Thoughts on the Bassem Youssef Show aired on Friday 25 October 2013

The Egyptian John Stewart

Societies most confident of their principles and of the loyalty of their members have allowed the greatest freedom from censorship. In societies whose values have not been fully accepted by their people or, whose leadership rests on shaky foundations, the heaviest hand of censorship has fallen. The relative prevalence of censorship is one of the features that has most distinguished autocratic from democratic societies.

For those of you who presume have very good motives to censor the Bassem Youssef show, the fact that this censorship may have a laudable ulterior purpose cannot mean that censorship is not censorship.

I watched the show in its entirety. There are quite a few segments which made me also cringe, but others (like the song and dance) were a masterpiece.

I will summarize the reasons why people have objected to the Bassem Youssef show from what I have read on Facebook, Twitter,and what I have seen and heard in our Egyptian media:

Your form of censorship operates on the assumption that the thoughts, feelings, opinions, beliefs and fantasies of human beings ought to be a subject of moral judgment and ultimately social and government action.

You believe that this censorship is a necessary obligation of the authority to protect the moral and social order.

You believe that the objectionable material proposed by Bassem Youssef may be considered immoral or obscene, heretical or blasphemous,seditious or treasonable, or injurious to the national security. Thus, the rationale for censorship is that it is necessary for the protection of three basic social institutions: the family, the mosque or church, and the state.

You believe that the minds of those who would be subjected to the ideas to be censored are not capable of seeing the falsity and would be led astray.

What are you really trying to protect?

Censors talk about "VIRTUE" -- really means"conform to the opinions, beliefs and values that they and theirs hold and which they would like to see enforced throughout the land."

Censorship REALLY "serves to protect the predominant ideology from which those benefit most who have attained power, wealth, status,and control within society." Censors seek to protect the prevailing ideology not because society would collapse, "but because it serves to legitimize their eminence and the various social, political and economic arrangements they oversee."

Why are Censors wrong?

They cannot define with clarity what is blasphemous, obscene, or seditious expression. Clear definitions and standards are rarely publicized prior to the arrest, prosecution and conviction of those accused of illicit expression.

They cannot demonstrate that the material "actually poses a danger to society."

Censors have to "forcibly suppress" because they cannot "convincingly demonstrate" that the material is false or harmful.

Censorship arises when and precisely because someone cannot convincingly demonstrate to others that the opinions which offend him or her are indeed truly false or dangerous. If they could, there would after all be little or no need for censorship.

What are the consequences of censorship?

The fact is that censorship always defeats its own purpose, for it creates, in the end, the kind of society that is incapable of exercising real discretion. ... In the long run it will create a generation incapable of appreciating the difference between independence of thought and subservience.

Censorship that hinders peaceable opposition to the government in the short run creates the long-run danger of violent opposition.

By suppressing reform the censorship may transform it into a revolution.

Every censorship produces a technique of evasion as wellas a technique of administration.

It is a notorious fact that censorship, or the threat of censorship, may make the fortune of a TV show, film, book or play which might otherwise have failed to win public attention.

For the real evil in the world comes not from the likes of Bassem Youssef, but from those so convinced of the absolute rightness of their opinions and beliefs that they would impose what they think and feel upon others. It is they who must account for their actions. For it is they who are most definitely in the wrong, and from whom little good ever comes.

Solution:

Let the Judicial system take its course. With a proper constitution, and a country governed by the “Rule of Law” there will be no need for a censor. Everyone would be held accountable by the courts which represent the true will of the people. OR: simply don't watch the show next time!

Sources: Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, U.S. Supreme Court, Academic A Encyclopedia, Harry White, "Anatomy of Censorship, International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, Henry Steel Commager and me!

Why You Should Not Trust The Salafi's

We were fourteen parties, last year, in a meeting with SCAF to put together a constitutional committee to write a new constitution for Egypt.
There had been a major rift between the El Nour leadership. Instead of Emad Abdel Ghafour, the head of the party, two new faces were among us: Moustapha Khalifa, and Younes Makhioun were now representing the El Nour Party in the meeting.
The meeting started at 9am and lasted through till 9pm. The discussions around the names and the representation of the constitutional committee had lasted for 10 days. Today we were putting the final touches to it. The last touches took us over ten hours. The major players in the negotiations surprisingly were Ayman Nour (El Ghad El Thawra party)  and El Sayed El Badawi (Wafd Party). They were the best prepared for this meeting because they had stayed up the night before , till the wee hours of the morning, in the Maadi Sofitel Hotel negotiating with the Political Islam parties the names to be proposed for the constitutional committee. There was a lot of rancor towards these negotiators by the remaining members of the meeting because we were excluded from this late night meeting. Anger was put aside for the better good of this extremely important historic meeting.
The negotiations were difficult and prolonged. A lunch break was taken in the afternoon. Haggling and negotiations prevailed during the lunch. Several tea breaks were taken during the afternoon discussions. This was to give us a chance to contact our party leadership for consultation on the names of the proposed members of the committee.
By 8pm we were all extremely exhausted and we finally reached consensus on the names of the constitutional committee. Fifty percent of the names agreed upon were pro a secular constitution and the remaining fifty were pro a political Islam constitutional committee.
The last tea break was taken before we were to go out to relay the breakthrough news to the hundreds of reporters waiting for us in the Ministry of Defense courtyard since noon.
We got back to the conference room for the closing session. Then Moustapha Khalifa requested to make a statement. Field Marshal Tantawi gave him the word. Mr. Khalifa in a very soft and docile voice dropped his bombshell statement. He told us that the Salafi's elected him and his party in to power solely on the premise that they will uphold Sharia in their governance. The new constitution must be written in accordance with Sharia law and nothing else. He therefore could not accept a constitutional committee that did not have a majority of 51% members belonging to political Islam! The rest is history.
This is where the Salafis stand. The political romantics who believe they are more benign than the Muslim Brotherhood are strongly mistaken. I fully agree with those calling for the disbanding of political parties whose origins are built on a religious premise. Once we have our next parliamentary elections, which will be based on a well written constitution, will we be able to take the Salafists demands in to consideration. Prior to that, they should not keep us hostage by threatening to side with the deposed President and the Muslim Brotherhood.

Predictions for the 30th of June protest outcomes are galore!

Political Pundits Abound

Political naiveté prevails.

We shall wake up on June 30th and witness thousands of truly patriotic people marching in to the streets. Myself included. The rioters shall demand for the departure of  President Morsi and demand for early presidential elections. I agree with all of you who see he has used his election to cement a totally un-democratic rule of lawlessness in a country desperately in need of the rule of law. I too cannot watch his speeches, or follow his narrative. He is unfit to be the president of this great nation. However he is the first, so called, "democratically" elected President of Egypt.

There may be confrontations between the peaceful marchers and Islamists. Incriminations will abound. The old NDP and their cronies will be suspect, so will the Political Islamists with their conniving Machiavellian orchestrators. The riots may last a few days and there may be some blood shed. In the absence of a strong police force the military may be asked to intervene, and they shall intervene. They shall intervene to break up the bloodletting and they will go back to their barracks. Under no circumstance shall they revolt against the President. They shall keep the status quo until the next presidential elections. So for those of you who have hopes for a military coup, I hate to disappoint you. There shall be none. The military shall only intervene once the hungry masses start revolting against the regime for not providing the very basic of their needs. This day will inevitably arrive, based on the totally incompetent governance performance of Political Islam in power.

Therefore our survival as a nation depends on the enlightened many of our youth, and the seasoned younger politicians, to come up with a well versed, authentic political ideology. One that people can relate to. One that embraces secularism and liberalism yet proposes it in a moderate Islamic language appealing to the people, and especially the youth. This ideology shall be embraced by a party. A party of the people, led by the youth, clean seasoned politicians, intellectuals, and technocrats of Egypt. Then comes the most important, most crucial, and most essential part. Raising money. There is no political system in the world which is not funded. The successful political parties are heavily funded, while the marginal ones are underfunded. The only reason Political Islam has been successful is because their coffers are extremely full. They also know how to obtain their funds through avenues we are totally unfamiliar with. The MB spent over 600 million Egyptian Pounds  just only on the presidential elections. As we speak, they have already mobilized in all Governorates in preparation for the Parliamentary elections. Hundreds of millions are being lavished on the unsuspecting majority of Egyptians who can barely survive on a day's meal. The Salafis are equally funded. Wahabi Saudi Sheikhs are on a vendetta path with Qatar because of its funding of the Brotherhood. Furthermore, they firmly believe that they will fill up the void for those who voted for the Brotherhood, and who are now disenchanted. In the absence of an opposition, they believe they will be the benefactors of the protest votes against the Muslim Brotherhood in the next parliamentary elections. Some romantics think the Salafis are more benign and a better choice than the brotherhood. They are deluded. The Salafis, once understanding how the political system functions, will be one hundred times more repressive than the Brothers.

Sorry to burst your bubble my fellow Egyptians. Simply put: Our true salvation lies in the understanding that a solid and effective opposition lies in a group of people who can articulate a very well written political ideology which is backed by a huge financial establishment.

Deep down in my heart, it pains me to write these words because I would wish, more than anything, for a revolt that would remove this tyrannical rule forever. Therefore if you disagree with me and want to bet otherwise, I am willing to take you on. Because this is one bet I would be most happy and willing to lose.

May God guide us all to what is best for our great nation and people.

From Dover to Calais

I know this is 2013 and that it is my first time to take a train voyage from London to Paris, so please forgive my childish rant and naive writings.
To think that the British and the French have been archenemies for so many centuries is unthinkable.
To be greeted by a French Passport Control officer at Saint Pancras station in London, and to board the Eurostar on a journey to the Gard Du Nord in Paris is unfreekingbeleivable !!!
The British and the French still keep poking fun of each other, at every possible occasion. They are now members of the EU and have a high speed train that links them both to each other. An umbilical cord of sorts. They are very similar in everything but language, yet they have managed to coexist peacefully for so long now. A Martian landing on earth today would assume they are of the same nation but of different fathers.
This brings me to my Egypt and our neck of the woods.
Imagine today an Arabstar train from Sharm El Sheikh to Jeddah. A portion of the line would also travel under water and the distance would be similar to the one I am currently traversing.
It would be a catastrophic journey.
Why you ask? Because we as Arabs, have not reconciled differences. We are still entrenched in hundreds of years of mistrust, envy and bias. We relish in our differences rather in basking in our commonality. Would half the journey serve alcohol until entry to the Saudi border? Will we build changing rooms for the ladies to dress in or out of their garb? After so many years of coexistence, we as Arabs have not yet found a formula where we can be like the French and the English? This is called civility. We are uncivilized because we as Egyptians left our civilization in 1952 and the Saudis left theirs after the death of Aly Ibn Abi Taleb.
I will get in to trouble for this rant, but I hope whoever reads this blog will take it in good stride. I mean well because I believe in our youth. They are the future of our region and they make up the majority of it. This generation is open to the world because of the ease of travel, and the wonderful border buster: the internet! They don't hold grudges and have less biases. They are purer and more open to change than our forefathers.
May our God, in his infinite wisdom, provide us with guidance and until we manage to reconcile ourselves with our past, and purge ourselves from our modern day fanaticism. Then will we be able to travel under water by train through umbilical chords.