Guilty of Consciousness

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Guilty of Consciousness

متهم بالــــوعي ... المصري

Free Maher and Ali

Free Prisoners of Hope !

Guilty of Hope

Guilty of Hope

Egyptian Activists Arrested

For Promoting El Baradei

Last night, several Egyptian Activists and bloggers were arrested while they were spraying some graffiti banners promoting El Baradei and demanding change. Today, Ahmed Maher, one of the leaders of the 6^th April Movement, and other activists were accused of subversive behavior endangering peace and order and similar bogus charges. The evidence, 4 cans of spray, a few CD ROM discs carrying various designs of promotional material and a Power of Attorney made to Dr. Mohamed El Baradei, empowering him with others to seek changing the Egyptian constitution using peaceful means. In front of the court where the activists were being detained and interrogated, a few hundred Egyptian activists, including Ayman Nour and several other opposition leaders gathered chanting patriotic slogans showing solidarity and demanding change.

How silly can the regime and its security apparatus become? El Baradei is former chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and can hardly be seen as a radical. He is not a serious threat to the regime which has ruled Egypt since 1952 or to Mubarak who has been ruling for almost 30 years. El Baradei, 67, is not even in Egypt yet. He had lived overseas for over 25 years now. He is scheduled to arrive in Cairo tomorrow.

Not too long ago, Mohamed ElBaradei was considered a source of national pride and supporting evidence to the regime's claims of the important role Egypt, or rather Mubarak, plays in the international political scene. It was a false piece of evidence, of course, because Egypt, under the same regime, had supported another candidate against El Baradei as head of the international nuclear watchdog. Yet, the regime maintained the appearances and began to proudly show support for El Baradei as he was elected three times to the post. The national media praised his courage when he publicly disputed the U.S. justification for the invasion of Iraq and celebrated his success as a national victory when he became the forth Egyptian to win Nobel Prize. Mubarak himself awarded El Baradei the highest accolade in Egypt, the Nile Medal.

Yet, as soon as El Baradei "hinted" in November that he may consider running for president in Egypt's 2011 election, the so-called national media took him on in a vicious defamation campaign. The man who had been a national hero until a few days before suddenly became accused of being a traitor, an ignorant fool, a foreigner and a U.S. stooge. Al Ahram newspaper described El Baradei's demands of democratic reforms and fair elections as a "call for a constitutional coup" that would open a door for George W. Bush's policy of creative chaos into Egypt.

The so-called national media, including state-owned newspapers, radio and TV stations, work as propaganda apparatus for the regime and the president. Glorifying its limited achievements, justifying failures and trapping Egyptians in a mental prison where change is risky and dangerous, threatening to bring about frightening outcomes that will make every citizen worse off and regretful of the foregone blessings of status quo. The underlying motive is to assassinate any hope of change in Egyptian consciousness. Ayman Nour's campaign theme in 2005 election, where he came second to Mubarak, was "Hope of Change". Not change. But just the hope of change. Nevertheless, Nour was jailed for 3 ½ years as soon as election was over on charges of forgery.

This strategy of Character Assassination is a standard tool against the regime's opponents. It was used against Saad Eddin Ibrahim and Ayman Nour with almost the same charges. Having failed to hide the deep wrinkles in an overwhelmingly aging regime, the propaganda machine saw the solution in tarnishing the image of any serious contender so that everyone is similarly ugly and there is no hope for a way out.

Tomorrow, Ahmed Maher and the other detained activists will stand before the prosecutors accused of an array of false charges. But their real crime is that they are trying to summon a spirit that is most evil in the eyes of the regime. Ahmed Maher and his fellows might just as well be accused of the crime of reviving hope. But a regime that is afraid of mere hope is one which has approached endgame.

Tags:

Egypt, Democracy, online Activism, Egypt's Presidential Elections 2011, Egypt's Presidential Elections 2005, El Baradei, Ayman Nour, Ahmed Maher, media propaganda, national newspapers

A Modern-time Fable - Edit 3

The Story of

The Facebook Wall++

*****************

Once upon a time,

a time when the great clock blinked

then dozed off

and took a short nap,

a fraud of a monk

presided over the Temple.

He wanted to prove his loyalty

to his Master, the King

and his Mistress the Queen

who undeservingly, appointed him to that high post.

He searched for what could bring joy to his master's heart

and asked everyone.

In his search he learned

and observed

that what really pleases his masters beyond belief,

is when his master sees his own images

and those of the queen

and the crown prince

carved on the stones of great temples,

painted on the Walls of every building

and when he hears his words

resounding in every corner of the Kingdom

honored like holy gospel

and specially when the limited accomplishments

achieved during his reign

are blown out, inflated,

into gigantic miracles and unprecedented victories.

So, the Monk set out an enormous campaign

to build walls, temples and statues

glorifying his master and the Royal Family,

carrying his images

reciting his words

But the people observed that things were getting from bad to worse.

The hardships were becoming insurmountable.

Bread became scarce.

And the Laws of Ma'at were no longer enforced

except when a poor man is punished

for stealing bread from the wealthy or powerful.

So, the People of the Two Lands, decided to go to the King

to raise their grievances to his royal ears.

But the bad monk and his assistants

stood in their way

and scolded them.

And the Monk announced

that the Two Lands never had before witnessed

such a great and just king

and that his reign was but a path

of successive achievements and victories.

The people were very frustrated

but were determined that their complaints must be heard.

So, they decided to build a wall facing the palace of the King

where they could write their grievances,

complaints

demands

and stories,

which tell of what had happened

and what did not

but should have.

And soon the wall facing the palace

became full of writings of every sort.

It became like a giant book.

So, the people called it

The Facebook!

The Monk was enraged.

He wanted to demolish the wall on the spot

so that no one could see the people's complaints,

many of which were incriminating corruption within the very walls of the temple,

upon which he undeservedly presided.

But the Monk could not knock down the wall

without causing an angry uproar.

Because Egyptians glorified any wall with writings or symbols on it

for they considered the craft of hieroglyphs and the written word

a sacred and holy gift from the Gods

So, the Monk, devised an evil plan

to achieve his ignoble purpose.

He claimed that the Great God Himself

came to him in a vision while he was asleep

and informed him of an evil plot drawn by the enemies of Egypt

whereby they would use agitators and protesters

to drive the lands into an upheaval,

thus causing chaos and facilitating the enemy's conquest

and that the Great God in his wisdom

told him that he must set up a competent commission

with many watchful eyes

empowered by Ma'at to scrutinize any writings or signs of any kind

especially those scribed on the Facebook.

*******************

So, what will the people do?

Will they let the Monk get way with this evil scheme

which threatens to deprive them of the only means to express themselves?

Or will they remove the fraudulent Monk, banish him from his office

and demand that the King must listen to their plea and restore Ma'at justice throughout the land?

*********************

++ This piece was written within a Campaign which was launched to protect e-Freedom when it was leaked that a proposed law was drafted in Egypt to control blogs and the Internet. The proposed law would make it possible to imprison bloggers if the authorities deemed published e-content objectionable. A similar law has now been introduced in Jordan.

Facebook Wall, A Fable

The Story of

The Facebook Wall

Once upon a time

A time when the great clock blinked

Then dozed off

And took a short nap

A fraud of a monk

Presided over the Temple

He wanted to prove his loyalty

To his Master the King

And his Mistress the Queen

Who, undeservingly, appointed him to that high post

He searched for what could bring joy to his master's heart

And asked everyone

And in his search he learned

And observed

That what really pleases his masters beyond belief

Is when his master sees his pictures

And pictures of the queen

And the crown prince

Carved on the Stones of Great Temples

Painted on the Walls of every building

And when he hears his words

Resounding in every corner of the Kingdom

Being treated like holy gospel

And specially when the limited accomplishments

achieved during his reign

Are blown out, inflated,

into gigantic miracles and unprecedented victories

So, the Monk set out an enormous campaign

to build walls, temples and statues

Glorifying his master and the Royal Family

Carrying his pictures

Reciting his words

But the people observed that things were getting from bad to worse

The hardships were becoming insurmountable

Bread became scarce

And Maat laws were no longer enforced

Except when a poor man is punished

for stealing bread from the wealthy or powerful

So, the People of the Two Lands, decided to go to the King

To raise their grievances to his royal ears

But the bad monk and his assistants

Stood in their way

And scolded them

And the Monk announced

That the Two Lands never had before witnessed

Such a great and just king

And that his reign was but a path

of successive achievements and victories

The people were very frustrated

But were determined that their complaints must be heard

So, they decided to build a wall facing the palace of the King

Where they could write their grievances

Complaints

Demands

And stories

Which tell of what had happened

And what did not

but should have happened

And soon the wall facing the palace

became full of writings of every sort

It became like a giant book

So, the people called it

The Facebook!

The Monk was enraged

He wanted to demolish the wall on the spot

So that no one could see the people's complaints

Many of which were incriminating corruption within the very walls of the temple

Upon which he undeservedly presided

But the Monk could not knock down the wall

without causing an angry uproar

Because Egyptians glorified any wall with writings or symbols on it

For they considered the hieroglyphs and the written word

A sacred and holy gift from the Gods

So, the Monk, devised an evil plan

to achieve his ignoble purpose

Where he claimed that the Great God himself

came to him in a vision while he was asleep

And informed him of an evil plot drawn by the enemies of Egypt

Where by they use agitators and protestors to drive the lands into an upheaval

Thus causing chaos and facilitating their conquest

And that the Great God in his wisdom

Told him that he must set up a competent commission

With many watchful eyes

And with the power to overlook any writings or signs of any kind

Specially those scribed on the Facebook

*******************

So, what will the people do?

Will they let the Monk get way with this evil scheme

Which threatens to deprive them of the only means to express themselves?

Or will the remove the fraudulent Monk, banish him from his office

And demand that the King must listen to their plea and restore justice in through out the land?

The Story of Facebook

حكاية

حائط كتاب الوش

كان يا ما كان

كان فيه كاهن التحق بالمعبد

في غفلة من الزمن

وأراد أن يثبت ولاءه وإخلاصه

لسيده الملك

وسيدته الملكة

التي عينته في ذلك المنصب

فكر الكاهن فيما يمكن أن يجلب السعادة

والسرور على قلب سيده

فلاحظ أن أكثر شيء يسعد سيده

هو أن يرى صورته وصورة الملكة زوجته

والمحروس ابنه

مرسومة على جدران كل المعابد

وأن قلبه يطرب عندما يرى أقواله

تدرس كحكم وآيات مقدسة

وأنه يشعر بالزهو حين يسمع من ينفخ في انجازاته المحدودة

ويصنع منها معجزات غير مسبوقة

**************

اجتهد الكاهن في صناعة التماثيل والأصنام

والنقش على الحيطان

وأخذ ينسب كل ما يمكن من منجزات

لسيده الملك المتغطرس

ويبرر كل الكوارث التي حلت على البلاد بسببه

ولكن الناس البسطاء

لاحظوا أن أحوالهم كانت تسير من سيء إلى أسوأ

وأن الخبز قد شح في البر كله

وأن قوانين ماعت لم تعد يطبقها أحد سوى لمصلحة الأغنياء والحكام

بدأ بعض الناس يحاولون أن يشكوا سوء أحوالهم للحاكم

ولكن كاهن المعبد وجوقته منعوهم ونهروهم

وامتدحوا الملك

وأعلنوا أن عصره كله هو أزهى عصور السمسمية

وأنه سلسلة متصلة من الإنجازات

وأن البرين - قبلي وبحري - لم يشهدا من هو في حكمته وعدله وأنجازاته على مدى التاريخ

****

يئس الناس من أن يصلوا بأصواتهم للملك

فقرروا أن يقوموا ببناء حائط في وش قصر الملك

ليكتبوا فيه شكواهم

وسموه

حائط كتاب الوش

وبدءوا يسجلون فيه المظالم

والمطالب

وما كان

وما لم يكن

وما يجب أن يكون

****

لم يعجب هذا الأمر الكاهن الأعظم

وقرر أن يزيل هذا الحائط

حائط كتاب الوش

حتى لا يرى أحد شكاوى الناس ومطالبهم

**************

ولم يكن من الممكن أن يهدم الكاهن هذا الحائط

لأن المصريين كانوا يقدسون اي حائط عليه كتابات

**************

فكر الكاهن الشرير في خطة لتنفيذ غايته السيئة

فادعى أن الإله قد تمثل له في المنام

وحذره من مؤامرة كبيرة يدبرها أعداء البلاد

وأنهم يستخدمون بعض الساخطين في تأليب أهل البر

وتهديد السلام الاجتماعي والوحدة الوطنية

وأنه أمره بإنشاء جهاز للرقابة على الكتابات والإشارات

وخاصة على حائط كتاب الوش

الـفيسبوك

...

********************

ترى ... ماذا يفعل أهل البر؟

هل يستكينون ويرضون

بهدم آخر حائط يمكن الكتابة عليه؟

أم يكشفون زيف ما يدعيه الكاهن النصاب

ويزيلونه من منصبه الذي لا يستحق

ويجبرون الملك على أن يسمع لشكاواهم ومظالمهم

وينفذ مطالبهم بنشر العدل في البلاد؟

********************

نشرت لأول مرة في يوليو 2008 بعد تسريب مشروع الفقي لتكميم الإنترنت والفضائيات

3D Gospel

AVATAR:

The Religion beneath the Movie

We killed our mother. According to Pandora inhabitants, the Na'vi, by 2154 A.D., we, earthlings, would have killed the womb which gives life to our species. We have killed the trees, forests, animals, mountains, rivers, winds and seas. We have upset the natural balance of earth, air, water and fire and that it is why our "planet was dying", as the Na'vi would see it. Yet, in 2154, man repeats the sour experience in outer space. "Man" invades Pandora, a moon belonging to the Alpha Centauri star system, for the mining of a rare metal, Unobtainium (Un-obtain-ium!), and does not hesitate to kill the inhabitants of that planet, to dig the metal from underneath their homes and sacred places, in the pursuit of corporate profits. Sounds too familiar: reminding you of the scene of international politics? James Cameron's Avatar shows you the extrapolation on an interstellar scale.

The religion of Pandorans may seem bizarre to you at a first glance. But on a second look, you will probably realize that it is not that different from the original spiritual beliefs of Native Americans. Those beliefs, truth be said, could ultimately have the cure for our predicament.

What is a religion anyway?

Ancient clans established a set of laws, beliefs and acceptable individual behaviors to ensure the survival of the clan. These moral laws were carefully woven with mystical aspects, combing life, death, disease and natural phenomena together with sacred rituals and mythical stories of the ancestors -- giving birth to ancient "religions."

Social evolution, in turn, ensured that only the viable "religions" would survive. "Good" and "Evil" was defined on the basis of what would enhance or degrade survival of the "group". As clans developed into tribes, nations and states, the group became bigger as to encompass the entire "people" within a social system until such the time came when old religions had to be modernized to cope with globalization and acquire, or pretend to possess, a universal tone to their teachings, which promoted equality, peace and harmony with others. The old religions, however, have failed to meet the ultimate challenge before man as human colonization of the planet and the associated advancement in technology and unchecked economic growth went beyond healthy conditions required for human sustainability on the planet.

James Cameron's Avatar, the movie, now may be offering us a bit more than two-and-a-half hours of sheer entertainment. Avatar, the second largest grossing movie in history, with over 1.3 billion dollars in box office to-date, may be opening our eyes to new ways of modernizing our religions, to ensure that man will voluntarily give up excessive consumption, greed and convenience, not in exchange for a seat in "Heaven's Express," but to reach one's inner peace while improving the chances for our children and future generations of being able to sustain life on planet Earth.

I always say that man is not a threat to nature at all. Nothing that man can do will have any significant impact on nature. The danger, however, is that man, with unchecked growth and "babyish" behavior, can and have sadly managed to upset the delicate balance required for man's own survival on Earth. The Earth is 4.5 billion years old and is likely to exist for many more millions of years to come. Man is not a danger to Earth. Man is a danger to the balance which can allow for man's existence on Earth. CNN reported a post-Avatar depression syndrome experienced by some audience after seeing the movie "because they long to enjoy the beauty of the alien world Pandora." On these forums, fans express their disgust with the relatively non-idyllic planet Earth and the human race. But the truth is, the Earth is still so beautiful beyond anything rendered by virtual reality. We can still enjoy that very real beauty on Earth if we choose to live our lives differently, by maintaining this beauty and becoming one with the splendor of the natural balance that has allowed us to exist and evolve.

What if this is how we should now define good and evil? In how one action enhances or degrades the balance of all living things, including humans, animals, trees, forests, mountains, rivers, winds, seas and beyond? Once, some two thousand years ago, man had reached that sophisticated spiritual connection with the universe. In Hermetic teachings and "pagan" religions, the ancestors had developed such a holistic view of man in relation to nature and the universe. That is why they had animal deities and gods representing rivers, wind, sea, fertility, sun and moon. The true core of their spirituality became misunderstood as we accused them with the worship of stone idols.

Maybe this is what it takes, new religious beliefs to convince Man to take charge of his own destiny from the hands of the "machines", the "superstructures"; giant corporations, states, alliances and power structures, controlling man's life and driving mankind to ill-fated extinction.

The Vatican slammed Avatar in belittling comments and reviews. Pope Benedict often speaks of the dangers of turning nature into a "new divinity" and neo-paganism. But movies like Avatar may be just what it takes for us to develop a true understanding of the coming man-induced doom's day.

Blockbuster movies, games, songs and best-selling books: maybe these are the new scripture. Crafted by the same machine of corporate capitalism which is destroying the Earth, Avatar has pushed the limits of technology to deliver the new gospel in stunning 3D IMAX temples near you.

Avatar reminds you of Dances with Wolves, where First Lieutenant John J. Dunbar, a white American Soldier identifies with a group of "Lakota", a native American tribe and fights along their side defending Red Indian ideals against his own white people.

Just like in natural evolution, it took quite a few landmark movies to arrive to Avatar, which now stands in a class of its own, possibly as one of the best movies, if not "the best" movie, ever produced. The Wachowski Brothers' The Matrix introduced the Avatar concept where one human being "drives" another parallel existence, a machine or a virtual human life in the "machine world". In addition to The Matrix, Avatar's genetic DNA may show lineage to Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park, Disney's Monsters Inc., Tarzan, Pocahontas, Lion King and Mulan. Also, James Cameron's own movies Aliens and Terminator, to Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and even Darren Aronofsky's The Fountain.

In this amazing production, however, James Cameron, also the director of Titanic, the biggest grossing movie of all time, gives us something totally unique and inspiring in Avatar. Creating the Pandora universe with such captivating beauty, natural surprises, amazing physics; stunning detail and even a well-developed local language and religious beliefs, goes far beyond excellence in film-making. In addition to claiming 10 or more Academy Awards soon, Avatar, I suspect, will become a religion in its own right, both in the cinematic sense amongst fans as well as in the spiritual sense amongst environmentalists. And this may be just what we need right now.

Tags

Avatar , Avatar And Pocahontas , Avatar-Depression , The Religion Of Avatar , Green , Environmentalism, Dances with Wolves, Na'vi, Lakota, Native American Beliefs