Missing the Boat

The winds of change are blowing over the Middle East. This important part of the world is witnessing changes which will prove to be far reaching, and we hope, for the better. We are just starting to see these changes, not only in Iraq, but in Palestine and Lebanon, and we hope in our homeland, Egypt.
 
After half a century of "self rule" and "independence", we proved to ourselves and to the rest of the world that we did a very poor job of self government. And again, whether we like to admit it or not, we are feeling the beginnings of changes that are is being imposed upon us from the West.
 
 It is a deja vu phenomenon. A repetition of what happened towards the end of the Eighteenth Century, when the French invaded and occupied the country for three years. Three years only that proved to be most important perhaps since the Arab invasion and subjugation of our country. The French left after what is considered to be a blink of an eye compared to our long history, but not before they changed Egypt for ever, and put her on the road to become a modern state after several centuries of rule by slave Memlouks and tyrants Ottomans.
 
The Eguptians then chose Mohammad Ali Pasha, an Albanian officer in the Ottoman army, to rule their coountry. He did this nominally under the Ottoman Caliph/Sulltan, but for all practical reasons, Egypt was actually independant. Egypt flourished and made tremendous progress under Mohammad Ali Pasha and most of his dynastic successors, until in 1952 a junta of semiilliterate soldiers usurped the sovereign power and lead the country into a succession of adventures and catastrophes that drained all the progress made in the preceeding one and half centuries. The system that they created, which is still in power, is leaving Egypt increasingly loosing whatever gains made after the French invasion of 1798.
 
Our failure to govern ourselves was, by and large, due to the haphazard adoption of quixiotic ideas, an unjustified exaggerated feeling of self importance, and untested half baked "philosophies", and attempts to deny our Egyptian identity in favor of an imagined one that was much inferior to our true selves. The unending chain of fiascos culminated into the unprecedented defeat of 1967.
 
Because of their numeric minority status, and perhaps a fear of paying the price of dislolaylty to the legitimate political system of the country if the soldiers' adventure ends up in
failiure, the Copts did not participaete in the soldier's coup d'etat. This proved to be good and bad. The obvious good was the total separation from, and lack of participation in a regime that will receive the inevitable condemnation of history when the time comes for an honest appraisal of this dark period in the life of our nation. The other side of this coin, thebad one, for the Copts is the total elimination of the Copts from the ruling circles, and their alienation from any real political participation despite their attempts at a comeback to the political arena, the monstrous Islamic hallucinations blinding the country had already swept and overcome any chance of a Copt to regainn a presence in the poitical circles. We all remember how difficult it was for Mounir Fakhry Abdelnour, in the last parliamentary elections, to winn the seat for Al Wayli district of Cairo despite the large number of Copts and other Christians in this district. Worse was the case of Rami Lakah, who actually managed to win a seat in the same election, but was later rejected and forced out of the parliament based on the premise that he carried a dual Egyptian and French nationality. It did not matter, of course, that some other Moslem members of the same parliament carried dual nationalities but were not dealt with the same way. They still occupy occupy their seats in the largely useless Magless Al Sha3b. The More than 400 member parliament ended up with two elected Copts only, one of them a government minsiter .He only won his seat only because this was the ruling circles' wish so that he can keep his ministerial post, to keep up with the long standing tradition of having one or two Copts in the Cabinet. A tradition established during the liberal era that preceded the soldiers coup.
 
 
As I said, this may be actually a blessing in disguise, for who would want to be associated with a failed rule? Yet, it left us away from, and unprepared to participate in the process of bringing this failed and stagnant regime to an end. This largely popular movement is beginning to collect up momentum in the last few weeks. I hope, that this nascent wave will not relent until it achieves its objectives of establishing a real democracy in our country.
 
Now, with another Western invasion, that of the USA of Iraq, the Middle East is bound to undergo very significant and major changes towards a better future. We are starting to see dictators making concessions, one after the other, in desperate attempts to hold on to power.
For the first time in more than half a century, we are starting to see the rulers minding what is brewing up in the streets, and making what is probably going to prove to be last ditch efforts to retain their jobs.
 
The Copts should not miss this boat. We, being an inseperable part of the Egyptian nation, should actively and vocally express the need for an end to the status quo, and the serious implementation of a real democratic secular political system. We should not accept the current state of affairs as better than a possible alternative that we abhor. Our active participation will make any change a choice than the state of stagnation, inefficiency and deterioraton that the Egyptians in general, and the Copts in particular, are experiencing.
 
The Copts in Egypt should participate in the protests and express their determination to end this moribund regime.We should stand side by side with our secular Moslem compatriots asking for the same. We should participate from the beginning to guarantee ourselves a place, and a say, in shaping up the country and its future as it unfolds under a truly democratic system. We should not relinquish the hope for a better future, and should be active participants in building such a future. We can't retreat under the fear that we shall be considered disloyal as we did in 1952. This time, we should be confident that we are siding with the winning party: the advocates of a true democracy. Moreover, no one can accuse us of treason or disloyalty because our
call is for democracy and progress as is the case with the majority of the other Egyptians. We are not trying to unseat a king, as was the case in 1952, for Egypt now has
no kings.
 
Meanwhile, the diaspora Copts should stay united in their call and support for the establishment of a truly democratic and secular state back home. We should speak with one voice
so that we maintain our credibility as representatives of our suffering kin in Egypt, and of our beloved homeland.
 
Minorities do best under democratic politcal systems. the Copts are loyal to Egypt, and know very well that what is good for them is good for Egypt, and what is good for Egypt is good for them.
 
Let us get out of our reluctance, fear, and moral trenches. Let us ask for democracy and freedom for all the Egyptians. this is our only hope after more than half a century
of failures, regressions and defeats.