Egypt Burning 2: Some Context

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Wednesday August 14, 2013 · 4:04 PM PDT

2013/08/14 · 16:04

On July 30th, UNICEF’s Egyptian branch issued the following statement:

“UNICEF is deeply concerned by reports that children have been killed or injured during the violent confrontations in Egypt over recent days. Disturbing images of children taken during street protests indicate that, on some occasions, children have been deliberately used and put at risk of witnessing or becoming actual victims of violence. Such actions can have a long-lasting and devastating physical and psychological impact on children. We call on all Egyptians and political groups not to exploit children for political ends, and to protect them from any potential harm.”

If you don’t know what UNICEF is referring to, don’t feel bad. Stories of some of the Muslim Brotherhood’s daffiest political tactics over the last month have largely gone un-mentioned in Western media. The story goes something like this:

The Muslim Brothers have been actively involving children in their demonstrations calling for Morsi’s reinstatement. Play areas have been set up at protest sites to help facilitate parking one’s entire family there for an extended period of time. Children have been yanked off the street and from an orphanage; in exchange for food, given signs with slogans glorifying political martyrdom; and not allowed to leave the protest. The darkest accusation is that the Brotherhood has been actively working to instigate the military’s actions today with the hopes that children would be amongst the dead, giving them the most brutal images possible in advancing their claims of victimhood.

fromegypt

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Wednesday August 14, 2013 · 6:12 AM PDT

2013/08/14 · 06:12

Egypt’s up in flames and my wife and I are staying in today.

Our eyes are glued to the TV; switching between CNN International, various Egyptian channels, Al Jazeera (both English and Arabic), and France 24 (an English channel from France). My wife is linked into her Twitter feed, getting reports from activists and NGOs.

All the details of the pandemonium are still a bit vague. But my understanding at this point is the following: At 6:30 this morning, Egyptian Security Forces went in to break up the Muslim Brother protest next to Cairo University. They violently managed to dismantle it within a matter of minutes. Security forces are still working at dismantling the larger protest in Nasr City.

fromegypt

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Sunday August 11, 2013 · 9:31 AM PDT

2013/08/11 · 09:31

I am an American who grew up in a middle class family in Virginia. I've been living and working in the Middle East for the last six years and am married to an Egyptian.

Today, I am in Cairo and have been here since June 30th. The city is completely covered in political graffiti (buses, billboards, walls, the Metro, everywhere). One of the most prominent messages right now is “C. C. قاتل” which translates to "C.C. is a killer" a reference to Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, Egypt's Minister of Defense. The Muslim Brotherhood holds him responsible for killing between two hundred and four hundred (depending on who you believe) protesters since Morsi’s ouster on July 3rd.

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Egypt Burning 2: Some Context

Egypt Burning

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