Resisting ugliness is
deemed to be a real act of resistance… starting from souls’ inner ugliness to
all that is ugly in appearance, context or even both. We have a lot of ugly
things to fight in our life as some may have this ugliness inside them acting
as a cancerous cell growing and growing until it eats out every other cell…
especially those cells of beauty, in the broad meaning of the word exceeding beauty
of faces or physical figures.
What is really disastrous
is that if ugliness took control of someone’s soul, it would govern all his
senses, mind and heart… at this point, ugliness will be apparent in his
language and manners. He will see nothing good or positive in what others do… and
if he found nothing bad or negative, he would make it up. The culture of
ugliness – if we can combine these two words together since behavior is a
culture itself – has prevailed to the extent that it is reflected in most of
what we do and what surrounds us… even buildings’ facades did not escape this
ugliness; as you can see many signs, denoting owners of offices or companies, hanged
next to air-conditioners and clotheslines with both of them dropping water over
walls or passers-by heads… in addition to hundreds of examples in our life…
And so, President Sisi’s
word during his visit to the Cathedral on the occasion of Holy Christmas about
balancing beauty in face of ugliness was really special and inspiring… it indicates
that there is an elite moral standard the state – represented in its head –
uses to judge matters… one can only hope that all state institutions be
committed to this standard and do nothing ugly of any degree or kind.
Now I leave the rest of
the article to what Dr. Charles Beshri Megali; Cardiology professor and
distinguished patriotic intellectual, wrote about the president’s visit. He chose
the title “what have fools done?". He says:
“Today’s visit of president Sisi to the
Cathedral is more than wonderful. It was a gesture of caress toward the
grieving families who lost their loved ones in the terrorist act of bombing St.
Peter’s church. The visit – although a tradition followed by the president
since he assumed his office – has a distinguished meaning this time as it comes
after a heinous terrorist act which resulted in almost 30 martyrs and the
number is rising.
It is a visit by a
president for all Egyptians as he pats over those mourning in pain. Not only is
he strongly committed to his religion’s beliefs, but also keen to purify it
from the misdeeds of those who kill in the name of God and Islam.
The president has
declared the establishment of the biggest church and mosque in Egypt in the new
capital after finishing restoration of all churches that were burnt down by the
terrorists. It is a big move that comes from an expert-in-tactics and highly
strategically intelligent general.
President Sisi’s words
about the new church were not just words, but a multi-purpose message for all
parties: a reassurance message for all Egyptian Christians that the state
orientations are now different to what they were in the past as it proclaims
them a main component of the Egyptian society that the country is really proud
of. Also, it is a slap in the face to all ethnicity strife agitators that their
attempts are gone in the wind and that all Egyptians; Muslims and Christians,
will ever be united until doomsday.
Moreover, it is a
message for all who misunderstand Islam that difference is God’s will in people
and that all calls for prejudice in the name of religion and all extremists’ Fatwas
claiming there is no place for new churches in Egypt is history now. Today,
there is no place but for the culture of accepting the other, brotherhood and
tolerance among citizens of the same country.
This president who kept
his promise of rebuilding the churches and schools that were burnt down in the
ethnicity strife acts enflamed by muslim brotherhood after the dispersion of
Rabe’a is the same man who revenged for the Christian Egyptians killed in Libya
when he raided Daesh there. Also, he is the same man who revealed the names of
those who sold their souls to the devil and killed women and children in St.
Peter’s church; that sacred place and in the most sacred times; during praying.
He also fulfilled his promise of renovating the bombed church in no time.
This man, whom we are
proud of and really love from the bottom of our hearts, issued the law of
building churches that is considered a big move Egypt did not witness since official
document of the Ottoman Sultan and al-Ezabi Pasha conditions for building
churches.
We do not say this is
the best that could be done. However, the man is no doubt sincere and stepping
over the thorns piled through the past decades. It is well understood that the
man becomes a target for all extremists hiding behind Islam to achieve their political
gains. Those extremists are and will do all they can to thwart the man’s efforts
aiming at entrenching the culture of tolerance and accepting the other. However,
it is not understood or acceptable at all that we witness some campaigns launched
by some Christian Copts – especially those living abroad – criticizing and
attacking the man’s intentions and motives.
Dear strategic analyst
Copts who like nothing,
We like and trust the man
very much.. and before this, we trust God who has the ruler’s heart in his hand
as said in the Bible which we hope you still remember. Please, leave us alone
and spare us those Crocodile tears.
Dear Mr. President,
We heartily thank you. We
felt the sincerity of your words. We hope you can forgive us for what some
fools of us said”.
Translated into English by: Dalia Elnaggar
Translated into English by: Dalia Elnaggar
This
article was published in Al Ahram newspaper on January 12, 2017.
To
see the original article, go to:
#alahram
#ahmed_elgammal #Egypt #sisi #Egyptian_cathedral #St_Peter_church
