Lobbying Congress to ban the Muslim Brotherhood - Interview

This interview was originally posted on Clarion Project website. Check it here.

In early 2019, Dalia Ziada will bring a delegation from Egypt to lobby Congress to ban the Muslim Brotherhood. Ziada is the director of the Liberal Democracy Institute of Egypt.  An Egyptian human rights activist and civil society professional, Ziada has worked for several NGOs based in Egypt and the United States, including the American Islamic Congress and the Ibn Khaldun Center for Democratic Studies.

In 2014, Ziada founded the Liberal Democracy Institute as a think tank dedicated to promoting liberal democracy and fighting Islamic extremism. Next March, Ziada will be leading a mission to the United States to educate Congress as to the danger of the Muslim Brotherhood, both internationally and in the U.S.

Clarion Project: What made you start the Liberal Democracy Institute?

Dalia Ziada: The main project that inspired me to start the LDI was the “Popular Campaign to Designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a Terrorist Organization.” I started this campaign as a personal initiative in mid-2014, and it led to a fight between myself and the Chairman of Ibn Khaldun Center (where I was working at the time) over the legitimacy of the Muslim Brotherhood and whether they deserve to be called a terrorist organization.

So, I resigned from the Ibn Khaldun Center and started a new think tank through which I became able to better upgrade the campaign against the Muslim Brotherhood. From 2015- 2016, LDI organized several missions to the U.S. to advocate for the importance of designating the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization.

Meanwhile, LDI has been involved with several local activities in Egypt over the past four years to promote democratic transformation and healthy relations with regional and international allies. These activities have included monitoring the presidential elections in 2018, monitoring the parliamentary elections in 2014, and working regularly with policymakers in the Egyptian parliament and government bureaus on issues related to advancing human rights and civil freedoms.

Clarion Project: In your upcoming mission to the U.S., will you present proof about the connections between the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood and the Brotherhood-linked group in the U.S.? 

Ziada: During our next visit to the US, planned for the Spring of 2019, my colleagues at LDI and I plan to resume our advocacy work regarding convincing respective American policymakers on Capitol Hill and at the State Department to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization.

We have been very active in documenting the vengeful and violent assaults committed by the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt after the fall of their regime in 2013. We documented nearly 3,000 assaults committed by the Brotherhood against innocent civilians, state employees and facilities, and uniformed police personnel in the period between June 2013 and December 2015.

This violence is not an isolated incidence that the Muslim Brotherhood can easily disown; they are still practicing it. They also have a trained militia for this purpose. We have documented this militia’s employment by the Brotherhood on several occasions during that period of time.

Clarion Project:  How is the Muslim Brotherhood harming the U.S.?

Ziada: When I first started the campaign to designate the Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, we did not think of doing advocacy work in the US. We thought that if the group was banned in Egypt and some of the powerful Arab countries in the Gulf region, then that would solve the problem.

However, as soon as we started researching, we were shocked by how the Brotherhood has managed to establish a safe haven for itself in the West, particularly in the UK and the U.S. They have abused the open, democratic atmosphere that the U.S. gives to civil society to establish their network. FBI investigations in the 1980s and early 2000s discovered several abuses by these Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated civil society organizations that work inside the U.S.

These organizations present themselves to American citizens and decision-makers as the sole representative of Muslims. They thus collect money from the American people through tax funds under the label of being charitable organizations. They then end up using this money to “sabotage” the U.S. and the West from within.

From these American charitable donations, [the terror organization] Hamas in Gaza was established. These monies were used by Hamas to fund terrorist attacks — not only against Israel, but also against neighbor countries like Egypt. The terrorist groups operating in Sinai today are a mix of tribal rebels and factions of Hamas terrorists.

The FBI investigations proved that the Muslim Brotherhood has formed a network of so-called charity (or non-profit) organizations in the U.S. with the purpose of “sabotaging America from within” to establish a worldwide caliphate governed by sharia law.

The U.S. has held some organizations in this network accountable for promoting jihad and hatred against the U.S., however over the years, U.S. politicians have tolerated the existence of these Brotherhood groups out of fear of being labeled  “Islamophobic.”

If “sabotaging the U.S. from within” is not a reason good enough for U.S. policymakers to designate the Brotherhood as a terrorist organization and ban all their activities in the U.S., then at least the fact that they abuse religion and democracy to destroy the American-adopted ideals of liberal democratization and civil freedoms should be a reason to designate the group as a terrorist organization.

Clarion Project:  What will you be sharing with Congressional members about the Muslim Brotherhood’s connection to terror?

Ziada: We will offer proof that the Muslim Brotherhood is the parent organization to the terrorist group of Hamas and also provide the documented reports about the group’s violent practices in Egypt post-2013.

Clarion Project: One reasons it is difficult to convince Congress to designate the Brotherhood as a terrorist organization is that the Brotherhood is not a monolithic organization, meaning that each Muslim Brotherhood affiliate can manifest differently. How will you address that?

Ziada: “The biggest trick the devil ever pulled is convincing the world that he does not exist!” That is a quote from the movie Usual Suspects and exactly the trick that the Muslim Brotherhood is playing on the world today. They have tried to convince the Western world, especially the U.S. where they have been operating safely for decades, they are not responsible for the terrorism practiced by their affiliates in the Middle East.

Hamas, Ansar Beith Elmakdes and Algaysh Alhorr in Syria, etc. are all terrorist groups operating in the Middle East and label themselves as factions of the Muslim Brotherhood. They adopt the principles of jihad of the Muslim Brotherhood and they act according to the teachings and instructions of the early Brotherhood founders to turn the world into a huge Muslim Caliphate where every human being is ruled by Islamic sharia law.

Osama Bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, founders of Al-Qaeda, as well as Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, the founder of ISIS, used to be members of the Muslim Brotherhood in their early teen and youth years before founding their own terrorist organizations.

The Muslim Brotherhood as well as Erdogan of Turkey and the Brotherhood-affiliated groups in the U.S. and the UK have been telling lies to the West to provide the militia (including Hamas members who have infiltrated Egypt through tunnels between Gaza and Sinai borders) with political cover. The terrorist group Hamas was founded by the donation money from Brotherhood-affiliated organizations in the West collected under the false title of charity.

Also, who funded and caused the tragedy of “the Gaza Freedom Flotilla?” Erdogan and his Muslim Brotherhood party in Turkey (in cooperation with Brotherhood-affiliated NGOs operating in the West as well as leaders from Hamas in Gaza. After this highly orchestrated work, they are trying to tell the world that they are not monolithic?! Of course, they are. Of course, this claim is nothing but a devil’s trick.

The U.S. must not tolerate this false lie, but rather hold the Brotherhood’s leadership accountable for the violent misconduct practiced by the group’s factions. Let me give you an example: If it ever decides to be more diplomatic, ISIS’ leadership could simply disown the “lone-wolves” who practiced terrorism in Europe under the inspiration of ISIS’ jihadist extremist rhetoric.

Would you consider the ISIS leadership innocent and just punish the lone-wolf terrorist? That is ridiculous. If the Muslim Brotherhood leaders in the West are not able to control their widely-spread terrorist factions worldwide, then they should be held accountable and punished by the US for failing to do so.

Clarion Project: What is the difference between the Brotherhood’s activities in Egypt versus their activities in the West, especially in the U.S.?

Ziada: There is not much difference in the basic principles the group uses to justify their offenses in the U.S. or Egypt. In general, they revolve their big lie around the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

When a member of Hamas, for example, kills an innocent civilian in Israel, Muslim Brotherhood leaders and groups in the U.S. will label it as an act of “resistance against occupation.”

When Brotherhood militias were practicing terrible violent assaults inside Egypt in late 2013 (aided by members of Hamas), Brotherhood-affiliated or Brotherhood-paid groups in the U.S. were claiming that the Egyptian government was practicing a massacre against the Brotherhood. That was a big lie!

I was personally present at all those events, and I saw with my own eyes how the Brotherhood and Hamas members were armed and shooting at the police forces and killing innocent civilians from local media and other groups who went to cover the events.

You can read my court testimony regarding these Brotherhood militias by clicking here.

Clarion Project: How do the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood in Arab countries help fund their activities in the West?

Ziada: That is a very good question. People usually investigate into how Brotherhood militias in the Middle East benefit from the group’s leaders living and working in the West. But, the truth is that Brotherhood leaders living in the West benefit from the group’s militias operating in the Middle East, too.

For example, after the fall of the Brotherhood regime in Egypt and their subsequent vengeful violent assaults, the Qatari regime (a huge supporter of the group) started to pour millions of dollars into the budgets of certain Brotherhood-affiliated groups and sympathizing think tanks in the U.S., the UK, and Europe to alter the truth.

When President Trump took office and the Brotherhood started to feel threatened, those Qatari funds increased even more. Therefore, it is sometimes in the best interest of these organizations to keep promoting the lies about the true nature of the Brotherhood to keep receiving Qatari funds.

Clarion Project: What can people in the West and in Arab countries do to reduce the support and funding of the Muslim Brotherhood? 

Ziada: The first and most important step to curb the threat of the Muslim Brotherhood to the world’s security is to defuse the diplomatic and political power of the group’s leaders who are operating openly and freely in Western countries.

The U.S., the UK, the European Union and all the powerful countries in the West must designate the Brotherhood as a terrorist organization and ban all forms of public activities their group or its members. That won’t hurt Western democracy in any way.

Open democracy does not mean opening your door to all and everyone who can simply abuse your democratic system to “sabotage” your country and destroy your ideals. Rather, democracy requires a level of protection against democracy abusers.

That step can only be taken by Western democratic nations like the U.S. The Arab countries have already done their part. They have designated the Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, banned its charity-masked activities all over the region and diplomatically boycotted Qatar for funding the Brotherhood.

The Arab crackdown on the Brotherhood should encourage the U.S. to take quicker steps towards banning the group. Otherwise, the Brotherhood’s next target of their violent operations will be the West.

أهم درس تعلمته في 2018... عن تجربة شخصية

"عسى أن تحبوا شيئاً وهو شر لكم" - أكبر درس تعلمته أثناء عام 2018، أكتبه لكم هنا باختصار لعله يكون عبرة ومعين على اتخاذ القرارات السليمة في حياتكم:

أحياناً تقع في حب أشخاص تحيل حياتك إلى جحيم، والغريب أنك تتمسك بهم كما تتمسك بالحياة نفسها، رغم علمك الكامل بكل بشاعتهم وأنانيتهم وساديتهم واستغلالهم لك، وفي لحظة معينة بعد أن يتأكدوا من أنهم زرعوا سمهم في أعماق روحك وتركوك جثة هامدة.. سيهربون، وستظن وقتها أن حياتك قد تدمرت بلا رجعة، لكن الحقيقة أن هذه اللحظة بالتحديد - لحظة هروبهم بمنتهى الخسة - هي لحظة نجاتك وبداية جديدة لكل الأشياء الجميلة التي كان وجودهم في حياتك حائلاً ضد تحقيقها، فالملائكة لا تأتي في مكان يسكنه الشياطين، والأشياء والأشخاص الجميلة لن تعرف طريقها إلى حياتك إذا سمحت لشيطان أن يسكن في قلبك.

شخصياً، ربنا ابتلاني بهذا النوع من الحب السام، وتمسكت به طيلة ثلاث سنوات، كان كالذنب الذي لم أطلب من الله أبداً أن يغفره، لكن كما هو متوقع، بنهاية 2017، هرب ذاك المستغل السادي بعد أن سمم حياتي بكاملها، لم يحدث أبداً أن شيئاً أو شخصاً قد تسبب لي في هذا الكم الهائل من الألم النفسي والجسدي إلا هو... كان وجوده في حياتي عذاب بكل ما تحمل كلمة عذاب من معنى، ولا أعرف كيف تحملته ثلاث سنوات كاملة! 

حين هرب بعد أن فتك بروحي تماماً، ظننت وقتها أني انتهيت، لكن لم يستغرق الوقت سوى أسابيع قليلة ووجدتني أعود لحياتي التي أحبها بمنتهى السهولة، لم أتوقع أبداً أن حياتي في عام 2018 ستكون بهذا التألق، حققت فيها إنجازات شخصية ومهنية وأكاديمية لم أكن اتخيل أنني قادرة على إنجازها في هذا الوقت القصير، وتعرفت على أشخاص جدد داخل وخارج مصر ملأوا حياتي بالبهجة والسلام النفسي. لم أكن أعرف أبداً أن أول الطريق نحو السعادة كان يوم اختار الشيطان أن يخرج من جنتي. 

عز من قال "عسى أن تحبوا شيئاً وهو شر لكم"

Boycotting Social Media is Dangerous; here's why!

“You have to boycott social media to have a better life.”  

“Social media is turning you into an addict.”  

“Social media platforms are stealing your personal information.”  

“Social media is hurting your privacy and putting your life at risk.” 

“Social media is playing with world politics.”

You, probably, have heard or read one of the above statements, recently. Almost every blogger, writer, and researcher I follow are advocating against the so-called “damaging effects” of social media on our mental health and on the well-being of our human communities. Even, some point at certain social media platforms (e.g. Facebook) for being responsible for political corruption or manipulating elections. For me, those claims represent insanity in its purist form!

Over the past five months, I have gone through several of the “social media detox” experiments suggested all over the internet. They promise you mental freedom and more precious time to be added to your already-shortened life.  It took me five months of following the “boycott social media” trend to discover that those campaigns are nothing but disturbing SCAM. To save you the five months I wasted on the experiment, I ask you to take a nice step back and look again into the intentions behind such campaigns. Well! They are simply trying to up their viewers meter to be more popular on social media. What?! Yes, that is the bitter truth. 

Ironically, most of the bloggers, YouTubers, writers, and researchers advocating boycotting social media platforms are social media rats. They spend hours on social media every day. They have active applications for Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram installed on their computers, iPads, and mobile phones. They are connected online for their entire waking hours. Their audience and followers knew about them through social media. In fact, if it was not for their intensive, and sometimes intrusive, presence on social media, no one would have noticed they ever existed. Yet, the most shocking truth: they are using the social media platforms to convince you to boycott the social media platforms! Isn’t it too crazy to bite?! 

Speaking from experience, I believe that using social media is necessary and that boycotting social media is dangerous. In today's world, social media platforms are the primary source of news and the easiest form of communication. If you decide to avoid using social media to acquire news and communicate with other human beings, you are no different from a man who decides to travel across borders riding a camel rather than taking a plane. You are not doing yourself or your community any good by refusing to adapt to the new tools of mass media and communications. 

In addition, by cutting social media out of your life, you are missing on the great opportunity of being the creator of your own news. On social media, there are no editors who would select for the news creator what to produce and for the news consumer what to devour. You have the absolute power over every piece of information that you choose to give to the world or select to absorb from others. This, eventually, gives you absolute power over your psyche that has always been penetrated by traditional media and political leaders, who control what you are allowed to see as a citizen. It, also, gives you a firm control over your own time. You choose when and what to watch or read whenever you desire, not according to the TV network schedule.   

Then, what is the problem? Why many people have a love/hate relationship with social media? I think that is because social media showed them their ugly face. If someone is already wasting his time on small talks and trivia on social media, then, most probably, they are not any different in real life. In other words, if someone is already a loser in real life, with no purpose, goal, or work to do; they will be as much as a loser on social media, too. They may, even, use social media to create the illusion that they are doing something valuable. But, in fact, they are simply trying to make use of their already wasted time. On the other hand, if you are a successful person with a clear goal in life and a solid schedule for your time, when you get on social media you will use it only to serve your goals and make you more successful. You are making the best use at that particular moment of your already valuable time. 

Nevertheless, the proper use of social media platforms can literally provide the freedom and the power that we all seek. I have seen women in very conservative communities being socially empowered and getting over their oppressive patriarchal societies by starting small businesses on Facebook. Personally, I was one of many young human rights activists, who brought down dictators during the Arab Spring, by knowing how to use this amazing swift communication tool in mobilizing supporters.   

The bottom line is: the problem is not in social media platforms, no matter how attractive or addictive they are designed to be. The problem is in our behavior on social media. If you have a friend who spends his whole day hanging out at shopping malls and coffee-shops, then you would suggest that there is something wrong with his behavior not with the beautiful design or addictive coffee brewing at this particular coffee shops. That is exactly the case with social media platforms. 

You do not need to boycott social media to be happy or free. On the contrary, you need to immerse yourself in the unique and revolutionary experience of communicating through a virtual platform. To be happy and free, you need to change your perception about how much you value your time and manage your life. Ironically, social media can help you make this change!   

Countries Showing off Military Power in Egypt - My experience with EDEX

Superiority is not for the country which owns or manufactures the heaviest military equipment, anymore. Rather, the strongest country in today’s world is the one with the highest intelligence expertise and cyber war capabilities. That is the most important note that I have taken after visiting Egypt’s first Defense and Security Exhibition (EDEX), earlier this week.

EDEX, as an exhibition is not a novel event to the world, it has been there for twenty years. However, it is a whole new event for Egyptians. This is the first time the Egyptian government organizes EDEX inside the capital city of Cairo, with over 370 state and corporate exhibitors from all over the globe. This is also the first time for Egyptian civilian journalists, researchers and scholars to get such a close access to that massive amount of information and updates on the defense industry in Egypt and abroad. 

Defense industry and security issues, including military-related information, have always been a big taboo and a minefield to explore by journalists and researchers in Egypt. But, fortunately, this is not the case anymore. 

When I received the invitation to EDEX, I expected to see pamphlets, photos, videos, and perhaps some cartoon samples of the real equipment. But, to my biggest surprise, the exhibiting companies and military institutions were present with the real uniforms, equipment, and ammunition. 

The floor of the exhibition was similar to a world war scene, a quieter one though, where every country is showing off its military muscles. Unlike actual world war, the show of military power was not meant to offend other nations, but to explore ways of cooperation and integration. I believe this says a lot about how civilized our world has become. 

I have, also, noticed that the majority of the defense systems in the world has not yet adapted, equipment-wise and personnel-wise, to managing wars against non-state actors. Terrorist groups are the actual enemy of the world, today. Terrorists’ real power lies in the fact that they are more random than all the highly organized and hierarchical traditional military systems operating worldwide. The high technology and most advanced heavy military equipment that I have seen at EDEX are not definitely the right gear to fight this new enemy. I believe that world military institutions need to change their perception about procurement in adaptation to this new non-traditional war.

A final thought that crossed my mind while walking down the aisles of EDEX was how proud I am of my country and my military. God bless Egypt! 

How effective is Yellow Vests protests in France?

As disturbing as they may seem, the series of the Yellow Vests protests in France is nothing but another episode in the ongoing show of rising populism in Europe – and the world! 

Those protests cannot be ranked as a nonviolent movement, which is threatening to Macron’s presidency or the core of the general political system in France. Politically or economically motivated demonstrations are common scene in France. This is not the first time French citizens organize nation-wide protests against Macron or his predecessors. 

The different composition and strategy of the Yellow Vests protests should not fool us into believing that it is something similar to the Arab Spring uprisings. In other words, no regime change, or even a minor shake to Macron’s presidency, is expected from such protests for several reasons: 

1. The strong and long standing political system of France, which represents a unique mix of socialism and liberal democracy, makes it almost impossible for the Yellow Vests protests to break, given their current form and flow. 

2. The skilled strategic masters of nonviolent action are absent. The leading students, human rights activists, and liberal parties are not contributing in any significant way. The protesters are mostly composed of random groups of angry citizens, who cannot keep up with the economic pressure Macron’s regime is imposing on them. Most of the protesters are from the working class, and their rhetoric is mainly a rejection to the economic and political elite. They call Macron the president of the elite, while praising former presidential candidate Marine Le Pen and her party. That, simply, proves my aforementioned point about being the protests a mere show of power by the populists who are trying to find a space for themselves in the French politics, similar to their peers in the US and Europe. 

3. The protests are random and violent, which is a weak point. It is historically proven that nonviolent discipline is essential to winning a political cause. The escalating violence practiced by the unorganized Yellow Vests protesters is leading to losing their legitimacy and support by the general public. The random angry groups of citizens, who were virtually organized by a hash-tag on social media, will eventually fail to continue protesting amid this escalating violence, which poses a risk on their lives, as well as, the streets and facilities that they fund with their own tax money. 

4. It is true that the Yellow Vests are now saying that they have organized 44 sub-groups with 44 leaders all over France. But, they did not mention that these groups are virtual gatherings of random people on social media. That is another weak point. The absence of actual leaders to the movement will lead to its failure and disperse, sooner or later. 

However, the best strategy for the Yellow Vests movement – if they want to win – is to keep the ball rolling, in a nonviolent way though, to keep attracting more economically pressured citizens. Then, turn those engaging masses into a political party that can support a populist candidate in the next presidential elections, in 2022. Continuing their current strategy won't lead to any effective results. 

  

هل أخطأ فضيلة الإمام الأكبر د. أحمد الطيب لإصراره على التمسك بالتراث؟

أسجل اعتراضي على حالة الهجوم الحادة التي تمارس ضد فضيلة الإمام الأكبر شيخ الأزهر د. أحمد الطيب بعد كلمته في المولد النبوي التي أكد فيها على التمسك بالسنة النبوية كركن أساسي من أركان الدين، حيث لم يقل فضيلة الإمام الأكبر أنه ضد تطوير الخطاب الديني، ولكنه بكل وضوح ضد هدم التراث الديني بأي صورة من الصور، وهذه مسألة منطقية لا تقبل الجدل في الحقيقة.

إن التراث هو كل ما ورثناه، سواء كان ما فيه يعجبك أو لا يعجبك، يتوافق مع هواك وأفكارك أو لا يتوافق، أنت حر تماماً في أن تؤمن به أو لا تؤمن به، أنت حر في أن تعترف به أو لا تعترف به، لكن لست حر أبداً في أن تطالب بمحوه من التاريخ لأنه لا يعجبك، تماماً كما لو أنك وأخوتك ورثتم بيتاً عن والدكم، ربما أن البيت به غرف لا تعجبك، من حقك أن تطورها وتجددها، لكن ليس من حقك أبداً أن تهدم هذه الغرف أو تهدم البيت، فهو ليس ملكك وحدك، وهدمه ببساطة هو هدم لرباط الأسرة، بل هدم للأسره بكاملها.

هكذا هو التراث الإسلامي، خذ منه ما تريد وضع جانباً ما لا تريد، هذه مسألة تتعلق بإيمانك الشخصي بينك وبين الله، لكن أن تمحوه تماماً بحجة التطوير أو التجديد، فهذا تعدي ليس على التراث، ولكن على شركاءك في هذا الميراث.

جميع الأديان السماوية والغير سماوية بها نصوص "مزعجة" وبعض ما يحتويه تراث هذه الأديان لا يتوافق مع قواعد وعادات العيش في عصرنا، لكننا لم نرى أحداً في أي دين أخر طالب بمحو تراث دينه أو بعضاً منه، مثلما يفعل بعض المسلمين الآن.

هذا ما فهمته من كلام الدكتور أحمد الطيب، ولا أجد فيه شيئاً يتنافى مع العقل بصراحة، فتوقفوا عن إدعاء أنكم أعلم من غيركم ولا تعطوا لأنفسكم الحق في محو تراث المسلمين، فليس لكم فضل على الناس أو على التاريخ يسمح لكم بهذا التدخل، التطوير أو التجديد هي عملية ابتكار واستحداث لأفكار ومشروعات جديدة تطور القديم وتحسنه، وليست أبداً عملية نسف وهدم. 

تدقيق محاسبي شامل على الجيش الأمريكي لأول مرة في التاريخ

لأول مرة في التاريخ، تم عمل تدقيق محاسبي شامل لـ وزارة الدفاع الأمريكية، وقام بتنفيذه 1200 مراجع أغلبهم من شركات مراجعة محاسبية مستقلة، وصدر تقرير هذه الأيام بأكثر من 2000 مشكلة في الحسابات والتجهيز لدى الجيش، وتعهد البنتاجون باتخاذ ما يلزم لإصلاحها قبل موعد التدقيق القادم.

لسنوات طويلة، كان الكونجرس يطالب بعمل هذا التدقيق الشامل داخل البنتاجون، ودائماً كانت هناك مقاومة بحجة أنها مسألة شبه مستحيلة نظراً لحجم وانتشار الجيش الأمريكي، وفي 2010 غير الكونجرس بعض مواد القانون التي تسمح بتسهيل هذا الإجراء، وقد كان! وفي 2018 أخيراً، تم عمل التدقيق بالفعل.

بالرغم من ظهور أكثر من 2000 مشكلة تستوجب إجراءات لحلها، في التدقيق الشامل على البنتاجون، إلا أن المراجعة المحاسبية في حد ذاتها حدث عظيم وإيجابي، ويعتبر بداية لشكل جديد في العلاقة بين الجيش الأمريكي والإدارة السياسية داخل أمريكا من جهة، وربما يؤثر ذلك على الدور الدولي للبنتاجون في المستقبل.

Stop Stoning Kevin Spacey! Just Stop!

I know this may sound like defending the indefensible. But, it is not! This article is an endeavor to stand up for a man, whose art and charming influence went beyond language, religion, and geographic barriers to change the lives of people like me.

Kevin Spacey is more than a legendary actor with multiple awards and worldwide recognition. He is a willful human, who made the sun rise over the darkness of his own life, as well as the lives of many other humans. When he made his hard way up to the very top, he cared enough to “send the elevator back down” to give a voice to the voiceless and empower the powerless. Such a man does not deserve to be suffering from marginalization or mistreatment like this. 

I lost track on Kevin Spacey’s news, over the past year, because I got too invested in wrapping up my PhD degree. I heard about sexual assault allegations against him, of course. But, I was confident that they would take their course of time and then quietly fade away. It is not the first time such allegations are being thrown at Kevin Spacey. Some people are offended by him being discreet and protective about his private life. Rather than honoring his privacy and respect him for protecting it, they went on discussing the minute details of his sexual orientation and behavior. He always ignored them and, usually, those boring soap opera stories used to appear and fade without leaving a stain on his life or career. I thought the same thing would happen with the most recent allegations, too. 

Last week, I got ecstatic when I heard that Season 6 of “House of Cards” is released. I ran to my computer, and after a few minutes of searching Google about the good news, I was left in utter shock and anger. Kevin Spacey’s character, Francis Underwood, was erased! Why? Because Netflix ended the contract with Kevin Spacey over the sexual assault allegations! My first impression was like: Netflix people must have lost their mind. How can they afford losing the great Kevin Spacey over some allegations about his private life? 

This urged me to dig deeper! I spent the whole weekend reading horrifying stories about Kevin Spacey being removed from almost every piece of work he was involved in, including his theater performances and charity organization. His long time colleagues, friends, and co-workers disowned him with cold blood. Even random plebeian on social media and cheap journalists at yellow tabloids took a shot at him. A few fellow stars got the courage to defend him in the eye of the public, but everyone else just chose to pick up a stone and throw it at his hurting and bleeding face. What a shame!

It is heartbreaking to see the great Kevin Spacey being set as a target to such mental stoning, which is no less brutal than what we see in some Islamic extremist communities when a group of savage men stone a helpless woman to slow death, over some unverified allegations of sexual misbehavior. This analogy is not an exaggeration! What is happening to Kevin Spacey now is not less brutal or less barbaric than this. Allegations are nothing but allegations; they may be true as much as they may be false. No one should be stripped off of his legacy, career, and life over mouth-spoken allegations that no one can verify or prove.

To the merciless stoners of Kevin Spacey: 

Know that: Kevin Spacey earned his legacy via decades of hard work. You did not give it to him earlier so you can take it back from him now. Netflix killed Frank Underwood, but no one can kill Kevin Spacey, neither physically nor mentally. Every time you remove his name or disown him, you hurt yourselves not him. You cannot punish Kevin Spacey based on allegations related to his private life. In fact, one should ask: who the hell gave you the right to punish or forgive? Who the hell do you think you are? Representatives of some merciless god? We all are humans; and nothing but humans, full of sins and flaws. So, stop stoning Kevin Spacey! Just STOP!

To Kevin Spacey: 

Wherever you are, just know that those who love and respect you are much more than those who are currently brutalizing you. Our love to you is eternal and unconditional! 

Your private life is only yours. No one on Planet Earth got the right to judge you for a mistake that you do not remember doing and you have already apologized for the slightest probability of it. 

Remember: the hyenas are not stronger than the lion. They only take advantage of his moments of stumbling and imbalance, and once he holds himself together, they run and hide. So, stand up on your feet and stop the hyenas from further hurting you. You are stronger than you imagine! You are loved and appreciated beyond you expect. 

We are waiting for you to bounce back high in the sky to shine on our cruel world as the brightest star you have always been. We will never give up on you. Do not give up on yourself, dear Kevin. We will be waiting for you.  

عودة الديمقراطيين لصناعة القرار في أمريكا

نجح الديمقراطيون في استعادة السيطرة على الغرفة الأهم في الكونجرس، وهي مجلس النواب، وما زال مجلس الشيوخ في يد الجمهوريين، وهذا أمر جيد لأنه يعني عودة الاتزان لعملية صناعة القرار داخل أمريكا، والعالم في حاجة ماسة لذلك الاتزان الآن.

هذا أيضاً يعني أن العامين القادمين، سيشكل الكونجرس ضغطاً قاسياً على الرئيس ترامب وإدارته، وسوف تهدأ كثيراً حالة الجنون التي يعاني منها العالم الآن بسبب قرارات وتحركات أمريكا على مستوى العلاقات الدولية الفترة الأخيرة.

فوز الديمقراطيين يعني أيضاً أن مسألة إدراج الإخوان_المسلمين كتنظيم إرهابي داخل أمريكا سوف يتم تأجيلها لأجل غير مسمى، لكن على أي حال، لم ينفذ ترامب وعده أصلاً بشأن الإخوان طوال عامين في الحكم، بل استخدم ورقة الإخوان لابتزاز أموال وآمال الدول العربية.

أفضل ما في مسألة فوز الديمقراطيين بالكونجرس، بالنسبة لنا في العالم العربي، هو أن أمريكا ستعود دولة مرة أخرى، دولة تمارس السياسة، وليس مجرد شركة كل همها جني الأرباح مثلما جعلها ترامب، وعلينا نحن أيضاً أن نواكب هذا التغيير.

وتبقى الحقيقة الأجمل، وهي أن الرهان على قوة الديمقراطية دائماً ما يصيب، لأن الديمقراطية قادرة على إصلاح أخطاءها.. دائماً.

#الانتخابات_النصفية_الأمريكية

ماذا تعني الانتخابات النصفية في أمريكا لنا في مصر والدول العربية؟

بينما نحن في انتظار نتائج الانتخابات النصفية في أمريكا، إليكم بعض النقاط بشأن ما تعنيه نتائج هذه الانتخابات بالنسبة لنا في مصر أو الشرق الأوسط، وتأثيرها على السياسة الدولية بشكل عام، باختصار شديد: 

عندما تولى الرئيس ترامب الحكم في أمريكا، قبل عامين، ارتفعت آمال الزعماء العرب، والشعوب أيضاً، في أن خلفيته المحافظة وسياسة حزبه الجمهوري المتعصبة لليمين، سوف تضع حداً لانتشار ظاهرة الإسلام السياسي، التي كان يشجعها سلفه باراك أوباما بقوة كبديل لأنظمة الحكم الحالية، خصوصاً أن أحد أهم الوعود الانتخابية لترامب كانت التخلص من جماعة الإخوان المسلمين وإدراجها كتنظيم إرهابي، وهو الأمر الذي لم يحدث حتى الآن. 

يسيطر الجمهوريون على الكونجرس (بغرفتيه: مجلس الشيوخ ومجلس النواب) الآن، وانتزاع الديمقراطيين لهذه الأغلبية ليست بالأمر السهل، لأن الفروق في عدد المقاعد لصالح الجمهوريين ما زال كبير، والمجهود المطلوب من الديمقراطيين لإدراك هذا الفرق كبير أيضاً.

لو رجحت كفة الديمقراطين، رغم ضعف هذا الاحتمال، واستطاعوا على الأقل تحقيق اغلبية في مجلس النواب، فسوف ينضبط ميزان صنع القرار داخل أمريكا مرة أخرى، وهذا أمر في غاية الأهمية بالنسبة لأمريكا والعالم، لأنه سيتدخل في مصير كثير من التحركات الدولية التي تبنتها إدارة ترامب الفترة الماضية. 

لكن في نفس الوقت، الأغلبية الديمقراطية سوف تشكل خطراً كبيراً على ترامب شخصياً، حيث سيتعرض لكم كبير من التحقيقات بشأن التلاعب في الانتخابات الرئاسية وسياسته بخصوص الهجرة غير الشرعية وبرامج الرعاية الصحية، وغيرها، وربما ستؤدي هذه التحقيقات إلى إقصاءه عن الحكم، وإن كان ذلك أمراً مستبعداً، لكنها حتماً ستكبله وتجعله غير قادر على اتخاذ أي قرارات مؤثرة العامين الباقيين في فترة حكمه. 

أما لو رجحت كفة الجمهوريين، وهذا هو المتوقع بقوة بناءاً على ما هو متاح من إحصاءات واستطلاعات، فسوف يحكمون سيطرتهم على عملية صناعة القرار بالكامل، في الإدارة وفي الكونجرس بغرفتيه، وهذا بالطبع يعني استمرار ترامب في تنفيذ سياساته واستحداث سياسات أخرى أكثر تعصباً لليمين الأمريكي. 

بالنسبة لنا في مصر والدول العربية، من مصلحتنا أن يفوز الديمقراطيين، أولاً لأن العالم بحاجة ماسة إلى عودة التوازن لعملية صناعة القرار في أمريكا، وعودة أمريكا للتعامل كدولة تمارس السياسة وليس شركة كل همها جني الأرباح المالية. وثانياً لأننا لم نجني شيئاً في العالم العربي من سيطرة ترامب وحزبه الجمهوري على مقاليد الحكم حتى الآن، سياسة ترامب ناحية الشرق الأوسط تحمل إزدواجية مزعجة. 

فبدلاً من التخلص من الإخوان المسلمين كما وعد، تعامل ترامب مع الولايات المتحدة على أنها إحدى شركاته، فهو رجل أعمال بالأساس، وأصبح كل همه أن يحقق لها أكبر أرباح ممكنة، وبالطبع كانت الدول العربية، خصوصاً دول الخليج الثرية هي الزبون الأهم على الإطلاق، لا سيما في سوق السلاح، وأصبح كل هم ترامب أن يسحب أكبر قدر ممكن من الأموال من دول الخليج، مرة بمصافحتهم بيده اليمنى ومرة بتهديدهم بالسكين الذي يحمله في يده اليسرى، لكن هل نفذ هو أي مما وعد به؟ لم يحدث أي من ذلك حتى الأن. 

لكن بما أننا نتوقع استمرار الجمهوريين في السيطرة على الكونجرس، نظراً للأرقام التي تحكم معادلة الانتخابات، فعلينا في الشرق الأوسط الفترة القادمة بالتعامل مع ترامب بنفس سياسته، فإن كان يرى بلده شركة بحاجة لتحقيق أرباح مالية، فعلينا أيضاً أن نتعامل معه بنفس المنطق، وأن لا نقدم له الأموال والتأييد وتنفيذ كل ما يطلب دون أن يعود علينا أيضاً بفائدة سياسية كانت أو دبلوماسية. 

على أي حال، ننتظر ونرى.  

قانون الجمعيات الأهلية الجديد ليس بحاجة إلى تعديل، ولكن بحاجة إلى تنفيذه

يبدو لي أن الأخبار المنتشرة عن موافقة الرئيس على تعديل قانون الجمعيات غير دقيقة، فقد جاء كلام الرئيس عن القانون رداً على سؤال من فتاة أجنبية بخصوص القانون وما يثار حوله من انتقادات، وقال لها الرئيس أنه ليس لديه مانع من تعديل القانون بعد إعادته للبرلمان وقيام حوار مجتمعي بشأنه، لكن لم يعد في يد الرئيس أن يعدل القانون الآن، هذه مسألة يجب أن تتم عن طريق البرلمان. 

من وجهة نظري، كأحد العاملين في المجتمع المدني والمتأثرين بشكل مباشر بقانون الجمعيات الأهلية والملتزمين به، أرى أن قانون الجمعيات الجديد ليس بحاجة إلى تعديل، ولكنه فقط بحاجة إلى التنفيذ. لقد صدق الرئيس على القانون بالفعل، وقام البرلمان بتمريره بأغلبية الأصوات، ولم يتبقى سوى أن يقوم رئيس الوزراء بإعداد اللائحة التنفيذية والبدء في تطبيقه، وهذه الخطوة للأسف تأخرت كثيراً وكان المفروض أن تحدث منذ أبريل 2017، أي خلال ستين يوم من تصديق الرئيس السيسي على القانون. 

كما أني أختلف مع الرئيس السيسي فيما قاله عن أن القانون به "عوار" لو صح ما تناقلته الصحف على لسانه اليوم، فهذا القانون هو نتاج خمس سنوات من مفاوضات بين وزارة التضامن والمجتمع المدني، وجلسات حوار مجتمعي في جميع أنحاء مصر، ونقاشات قانونية دامت أكثر من عامين داخل البرلمان، وسجالات إعلامية صاخبة، هذا مجهود سنوات، وتعديله أو إعادة فتح حوار بشأنه لن يصل بنا إلى شيء، وسيبرر استمرار مئات الجمعيات والمؤسسات المخالفة في عملها، والتي أساءت بدورها للمجتمع المدني ككل، خصوصاً المؤسسات الحقوقية المسجلة بشكل رسمي والتي تريد أن تواصل عملها لخدمة المجتمع وما زالت عالقة بين قانون لم يتم تطبيقه بعد وبين وصمة عار تلاحقها بسبب بعض المخالفين للقانون والذين يضغطون بكل ما أوتوا من قوة لاستمرار الوضع على ما هو عليه لأنهم أصلاً ضد فكرة الخضوع لأي قانون بأي شكل. 

أفضل طريقة لاكتشاف أي "مشكلات" في القانون هي أن نبدأ في تنفيذه، وبعد التنفيذ نبدأ في تقييم التجربة والبرلمان موجود، يمكننا اللجوء له في أي وقت بعد ذلك لعمل التعديل الذي نريده. 

في كل الأحوال، خروجنا من الحالة الهلامية التي يعاني منها المجتمع المدني، خصوصاً الحقوقي الآن، بتطبيق قانون واضح وعملي مثل قانون 2017، والذي يحدد العلاقة بين المجتمع المدني والدولة بشكل مثالي، من وجهة نظري، هو أفضل ألف مرة من الدخول في دوامة التعديل على الورق مرة أخرى، وتضييع سنوات، وتهميش الملتزمين بالقانون داخل المجتمع المدني المصري، للأسف عدم تطبيق القانون يزيد من قوة المخالفين وحضورهم، ويسيء ويكبل عمل الملتزمين بالقانون والخاضعين له. 

أنا بدوري كمواطنة مصرية تعمل في المجتمع المدني وخاضعة لقانون الجمعيات في هذا الشأن، أطالب الرئيس السيسي بتوجيه مجلس الوزراء لإصدار اللائحة التنفيذية الخاصة بالقانون، والبدء في تطبيقه على الجميع، دون تأخير أو تعديل أو مزيد من الحوارات والمناقشات حول قانون تم التصديق عليه بالفعل. 

Elsisi: Freedom of belief or disbelief is guaranteed to all Egyptians

"Every Egyptian citizen is absolutely free to choose what to worship, or not to have a religion at all." 

Those are words said, not by an American or a European statesman, but by the President Abdel Fattah Elsisi of Egypt, today, at the World Youth Forum. I still cannot believe my ears! I have never thought I would ever hear an Egyptian state official say such words. Imagine, it is being said by the President of the State!

Freedom of belief is guaranteed by constitution, but has never been respected by the society or politicians. Former presidents used to abuse religion to upscale their political game or oppress opposition. 

President Nasser (1954-1971) discriminated against Egyptian Jews because he was involved in war with Israel. President Sadat (1971-1981) empowered Islamic extremists to rid him off the communist Nasserists, whom he stigmatized by calling them disbelievers. Ironically, he was killed by those Islamic extremists after convening a historical peace treaty with Israel. Mubarak (1981-2011) politically muted Coptic Christians by manipulating sectarian tension to induce fear. Even worse, he used to punish bloggers and opposition activists by putting them in prison or exposing them to assassination by extremists, under the allegation that they are atheists. 

Nevertheless, the epic scene of revolutionists from all religious backgrounds, gathering in Tahrir Square in 2011, did not last long.   

Seeing President Elsisi showing so much bravery by making such a bold statement, today, on freedom of belief or disbelief, means a lot to me, and to the future of Egypt. That is a historical statement coming from a very courageous stance. 

A balanced US is necessary for a balanced world

My heart goes to the families of the victims of the tragic mass shooting at a Synagogue in Pittsburgh, yesterday. Shooting civilians while praying on a holy day is horrible and intolerable! 

It is heartbreaking to see the United States, the most powerful country in the free world, the creator and promoter of liberal democracy, going down this horrible road of hatred and mass murder, based not only on religion or race, but also on political differences! 

Earlier this week, a series of bombs were sent to Obamas, Clintons, CNN, Businessman George Soros, Actor Rober De Niro, and others. Most of the targets are democrats and well-known for their stance against Trump's policies. 

Those acts of hate were committed by American citizens, not terrorists coming from outside the US. The sender of the bombs his intention was to scare anti-Trump democrats. The killer at the Synagogue said he "want all Jews dead!" That is horrible! 

The political mess and tolerance of hate speech in the past two years led to those tragic scenes we are seeing today, in the United States. Those horrific acts are, in fact, a disturbing alarm that requires immediate political re-arrangement inside the US.  

Although polls are not very optimistic about the performance of democrats in the upcoming midterm elections, I still hope Americans, especially reasonable and sane republicans, would lead to push for this most needed balance in the political power during the upcoming mid-term elections. Remember, it is not about competition and who wins over all the seats, but it is about keeping America great. 

Finally, if you are wondering why I care so much about stability in the US, while I am not an American; I, sincerely, believe that a balanced US is necessary for a balanced world. When America is sane, the world tends to be relatively more sane. 

لماذا رفعت أمريكا الحجب عن جزء المساعدات العسكرية المستحق لمصر والمؤجل منذ 2016؟

نشرت وكالات الأنباء خبر مقتضب بالأمس لا يتجاوز بضعة أسطر، مفاده أن: "وزارة الخارجية الأمريكية قد قررت يوم الأربعاء (بالأمس) أن إدارة الرئيس دونالد ترامب قررت السماح لمصر باستخدام 195 مليون دولار من المساعدات العسكرية الأجنبية تعود للعام المالي 2016 كانت قد حجبتها في السابق."

وهنا نسأل، لماذا رفعت أمريكا الحجب عن جزء من المساعدات المستحقة لمصر؟ لماذا الآن تحديداً؟ وماذا يعني ذلك بالنسبة للعلاقات المصرية الأمريكية؟ وفيما يلي محاولة لشرح الدوافع وراء هذا الإجراء الذي سيعيد العلاقات المصرية الأمريكية إلى شيء من الاتزان الذي افتقدناه السنوات القليلة الماضية.

إن هذا الجزء من المساعدات الأمريكية يتعلق بتطوير ملف حقوق الإنسان، وهو في يد وزارة الخارجية الأمريكية، وقد تم حجبه أول مرة في أواخر عهد أوباما على خلفية إدعاءات بقيام مصر بانتهاكات حقوقية، وتم تجديد حجبه طوال السنوات التالية، حتى بعد تولي ترامب، بسبب تردد وزير خارجيته السابق ريكس تيلرسون بشأن مصر وخوفه من خسارة قطر. 

لكن مايك بومبيو وزير الخارجية الجديد هو مسؤول ذكي وحصيف ويعلم تماماً دور مصر في مواجهة الإرهاب وجماعة الإخوان التي كان يحاربها بومبيو منذ أن كان عضواً في الكونجرس، وشهد بنفسه خطورتها على الأمن القومي الأمريكي أثناء خدمته القصيرة كمدير للمخابرات الأمريكية في 2017.

وقد كانت أمريكا قد استخدمت هذا القطاع من المساعدات للضغط على مصر خصوصاً فيما يتعلق بقضية المنظمات الأجنبية والتي حكم فيها على أمريكيين ومصريين يعملون بمنظمات أمريكية عام ٢٠١٣، ولكن قبل شهرين فقط، تم إعادة فتح القضية وتم تبرئة كل المدانين، واعتقد أن هذا هو ما حفز الإدارة الأمريكية الآن على الإفراج عن هذه المساعدات نظراً لموقف مصر الإيجابي تجاه تطوير حقوق الإنسان.