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Tuesday, 22 Aug 2006
" I think it's very manic. That's at least what I gatherd from my experience here so far. You can spend a long time not feeling it at all, and suddenly you can feel it very very strongly. Like they could leave you alone for a long time and then, one day, they would be all focused on you."
Jesse on how the egyptian state security forces operate from what he saw in the very few days he spent here.
Today was the day Mohamed flew back to Iraq. Given that his flight was at 8 am, he had to be at the airport at 6 am, which meant we had to move from his Hotel near the pyramids at 5 am, which also meant that I had to go get Cindy at 4 am.
You can imagine what time that meant I had to wake up!
Anyway…
I pick her up and we get a move on. It's 4:10 and we are armed with black coffe, and we are beyond tired at this point. This whole past week has been very exhausting and we all just needed sleep, but this is Mo we are talking about, and we have gotten really close this past week, so it was a no brainer that I had to suck it up. Sleep deprivation and exhaustion however were the least of our problems tonight.
*4:20 am, The Nile Corniche, a police soldier waves at me to stop*
P: Do you know that you are taking a wrong turn here.
ME: Oh, it is? I am sorry, I didn't see any signs.
P: Well, it is. License and registration please.
ME: There you go.
P: Well, I am going to talk to the officer.
ME: Well, can't you just let it go? We have a plane to catch. It's the only reason why we are out on this forsaken hour.
P: Well, see this guy? I have to give those to them, and he has to give them to the Officer. That's regulation.
ME: But can't we work something out?
P (looks around, and then smiles): I am at your service.
(Of course!)
ME: Hold on. (I get out 10 LE) There you go!
P (Takes the money, gives me back the license and registration): May you have a safe journey sir.
ME: Thanks!
We leave and Cindy is fuming
C: That son of a Bitch. All of this for 10 pounds?
Me: Ehh, normal.
*4:30 am, the ring road, another check point, a police Officer stops us this time*
PO: License and registration please, and park on the side!
Me: Great.
(I Go park and before I go out Cindy drops a bomb on me)
C: I don't have my ID on me. I left without it!
Me: Oh shit! How could you leave your house at 4 am without your ID?
C: I lost it.
Me: Fuck Fuck Fuck!
( I go talk to the Officer)
PO: Who is this name on the car's registration. It isn't yours.
ME: It's a family car sir.
PO: A family car. Ok! And why are you driving it at this hour?
ME: I am going to pick up a friend to take him to the airport.
PO: And the girl sitting next to you. What's her relations to you?
ME: She is also a friend. We are going together to pick that personup to say goodbye to them.
PO: Well, can you go and bring me your friend's ID please?
ME: Ehh..well, she might not have it on her. What would happen if she didn't have it on her?
PO: I have to arrest her. That's the law.
(Fuck)
ME: Right before I got bout of the car she informed me that she doesn't have her ID on her. We left our houses at 4 am, and we were half asleep. She didn't even bother taking her wallet with her.
PO: Well, then I have to arrest her. What kind of girl leaves her house at 4 am without her ID? Huh?
ME: Sir, with all due respect, what you are implying is very inappropriate.
PO: Well, she isn't related to you, she doesn't have ehr ID, it's 4 am. What else could it be?
ME: Again, with all due respect , what you are saying IS VERY INAPPRORPIATE.
PO: Yes, you are right to say that it is inappropriate, but I am also right to have my suspicions.
ME: Listen, do you really think I want to be on this godforsaken road at this hour? I just have to do a friend a favor. We even have coffe mugs in the car cause we were so sleepy. Do you wanna go see them?
PO: No not really. How long have you known her.
ME: 12 years sir. Since we were 13.
PO: This license isn't yours. The picture doesn't look like you.
(You gonna make me do something I hate to do)
ME: Ok, well hold on.( I start giving him the ID's I have on me) Here is my Medical insurance, here is my club membership card, here is my National ID, and here is my american driver's license as well.
(Fasten your seatbelts, this is about to get quick)
ME: As you can see, the names are the same.
PO (Leavs all the ID's and look at the american driver's license): Ok, you can go, but please tell your friend to never leave home without her ID.
(You fuckin pussy)
ME: Sure thing sir. Thank you!
(Back in the car)
C: What happend?
ME: He said that the picture on my license didn't look like me.
C: And what did you do?
ME: I gave him my american driver's license! I acquired one when I was living in Boston.
C: And of course this is why he is letting us go.
ME: Yep!
C: Asshole!
ME: Yeah. But I swear to god if we get stopped one more time, I am gonna kick Mo's ass!
When will I ever learn to keep my big fat mouth shut?
* 5:30 am, The airport, Mo is with us, and we are stopped yet again*
PO: Li…
(Before he finishes I give them to him, and I proceed to park, and as I am walking out I look at Mo and I sneer)
Me: I am so gonna kick your ass when this is over!
(Walk over to the PO, same song and dance. Where are you going? A friend, plane, flight, we have to hurry, blah blah, ok, go)
And we finally drop Mo at the terminal, only to have him call us 5 minutes later, informing us that he is at the wrong terminal, and that we have to go back and get him, which meant that I had to go through that police Check point a 2nd time! That's 4 check points within 90 minutes. WTF?
Me: What the fuck is going on today? This is not normal.
C: Well, maybe it has something to do with what the Shia were doing at that Mosque today.
Me: What Mosque?
C: Al Sayedah Zeinab. It was really weird. They were celebrating there.
Me: Celebrating?
C: Yeah, celebrating. Festivities. They had lights up, decorations, people were wailing and dancing. It was cool. I almost wanted to go and dance with them.
Me: Well that's highly unusual. They are always in hiding here.
C: I know. Maybe that's what's scaring them. Something is making them not afraid anymore.
(Iran)
Me: What a strange night!
C: I know!
August 22nd, 2006 at 7:12 am
August 22:
… Lewis continues: “What is the significance of August 22? This year, August 22 corresponds, in the Islamic calendar, to the 27th day of the month of Rajab of the year 1427. This, by tradition, is the night when many Muslims commemorate the night flight of the prophet Muhammad on the winged horse Buraq, first to ‘the farthest mosque’, usually identified with Jerusalem, and then to heaven and back (cf, Koran XVII.1). This might well be deemed an appropriate date for the apocalyptic ending of Israel and, if necessary, of the world.” …
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/brian_whitaker/2006/08/world_to_end_on_august_22.html
There has been a lot of (rather unlikely) speculation about an Iranian plan to nuke Israel today in order to hasten the end of the world and the return of the Hidden Imam.
(Religious fanatics should never run governments… )
August 22nd, 2006 at 8:26 am
I’m glad you got out of it all those times though. Why does she need to carry an ID around at all times?
August 22nd, 2006 at 2:45 pm
Why does the American ID help you?
August 22nd, 2006 at 3:34 pm
OMG, Sandmonkey. I’ll never complain about driving to LAX again!
August 22nd, 2006 at 3:39 pm
SM, It could have been worse. At least they let you go. Thank Gawd you are able to post today, we were going nuts with the blog silence.
August 22nd, 2006 at 3:45 pm
Yeah people were starting to agree on a few things, it was horrific!
August 22nd, 2006 at 6:41 pm
Ahhh the usual, ‘Flash the American ID and scare the crap out of the police’ routine, works everytime! Well almost every time. I almost got seized halfway between Port Said and Sharm.
August 22nd, 2006 at 7:03 pm
Fuck tha police.
What does the US ID get you? They can see you are connected? Or they can get in trouble w/ the embassy?
August 22nd, 2006 at 7:12 pm
OH SM!! I'm so glad we never dated it would have been all over the place damn it!!
you know guys, SM forgot to tell you a scary part of the story he was wearing a T-Shirt that could have got us arrested but the police didn't comment on it cause they were targeting shias that night so that's why it didn't happen, and of course the mighty American ID participated in saving our asses from jail, why don't you tell them about your T SM grrrrrrrrrr
August 22nd, 2006 at 9:31 pm
Thanks monkey –
I’m American and my wife is Egyptian. We left Egypt almost three years ago and she’s going back early next year for her first visit since then and I can’t go because of work. We have a baby, who is an American citizen (obviously, since Om el Donya only gives citizenship through Abu el Itfal), and I’ve been worrying that some police or airport officials would hassle her if she travels on her Egyptian passport and she’s got an American baby with her (even without the baby, experience has taught us the hard way that not a lot of Egyptian dudes are overly stoked on the idea of one of “their” sweetest and most beautiful women marrying an American). Anyway, fear confirmed. I’ll share your story with her and hopefully she keeps her green card with her at all times. We can also apply for the citizenship soon and maybe we should.
ANYWAY … thanks for the story.
August 22nd, 2006 at 9:45 pm
Howard - you are so right about religious fanatics not being allowed to run a government. My house is in turmoil at the moment because of decorating, but when I get my bookshelves back in order, I’ll copy a short but absolutely spot on Rudyard Kipling poem on this. People may sneer because of Kipling’s colonial association, but he could spot a dangerous fraud from the otherside of the Raj and the warning is every bit as relevant today. Jerry Pournelle thought that the worst kind of government possible was one run by a military junta and Robert Heinlein thought that scientists running a country would be pretty dreadful, but no doubt the worst sort of govenrment possible is one run by clerics. A politically ambitious cleric hass no room for self doubt and is unterly devoid of compassion. Avoid at all hazards.
August 22nd, 2006 at 9:56 pm
If you remember the name of the poem there are a lot of Kipling lyrics over here
August 22nd, 2006 at 11:02 pm
for your info it was mouled el sayedda (the birthday of Sayedda Zeinab, the profet’s grand daughter, and a holly person in Shia Islam and a holy person to many Egyptians of whatever religious affiliation.
and they are always public in mulid el sayedda (although I’m sure they’ll be more popular this year what with HizbAllah and all).
Egypt was a shia state at some point in history you know.
August 23rd, 2006 at 12:01 am
so I’m assuming your an american citizen, cause the license thing isnt compliant unless you aquired it before sept 2001 and that the license was expired and the officer couldnt tell it was expired.
August 23rd, 2006 at 1:20 am
The episode was awful but your courtesy saved the day.
Welcome back.
August 23rd, 2006 at 10:25 am
In Venezuela they usually do that to ask you for money, mainly at the 15th and at the end of the month when the salaries are paid.
August 24th, 2006 at 1:03 am
You’re so lucky I wasn’t the woman in the car without the ID!! I’d probably have gotten you arrested!!
One evening my boyfriend and I were, um, taking a drive in the park. We parked to, um, talk and when he saw some police cars he started driving away. We turned the corner and were stopped by a handful of cop cars. One cop came out of his car, tapped on his window, and started asking him questions (what are you doing here? Is there a problem with your car…we saw you parked there for a while). Then he asked who I was and the BF said “my girlfriend”…the cop kept asking questions about me and I got really angry. When he wouldn’t stop, I finally addressed him, telling him that by law he’s not allowed to ask who I am nor is he allowed to ask for my ID. I made such a big stink that the cop gave my boyfriend a ticket for having dark tints on his car! If I had just kept my big mouth shut BF and I could’ve simply driven away.
I don’t want to begin to think what I would’ve done with the “cops” in your story!
August 27th, 2006 at 2:32 am
[...] Just in case you didn’t know—and I wouldn’t blame you for not knowing, because, over and over, the war in Iraq has been declared a failure here in the United States, because, sadly, most people don’t know how to measure success and their government has failed utterly to explain it to them—here is evidence from Mohammed from Iraq the Model, who’s just back from having spent a week in Egypt (emphasis mine), where he attended a blogging conference (and met the Sandmonkey). that’s really what I felt in Egypt that I don’t feel in my war-torn city [Baghdad]; for the first time in 3 years I felt the restrains of government…I told one of my colleagues I feel safe in Baghdad despite the dangers, I may feel afraid of terrorists or random violence but I never fear the government and that’s not only how I feel, Iraqis are not afraid of expressing their differences with the authority [...]
September 3rd, 2006 at 6:01 am
the calibration at the Syidah Zainab Mosque was not only a shiaa calibration it is both for shiaa and sunni it was the 27th of Rajab the ISra’a and Mieraij Calibration so tell Cinth and Moh the correct event plz.
thanx
September 6th, 2006 at 9:50 am
Looks good, have you enough time to do this great blog??
June 15th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
[...] from having spent a week in Egypt (emphasis mine), where he attended a blogging conference (and met the Sandmonkey). that’s really what I felt in Egypt that I don’t feel in my war-torn city [Baghdad]; for the [...]
June 17th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
[...] from having spent a week in Egypt (emphasis mine), where he attended a blogging conference (and met the Sandmonkey). that’s really what I felt in Egypt that I don’t feel in my war-torn city [Baghdad]; for the [...]