listen, if you really are “older” (as if that matters!) and “more learned”, let’s see some maturity and good, well argued writing.

jealous?! everyone knows that it’s easy to jump on the hate-Islam bandwagon. God forbid there should be some tolerance and understanding.

Egypeter…inta bezzaat metenta2sh. you and your alleged expertise – never even been here! life is different on the ground, as anyone knows.

Listen, I’m not admitting there aren’t problems on every level in Egypt. but simplifying them and rolling them up into one ignorant package does no one any good.

May I never go back to the diaspora…better the hatred I know, right?

bout time i jumped into the fray

Clear, you said:

“egypeter, im amazed that you’re so interested in egypt. Most diaspora heads i know who have not lived in egypt always look down on it as being this backward retarded place that is not like the US and want nothing to do it.”

Well, Egypt today, unfortunately IS a backward and retarded place! It sucks but it’s the truth, ya know? But that doesn’t stop me from loving my country. I mean we’re Coptic. Our blood comes DIRECTLY from the Nile not Mississippi River!! Ya know, I’ve only been to Egypt twice and most recently in 2004. Even though the country is a mess one can’t help but love it! Any diaspora Copt that isn’t into Egypt and it’s tremendous history is just an idiot to me. Simple as that. None of my Coptic buddies here in Chicago are like that. Everyone here is very into their heritage.

So, that’s my take Clear

Sara – Well, yes, my name really is Peter. Thought “Egypeter” would be a clever moniker…probably was wrong. And if you’ve caught most of my comments on blogs you’ll quickly see what I’m all about  – I love Egypt (and Chicago)

Blacklander – Your comment was very impressive! I think everyone on this blog would agree that a united and diversified Egypt is the best route for the country. You’re obviously one of the ‘good guys’…well said ya masree!

And Allison. No, I’m not married. I was though…twice. No, just kidding. I’m just a single dude loving life in Chi-town

Kisses, Sara
*

To my old friend Blacklander, I agree with everything you said here, especially the part about not understanding the main theme of my writings… I don’t think I’m ever going to stick to a side or stop blowing in the wind, but at least I am committed to justice everywhere.

So yes, we share that spirit as well. (As well as the dull knife thing.)

Inshallah I’ll move back one day, and if not, I’ll make a special trip with the express purpose of e3zeming you 3ala ahwa. (As long as State Security lets me back in the country ya3ni.)
Until then,
Sara
*

To my old buddy Faisal, thanks for your reply and sorry for any aspersions that may have seemed to jump out at you.

I will answer your comment more lengthily when I come back from work today, if I have one breath left in my body.

Until then, however, I want to tell you that I’m not as old as “Elder” would imply. So please don’t think I’m like 40 or something (not that this is old, just that it happens to be older than I am.). Also, I think respect, as everything, should be a 2 way street. Don’t think I would slap the wrist of a younger upstart just because I’m older (I’m a tad bit older than you, if everyone’s telling the truth..). Rather, I tried to teach the lesson to the younger people who sometimes don’t think before they speak, and the older people who sometimes don’t think before they speak, and the nass mesh metrabeyeen of any age who think they can go around being rude to everyone they want and perhaps even expecting that people would like it. Di esmaha being a spoiled brat, and if that’s not being mesh metrabeya.. or metrabi.. I don’t know what is.

By the way, I consider you (a self-proclaimed agnostic), and any moderate muslim who wants democracy and freedom or just even equality in Egypt, to be on the same team that I am. Mafeesh olat “us” and “them” and “you guys.”
Back to what my boy blacklander said, we are all Egyptians and we are all working for the common good of Egypt and everyone in it. I read something in the past week about Pan-Arabism vs Pan AFricanism.. it’s not online, but if I can scan it in you might wish to read it.

Anyway, now that I’m very late for work, I’ll cut this short and maybe come back later and finish up. By the way, because I agreed with everything you said about the Imam, I didn’t focus on that.. I didn’t mean to merely “relegate” my brief response to that because there were more important things to respond to, as you remember.
God bless and til next time,
Sara

PS- If I think of any good agnostic names I’ll let you know.

As for:

“And no, it’s not out of my system. If you think that my not unkind rebuttal to her uncalled for (and unasked for, I might add) comments and having made an assumption about the type of person I am was a “diss,” then I wonder that you don’t blame the dead guy for having gotten himself murdered by a psycho that happened to be sweeping through the building.”

Just to clarify what I meant: dissed as I used it, and I suppose how the word came to be, comes from disrespect. It was not meant to imply anything about your person. If you wish to say it did, that’s up to you. I didn’t mean it that way and after thinking about whether I could have meant it subconsciously, I want to re-iterate: I STILL didn’t mean it that way.

To answer your (rhetorical) question: I won’t blame the dead guy.

As for making you out to be the bad guy with anger problems… I think you’ve gotten a bit sensitive there ya Sara. It was just the bit in the beginning. The rest of my comment was a substantive response to what was written in the post and previous comments.

Sara7attan, even though I am older (and not by much) than the young upstart… the fact that you had to say something like that belies an attitude that I, personally, detest. [Keep in mind that I detest the attitude, and not you, and that this quite a large period of time before your post or blog existed - ya3nee 7aga feya ana men zaman]. I don’t like the implicit insinuation that the relationship is defined as follows:

Younger person has to be polite and respectful to elder. Elder has no obligation to do the same. Elder has the right to “slap younger on the wrist” because he is Elder.

Now before you tell me that you never mentioned or even implied that… I have to point out the fact that you said it. If it goes both ways, why did you even have to point out the elder thing? You COULD have said (of course, it’s totally up to you what you say and why) she was rude or disrespectful.

But no, you reverted to the “Elder” person mode and admonished her for remarks you thought disrespectful.

Do you mean to imply that you reserve the right to show her and/or any young upstart how to behave or act in the manner you did?

Ba3dain you got personal and said: Good Breeding!!

Mesh metrabeya ya3nee walla eh? Confined to the boundaries of your blog and this post… it is you who has erred greater. As an Egyptian, and I don’t think it matters what religion or age you are for this as I’m sure you know… you’ve just used one of the biggest “diss-es” one could ever use.

I don’t enjoy nor like writing a comment like this… laken you chose to use almost all your comment to respond to one sentence I made.

Finally, I want to point out that you didn’t respond to the rest of my comment. Did I fail at getting my substantive point across by simply using the example of the Muslim cleric in Australia? 3al 3omoom, keep in mind that even when you yourself agreed with what I wrote… you mentioned it keda… fe akher el gomla. Markoona fe rokn dalma men el oda ya3nee.

Is it because I’m a Muslim? (at least leekee – I’ve mentioned both here and on my blog and to my friends and nas keteer moat that I’m not anymore… bas I guess it’s the name? You think I should change that to something… neutral? Suggestions for agnostic names?)

Ya setee, law mesh 3awza el young upstarts yetkalemo henna, 2oolee. I, for one, will STFU and stay away.