Patriotism Or Treason: An Egyptian Story

History speaks but fools do not listen. Time and again, words have given birth to movements that unseated those in power but in Egypt they continue to arrest the bird in the hope that it may never fly. “You are destroying people...one by one those who participated in this crime will pay...those who have sold this country, impoverished it...multiply 100,000 by 100” and you begin to understand the number of enemies you are creating, blistered Fatma, wife of activist Shady Ghazala. Dictators like Sisi think they won’t pay but “Ok, we will see’’ vowed Fatma, knowing fully well that words could lead her to her own jail cell.

The state, and its agents, view this as the definition of treason. While dissidents, international law and rationale all say this is protected, legitimate free speech. Words carry ideas, pose necessary questions and sometimes provide answers. Whose words get heard, by whom, and how they affect discourse are central to understanding the invisible line dividing patriotism and treason.

In police states, like Egypt, where the ruler and his extended political tribe seek a homogenous dialectical landscape words are not feathers in the wind. Rather, they are the building blocks of change, be they a video from from Fatma or an article from investigative independent journalists, like Mada Masr’s Rana Mamdouh. Asking questions, holding power down to the inquisitive probes of a professional pen is deemed treason by the state but is nothing short of love of nation. When Mamdouh asks “Who added my name to those lists (no fly)?” “What law was all this based on...is every journalist put on those lists?’’ she knows the answer. Without question, not every journalist is on those lists, only the ones that probe, question, and seek to deliver the “truth’’ to readers are.

What the state seeks, an acquiescent microphone amplifying its message, is one thing and what a professional independent journalist like Rana provides is entirely another. Could state suspicion have begun when she scrutinized the Speaker’s comments about the constitution...specifically questioning him about concealing amendments to the State council law after it had been approved by two-thirds of Parliament in August 2016”? Her words are not oppositional harangues or hearsay by any means, instead, the questions posed seek accountability, thus the anger of a state that refuses accountability. Dictatorship, naturally, marches to only one beat, that of the autocrat and his Yes Men; the instant anyone violates the invisible support or shut up dictat, is the instant they morph from patriot to traitor. The crass, simplistic binary relation is endemic to the totalitarian state. There is no room for negotiation with the state but truly independent journalism is non-negotiable, and there is no half independent.

Employing a large digital army, #Egypt insists on daily monitoring of one and all, with a focus on dissident shapers of public opinion. Not only are meticulous files kept on such figures but constant threats are delivered by these state employees

Fiction writers and journalists alike face the wrath of Egypt's digital army, combing through every idea in the public domain that counters the Sisi rhetoric. #Egypt has only room for championing patriots, all others are traitors deserving a muzzle.

In this clash, accusatory finger of “fake news’’ are pointed at independent journalism,  simultaneously, Sisi’s Egypt punishes journalists more than any other nation in the world, for producing “false news”. Just this week, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) issued its annual survey revealing that Egypt accused 30 journalists in 2019 of producing “fake news’’. That number climbed from 28, last year, and included journalists like Esraa Abdel Fatah who was not only arrested but also tortured. Esraa’s case is a perfect example of how arbitrary the totalitarian state is, Esraa had taken a far less revolutionary role in public life during the Sisi era, in fact, some argued her posture was not oppositional to Sisi. In either case the accusation of “false news’’ stood at the ready when someone in the deep state viewed her as a problem. In this thorny universe you are guilty, with zero evidence, of treasonous utterances even when you whisper little nothings.

Words have also cost writers of fiction a great deal.

 Look no further than Alaa El Aswani, one of Egypt’s most prominent writers, to understand how, in an instant, you become a criminal in the eyes of the state. It is no secret that Abdel Fatah El Sisi has bashed the 2011 revolution at every turn, his latest attack is only the crudest. Remember as you read this attack that, as defense minister under Morsi and as director of intelligence, Sisi celebrated the revolution publicly. Instead, Sisi now claims “If it were not for 2011, there would have been a strong and easy agreement on constructing this dam, but when the country exposed its back and ... bare its shoulders uncovered.” For Sisi and his malleable allies, the revolution was a step back, not a leap forward. So what happens when Aswani writes a novel, The Republic, comemorating the very revolution the regime impunes? A bullet in the form of a charge for “insulting the president, the armed forces and judicial institutions” finds its way to Mr. Aswani, delivered courtesy of the military judicial system and in absentia.

The very idea that someone, particularly as distinguished as Aswani, should look to refocus attention on a moment in time when the people dared to question authority, imagined a world where they, and not the men of guns, could control the reigns is deemed treason by those very same producers of counter revolution. Those who carry a heavy stick cower before the word and, accordingly, amputate words of opposition or critical thinking at every turn.

Actors who speak out are not exempt from having their names and careers destroyed. Amr Waked and Khaled Abou el Naga, major stars for their generation, followed their internal moral code and called out the regime on countless human rights violations. When both actors went to Washington D.C to meet with American officials to highlight human rights abuses the attacks from the, intelligence installed, media guard dogs of the regime were immediate and vitriolic. Not only were they both expelled from the Egyptian actors union but a photo-shopped picture of both men, bare chested embracing one another captioned “agents and more’’ found its way into a pro government publication. Gruesome? Indeed. Typical of this underhanded regime? Most definitely.

Unofficial punishment for stances the regime deems traitorous is one thing, codifying it into law is quite another. When it comes to policing social media Egypt has taken an aggressive punch first, ask questions later approach. Once you hit the 5000 follower plateau on twitter, for example, according to newly passed laws, you become a media entity, though one with no formal training, only personal opinions to offer. This is meant to restrain freedom of speech and to inject Egypt’s social media with the same kind of fear dominating Egypt’s streets. Say something the regime finds objectionable and you could be looking at a case of “false news’’ broadcasting. Penalties are severe and can reach upwards of 250,000 EGP. In fact, should you approach any of nine prohibited topics the penalties can reach an astronomical 5 million EGP. That the regime, per the law, does not need so much as a court order facilitates huge abuses which favor the government narrative and pummel an ironically silent majority.

By employing a large digital army, Egypt insists on close daily monitoring of one and all, with a particular focus on dissident shapers of public opinion. Not only are meticulous files kept on such figures but constant threats are delivered by the state “employees’. It never fails, the lexicon always ready to use the term traitor and the very popular “paid agent”. It is not a unique instance for the writer and for countless Egyptians who count themselves among the ranks of the opposition to bear daily attacks and threats for such innocuous activities such as political analysis or sharing a video.

Say what you will about Egypt’s rulers, this much is certain: they created a binary universe - Patriot or traitor.

*The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect Raseef22