Farrahflave!

BDS Flash Mob in Grand Central Station, NYC (Silenced)

2011-04-05T12:23:00.000-07:00

Can't believe Youtube took down the original of this. Check out BDS silent version though:

Teach-in: Democratization, Empire, & the Arab Revolt of 2011

2011-03-05T13:49:00.000-08:00

Teach-in: Democratization, Empire, & the Arab Revolt of 2011

Jason Brownlee on Egypt Democratic Process & News

2011-02-16T12:53:00.000-08:00

Egypt Leaders Found ‘Off’ Switch for Internet

Hostages to Zionism

The Facebook Freedom Fighter

The Egyptian Revolution: A Democracy Now! Special on Mubarak’s Resignation

2011-02-12T14:19:00.000-08:00

Here's a link to the the Democracy Now! TRANSCRIPT I helped transcribe and type up for Feb. 11, 2011 live coverage from Cairo. Please share.

Also, my friend, Liam Stack is celebrating in the streets with the rest of Cairo and Egypt in a video here!

Amazing positive energy and chanting "Enough ~ the people made the regime fall!"

(Ashaab khalas asqat anizam!) الشعب خلاس أسقط النظام

Finally, "Hey hey -- ho ho -- THE PEOPLE MADE MUBARAK GO! Ain't no power like the power of the people because the POWER OF THE PEOPLE DON'T STOP!"

الف مبروك يا مصريين

Footage from our Austin Rally for Solidarity with the Egyptian People is here.

Al Jazeera reports today that Egypt's army vows a smooth transition

Other interesting recent must-reads from:
Electronic Intifada
The New Yorker
The Guardian
Everything from Jadaliyya.com

11/2/11 حرية = FREEDOM

2011-02-11T13:13:00.000-08:00

Everyone keeps asking what's next?!

Mohamed ElBaradei, Egyptian opposition figure; Ayman Nour, former presidential candidate, Al Ghad party; Adhaf Soueif, Egyptian writer and political commentator; Catherine Ashton, EU foreign policy chief; Hossam El Hamalawy, pro-democracy campaigner; Ali Abdel Wahab, pro-democracy campaigner; & Barack Obama give their two cents here.

Today's impressions from Cairo via Jadaliyya.com.

POWER TO THE PEACEFUL #EGYPT!

2011-02-10T10:18:00.000-08:00

"We are living and breathing history," Al Jazeera reporter just said on Live Stream.

This movement is unprecedented. Inshallah, Egyptians will have true representation and no longer live under Mubarak and his regime's repression after tonight. One step at a time. Reform is near! Hopefully, it will be a peaceful transition. Mubarak is a symbol of 30 years of dictatorship, corruption, and tyranny!

My photo in ABC News to show solidarity for Egyptians here. No more oppression, occupation, corruption, convolution!

Only through social justice movements and via the power of the peaceful can human rights be realized. Self-determination is a basic human right for all and I especially hope it is realized among my Egyptian, Tunisian, Palestinian, Jordanian, Lebanese cousins!

Excellent live reporting from Sharif Abdel Kouddous from Democracy Now! Tahrir #Egypt anticipating a peaceful transition and reform. Nawal Al Saadawi wants Mubarak to stay in country so he can be tried... not a bad idea!

Why Egyptian aka Papyrus Revolution is not about Islam.

Live stream of Mubarak's speech (was pre-recorded). Tahrir aka "Liberation square has become a small village of volunteers," according to Al Jazeera. Will Mubarak step down from Presidency? Is this a matter of semantics? Or of technicalities? We will know in a few moments so stay tuned...

Apparently Mubarak is NOT listening and instead delivered a patronizing speech! Protesters still shouting: "We will not leave, he will leave!" HARAM! WAVE YOUR SHOE IN DERISION!

My Georgetown University professor, Samer Shehata, is interviewed here on PBS.

Digital Media's Role in the Egyptian Uprising

2011-02-09T20:53:00.000-08:00

Totally was/is a contributing tool to the ongoing revolution. Jadaliyya.com gets it right here. But this has certainly been brewing for over a decade... in related news Syria Opens Facebook, Youtube, first time in five years.

DemocracyNow!, I have to take a moment to say, has done excellent coverage in English over the past two weeks on the developments of the Egyptian revolution. Al Jazeera Arabic & English and BBC Arabic are great sources too but thank you producers of DemNow! for disseminating necessary information among Americans and throughout the blogosphere. Sharif Abdel Kouddous is on point with questioning activists on what exactly they are calling for in this interview.

* The Papyrus Revolution quote of the week: "The longer it lasts, the more beautiful and creative the revolution becomes."

Power to peaceful right to assembly #Egypt!

Some photos from a twitter friend in Cairo complied on Feb. 9 here.

ElShaheeed posts

Will leave you with some powerful spoken word from Palestinian-American poet and playwright, Suheir Hammad.

LOVE & POWER TO THE PEACEFUL!

2011-02-08T00:01:00.001-08:00

Just heard Parag Khanna speak at my school today at the LBJ Presidential library on geopolitics and Egypt. Check out his recent Feb. 4th interview on the Egyptian revolution and on TED Talks about the fundamental problem about borders, why he is for decentralization, and conceptualizing a potential borderless world.

It's good to know I share my alma mater with one of Esquire’s “75 Most Influential People of the 21st Century,” who Wired refers to as a "smooth-talking wonderwonk."

Uprisings Hit the Arab World, but What Follows? - Newsweek

2011-02-06T13:33:00.000-08:00

As a fellow activist, blogger, loyal Newsweek subscriber, and Master's student of Global Policy and Middle Eastern Studies, I have been passing along photos, videos, articles, and footage from some recent Solidarity Events I've participated in and planned in Austin, TX to virtual leader, ElShaheed.

Newsweek: It's not 'Rage Against the Regime,' though that catchy headline does rhyme with popular band, Rage Against the Machine, which I must admit rocks live. Instead, it's a majority of people's nonviolent rise up through PEACEFUL assembly for revolution -- for Egyptian freedom from Mubarak's oppressive and violent regime. It's all for Egyptian dignity.
Uprisings Hit the Arab World, but What Follows? - Newsweek

It is important to get the word out that there is a LARGE supportive network throughout the world, especially in Texas -- which has a 'conservative' reputation and influence on U.S. policies.

The Obama administration must reconsider its current relationships with Egypt, Israel, and the region at-large and hopefully seize this opportunity to turn away from past policies. An Open Letter to the President calls on Obama "to undertake a comprehensive review of US foreign policy on the major grievances voiced by the democratic opposition in Egypt and all other societies of the region." View ongoing signatures and/or sign here.

Some links to photos (from my iPhone so not best quality):

Feb. 5 demo & march in front of TX Capitol in solidarity with the people of Egypt & Tunisia
or try here

We even got some local FOX news coverage

Feb. 3 Open Panel discussion @ The University of Texas at Austin LBJ School of Public Affairs, co-sponsors included Center for Middle Eastern Studies

Jan. 29 solidarity demo in front of TX Capitol

UT-Austin's Daily Texan press coverage of our event.

Photos from Cairo, #Egypt

More interesting links & food for thought:

My contributing coverage from the week of Jan. 25

Finally, my friends and former colleagues from Georgetown University's Center for Contemporary Arab Studies and from the Middle Eastern Studies scholarly blogosphere community put together Jadaliyya.com and this is only one of many interesting must-read pieces.

UPDATE and QUESTION: Maybe the reported Muslim Brotherhood's participation in the interim would not be so bad while the rest of the opposition gets themselves organized for speedy elections...???

The Muslim Brotherhood is not a radical clerically based group anymore. It reformed itself in the 1960s, condemns the use of violence, and participates in elections, for example.

Food for thought: My Georgetown University Professor of Arab Politics, Samer Shehata, shares his expertise on the perceived and so-called 'radical islamist' Muslim Brotherhood on NPR, on The Colbert Report and on Democracy Now!

Another friend and former Georgetown colleague, Shadi Hamid, wrote this for Slate

Check out this strange Facebook video:

OBAMANATION!

2008-11-05T18:49:00.000-08:00

FINALLY, AMERICA, WE HAVE AN INSPIRATIONAL, INTELLIGENT, ELOQUENT, SINCERE, IDEALISTIC, PASSIONATE, NON-WASPY LEADER! Obama is revolutionary and we can only hope that he and his team will practice what they preach and I am offering my services and expertise to assist them all in our future endeavors :o)

I can't help but sob joyfully while listening to our President-Elect's acceptance speech. Last night, as I celebrated this momentous victory by playing music, singing, dancing, and loving on 18th Street in DC around the corner from historic U Street-Cardozo, I realized and felt solidarity like I never have before. I also felt how wonderful and memorable it is to witness the first black President-Elect in the US. In his speech, Barack says simply, "I am forever grateful for what you have sacrificed to get this done... this victory belongs to YOU." Unlike our last joke of a president whom I recall chanting to, "NOT MY PRESIDENT," at Dubbiya's counter-inauguration, Barack Obama is genuinely appreciative for all of us volunteers' hard work and overall democratic support that has manifested into a reality composed of the people, by the people, and certainly for the people. Thus, power to the people is where we are at, everybody!

Today, the entire world is watching us and has HOPE that we are [disclaimer: the following adjectives may offend you or someone you know. If so, please CHANGE for the better of humanity :-p] not a nation of bigoted, ignorant, obese chumps. No. Our diverse, driven, and socially-conscious generations shined through, transcended barriers and have taken the cake. POSITIVE CHANGES are within our reach. THANK YOU everyone. I love you and wish us all peace on Earth.

Campaign comedians...

2008-09-30T23:07:00.000-07:00

Below are a few featured videos among some of my campaign season favorites.

Tina Fey proves, once again, to be a genius in disguise:

Obama does some standup on Letterman:

Learn to Love to Live

2008-05-30T19:00:00.000-07:00

We are in this together.
We are no better
than another.

We are all part of one, of "ommm…”
We thrive in brotherhoods, sisterhoods, humanhoods.
Despite these wars and all of our differences
We are
Coexisting.

The key word here is: existing…

We exist and seek to remain in this state
Without states interfering with
This human debate.

Let us realize the drive
We as humans have to survive
And coexist within our Universe.

Whether cursed or not
Life has been sentenced to take place here.

Universal messages in all of our languages translate why
We must strive
To live in peace.

“Salaam,” the Arabic word for peace has the same Arabic root as does Islam.

“Shalom,” is the Hebrew greeting and farewell and also means peace.

Ever wonder why the word peace is pronounced the same as piece?

Put the pieces together…
Voilà! “Everything is everything.”

Without peace there would be no pieces to life
No love, no loyalty, no leisure, no location for us in this world.

Learn about each other.

Listen to one another,
Then a common ground
Will be found.

True peaceful coexistence can sustain.

Learn to Love to Live.

Hearts and Minds

2008-05-30T18:26:00.000-07:00

How can we win the hearts and minds
of those who lie
About those who die from living under oppression?
When they see invading Iraq and occupying Palestine
as skewing their impressions.
Possibly we can help them see this allegory
This truth-be-told
About our sisters and brothers.
Show them mothers
of sons and daughters
who fought for justice.
Teach the true history
Of manifest destiny
Of Europeans stealing this land from civilized societies.
Exploration dictated by
Domination with the inclination to
Occupy and colonize
Brown people who look
Uncivilized…
In their eyes.
Five hundred years
and the colonizers still shed no tears
when instilling fear
for a "political agenda."
The oil is so thick that it clouds any judgment
Of what we must do
To save each other.
We are one another.
Political agendas of democracies
Should reflect respect
And justice for all,
Not hypocrisy
That is causing this empire to fall.