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Al-Ahram Weekly 19 - 25 August 1999 Issue No. 443 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 19 - 25 August 1999 Issue No. 443
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Young offenders
Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Profile Travel Living Sports Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Sir- What are we waiting for before taking strict action against law breakers in Marina? Another catastrophe? Last year alone a young man died, several people were injured, and a respectable gentleman, trying to stop an irresponsible group of young people riding a beach buggy, ended up with a hemiplegio.
Where are the rules we heard would be enforced this season? The season is nearly over: beach buggies are still racing uncontrollably on the sands and walkways, and now jeeps and Land Rovers have joined the race. The disturbance is unbearable; the danger, especially to children, is criminal.
Crime has sadly become part of our daily life. Without punishment, it will spiral out of control. Parents spoiling their children need to wake up. Responsible people in Marina need to wake up. A new police station and more police officers are not enough. We need to back up the police and give them support, regardless of whose son or daughter the guilty party is. If we don't act very soon we will lose everything.
Reine Naggar
Agouza
Standing ovation
Sir- I wish to convey my respects and admiration to Samah Anwar. I read with great interest her profile in the last issue of Al-Ahram Weekly (12-18 August), and I found it like a breath of fresh air in the polluted atmosphere of Cairo. I have many reasons for admiring Ms Anwar, but they all have to do with her immense courage. First, as she was growing up, and through her acting career, she resolutely resisted the pressures that are put on young women in our conformist society to suit the stereotype of the air-headed, obedient, frilly painted doll, whose only aim in life is to entice a suitable and preferably rich husband!
There is nothing tomboyish about a serious young woman who is more interested in bettering herself inside, not only outside, a woman who practices sports and who has a strong and interesting personality. She has remained in her films and in her life refreshingly simple and unaffected, and that is one reason why she has stood out among the many non-entities, male or female, that fill our screens.
Second, I wish to congratulate Ms Anwar for having had the courage, against the grain of our society, to openly adopt little Adham. Contrary to what one often hears, there is nothing in Islam that forbids adoption. The Qur'an on several occasions encourages Muslims who can afford it to adopt and raise orphaned children as their own. The Prophet Mohamed himself had a cherished adopted son. The only injunction is that adopted children should not legally take the names of the families that have adopted them. Adham has been a tremendous support for Samah at a time when she needed it most and a strong motivation not to give up, and I wish her continued joy and happiness with him.
Finally, I wish to congratulate her on her exemplary courage in dealing with the terrible accident that has changed her life. With all my heart I hope that one day she will be able to walk and resume her acting career, but I raise my hat to her for not having succumbed to despair, for having instead used the time she spent in the US to go through directing school, and for planning an alternative to her acting career. As a woman and a performer, she is an example for others to follow. I wish her all the best.
Djenane Kamil
Maadi
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