Video: Egypt-Greece Connection

Al Jazeera English has a YouTube Channel with some interesting documentaries under their Al Jazeera World link.  I previously linked to the Al Jazeera website a documentary on Mubarak and the Muslim Brotherhood a few days ago in the post "The Calm Before...", but discovering this YouTube channel allows me now the option of embedding the videos.

The above video, Egypt: The Other Homeland, helps the viewer to historically connect the strong relationship with Egypt and Greece.  This is a fascinating connection for us for several reasons:

1. We are a part of the Three-Worlds Team that serves the Church in the Europe and Middle East Region, which of course includes Greece.  Three-Worlds have been actively engaged in recent months with the Church in Greece to help serve their needs, and we look forward to seeing Greece host some unique Three Worlds events.
2. Historically, the Church of God began connecting with believers and existing churches in Egypt as early as 1898--several of the connections and relational developments in the first couple decades involved Egyptian Christians as well as Christians with Armenian, Greek, and Cyprus roots.  
3. The Cairo Christian Fellowship that we serve weekly has a unique, international background, including many Greek believers who were a part of the Fellowship's early days.

The video above helps the viewer not only to understand this strong Egyptian-Greek relationship, but also to get a glimpse of Egypt in the early 1900's through wonderful pictures and film.  The documentary proceeds to chronicle this relational history into the 1960's, the same time that the Cairo Youth Fellowship was beginning with many of the ones we serve now, as well as believers who are now scattered across the globe but who were here during this amazing time of international and cultural connection.  As we watched the video, we could better understand the heart of many CCF members who remember and are heavy in heart for the Egypt of these days.

The beginning of Egyptian nationalism and independence from French and English interests under the rule of Nasser is highlighted during the last 15 minutes in this documentary.  This provided control of the Suez Canal to Egypt and a good independence from foreign rule, but all of this came at the cost of the amazing international and cultural atmosphere that had been in place for about 50 years previous.  

Nasser's nationalizing of private business and industry led to many internationals leaving; the documentary poignantly reveals that though Greeks thought they would be exempt from these nationalizing efforts, they were not.  As a result 80% of the Greek population within Egypt left during those years.  

Sabbahi (in white jacket) and Fotouh
leading a march recently to Tahrir Square.
(Egypt Independent, Photographed by Virginie Nguyen)

And this is of contemporary relevance.  One of the individuals at the forefront of the Revolutionary voices at Tahrir today is former Presidential candidate Namdeen Sabbahi, who finished third in the first round of voting, missing the runoff election narrowly to controversial candidate Shafiq.  Sabbahi has been describing himself as a "Nasserist" and his campaign has only been growing, even after defeat in the first round.  Revolutionary Socialists in Egypt had worked hard until this past week to eliminate Shafiq so that he could run against Muslim Brotherhood candidate and first round winner Morsy; Morsy even recognized Sabbahi's growing popularity and attempted to bring him into his camp by offering him a vice-presidential role, but Sabbahi declined.  Instead, Sabbahi has been out front of each march, continuing to make speeches and holding press conferences.  

Abouel Fotouh, another defeated secular candidate, has been with Sabbahi in making several statements as well as working with Sabbahi to present conditions of support to Morsy.  Fotouh's campaign recently endorsed Morsy, but Sabbahi has been mum, probably because his "Nasserist" ideals were a bit more far reaching than Fotouh's.

If Sabbahi is becoming the people's choice, then a return to revolution may be a return to Nasser's policies--this makes the above video all the more interesting and reflective.