One of the worst things the Mubarak regime
did was to instill the notion that any public criticism of Egypt or shaming of
its authorities is tantamount to expressing a hatred for the country, or worse,
committing actual treason. Those who spoke out about institutional and societal
problems in Egypt, were accused of “trying to ruin the country’s reputation”,
an accusation that is commonly heard in countries without a democratic culture
and with a record of abuses of individual rights. This problem was especially
visible whenever a member of the Coptic community, a Christian minority making
up about 10% of the country’s population, spoke about both state-encouraged and
societally approved discrimination and sectarianism. The reaction consisted of
two layers: one is the denial that such discrimination took place, the other
was to claim that even if such discrimination took place, one shouldn’t
highlight it or speak about it too loudly, certainly not in English. Egypt is
made up of desert for the most part, so there is no shortage of sand for one to
burry one’s head in and unlike other resources in the country, that one was
used very efficiently.
After the revolution, this excessive concern
with the “country’s reputation” skyrocketed as the can of worms, formerly
hidden under years of Mubarakian dusty stability and security, was finally
opened for all to see. However, one major difference was that the accusations
of treason, condescension and hatred for the country didn’t just come from a
fearful and fragile regime desperately trying to hold on to its image, but from
many normal Egyptians who seem to have internalized that mode of thinking over
the years.
Now, it must be said that many are indeed guilty
of a rhetoric marred by an arrogant superiority complex and a condescending
attitude toward Egyptians and their needs. Such a rhetoric was adopted equally
by those who claimed revolutionary status and those who had hopes of holding on
to the old order, by Islamists and secularists alike. Not only should this
rhetoric be condemned for being distasteful and morally repugnant, it has also
proven ineffective for, as it turns out, calling people “slaves” doesn’t usually
get them to sympathize with your cause.
However, the harsh criticism I am talking
about is of a completely different nature, it is not inspired by arrogance but
by truthful self-reflection, not driven by contempt for the people, but an honest
will to overcome the many challenges the country faces. If we believe true
change comes from within society, we must be ready to face our demons. Empty
slogans about love for and pride of a country with as many serious and deadly
problems as Egypt are not only meaningless, but actually crippling to any
progress.
When the host of the political-satire show
Al Bernameg, Bassem Youssef, first started, he said Egyptians were known for
their sense of humor, however, not when the joke was at their own expense. In fact, Egyptians do laugh at their own misery and make jokes at
their own expense quite often, especially in those last years. It is only when that talk gets serious, when the
people are confronted with the magnitude of the lies they have been fed since
childhood by society and through state propaganda, when they realize the number of myths about greatness and
superiority they have been told, that they take offence. The natural response
then becomes denial and suppression of what has to be said. That reaction must change, for true good will for this country
consists of placing its progress above its reputation, placing reason above
myths and putting truth above all else.
