2011 New Year Massacre

The ten point swift and serious response to the brutal suicide terrorism in Alexandria that President Mubarak and the Egyptian Government should adopt immediately should look something like this:

1. Public recognition of the existence of a sectarian problem, society splitting up, lots of hate, suspicion and desire for isolation on both sides. No problem can be solved when we deny its existence, so the first point must be to be honest about the deterioration that has taken place in the last four decades.

2. Removal of religious affiliation from birth certificates and ID cards. It is absurd to treat faith as if it were an ethnic or tribal affiliation.

3. Adopting civil law for marriage, divorce, inheritance and the like. Individuals can opt to follow religious law if they so wish, but a Muslim must have the right to leave a valid will that does not get disputed on religious grounds following her/ his death, to adopt children if he or she so chooses and a Copt must have the right to divorce and remarry if he / she so wishes. The civil law can allow for and regulate polygamy too and grant easy divorce rights, so the civil law need not “western” style, but needs to be uniform and addresses the most glaring injustices against women that continue to go on in Egypt.

4. Establish common laws for zoning, construction, renovations for houses of worship be they churches or mosques including shia'a mosques.

5. Introduce world's religions as a mandatory subject in all schools. Ensure that all children receive education about what Copts, Catholic, Jews, Shia’a Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists as well as Sunni Muslim really believe, not what is wrong or missing in other faiths. While we are at the education part, perhaps fund few TV programs to teach people why Copts reject to be labeled a “minority”; it is not that they claim to be a majority, but they as a whole view this word to mean non Egyptian going back to the colonial days when foreign “minorities” had their own Laws and were tried under a separate justice system. This is why Copts hate to be labeled a minority, not because they want to take over the country as some Friday prayer Imams regularly allege.

6. Introduce new Law dealing with discrimination allowing for stiff civil penalties for victims. Perhaps a successful professor of gynecology would be more deterred if he had to cough up few hundred thousands Egyptian Pounds for a pattern of discrimination in grades against Coptic students. (Mr. President: perhaps you would also consider the same for torture while you are at if not too much trouble / distraction).

7. Introduce new laws and enforce existing laws dealing with hate and incitement. Set example of adoption of these laws and start with someone like Qardawi who condones the killing of Israeli civilians. This is where the slippery slope starts and the Anti Jewish hysteria and hate moves across to all who may be different.

8. Instigate an independent (for real) investigation to find and remove any judges, police or prosecutors who show leniency or discriminate in the application of Laws when the accused is a Muslim and the victim is a Copt. While you are at it, get the Mufti and Sheikh Al Azhar to reaffirm equal application of the Law including the death penalty on a Muslim for killing a non Muslim. Mr. President: while this is blatantly obvious to you and many others, it is not to a large number of people and our Coptic brothers and sisters need to hear this from you and others.
9. The President, ministers, governors, deputies from Parliament and Shoura must be visible attending events in churches on regular basis. Mr. President, we need as a society to reassure all Copts that their houses of worship are safe and that Egypt is their country.

10. Last but not least, Egypt should be in an official State of Mourning when a massacre of the nature of what happened in Alexandria occurs; this is what a national State of Mourning is for, it is not just for the death of Government officials or heads of neighboring countries.

May the victims of the tragic massacre rest in peace, may the loss of their lives cause a Government and a nation to wake up. I offer my deepest condolences to the families of the victims and wish them all the strength and patience to deal with the horrible loss. I wish the injured physically and emotionally quick healing and finally to the extent possible, I wish all Coptic Christians a good Christmas full of healing, strength and hope for better times soon.

Ayman S. Ashour
January 3, 2011

A Passion for Justice: Sherif Fam (July 22, 1936 - August 31, 2010)

I am always fascinated by those rare occurrences when a brief human interaction leaves a lasting effect. I first came across Sherif Fam shortly after 9/11 as part of an Arab / Muslim / Jewish / Israeli dialogue group. I came to know of the group through an Israeli friend and I was invited to the home of a Jewish doctor, the son of Holocaust survivor. The members of the group had different styles ranging from wanting to express their own views and listen to others in honest, true dialogue to those with a more debating style. One grey haired man with a small build spoke very quietly and calmly about issues of morality, justice, humanity and suffering. This man spoke with a great deal of knowledge, very calmly, yet passionately about the humanity of the Palestinians.

We all tend to like to pigeonhole people,. I had originally thought that the man was a Jewish peace activist, perhaps an American Jew or, because I did not really hear the typical Israeli accent, an Israeli who had rejected Israel in his youth and moved to the US. It was the complete lack of aggression, I would even say compassion, which he used to talk to those who opposed his views that struck me, he must really know where they come from. The discussion moved on to the rise of attacks against Muslims in America after 9/11 and with the same keen sense of justice the man spoke about human rights and equality. Someone then mentioned that this man’s name was Sherif Fam and that he was a Coptic Christian Egyptian.

Over the years Sherif and I met occasionally either at dialogue groups, where he was rarely in attendance, or Arab American functions. Sherif appeared to me to be tired of dialogue, perhaps he felt the truth was eminently clear, for all to see, in terms of the on-going suffering of the People of Palestine. If people chose to close their eyes and hearts dialogue or none was not the issue; it was the suffering on the ground that needed addressing. I am not sure if Sherif ever disapproved of the on-going “work” of dialogue but I think his sense of fundamental justice was all encompassing.

Years later I woke up on a Sunday morning and turned my radio dial to hear Weekend Edition on NPR. Instead I heard a familiar voice, the voice of Sherif Fam on the radio, hosting “This Week in Palestine” on a college radio station, something produced by Truth & Justice Radio …the same calm, passionate voice, speaking on behalf of the oppressed.

I think I met Sherif one last time at an Arab American dinner in Boston in 2008 where his radio program was honored. A few days ago, I heard of the passing of Sherif Fam at the age of 74. Sherif touched my soul with his passion, his sense of justice and his commitment. I will always remember his smiley, welcoming face, his eyes full of sparkle and passion and his calm determined demeanor. Sherif Fam has left an impact on many people and I will always cherish my memories of him. His family and his grandchildren should always be very proud of a truly great, understated man, his work and his impact.

Ayman S. Ashour
September 25, 2010

Reflections on Zionism, Islamism, Peace Talks, Identity

Disjointed reflections

I see the current waves of "Islamism" to be a non-liberal counter reaction to and an Islamic version of Zionism. Both, to me, are nationalist movements not religious. So, I, an Egyptian American and a Muslim am supposed to feel more in common with a Hui Chinese Muslim, than I do with my next door Jewish neighbors or my Egyptian Christian childhood friends. In certain respect Islamism suggests that Islam becomes the main identity I have, the “only” group I belong to. So a religious movement with nationalist soul and color…

With Zionism you see the reverse, a nationalist movement with religious wrappings. You can be an atheist "Jew" yet still belong to the Jewish people; clearly an alternate non-religious, national identity. This very point as I know causes a lot of stress in Israel between the secularists who see Judaism and Jewish more of an overarching identity that accept people of Jewish origins regardless of their religious beliefs and views. The religious clearly see it differently and for them religion is so central in their own life and some of those interpret religious text in ways that are exclusive, others accept religion in an non exclusive fashion but also adopt secular Zionism.


I see Zionism in different parts, one is the rise of the Jewish people and their identification as a nation by themselves and others, second is the claim for a homeland, third is the choice of Palestine for a homeland.

With the oppression the Jews have suffered throughout their history at the hands of whichever majority they lived under it is hard for anyone to stand against the desire to be considered as a nation. The way I see it, what right do I have telling the majority of East Timorean people they are not a distinct nation, if the majority of Texans wanted to be a separate nation that is their call. The Jews have plenty of reason to want to proclaim their own identity even before the WWII holocaust.

Second is the claim to a homeland, where never again Jews can be a minority living under the whims of the majority at times accommodating and friendly and at times oppressive but almost always suspicious and watchful. That too is understandable and again if the majority of Jews want it I am all for it. Even if a minority wants it and don't wish to impose it on others then power to them.

The third and most troubling aspect is really in applied Zionism not in Zionism itself, is the choice of Palestine for the homeland. Zionism, a secular nationalist movement, needed to capture the imagination of the non secular Jews and hence the introduction of Palestine rather than Tasmania or other relatively unpopulated piece of real estate. In doing so applied Zionism undermined a basic foundation of Zionism of never again living as a minority or even facing that possibility.

So today’s' applied Zionism has to wrestle with this sad contradiction of being a liberation movement and a colonial movement, of being a movement that is race blind towards Jews yet racist towards non Jews.

The Secular advocates of Zionism betrayed their secular principles to attract more Jews, to protect more Jews and to liberate more Jews, they mixed their secular vision with biblical history and focused on Palestine and they gained a great deal of success that would probably never been possible had they opted for any other piece of real estate apart from Palestine. The price of this success has to be either giving up the vision of never again facing the possibility of being threatened of becoming minority OR giving up Zionism as a moral liberation movement and turning it forever into a colonial supremacist movement that aims to subjugate the natives forever.


AA - updated from Feb 2, 2007

On Minerates, Switzerland, Egypt, America and Saudi Arabia too!

The new Swiss Law is nothing new! The reason only four Minerates exist in a country of over four hundred thousand Muslims is that the Swiss Cantons have refused for many years to grant building permits for mosques; only four minerates have managed to get through. Of the four minerates that exist one or maybe two qualify for a "real" minerate, the others are like a small rises, accidental architectural feature that few people would recognize as Islamic. Before the referendum, this was one of the main reasons I personally decided not to move my primary residence to Zurich despite my commuting back and forth to Switzerland since 2003. Once, I had sought a mosque near me for the Eid prayers at the end of Ramadan and stumbled across a lot of information about the problems with the planning permits; I was shocked, saddened and hurt. It is good that the referendum finally brings out much publicity, so this shameful issue is finally out.

Switzerland, a country I do very much love, has never been a bastion of political correctness on issues of freedom and equality; its brand of referendum based democracy means that it is often out of step in its laws. Swiss women had the right to vote over fifty full years after their Egyptian counterparts. In some Cantons in Switzerland women got the right to vote in 1990's ...so being in the heart of Europe does not necessarily mean being free and progressive. While Egyptians male and female have had the vote for decades, they continue to await for the these votes to count through free and fair elections, only then will we Egyptians be able to show what racism, bigotry and small mindedness really mean. My American side has an insurance policy against such stupidity, known as the United States Constitution. So, when Americans vote freely to mix church and state or vote their racist prejudices, sooner or later, the courts overturn such votes in favor of a more equal and tolerant society. In short, the Swiss are no more racist than others, arguably a lot less. The liberal party in Switzerland is indeed racist; it gathered the signatures to bring the minerates issue to a referendum and very few people actually bothered to vote. I hope that sooner or later, not only would the referendum be overturned but also the planning permit issue at the Cantonal level will get better.

Saudi Arabia is often brought into this discussion; Islamophobes point to Saudi Arabia’s abhorrent restrictions on religious freedom as a way to explain away newly imposed restrictions on Islamic expressions in different parts of Europe and Saudi apologists argue that laws such as the minerates ban are a vindication for Saudi’s stance. I have heard the argument that Muslims can’t be expected to give churches and synagogues the same level of freedoms that Muslim demand for mosques in the West. An argument of “unequal and we mean it!” or “no reciprocity and deliberately so!” The argument is based on Islam believing in Christianity and Judaism while Christianity and Judaism have no theological space for Islam. Such arguments trouble me as much as the original Swiss Cantonal planning restrictions did. Saying that Muslims believe in Christianity is misleading, Muslims believe in their own versions of Christianity and don't believe that the Christians beliefs practiced today are valid. In short, Muslims do not believe in Jesus being the Son of God or that Jesus was crucified for the salvation of mankind and those who believe in him. Muslims can define Christianity as we wish but that is not Christianity as seen by its adherents.

Some Egyptians have used the Swiss Minerates referendum to argue for more (or less) freedom for the Coptic Churches. In down town Boston Muslims hold their Friday prayers at the basement of a Church. In the aftermath of 9/11, the archbishop of Catholic Church in Boston along with leaders of many Protestant churches came to our Wayland mosque and prayed and kneeled with us in solidarity, this would never happen in Saudi for now certainly not Switzerland nor Egypt.

Departure of a Respected Man رحيل رجل محترم

http://www.alwafd.org/details1.aspx?nid=32899
by Dr. Kassem A. Kassem

رحيل رجل محترم

منذ أيام قليلة غادر دنيانا الصاخبة، في هدوء وصمت، لا يناسب عطاءه لهذا الوطن، رجل عظيم ومؤرخ محترم هو الدكتور سعيد عبدالفتاح عاشور الذي كان أستاذا لأجيال من المؤرخين العرب علي مدي عمره. والدكتور سعيد عاشور الذي كان أستاذا ملء العين والقلب عندما تتلمذنا علي يديه في جامعة القاهرة في ستينيات القرن الماضي، كان في الوقت نفسه مثالا للخلق الحميد، والاستقامة، وكان قدوة لتلاميذه الذين أسعدهم الحظ وتتلمذوا علي يديه في مرحلة الدراسات العليا، وقد عمل في عدد من الجامعات العربية حيث أسهم في تعليم أجيال كثيرة من أبناء الوطن العربي. لكن الأمر لم يقف عند حدود الواجبات الوظيفية للأستاذ، فقد كان الدكتور سعيد عاشور رائدا لدراسات التاريخ الاجتماعي في زمن كانت فيه دراسة التاريخ وكتابته معادلا لسير الحكام والقادة والجالسين علي قمة الحكم، كان التاريخ يكتب علي أساس ان الشئون السياسية هي التاريخ بشكل أو بآخر، كما كان »التاريخ من أعلي« هو النبرة السائدة وجاءت كتابات سعيد عاشور عن المجتمع المصري في عصر سلاطين المماليك بحكايات عن أحوال المنسيين والمهمشين وحدثنا عنهم. ولم يقف جهد الأستاذ عند هذا الحد، وإنما واصل جهده في تكوين مدرسة عربية مهمة في التاريخ الاجتماعي وتتلمذ علي يديه عدد من المؤرخين المصريين والعرب الذين تناولوا كافة جوانب التاريخ الاجتماعي في العصور التي شهدت تفوق الحضارة العربية الإسلامية وسيادتها.

وإن نظرة علي مؤلفات تلاميذ المؤرخ الكبير الراحل لتكشف عن أن بصمات الأستاذ كانت ولم تزل واضحة تمام الوضوح في هذا الميدان، وعلي اتساع الوطن العربي في مشرقه وفي مغربه. كان الدكتور سعيد عاشور، عليه رحمة الله، رائدا أيضا في مجال الكتابة عن تاريخ الحروب الصليبية، وكان من أوائل الذين أدركوا علاقتها الجوهرية بتاريخ العرب الحديث ونضالهم ضد الاستعمار والصهيونية، كما كانت كتاباته فاتحة لدراسات كثيرة في تاريخ الحروب الصليبية أسفرت في النهاية عن بروز مدرسة عربية متمايزة في هذا المجال، ولم يعد الحديث عن الحروب الصليبية مجرد ترديد لآراء المؤرخين الغربيين وأفكارهم مثلما كان الحال قبل نصف قرن مضي. وكان الأستاذ هنا أيضا حريصا علي تكوين أجيال من الباحثين المتخصصين في دراسة تاريخ الحركة الصليبية من بين أبناء البلاد العربية المختلفة. وربما كان يشعر بأن واجبه العلمي والوطني والقومي لا يمكن أن يظل حبيس الأسوار الأكاديمية، ومن ثم فإنه مارس نشاطا تثقيفيا وأكاديميا مهما في كل مكان ذهب إليه وعمل فيه ومن ناحية أخري، كان الدكتور سعيد عاشور مهتما بالمشاركة في نشاط الجمعية المصرية للدراسات التاريخية، كما كان رئيسا لاتحاد المؤرخين العرب منذ تأسيسه في بداية التسعينيات من القرن العشرين حتي احتجزه المرض منذ عدة أشهر في منزله إلي أن صعدت روحه الي بارئها، رحمه الله.

عرفت الأستاذ والمؤرخ والأب الروحي سعيد عاشور منذ كنت طالبا بقسم التاريخ في جامعة القاهرة أوائل الستينيات، وأتصور أن معرفتي بالراحل الكريم تعطيني الحق في أن أتحدث عنه بفخر من تتلمذ علي يديه، ومن تعلم منه معني كرامة العلم والعلماء. كانت العلاقة حميمة منذ السنة الأولي لي في قسم التاريخ واستمرت حتي الآن- وبعد الآن إن شاء الله- فالأساتذة الأجلاء لا يموتون وانما ترحل أجسادهم الفانية ويبقون أحياء بما تركوه من علم نافع، ومن تلاميذ يواصلون رسالتهم، ويحاولون ان يستكملوا دورهم. لقد رحل الأستاذ، ولم يتحدث عنه أحد سوي اعلان كئيب في صفحة الوفيات ولكن الذين عرفوا فضله وتربوا علي ثمار علمه يعرفون ان الرجل أكبر من الكلام. وليسامحني كل من يظن أنني أتحدث عن علاقة شخصية لأنني أتحدث عن رحيل رجل محترم، ومؤرخ كبير، وعالم فذ.. رحمه الله.

قاسم عبده قاسم

Al Wafd, Cairo - 3 October 2009