Alaa Al Aswany made his literary mark in 2002 when he wrote The Yacoubian Building, the "best-selling novel in Egypt for two years," according to National Geographic, and a hugely popular Egyptian film. Now Al Aswany may become even more famous for a series of articles published in Egypt's opposition press from 2005 to the date of the revolution. Always a believer in human rights, which he believed were being trampled during the thirty-year rule of Hosni Mubarak, the author was a vocal supporter of those who were beginning to challenge Mubarak publicly. In this collection of his articles, beginning in 2005, Al Aswany uses his literary power and popularity to try to reach all elements of Egyptian society, examining some of the issues which have separated Egyptians from each other in an effort to show the importance of cooperation for the larger purpose of ousting the regime and bringing about democracy in a country which has known only despotism, poverty, and corruption for decades. Few who read these articles will doubt their impact on the populace, leading eventually to the demonstrations in Tahrir Square and the far-reaching revolution which began on January 25, 2011, and continued for eighteen days.
At the beginning of the book, Al Aswany explains that repression and poverty were so long-standing that the populace, over two or three generations, had learned submission, and no organized system existed to provide a way for the masses to rebel. Those lucky enough to have jobs, had to work, and these found their own personal solutions to their economic and personal crises. Many talented and educated people left the country because they did not have personal connections to government officials who would hire them. The poor starved. More recently, Saudi oil money, with the blessing of the Mubarak regime, financed the promotion of Wahhabi Islam within Egypt, a very conservative and fundamental interpretation of Islam which requires obeying the ruler, no matter how corrupt he might be.
Many of the local television stations, owned by Saudis, even now feature uneducated Wahhabi preachers who appeal specifically to Egypt's poor and often illiterate in an effort to sway them to this extremely conservative--and very controlling--Wahhabi point of view. Wahhabi wives and daughters are required to wear the face-covering niqab, though as recently as the 1970s, Egyptian women were treated as full human beings, and wore modern clothing that revealed their arms and legs. Ironically, as the author points out, sexual harassment was much less common then than in the present. In addition, the more this movement grew, the more women were taken out of the government's equation, and the more secure the regime could feel.
Comprehensive examples of the Mubarak regime's many long-standing economic and social abuses, too numerous to mention here, are cited in these articles, which cover just about every issue in Egyptian life, including religion. Of special significance to the author is the fact that President Mubarak did not defend Egypt even when Egyptians were detained and flogged in Saudi Arabia, tortured in Kuwait, killed by Israelis on the Egyptian border, or attacked by Algerians during a World Cup soccer match. On January 25, 2011, when a call went out on the internet to demonstrate in Tahrir Square, about 200 - 300 people were expected. Over a million showed up. The author was there giving speeches for eighteen straight days, returning home only briefly during that time, because, he says over and over again, "Democracy is the solution." An eye-opening and important book for those who care about justice. Mary Whipple
The Yacoubian Building: A Novel
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Top reviews from other countries
mariam
Great condition and quick delivery
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 30, 2013Rosanna
Alaa Al Aswany is passinate about his country but to ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 13, 2016Semhar
THe articles that challenged the rule of Mubarak
Reviewed in Canada on January 5, 2013Home Popham
A glimpse of life in hell but not the escape plan
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 27, 2013