Paving the Way for Mubarak's Visit to the United States in April
VOICE OF THE COPTS
We know that Mubarak is preparing to visit the United States in April to
meet with its new President Obama. This visit is very important to the
ageing Mubarak, who is desperate to keep up his image as self-acclaimed
regional stabilizer, leader of the Arab world and main player in the
Israeli-Palestinian peace process. A role which also secures him nearly 2
billion dollars of in US aid plus handouts yearly.
Israel's airstrikes on Gaza, about his capacity to deal effectively with
regional crises. Hence his frantic efforts to broker a ceasefire deal to
keep credibility in his self-declared role.
Presently Mubarak is plighted with a heap of problems at home, economically
and domestically; unemployment, poverty, demonstrations, strikes, Islamic
extremism and sectarian strife, to say the least.
The President and his government have pulled out all the stops in their
efforts to limit damages as quickly as possible, polish his tarnished image,
hoping to make this visit a success. A public relations snag during the
visit cannot be afforded.
Any sensitive issues touching on human rights such as cases of reverts to
Christianity, Muslim-born converts, Baha'i rights, or Christian mothers'
rights in custody cases, which are in front of the courts, have all been
deferred to later dates.
Paving the way for this visit has started some time ago, making use of
members of Mubarak's regime, such as this week's visit by Foreign Minister
Abul Gheit to the US, and officials with a lesser rank.
In keeping with a good image, Mubarak wants to avoid the Copts in North
America causing him any embarrassment in front of the new American
President, as they have done previously with his predecessor Sadat.
Last month he sent foreign office officials to pacify the angry Copts in
North America, lest they show their feelings, during his visit. Their voices
have been getting much louder regarding the escalation of persecution
against their fellow Copts in Egypt, without any reaction from the
government to put an end to it.
The meetings were unsuccessful as the Copts could no longer be hoodwinked
with promises they knew well from past experiences, will be broken again,
once the Presidential visit is over. The officials cut short their visit and
went back home empty-handed.
Does Mubarak not know that the Coptic Issue is no longer a secret to the
international community, and that consecutive American administration and
human rights organizations, have expressed discontent in this respect time
and time again?
President Mubarak usually makes use of his speeches to relay certain
messages to western leaders before important events, like this forthcoming
visit.
In the beginning of this month of February, in his speech for the
celebrations marking the Police Day, Mubarak declared the day of 25th
January as a national public holiday, in recognition of the police
sacrifices to achieve security and stability in the homeland. This outraged
most Egyptians, with some considering it a bad joke, as police abuses are no
secret.
Information collected by Voice of the Copts as well as other human rights
organizations, show that the Egyptian police is corrupt through and through;
incidents of abuse, sexual harassment, sodomy, framing, bribery, money
extortion, arbitrary arrests, and torture is common, not only directed at
criminals, but at simple, helpless people including children, who know
nothing about their rights.
Police in Egypt has become an institution in itself, above the law, and is
far away from serving the citizens, they became rather a tool to silence and
intimidate them. In spite of their bad reputation, Mr. Mubarak regards them
as his human 'guardian angels'.
Instead of all this appeasement, I wonder if it would not have been better
to correct and clean the Egyptian law enforcement system, in an attempt to
bring some order and safety to the citizen.
Maybe the President was attempting to show the world that his Police Force
is a very effective tool in counterterrorism, and deserves being honored?
During his Police Day speech, Mubarak admitted the damage caused to the
country and its people due to sixty years of wars, in support of the
Palestinian cause, saying: "Had it not been to the successive wars for
Palestine since 1948, our country and our people would have done much better
today".
The reasons behind Mubarak's sudden statement mystified me.
Why Was Mubarak justifying his policies for the first time ever?
Did President Mubarak, after twenty-seven years of being an absolute ruler
over the people of Egypt, just realize the great damage caused to the
country by wrong policies adopted by him and his two predecessors.
Was this just some propaganda prior to his visit to President Obama?
Was it an apology to the Egyptians for living in poverty for over 60 years
while their leaders sacrificed them,by going into war for their Arab Muslim
brothers?
Or were these words intended to pave the way for requesting more aid to help
the poor Egyptians? Egyptians who have to queue for days to get a subsidized
loaf of bread?
Well Mr. Mubarak, what happened to the billions of dollars received from the
United States and Western Europe as aid? Where did this money go?
It is not an internal matter as is always claimed by your government, Mr.
Mubarak. As taxpayers, we all have the right to know where our money went.
As citizens of western countries we plan from now to emphasis to our
governments the need to question you and your government concerning the use
of the financial aid and handouts, money which we have contributed to, and
have the right to make sure it went to the purposes it was intended for.
What happened to your pro-democracy rhetoric Mr. President, which you failed
to back up with action? What will you show for as progress in democracy,
when you will be asked about it during your visit no doubt?
Mr. Mubarak we are tired of listening to your pledges to uphold political
and economic reforms; pledges that never materialized during all those
years. The time has come for you to seriously make it up to those who have
accepted you as their President for more than quarter of a century; people
whom you have neglected for decades.
WE need a 180 degree change in policy; all Egyptians should be equal under
the law. The rule of law has to be reinstated and respected.
Democracy, freedom of speech, thought, and religion has to be granted to
eighty million Egyptians. Corrupt people have to be punished and innocent
people must be freed.
Are all these embarrassing problems a tall order to fix before your visit,
Mr. President?
Voice of the Copts
Dott. Arch.Ashraf Ramelah,
Associate AIA
President
www.lavocedeicopti.org
www.voiceofthecopts.org