Al-Ahram Weekly | Opinion | Letters to the Editor

		Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 12 - 18 April 2001 Issue No.529
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875		Current issue \| Previous issue \| Site map

Waking dreams
Sir- Hani Shukrallah's daydream (Al-Ahram Weekly, 29 March - 4 April) must have captured my unconsciousness and so I seem to have emulated him.
Briefly, my daydream revolved around Cairo, capital of Arab morality and strength, and Riyadh, capital of Arab wealth. I am in a sort-of-nowhere-place where I hear only loudspeakers blasting demands that the United States stop corrupting the UN and its lackeys among its member states by its inhumane veto, arms and monies; the United Nations resolve to help Jews settle on land that legally belong to them; weaker nationalities enjoy Roosevelt's Four Freedoms; and the International Court of Justice in The Hague orders the arrest of all political and military persons accused of crimes against humanity -- or else.
Unfortunately, my consciousness returned to the sound of robotic Israeli pilots bombing Palestinian villages, the brutal military blowing up Palestinian homes... and American commentators reporting "retaliation against Palestinian terrorist acts"! Back in my office, my e-mail brought me the American-Arab Antidiscrimination Committee's text of a protest asking me to phone or mail it to my representatives. What do you say in Arabic? Is it "la hawla wa la quwwata illa bil-Lah" (there is no power or strength save in God)?
Khalil Semaan
Vestal, New York
US

Shining examples
Sir- On 6 April I attended a performance at the Opera by the Academy of Arts Symphonic Orchestra (Cairo Conservatoire) together with the Junges Vokalensemble - Hannover (German School Choir). At the piano was the promising young pianist Mohamed Shamseddin. The German Choir with their guest director Jurgen Etzold were terrific, but what I want to stress here and transmit to you, is the pride and joy I felt on seeing and hearing such a bouquet of young Egyptians performing so well. This young group of musicians, gifted hard workers, dedicated young men and women, made us all proud. We are bombarded daily by so much negative news of thefts, crimes, young people taking drugs, rapes etc. Why don't we hear more about such shining examples of educated hard-working young men and women, who in spite of all the difficult circumstances around them, and who, with the backing of their parents and the dedication of their teachers and institution, reach results that make Egypt and the Egyptians proud? The Symphonic Orchestra is one example of many others in different fields. True: we need to diagnose and discuss the faults and defects in our society in order to treat them, but at the same time, bright examples should be shown and magnified to give a boost to our morale. To the wonderful young members of the orchestra and their pianist, I say: Bravo! You have made me proud to be Egyptian! To those responsible for teaching them, and to their conductor Mr Shavleg Shilakadze, I say: Thank you, thank you, thank you. To Egypt I say, quoting from Mohamed Munir's song to the film Al-Masir: "Egypt Can Still Sing." To Mr Blake, I say: I wish you had been there. We would have had such a beautiful article.
Dr Reine Naggar
Agouza

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