A Letter To The UNESCO in Defence of Al Aqsa

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This topic is part of a campaign to defend Al Aqsa mosque by sending a letter to the UNESCO as follows:

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Mr. Koïchiro Matsuura

Ms. Hala Tannous
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Dear Sirs
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We acknowledge and appreciate your great efforts to protect and save the priceless human heritage all over the world. Recently, we read that a group of professional investigators has been sent by the UNESCO to Jerusalem to investigate the situation of Israeli excavations at the area of Al Masjed Al Aqsa, which we have a big concern that this may affect the foundations and lead to buildings collapse for one of the most important historic elements of this area and allover the world.We do support your efforts and your investigation group and looking for assigning a permanent office near this area to monitor, expose and stop any trial to destroy our heritage either for political or religious reasons.
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Thank you and best regards,
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Sincerely,

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This was the form of the letter for you to use if you want to, the e:mail addresses are:

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geneva@unesco.org &

h.tannous@unesco.org

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Let's try to stop this idiocy and anti humanity actions.

Bloggers Uprising for Al-Aqsa

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I have just received the below message from Mr. Mohammed Lachyab who happens to be leading a relatively big campaign to support Al-Aqsa Mosque. In my effort to join the campaign and as I am fully supporting all efforts to stop what the stupid Israeli administration is trying to do to the holy areas in Jerusalem and accrodingly all the peace efforts being worked on nowadays, I hereby publish the post Mr. Lachyab created.

The recent Zionist attacks on the holy Aqsa mosque are violations of all international treaties and a severe violation of Muslims rights and their holy sites.

The excavations under the Aqsa Mosque and the demolition of the Moroccan Gate, or the gate of the prophet and the silence of Arabic and international authorities, are clear indications of condoning such acts.

We want the world to witness that Al-Aqsa is our Mosque. History and geography are our witnesses. We will never accept its demolition, partitioning, or Jewization.

Al-Aqsa mosque is not just for people of Jerusalem, or Palestinians or Arabs, Al-Aqsa mosque is for One billion and three hundred thousand Muslims in the world

Al-Aqsa mosque is in our hearts

And to the people of Palestine, we are with you, with our prayers, hearts and souls. And lets all be united for the same goal.

Israeli Administrations and the Stupidity Issue!

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Well, let me assume that I believe what the Israeli administration is announcing about the works in the holy area around Al-Aqsa Mosque, only some needed restorations, nothing more nothing less. Wouldn't it be the most stupid step to be taken in such a sensitive timing?

Couldn't the Israeli administration coordinate this plan with the religious authorities in Jerusalem or even the so called moderate Arab regimes in the neighborhood as in Egypt or Jordan? They claim they got the UNISCO's approval, though sounds far to believe, but what if it is valid? Couldn't they just try and get some alignment from the concerned parties in the region? Would it be so difficult and sensitive? I personally don't think so.

I really believe that this administration – as the Sharon's one – is as stupid as ever, they just love to create problems, they are experts in techniques to divert attention away from the core cause. The occupation and its consequences. At last, Hamas and Fateh have reached a fragile agreement that needs a lot to hold up and prevail, but the Israeli stupid administration insists not to let peace flourish. They always manage to blow things up with such small and naïve moves, if you doubt it, go back to Mr. Sharon's visit to Al-Aqsa Mosque, the visit that started a 3 year Intifada and pushed all the attention and efforts from Oslo Treaty and all the efforts around it.

As they decided to stop it now, I hope – just simply hope – that nothing else will blow up the efforts to get the Palestinians into unanimity and coherence. And to Mr. Olmert, man you don't have to always act like an asshole, even if you are one!!!!!!!!!

Officer "X"........................The Torturer

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This is the picture of Officer "X", his name is not revealed for a reason or another although he is the 2nd player in the same torture video tape that features Officer Mostafa Shehata. Although officer "X" did not hit or hurt the suspect physically, but he should be brought to justice for many crimes. He is seen on the video participating and encouraging an act of aggression – torture – against a suspected Egyptian citizen, and this is a crime. Also he can be seen doing indecent moves by his hand in the face of the suspect which is another crime. The 3rd crime should be that he witnessed this torture party and did not officially inform his superiors, unless he did although it does not seem so from the reaction of the Police Chiefs.

Now the question is why this Officers name is not revealed till now? Why he is not charged and brought to justice for all these crimes? Why nobody is talking about him or what he committed, as if it is all normal? And why all the talks is about only one officer in this torture party which is Mostafa Shehata?

Lots of questions, but as usual with no answers. I would just ask you all to try and spread the pic of the criminal and try hard to attach a name to it. Let's all remember, he also need to be brought to justice, let's not be lean on this.

Officer Mostafa Shehata........The Torturer

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This is the picture of the police officer Mostafa Shehata while torturing an unknown suspect in the Al Haram "Pyramid" police station. Thanks to the widely published video tape of the torture crime, Mostafa was brought to justice and he is waiting for his trial. The question is why officer Mostafa is detained till trial as what happened with officer Islam Nabih in the previous post? Why he is left in the large? Also the name of the torture victim is not revealed yet and he is said to have left Egypt to Libya which raises many questions on how/why he could escape the supposedly tight Egyptian police capture. Some say his escape was planned by the police authorities in an attempt to weaken the trial of the involved officers. Some say the suspect deserves the torture as he is accused of raping a 4 year old boy – as per the Ministry of Interior Affairs press release -, but this is not the law.

Yes, the law would surely punish anyone who is accused with such an awful crime, but only after a complete law suit with a final verdict on the case, the law – any law in the world – would not approve of such punishment to suspect before having a final verdict from the Supreme Court.

One can't but wonder if this is how suspects are dealt with in police stations, how it would be for those who are convicted and spending years in prison. It must be "Hell on Earth"!!!

Officer Islam Nabih.........The Torturer

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This is the picture of the police officer Islam Nabih who tortured and sexually harassed the microbus driver Emad El-Kabir. Thanks to the widely published video tape of the torture crime, Islam was brought to justice and he is waiting for his trial in February. The question that every Egyptian is asking now is how much the punishment that such an officer should or would get for such an awful crime. Anyway, let's wait and see but pls. spread the word so that at least we guarantee the social punishment till we see the legal one.

Wael Abbas............Solidarity Campaign

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Can anybody detect the main reason behind this vicious campaign that Wael Abbas is being subject to for the last month almost? Wael Abbas for those who do not know is the founder and Chief Editor of the Arabic Misr Digital electronic news paper.

Wael has been so successful in many of his campaigns within the year of 2006, specially his campaign regarding exposing some of the Egyptian Police Officers that committed torture against Egyptians. Also, his campaign on sexual harassment that took place downtown Cairo in last Eid El Fetr feast was a significant eye opener for many activists. We can't say by all means that he was the only player in all these campaigns, but he was one major contributor to most of them.

For this and more, Wael has been chosen by the BBC to deliver an international Christmas Message among a distinguished group of worldwide known intellects.

He has been lately subject to a real coward campaign that targeted his image and his family's too. He has been accused of various diminishing characteristics all targeting at bringing him into social death and loss of interest of his supporters.

It is so clear that this campaign biased against Wael on the Internet is also coupled with lots of an enormous attack from the semiofficial magazines and news Papers like Rose Al Youssef, Al-Ahram and Al-Akhbar. It is obvious that all these campaigns are targeting to silence Wael and all other bloggers and stop them from exposing the real criminals in our Arab countries. The aspects of Democracy and Freedom that Wael and his friends are presenting made these criminals and tyrants to launch such campaigns.

Wael has his own political, social and cultural views that might agree or disagree with yours, but you can't but respect his sense of loyalty to his cause and persistence in perusing it through.

If we as bloggers would accept that one of us would be hammered and demoralized in this way, then we all will face the same destiny as we all have people that are with us or against us at any point of time. So as we all are in support of free speech and criticism, we should not accept at all the fact that we get demoralized by those who disagree with our views.

Please show your support for our blogger community member Wael Abbas


If you want to read more about Wael Abbas and his works check the Following links:

Rosa Al Youssef attack - The Arabist site
Wael Selection by BBC - BBC site
Blogging in the Middle East - The Raw Story site
Police Brutality Report - Global Voice Online site
Journaist Abeer Alaskary call for support of Wael - Ikhwan Web site

The Qalyobeyya Train Catastrophe

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One can't help wondering, is this Egypt's destiny, to be hit by such a catastrophe almost every couple of months? The regular Egyptian citizen can not help but considering this a deliberate act of violence against him and/or his fellow citizens. This time, only – only!!! What a word full of bitterness in this situation - 80 Egyptians got martyred in the Train clash in Qalyoub. What can I say more than what all Egyptians are saying day and night? This tragic incident comes almost five months after the Sinking Ferry Disaster which tolled up the victims numbers over a thousand innocent Egyptians mostly women and children. This is also the second huge Train accident in less than five years. The first was a Train Blaze that killed 350 Egyptians.

In a real democracy, the whole government will most probably resign and of course some of its members will be brought to court. In Japan, a minister or two would have committed suicide because of his indirect responsibility towards the huge number of casualties. In Egypt – and most of the tyrant regimes in the region –, the whole disaster is and will be blamed on either a humble clerk here or there as in the train driver, or the absent captain of the ferry. I just can not comprehend how the Egyptian regime members can go to bed while all these innocent souls are hanging in their necks. How far brutal and cruel people can get?

Just a point to mark here, the number of civilian casualties in these three state crimes only, exceeds the number of Lebanese civilian casualties resulting from the savage brutal Israeli raid on Lebanon. This recent train incident's casualties are 58, in the Ferry Disaster they were more than 1,100, and in the first Train Blaze of 2002 the casualties were 350, so simply the total is about 1,500 while the number of casualties in the Lebanon-Israel conflict were only 1,180. Isn't it bloody ironic?

The more ironic mark is that the Egyptian Regime says that he does not go for war with Israel to protect Egyptian blood and souls. Well, it seems they prefer to waste our blood domestically, by their hands, not with foreign ones, that's all.

The third most ironic mark would be that this Egyptian tyrant regime is what the American administration and the following British PM keep saying that it is their friend and ally, ok Messrs. Bush and Blair, do you still wonder why the whole Arab world hates the guts out of you?!!!!

Hassan Nasrulla

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Again and again and again, this guy proves to be so kind and generous, firm but kind. In spite of all the criticism and lack of support he is getting from the Arab Regimes, he never allowed himself to face them with their realties. In spite of all the bitterness and shock that is widely spreading among all the Arab citizens allover the world, he did not want to expose these Regimes in front of their peoples. In spite of an apparent Golden Chance to ignite the whole region with riots and demonstrations against these regimes, he insisted on keeping himself and his cause over and above all these small and tiny movements of Arab Regimes.

It is a pity that one humble movement leader like Hassan Nasrulla could be able to teach those who call themselves Heroes, Leaders, …etc. of the Arab World, the art of resistance, the essence of dignity and even the concept of commitment to their own causes. He could've asked them about their Detainees in the Israeli prisons, the ones that have been deprived from their least human rights for more than 30 years. Could King Abdullah of Jordan or Mr. Mubarak of Egypt answer to this question if it was asked?

What do the so called Leaders of Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt want people like Sheikh Nasrulla to do? More than 75% of the Arab people feel the same as he does. We agreed to peace treaties as they sold them to us as the end of all wars and atrocities. But what they did not tell us about is that the price we will have to pay for it is so unaffordable. They made the deal for us to sell our Dignity, our Sons and our economic interests in return for what they elected to call PEACE. And they want us to believe that this could be a sustainable peace. How come? How can this kind of peace be sustainable?

Can Mr. Mubarak answer to his people's question? It is a very legitimate and important question, yet he never answered it. If Israel has the right to defend its soldiers and ensure their safety and wellbeing, and that Hezbollah is the aggressor that started all this fire, why did not Egypt consider the Israeli killing of 2 Egyptian soldiers a month ago an act of aggression that should have brought Egypt and the whole Arab world into war against Israel? Why? Why it can be acceptable for Israel to kill 2 Egyptian soldiers this year and 3 other ones a year ago, and get away with it? Why should Israel destruct the whole of Lebanon and kill almost 500 innocent citizens for 2 Israeli soldiers, while Mr. Mubarak president of Egypt receives Uhud Olmert with a smile and a tap on his shoulder in return of his killing of the Egyptian poor soldiers? Is this what the Saudi, Jordanian and Egyptian Leaders want Hassan Nasrulla to do? Is this what they want us to live with from now on? Israel kills as much as they can of us and in the name of peace, we accept it with a smile?

One thing that all Arab Kings, Princes, Presidents. .etc. should know, this is the kind of questions that all the Arabs are asking, and the more the Arab Leaders are avoiding such questions, the more depressed their peoples are getting. Not only this, but more importantly, the more fanatic and desperate they get.

Arab Leaders, be aware of what is going on in the hearts and minds of your people!!!!

Release Of El-Shaer And Sharkawy

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Well, this must be a happy day for all opposition movements in Egypt as two of the most awaited activists have been released today. Karim El-Shaer and Mohammed Sharkawy both are "Kefaya" members which were detained more than 2 months ago by the Egyptian State Police under the most hated Emergency Law.

They were detained while participating in peaceful demonestrations in support for the Judges. Both were said to have been subjected to sever torture while dtained, actually, Sharkawy sent a letter from his prison cell that was widely spread allover the bloggers community and even some newspaperes.

Anyway, this is not a day to remember torture, it is a day to celebrate and party in the occasion of their release. I just want to send both of them and all their colleagues, "Congratulations Shaer and Sharkawy, wish you have some rest and enjoy freedom and never stop resisting the status qoue. One day - hopefully soon - the whole of our people will be around you while demonestrating for our freedom and liberation".