were already there. 

I went to Tahrir, found many fights, fires, and clashes. Protesters made checkpoints at every entrance, even in the metro stations, to guarantee everyone entering the square does not have a weapon. They even took my perfume bottle from me as it is regarded as a "weapon" there. Many groups of revolutionaries were gathering to see how they are going to go from Tahrir to the presidential palace to support those who are there. We fought. They were fearing for girls, who insisted to go, because we knew that Ikhwanis had weapons and would first attack "the weaker of us", as claimed by them; women. We all went together. The power it took us to go there is tremendous. Each and every time we go to clashes, we know we might not come back. But this time was different. It felt like saying goodbye. It was expected to be more violent, more bloody, and more shocking as we are all civilians. We did not know what was right from wrong. Are we protecting the revolution and its demands or are we starting a civil war? The guilt? the fear? The fear for our loved ones? We were all going together. Everyone I love and value was with me. What if I lose them all at once? I told them to go. But what if they do not come back? We all went, anyways, with so much fear and determination. 

It took us forever. At Heliopolis, I saw many more people, familiar faces, present during  every time there are clashes. We stood there. And then clashes erupted. Ikhwanis, coming from many different cities, organized, armed, ran all at once towards us to attack us. We retreated. Two friends of mine and I stood in the middle of the running crowds. You see, a wave of running protesters is just like a wave in the sea. Either you you swim with it, or you dive in. But we stood our ground. And by this time you really get numb every time people start to run or there is an attack. Force of habit? I don't know if this is healthy. 

Clashes went on. Ikhwanis had machine guns (which they did not use during the time I was there to be honest), fired bird shots directly at us, tear gas, threw molotov cocktails, lynched some of us, and the sad thing is, they treated us as enemies, were very happy when one of us was caught or beaten up viciously. Bye bye Egyptian solidarity. 

The sadder thing was that Ikhwanis, no matter how I disagree with them, remain CIVILIANS. When we used to clash with security forces, they remained police forces or army troops. It made sense to us, revolutionaries, somehow. But civilians against civilians? I just had a nervous breakdown. We started running very fast. A friend of mine lost his shoes. All of a sudden I find other friends I was trying to reach and failed. One of them came and put his hands around me trying to keep me from falling. I freaked out, did not know he was my friend until I saw his face. And we all ran. A friend lost his shoes and we kept looking for a shop which is still open to get him another pair. We kept looking for too long. And each time we step into a shop, we were being interrogated by the very suspicious owners :" Are you with Ikhwan? Are you with the revolutionaries? What side are you on?" And when we say we are against Ikhwan, some shop owners said they would not sell us anything. And the conspiracy theory, feelings of uncertainty, alienation, estrangement dominated. 

At this point, I felt completely alienated from my country and nation. Nothing made sense to me. I am an Egyptian citizen and I have the right to be at any place in this country and buy anything form anywhere. Clashes went on. We kept coming back to the front lines and they kept attacking us. We hid at one of the buildings when one of their marches was passing by...as if we are some outlaws or criminals. But what is our crime? Why are not we as free to chant our demands as they are doing? Why do we have to hide for safety? And all of this time my friend was running barefoot. We bought some slippers for him. And then we got back to the front lines. The viciousness we were being attacked with is what broke my heart to pieces. I just lost it. Could not make sense of anything. We ran to the back lines, found Ikhwan members chanting their guts out "The people demand the appliance of Shariah laws" and I kept wondering which Shariah? yours or mine? Shariah tells you to kill your own people? It tells you exactly the opposite. The complete opposite. 

I kept calling friends who were ambushed, and could not reach them. I tried to get in to try to find them and failed. I went crazy. They started advancing until they reached Cinema Roxy, and threw molotov cocktails at us, directly at us. I lost it. Many women started stopping buses and cars, hysterically telling people "come on, join us. What are you waiting for? People are dying. Come on, raise your voices. The young people of the country are dying, they are getting killed"

And then in a spontaneous and unplanned and sudden move, we all started chanting together, the same chant, "The people demand the removal of the regime". People on the streets started chanting and we all went back to the front lines. Some of my friends left and I stayed. 

At first I was not calling for the removal of the 4-months-old regime. I was only asking for my legal & constitutional rights after a revolution that took half of my friends, to guarantee the country would not be ruled again by one giant dictator who controls everything, has all powers.
We kept receiving many injured people, heard news about martyrs, but I REFUSED TO BELIEVE. Ikhwanis advanced, took our barricades, and some of them stole the cameras of many reporters, beat them. The feeling that I am losing ground and being fought by civilians, although I disagree with them on basically everything, made me feel so helpless and lost. 

A police armored vehicle was caught by protesters. Some of them tried to cause damage to it out of frustration, but other protesters stopped them to "keep it peaceful", whatsofuckingever that is. A fire truck came in trying to splash people with water to stop clashes, but it was in vain. Ikhwanis, packed in buses from 6-7 other cities outnumbered some of Cairo's revolutionaries.

There were many undercover cops there taking photos of us or trying to inflame things, and make them worse. But we are true revolutionaries. 

It feels so bad when a fellow Ikhwani, whom you protected during the revolution, and who protected you too, like Abdulrahman Ezz, who was injured during the revolution and was helped by all of us, and saved by us, now stands at the very far end of the street, points his finger at us telling other ikhwan members who we are and asks them to attack us, which has happened. Betrayal hurts. Getting stabbed in the back hurts.

Yes, I disagree with Ikhwanis when it comes to politics, but no, I don't believe their members are traitors. the manipulative, hypocritical, power-hungry leaders led them to believe we are traitors, former regime loyalists, paid thugs, and foreign agents. Rings a bell? 

I was so mad, had so much rage inside, was raging like fire, but I did not really like or value the idea of a civil war that much.

A friend of mine forced me to leave the scene. He got me to the nearest safe place and left. I kept walking, and at some point I could not tell where I was. I was in shock, not for violence, but for expecting a CIVIL WAR. As far as I remember, I called a friend of mine and I started crying and sobbing and people started looking at me awkwardly. I don't remember what we spoke of but all I remember is that I told her I did not know where I was, and 20 mins later I was home, crying to my mom, whom I could not tell the reason why I was crying so I had to make up another lie. 

عن جدر شجرة اتنفت اوراقها...

كبرنا...كبرنا و كبرت المشاكل...بقت مخيفة.

احنا اللي كبرنا و شوفنا فجأة ان العالم مش وردي؟ ولا الدنيا اللي بقت فجأة رديئة؟ المشكلة مبقتش في عروسة انا شبطانة فيها و امي عايزة تعلمني حاجة فعندت عليا و مش راضية تجيبها..ولا بقت المشكلة ان عندي امتحان و مش قادرة اذاكر و اسوء ما قد يحدث اني اشيل مادة ولا اعيد سنة..ولا بقت اني مقموصة من اعز اصحابي..ولا ان بابا كلمني بعصبية! اكبر مشاكل اليوم مبقتش ان الشوارع زحمة..المشاكل كبرت اكبر من معلش بتاعت اصحابك ليك..
كبرت و مبقاش في كلام ولا فضفضة تداوي و لا تريح..مبقتش الطبطبة بتحل او تداوي..يا اخي المشاكل بقت اكبر من حضن امك ليك...عارفه؟ اللي بتدفس فيه دة ينسيك هموم كتير و لو لحظيا..بيطمنك..حتي لو محلش حاجة او غيرها!
الكلام اللي فقد قدسيته في ظل العنف وهوان الناس و الارواح اللي احنا عايشينه و لا اية اللي اتغير؟ لية الطبطبة مبقتش دوا؟ لية بقت كليشية؟ بقت كل حاجة روتين وكلام متوقع؟ رتم الحياة الثابتة اللي مفيهاش جديد يشدك دة بيرعبني!
فجأة بقينا بنخاف اكتر..علي حاجات بتضيع كانت من مسلمات الامور قبل كدة..افتكرنا ان عمرها ما هتضيع او ان حاجات معينة عمرها ما هتحصل عشان لا يمكن تسوء الدنيا كدة..بس حصلت..والحياة استمرت..بس استمرت ازاي؟ وهل استمرارها بالشكل دة هو اللي مخوفنا؟
انا مش متقوقعة و مكتئبة..بس بافكر كتير..عشان خايفة..من اية؟ وانا ايش عرفني! بس مقبوضة! حاجات كتير بتحصل حواليا هزتني..احداث كتير في البلد والحياة هزت ايماني ببعض الافكار والمسلمات..اظهرت ناس كتير علي حقيقتها..في السياسة و والمجتمع..بقالنا سنتين او اكتر واقفين نتفرج علي وشوش عمالة تقع..ويبان تحتها وشوش اقبح...حلو انهم بيقعوا..بس مش عارفة اتعامل مع الوشوش الحقيقية القبيحة ولا اهرب منها ولا الاقي لها بديل.
في حاجات كتير مش لاقية لها اجوبة..بس الشيئ الوحيد الاكيد..اننا كل ما بنكبر بنخاف..كل ما المسؤلية بنزيد..والدنيا و الناس حوالينا تتغير..بنحس اننا اغراب في دنيا جديدة زي طفل بياخد اول خطوة..وكل ما انا شخصيا باكبر..كل ما سخطي علي اهلي اللي باموت فيهم بيكبر..لية ربوني بالطريقة دي؟ لية فهموني ان العالم ليس بهذا القبح؟ كذبوا عليا؟ ولا كانوا بيحموني؟ ولا كانوا عايزين يربوا بني ادم سوي في عالم غير متوازن اصلا!
لية يربونا علي قول الحق وعدم الغش و استحالة كتم الشهادة..واما نيجي نعمل دة يلوموا علينا و يقولوا اننا مش مقدرين خوفهم علينا ويمنعونا ننزل؟ ولا هي الحاجات دي علمتوها لنا عشان نعملها في الفصل مع اصحابنا و مدرسيننا و احنا صغار و اما نكبر لازم نعرف "نمشي جنب الحيط"؟

انا حاسة اني في غربة..انا باتغير و كل اللي حواليا بيتغيروا..لا اصحابي نفس اصحابي ولا انا نفس الانا..انا حتي مبقتش عارفة احضن امي واتدفس زي زمان!

حتي اصحابك اللي كانوا بيتسندوا عليك وقت ضيقتهم مبقتش عارف تحل لهم حاجة و لا تسندهم...احساس مقيت بالعجز..اصل اللي بيتكسر دلوقتي مش ساعات و ازايز برفان و ضوافر...اللي بيتكسر قلوب و احلام كتير...احلام ولا حقوق انسانية بديهية طبيعية اصبحت احلام في مجتمع عنصري و تحت سلطة جشعة باختلاف اشكالها؟ مبقتش عارفة...بس اللي اعرفه ان حتي ملكة انك تقدر تداوي و تطبطب مبقتش عندي...سرقتها مني حاجات كتير و ناس كتير خلو الوحش في الحياة عادي  ولازم نتكيف معاه ان مقدناش تغيره..."اكبروا"...هي حجة الضعيف لما ميلاقيش سبب لكل اللي بيحصل لك ينغص عليك حياتك..فينتهي انه مش لاقي حل غير انه يقولك ان النضوج انك تتقبل كل ما يحدث...برؤية مختلفة! يمكن دة صح..يمكن صح الا حد ما...يمكن كله غلط..مين عارف؟ مين في ايده يحدد؟ ولا حد :) ولا حتي انا :)

هي مبادئنا دي كلام شكله حلو في الكتب ولا افكار بنعيش بيها و بنطبقها بجد؟ ولو هي حقيقة و هي الصح..لية لسة بنعاني؟ لية بنحارب عشام منعملش حاجة ضدها..و لية اللي معندهمش نفس المبادئ الاساسية جي حياتهم سهلة؟
بس اصلا حتي لو عوزت اتخلي عن بعض مبادئي مش هارتاح..بقت جزء من تكويني..مش هاعرف اكذب علي نفسي..مش هاصحي في يوم الاقيني عادي بقيت فلول او في اشتباكات وانا منزلش او اكذب او اغش في شغلي او او او...بس ممكن احاول اقلل من احساسي بالذنب والتفكير المبالغ فيه في كل شيئ باعمله؟
اريد الرجوع لموطني الاصلي...مش عايزة افقد هويتي..ولا انتزع من جدوري..بس عايزة اتعلم اتعايش مع واقع اقبح من ما توقعت!