I meant to write yesterday, and although I am on summer vacation, I had quite a busy day… In a way, fasting, abstaining from food or drink during daylight, really helps me concentrate more on my activities. For instance, yesterday I had my sewing class in the morning, shopped for more fabric and materials, and came back home around noon, prayed, and used the remainder of the day to practice violin almost up to Maghreb time. Normally, I have to pause in the middle of practice, have lunch or dinner, get back to practice, and I must admit to munching on fruits and tea in between meals. However, fasting I really had no chance for that…
After iftar and prayer, I read the latest news on Egypt, I had been reluctant to reading about the so called military coup d’etat, although it wasn’t fully military in the sense that this one was backed up by protesters, the people of Egypt and not forced… what kind of Ramadan will Egypt have in the midst of so much chaos, division, and turmoil? And how could the killing of pro-Morsi protesters taken place almost on the eve of Ramadan? Something felt terribly wrong, I didn’t know what news to believe, some said the protesters were attacked in the middle of their prayer, totally unarmed, and if so, this shows there is no respect and no tolerance from the army. Reading article after article I couldn’t help feeling sad and impotent, a country which I have always felt to be my second home is now falling to pieces, after the revolution change was a promise, improvement and betterment of government and society, but the result was the total opposite… Egypt has a secularized government, a democracy, yet religion whether Christian or Muslim is an important part of its identity and culture, and attacking protesters in the middle of their prayer is an act of intolerance and disrespect; the army and many people might not agree with the protesters, yet they have the right to openly, freely, and safely do so in the public streets.. Hadn’t the revolution, the fall of Mubarak taken place because of this kind of peaceful and public kind of protests? My mind jumped from one question to another, leaving me more disturbed than at peace, but what other thing could I do other than pray for things to get better, hope insh’allah that Ramadan, this holy month of reflection, prayer, and peace might help in making things better, in uniting Egypt, for a house divided among itself is doomed to fall… My heart and prayers are with Egypt…
adventures in hijab and other wonders 