Unlike you may think of me, it is not always easy to write down my thoughts. Sometimes, they are too many and complicated to put in words. I had this feeling only two or three times in my whole life. Now is one of them. I feel like my mind is blank! I cannot express how I fee towards the new year 2011.
I will be traveling to Argentina on the very first day of the year – only 3 days from now. My birthday is January 2nd and I want to be with my family on that very special day! Apparently, I will be somewhere between sky and earth on birthday. What a strange place to celebrate a birthday! Actually, I do not care. where to receive the new year in my life. What I really care for is that I will be there alone without my family! This is so painful.
I will be traveling to Argentina on the very first day of the year – only 3 days from now. My birthday is January 2nd and I want to be with my family on that very special day! Apparently, I will be somewhere between sky and earth on birthday. What a strange place to celebrate a birthday! Actually, I do not care. where to receive the new year in my life. What I really care for is that I will be there alone without my family! This is so painful.
Anyway, I have to be more optimistic about the new year. By mid-2011, I will achieve my long awaited dream to graduate from the prestigious Fletcher School with a Master’s degree in International Relations. My work with the American Islamic Congress is getting more interesting, fruitful, and influential day after day. I am looking forward to the many inspiring projects I am expected to implement on promoting and advocating civil rights all over the Middle East in 2011. Also, 2011, is carrying a lot of happy news for me regarding my love life. Wait for the good news soon ;)
By autumn 2011, we will be having presidential elections. Some claim that it would be the last in Mubarak’s life and his son, Gamal, may make it to his father’s office in case Mubarak Senior refused to run for re-election. I disagree with those who claim that they can remove Mubarak, simply because there is no real alternative from among opposition.
Elbaradie is nothing but a funny illusion that some failure Egyptian opposition elders created to hide their guilt and ease their conscience. Since introducing himself as a change-maker last year, he did nothing valuable at all, except hindering Egypt’s wheel for change and distracting people's confident steps towards reform.
Ayman Nour, on the other hand, is fading away; primarily because of regime’s crackdown on him even after his release in 2009, and secondly because of his inability to make a sufficient sustainable plan and lead his followers through a clear path.
The other potential competitors like the socialist Hamdeen Sabahi and the Brotherhood are too weak and unpopular to get any votes in the presidential elections; that is of course if we assumed that it would be fair elections. The painful experience of the fraudulent parliamentary elections last month makes it almost impossible for us to believe that the presidential elections might be any better.
Elbaradie is nothing but a funny illusion that some failure Egyptian opposition elders created to hide their guilt and ease their conscience. Since introducing himself as a change-maker last year, he did nothing valuable at all, except hindering Egypt’s wheel for change and distracting people's confident steps towards reform.
Ayman Nour, on the other hand, is fading away; primarily because of regime’s crackdown on him even after his release in 2009, and secondly because of his inability to make a sufficient sustainable plan and lead his followers through a clear path.
The other potential competitors like the socialist Hamdeen Sabahi and the Brotherhood are too weak and unpopular to get any votes in the presidential elections; that is of course if we assumed that it would be fair elections. The painful experience of the fraudulent parliamentary elections last month makes it almost impossible for us to believe that the presidential elections might be any better.
Egypt’s socio-economic status is dramatically deteriorating. The majority of the 80 million citizens can hardly secure their living expenses. Unemployment and poverty rates are savagely increasing. Education system is getting from bad to worse. People are getting more repressed and angry as a result. This anger would lead to random violent action – or reaction – soon. I am not an astronomer, but I am predicting the miserable future from the facts I am seeing and living today as an Egyptian.
However, as an optimist, I would assume that this major stress on grassroots people and huge crackdown on political opposition elite would accelerate reform. We just need to let people know that there is a safe way to express their anger in a manner that would lead to real sustainable change. That is; nonviolent strategies and techniques. I dream that by the end of 2011 every one in Egypt, including the poor, uneducated and marginalized citizens to learn about nonviolent strategies and techniques. I will make it my primary mission in 2011 to educate as many grassroots citizens as possible about nonviolent action. I know this would not be an easy task and I have to expect resistance, but I have to try.
I still have hope! I still believe that our future is much better.