Little Pharaoh

This is not by way of “I told you so” for the simple reason that almost every Arab suffering endless repression and crushing servitude for interminable years knew that this would happen.Then, in thirty or so years, General El-Sisi will join his Maker, be ousted or will fall mysteriously ill. Meanwhile, Egyptians will have another thirty years of dictatorship and backwards existence. Then a new interloper will manoeuvre himself into power.

So, what is new in the Arab World? Nothing. Absolutely nothing! It is so easy to forecast every little event.

It was easy to forecast the Syrian horror (LPJ, ‘ The Implication of Syria’s Civil Strife’ by Faysal Mikdadi, Friday 7th Sep 2012) just as it is easy to forecast that Lebanon will fragment into yet another Yugoslavia. Indeed even our language supports this prophecy since, when Lebanon fragmented in 1974, the press talked of its Balkanisation. When Yugoslavia fragmented in the early nineties they spoke of Lebanonisation. And now as Lebanon begins to fall apart yet again, apparently it is following Syria’s model. Will they call it Syrianisation? There is a PhD thesis to be done examining language development as it reflects historical events.

It is equally easy to see Jordan cut in half to accommodate a new Palestinian state without disturbing Israeli plans too much. Similarly easy is the forecast that a truly independent Palestinian State is as likely as an enlightened American political democracy. Equally unlikely is the possibility of peace in South Sudan, Iraq, Libya or freedom in Bahrain or Qatar or any other Gulf State – ever. The human “ever” of course. The same ever that the Arawak Indian must have had in mind when he reassured his frightened son, “Don’t worry about Mr. Columbus discovering our Nation. He’ll never make it here. We’re too many for him and his white friends!”

We Arabs also know that the peace talks between Israel and Palestine are an act of unconditional surrender by President Abbas.

We also fully know that Arab unity is a delusion, that Muslim nationhood does not include Muslim Shi’ites any more than the Spanish included any Muslim or Jew or any non Catholic – despite the eternal promise to protect these minorities after ejecting the Arabs from Spain.

What else do we know?

That we have sadly become embittered, angry and tired of years of chaos, misrule, selfishness, Western interference, Israeli manipulation and our own failure to say, “Enough!”

Enough killing. Enough oppression. Enough seeking after the evil gains of power. Enough lying to the people. Enough oppression. Enough!

We have the right to a peaceful life within a democratic state focused on forgiveness for past misdeeds and seeking to do business for the benefit of all – all – each and everyone of us, as big as ourselves and as little as El-Sisi.

So – see you all in Tahrir Square with one banner only: “Peace. Forgiveness. Democracy.”