The Egyptian Government, Opposition, and Independent Press All
Celebrate the Terrorists Attacks on the U.S.
Special Dispatch
October 4, 2001
No. 281
Terror in America (12)
The Egyptian Government, Opposition, and Independent Press
All Celebrate the Terrorists Attacks on the U.S.
Columnists from the government press joined Egypt's
opposition press in celebrating the attacks on the U.S .
Egypt's government press displayed unconditional support
for President Mubarak's position on the struggle against
terrorism, and also leveled criticism at the U.S. for its
disregard of Mubarak's past recommendations regarding
terrorism. However, most of the columnists focused on
America's plans for military reprisal. Al-Akhbar daily
columnist Ahmad Ragab compared the terror attacks on the
U.S. to the expected American military operation: "The U.S.
and terrorism suffuse a foul atmosphere throughout the
world. The smiles have disappeared from the faces of the
peoples, who wait, across the world, for the disaster that
either terrorists or the U.S. will visit upon them. The
U.S. has become like the terrorists."(1)
In an article in Akhbar Al-Youm, Ragab wrote mockingly:
"Even during World War II, American cities did not
experience what the cities of Europe did. Because the
Americans have lived for decades with a sense of
security... they yearned for a sense of fear. So Hollywood
made a film in which New York is attacked with an atom
bomb; after that, [it produced] a series of films about
flying saucers and invaders from outer space. The Americans
did not settle for frightening themselves with nuclear wars
and star wars; they began to make films about dinosaurs and
other extinct creatures invading the streets of American
cities... Now, the average American has no need to fear
spaceships; all he has to do is lift his head and see a
passenger plane in the sky to be deadly afraid."(2)
Columnist Ali Al-Sayyed wrote in Al-Ahram Al-Arabi weekly:
"For many long years, America made many peoples in the
world cry. It was always [America] that carried out the
acts; now, acts are being carried out [against] it. A cook
who concocts poison must one day also taste that poison!
The world has discovered that the strength of the oppressed
is great when the situation becomes unbearable... The city
of globalization, with its economic, political, and
military symbols, has collapsed, and the theory of
globalization will be buried with the establishment of the
false coalition!"(3)
Islamist journalist Fahmi Hueidi, writing in the leading
government daily, Al-Ahram, criticized President Bush's
policy: "The catchphrase 'Either you're with us or you're
with terrorism' expresses arrogance and conceit. [The U.S.]
sees the world according to American interests; it sees
itself as the leader of the free world, civilization, and
democracy. Anyone refusing to join it is expelled from its
Paradise and has no place except in Hell... The Americans
have no right to classify societies in this way. Every
group has the right to choose a third way, rejecting both
terrorism and the Americans..."(4)
Of particular interest was the report by the government
daily Al-Gumhuriya's editor, Samir Ragab, who was in the
U.S. when the attacks occurred. Ragab reports his
experience in the Huriyati weekly, of which he is also
editor. Although he was in New York at the time of the
attacks, Ragab did not go to the World Trade Center area,
preferring to go to Washington to see the Pentagon in
flames. When Ragab reached Connecticut Avenue, an American
officer asked to see his I.D. It turned out that the
American officer had just returned to the U.S. from Cairo.
He told Ragab: "I've never seen security like I saw [in
your country]. I returned to my hotel after midnight,
without sensing any danger."
In the sudden friendship that sprang up between the
Egyptian journalist and the American officer, Ragab asked
the officer to allow him to see the Pentagon. "But it's
still on fire," said the officer. Ragab replied, "That's
why I ask you to help me."
The American officer acceded to his new friend's request
"with unexpected nobility," leading him through the empty
streets of Washington so that he could see firsthand the
"tongues of flame and smoke." "America appeared to me a
'model' of helplessness and incapacity, even in dealing
with the fire!" wrote Ragab, adding, "With tears streaming
from their eyes, the 'Americans' gathered at a distance of
several meters. Every one of them displayed the American
flag on his clothing, next to his heart. I approached one
and asked, 'How did this happen?' [The man answered]
'That's what we don't understand. None of us thought it was
possible to penetrate the Pentagon, the symbol of our
military might.'"(5)
Egypt's privately owned "independent" press also celebrated
the terrorist attacks against the U.S: "Millions across
the world shouted in joy: America was hit!" wrote Al-Maydan
(an independent weekly) columnist Dr. Nabil Farouq. "This
call expressed the sentiments of millions across the world,
whom the American master had treated with tyranny,
arrogance, bullying, conceit, deceit, and bad taste ...
like every bully whom no one has yet put in his place.
True, thousands of innocents became victims... among them
Egyptians who had immigrated to the U.S. in search of
opportunity and [a better] life; but what can a person do
when the neighborhood bully gets [a blow] from behind that
shakes his very existence, insults his dignity, and
humiliates him? Obviously [the person] is glad, even if it
is wrong to rejoice.."(6)
Al-Maydan editor 'Issam Al-Ghazi added, "President Dubya
Bush will continue to struggle between threatening to
launch a crusader war and apologizing to the Muslims...
Apparently, he doesn't want to understand that he is
reaping the thorns sown by himself and all his predecessors
in Palestine, Yugoslavia, Iraq, Libya, the Sudan,
Afghanistan, Vietnam, and Japan. Behind every act of
destruction is a little American demon... America cannot
see the fate that awaits it, despite everything that
happened on that bloody Tuesday; America is on its way to
collapse, like all the empires of oppression throughout
history. If only our generation would have the chance to
witness that dramatic spectacle..."(7)
The Independent Press
The independent Roz Al-Yussef weekly, which usually takes a
hard line against Islamic fundamentalism, also jeered at
the U.S. Playwright Wahid Hamed wrote: "[It was said that
America's] intelligence apparatus knew when the rooster
copulated with the hen; it was said that [its intelligence
apparatus] knows what color underwear Iraqi President
Saddam Hussein wears. It boggles the mind that it did not
know what color underwear Mr. Osama bin Laden wears... Just
so that no one thinks I am gloating over the U.S.'s
misfortune, I hereby declare that I am opposed to killing
innocents, and opposed to terror."(8)
The Opposition Press
The Egyptian opposition press continued its open rejoicing
at the American disaster. Al-Ahrar (an Islamist opposition
daily) columnist Salim Azzouz compared Bush to Hitler: "He
declares that anyone who does not support him supports
terror, and woe betide anyone who supports terror. This
kind of declaration can come only from leaders of Hitler's
ilk..."(9)
The next day, Azzouz declared, "If Osama bin Laden is
proven to be involved in the attacks on the U.S., I will
make a statue of him and set it in my home; I will also
hang his picture in my office. Because he has proven to us
that the U.S., which we thought was an undefeatable force,
can be humiliated."(10)
Said Sh'eib, columnist in the Nasserist weekly Al-Arabi,
also became enamoured of bin Laden after seeing him in an
interview on Al-Jazeera television. He wrote: "I loved
Osama bin Laden's face, because it inspired confidence. I
was amazed by his total belief in what he says... I very
much admired this man, who chose ... and I am not
addressing the quality of the choices he makes ... to leave
a life of luxury, to take up arms against who he considers
to be the enemy, and to go down in history as a man who
shook the greatest empire in history."(11)
Retired general Sallah A-Din Salim, advisor at the National
Center for Middle East Studies, wrote in Al-Ahrar:
"Although some were sorry about the killing of innocent
Americans in Washington and New York, most of [our] people
derived satisfaction from the insult to the American pride,
and from the shaking of the faith that the American cowboy,
Little Bush, places in the intelligence apparatuses and
their agents throughout the world. There was nearly an
Egyptian consensus on the matter, except for a few
ministers who, in their hypocrisy, rushed to the American
Embassy to ostentatiously offer their condolences."(12)
More demonstrations of jubilation appeared in the journal
of the Muslim Brotherhood, Afaq Arabiya. Dr. Ahmad
Al-Magdoub wrote: "As a lawyer, I say to Suspect No. 1, as
the American government calls him: Oh Osama... you are a
hero in the full sense of the word. [You possess] all the
manly virtues, those [virtues] lacking in the half-men who
control the Muslim and Arab resources (i.e. Arab rulers).
For this reason, you will continue to live in our hearts
and in our minds... Allah's peace, mercy, and blessings
upon you; no peace, no mercy, and no blessings on the
traitors and cowards who have been blinded to the truth by
the pleasures of domination. May you eradicate America and
its 'infinite justice'; victory to Islam and the
Muslims."(13)
Endnotes:
(1) Al-Akhbar (Egypt), September 25, 2001. Some of the
quotes are taken from the Egyptian media reports in the
London daily Al-Quds Al-Arabi.
(2) Akhbar Al-Youm (Egypt), September 23, 2001.
(3) Al-Ahram Al-Arabi (Egypt), September 22, 2001.
(4) Al-Ahram (Egypt), September 25, 2001.
(5) Huriyati (Egypt), September 23, 2001.
(6) Al-Maydan (Egypt), September 24, 2001.
(7) Al-Maydan (Egypt), September 24, ?2001.
(8) Roz Al-Yussef (Egypt), September 22, 2001.
(9) Al-Ahrar (Egypt), September 24, 2001.
(10) Al-Ahrar (Egypt) September 24, 2001.
(11) Al-Arabi (Egypt, September 23, 2001.
(12) Al-Akhrar (Egypt), September 25, 2001.
(13) Afaq Arabiya (Egypt), September 26, 2001.
************************
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