We received an atypical security warning from the Embassy this evening warning that there were credible threats against female missionaries in Egypt.
This doesn't immediately alarm us because we are not missionaries, but Christian workers here by invitation of government recognized Churches and given permit to be here and work with the Christian population.
However, this is the first warning (and we've received countless in our 9 months here) that specifies a gender or occupation in its warning to American citizens. This is curious and we wish we could know more about the cause of such a warning.
Though we may not feel danger, and though someone planning such danger may not recognize the visa and process that grants us service here, there apparently is a risk posed to people here in Egypt. As you pray for us this weekend, pray for any who may be in harms way to know peace and protection, and pray for those who would break peace and cause harm to life--pray that they may know true peace and love that would rather seek to save and not condemn.
In what may come to a shock in the Western world, and may never make the newsfeed of FoxNews, CNN, or your big three network broadcasts, Egypt is prosecuting crimes against Christianity. Three defendants will stand trial next Sunday for their parts in burning a Bible outside the US Embassy during the protests regarding the YouTube film, and insulting Christianity in newspaper interviews. (note: the burning of the Bible is a bit out of character for Muslims as they themselves hold that the Torah and Gospel are holy books.)
As the Middle East continues to wrestle with the notion of Freedom of Expression, the authorities in Egypt are at least eager for justice not just for Islam but also for Christianity. Though the charges will be presented in a misdemeanor court, this is a huge gesture as anxiety levels among Egypt's Christian minority remain high at the thought of repercussions by Islamists still upset about the film and the possibility of Coptic Christian involvement.
A new report indicates that the level of Coptic anxiety had been high ever since the election of Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammad Morsi to the Presidency. According to the NGO Egyptian Federation of Human Rights, 93,000 Coptics had relocated outside of Egypt since the election. One of the reasons stated in the report was for lack of justice in attacks against Coptics and Churches.
Perhaps the steps taken to bring these three accused of insulting Christianity will see greater steps taken to protect freedom of religion here in Egypt and decrease the anxiety level of Egypt's Christian population.
Random notes from our family's tour of Memphis, Sakara, Giza, and more.
Ancient living took place on the east of the Nile because the sun rose in the east, the beginning. All 114 Egyptian pyramids are on the west bank of the nile, where the sun sets, as representing the end of life.
Sphinx meant blended, wisdom of man in the head and the power of the animal body--lions, representing the most feared of the animals in Africa. These were guardians of the tombs.
No ancient residences can be found in Egypt--there is no clear archaeological remains of dwellings to know how these great civilizations lived--because burial place were to be eternal homes and so the latter are built with the best materials and greater attention to detail/perfection.
Imhotep (one who comes in peace), who was second to Pharaoh & possible perfecter of the pyramid designs, may have been Biblical Joseph according to new archeological findings and postulations.
Body hair was impure and all would be removed; however, interaction with foreigners who thought long beards represented wisdom. So, and the statues represent this, Pharaohs would have these fake braided beards that were attached with straps--you can see the straps across the cheeks on the statutes. When the beard on the statue is curved, the statue was created after he death of the subject--straight beards were during the life.
The Great Pyramid of Giza is the largest; his sons pyramid is slightly smaller out of respect, but he built it on a higher elevation -- now, the Great Pyramid has about 9 meters of erosion at the top, while the remaining original limestone casing of the second pyramid is intact, preserving the top. The limestone casing was removed in a primitive effort to find the entrances.
Napoleon should be credited with much of our knowledge of the Giza pyramid site. When he arrived, he brought dozens of scholars who recorded details about the pyramids and area before the limestone coverings were removed. When he arrived, only the sphinx's head was exposed and he ordered his men to dig and find the body below--surprised to find the body of a lion along the way.
Here's a few pics of our day...
the smaller sphinx at Memphis, the original & coronation capital of Egypt
large statue of Ramses II
burial site of a nobel in Sakara, near Step Pyramid -- best and amazing carvings lined the walls within
the mound above is the remains of a badly weathered and plundered early pyramid; we went in 45 meters down at about 45 degrees (hunched over), then after a couple meters to stand, we hunched over and went another 25 meters to the burial room and treasure room.
in the mummy's sarcophagus -- the first order of business for a pyramid robber was to smash the head of the mummy so not to be chased taking their riches.
The Step Pyramid, an early model, is painstakingly being restored by dating and returning fallen bricks like a giant puzzle to the pyramid.
from the court yard of the Step Pyramid looking into the temple
a magnificent oasis for traditional Egyptian lunch
it's impossible for pics to tell you how magnificent the scale and engineering marvel these ancient wonders really are.
family at the pyramids
we rode camels, too -- a great deal of balance and trepidation went into this kiss
kissing the Sphinx is a traditional pose
the sun begins setting on our wonderful experience
In the midst of continuing turmoil throughout the Middle East related to Muslim's anger toward the YouTube film, I've read a lot of articles from various news sources and watched countless videos (live and prerecorded) regarding the situations. As I often do, I have scrolled past the report to the opinions and comments; it's one thing to get the story, it's another to get a pulse on what people think about the story.
And, as is often the case, I am sadly disappointed and embarrassed by the responses that I read. Hate, bitterness, condemnation, stereotypes, bigotry, and every negative connotation that you can imagine often fill these areas; worse, is when these attitudes are given under the guise of "facts" or "reason" of "intelligent" arguments in reply to "stupid," "ignorant," or "phobic" posts. (Once again, I find that news agencies have to bear some responsibility to creating discord and not just reporting it; and, within the opportunities to respond to stories, media has created forums that create more argument rather than agreement with no responsibility or recourse to resolution.)
Now living in an predominant Muslim nation and society, the preconceived notions, stereotypes, and ignorance of Islam is confronted every day, and at times we have to humble ourselves and confess of decades of western ideals that have tainted our worldview with arrogance that is unfit for a believer and representative of Jesus Christ. I have found exponentially more gracious Muslims than angry ones; daily we are welcomed in this country and treated well, whereas I can not remember any time in which we were treated poorly because of our nationality. I admit that I have never seen a Christian with calloused knees from prayer, but each day I am confronted by dozens of Muslims with callouses on their foreheads from prostrating themselves before God.
And, we would like to challenge our family, friends and supporters back home who pray for us and follow our stories, as well as worry about our safety, especially at times like this. There are many well-meaning friends and family who are terrified for us, and particularly for our family members that are visiting us at such a time as this. In the midst of expressing these concerns, there are at times these out-of-order attitudes, prejudices, and stereotypes lacing and underlying some statements. Again, not always--but sometimes.
Last fall, I went to Portland to meet with potential support churches. During that time, "Occupy Portland" was in full swing and there was all sorts of turmoil downtown. I only had one comment about being careful (thanks Dad), and no one urged me not to go. Portland has a population around 600,000 people and a few hundred were involved in the "peaceful" demonstrations that had some destruction of property and even some aggression. Yet, here in Cairo with a population of around 11 million, the percentage of demonstrators to the population is far less, even at its onset when as much as 2,000 showed up--and many, it now appears, were paid to do so while there were also many there attempting to talk reasonably and to prevent such acts. Yet there have been dozen of emails and comments of concern as if the whole of the region was against us. Why? I believe it is not just the result of sensational reporting, but also related to latent or underlying prejudices many in the west carry about this region, these people, and/or this religion.
And it's important for us to "catch the little foxes that ruin the vineyard" (Song of Songs 2:15); that is, it is important to discover and rid ourselves of the little ideas, attitudes, or actions that if left uncontrolled will destroy the desired fruitfulness of our lives and faith.
To that end, we would like to submit a couple of messages that we urge you to take some time to listen:
1) The Truth Between Us: Islam, by Pastor Erwin McManus of Mosaic in Los Angeles. I highly respect and value the writings and thoughts of McManus; I've read several of his books, listened to countless hours of messages, and met him on two occasions where he was speaking. His first book, which I consider his best, "An Unstoppable Force: Daring to be the Church God Intended" is a book I not only constantly recommend, but I have also made interns and would be young leaders read and discuss this as a part of their time under our ministry. You can find this recording on iTunes if you like to download podcasts, or you can click the link of the title to go to a webpage where you can listen to it. This message was given on the 10th anniversary of 9-11 and was the start of this series that not only explored Truth-connections between Christianity and different religions/philosophies, but also the Truths that were differences. McManus begins the lesson with an Skype-interview with an Islamic scholar in Turkey and shares stories of interacting with Muslims from LA to Lebanon.
2) Go Ahead, Ask Anything 2: #7 Will There Ever Be Peace in the Middle East?, by Pastor Jim Lyon of Madison Park Church of God, Anderson, Indiana. This successful sermon series last year led to the book Go Ahead, Ask Anything (check out the reviews on that Amazon link!). In this second annual series, Jim addresses questions not just posed by the community around Madison Park, but narrowed and decided upon by a panel of men and women outside of church. This question not only rose to the top ten by the external panel, but it ends up providentially scheduled to be preached this past Sunday in the midst of such unrest throughout this region. The Madison Park media page allows us to access the Vimeo post where I could get the info to imbed it here for you to make it easier to take time to listen. I encourage you to visit the Madison Park website so that you can listen to the other messages in this series, as well.
Both of these messages not only seek to help build bridges of understanding, but underscore the responsibility of our responses as believers in the midst of turmoil and prejudices: to be people of grace and peace, revealing Jesus Christ through our very lives.
Thank you for your ongoing prayers and support.
Pray for peace as you live out the example of grace and peace.
Things are relatively back to normal in Cairo after days of protests regarding the inflammatory YouTube video that set the region into deadly attacks and demonstrations upon western embassies and citizens. There was a noticeably greater police presence along the Metro (subway) line in Cairo yesterday, and as I stepped into Tahrir Square for a few moments last night, I was surprised by what I saw:
- largest police presence I've ever seen in the now world famous Square;
- police were directing traffic in groups to keep an orderly flow;
- vendors that once lined the square and the streets were far fewer and now limited along the sidewalks as opposed to the roadways;
- and, not only were this week's demonstrators moved out, but so were the left over January 25, 2011 demonstrators who have been camped out waiting for "real changes"--the tents, protest signage and more were all gone.
In fact, the Square looked cleaner as a whole than it has in quite some time.
This is in part to the security effort, but also in part to a Morsy administration initiative to begin cleaning up Tahrir Square and to create demonstration areas as opposed to the chaotic and potentially dangerous scenes that have been created by filling the square, roadways, and surrounding yards/sidewalks. The effort to move out this past week's film demonstrators just took advantage of the efforts and personnel to work on doing the rest at the same time. This is not only a positive resolution to the previous week's events, this is positive for the future as well.
As tweeted yesterday @ok2serve, the Prime Minister in Egypt reported that several of the arrested demonstrators were admitting to being paid to continue escalate the events in Cairo, creating more havoc. Those confessing said that as they were watching the events from a distance, "unknown persons" approached them, offering 50 EGP (less than $10 USD) for their involvement. (This coupled with the reports that the Libya embassy attack may have been organized in advance indicate that there are definitely dark individuals attempting to manipulate and make bad situations worse.) Cairo authorities kept 11 in custody after releasing 20 on bail set at 200 EGP.
New demonstrations in Egypt from schools to transportation
An American University in Cairo teacher shared that upon their arrival to the campus for classes on Sunday, they found that there were students locking out other students from attending classes; their demand is that the AUC reduce the cost that was recently raised. Of this teacher's three classes, only one had students--three: 1 who lives in the dorms on campus, and 2 others who reasoned their way past the blockade. Other schools are facing similar demonstrations, while teachers and transportation workers also go on strike.
Meanwhile, in Lebanon...
The Pope had a historic three-day visit for which the country had been eagerly preparing. Lebanon, in the strife-stricken north around Tripoli, had some demonstrators regarding the film that attacked American-chain restaurants like KFC and other riotous behavior. This area had been consumed in sectarian clashes over the events in neighboring Syria.
Hezbollah leaders were oddly quiet--usually quite vocal on these matters, the news coming out of Lebanon during the regions tumult were often only about the smaller events in the north of the country.
from the CNN report, Nasrallah said: "We must stress that should be awareness among Muslims and Christians not to let any strife take place in any country or any place in the world," Nasrallah said. "The people who should be accountable, and brought to justice as well as punished and boycotted, are those directly responsible for the film and those who support them and protect them. And it is the United States of America that is at the forefront of those."
from the Al-Jazeera report: Nasrallah told followers to stagger their protests around the country. He called for protests in southern Beirut on Monday, in the southern city of Tyre on Wednesday, in the eastern city of Baalbek on Friday, in Bint Jbeil in south Lebanon on Saturday, and in Hermel in the eastern Bekaa valley region on Sunday. All are majority Shia areas.
Thank you for your continuing prayers on our behalf; now is the time to pray for our Lebanese brothers and sisters during this next, uncertain week. Pray for their peace, protection, witness, and wisdom. Pray for world and religious leaders to work together to bring some resolution that can be satisfactory for all.
The first fatality in the Cairo protests occurred Friday. The 35-year old fruit vendor died from wounds inflicted by rubber bullets while protestors continued to taunt and push against security forces intent on protecting the American Embassy from further trespassing or damages.
Riot police cheer after clearing Tahrir Square of protesters on Saturday [Mohamed Abd El Ghany/Reuters] (copied from Al Jazeera)
By this morning, more than 360 protestors had been arrested, the crowds dispersed, and traffic is beginning to flow around Tahrir Square. The Egyptian Interior Ministry says that the arrested protestors will all face charges of "trespassing and damaging public and diplomatic facilities, as well as for assaulting the police and endangering the security and safety of the community." The report now is that there is an uncertain calm in the area around Tahrir and the American Embassy.
Prior to this mornings dispersement of protestors, Egypt Independent reporter Ali Abdel Mohsen was able to get into the fray and interview several of the protestors, as well as those attempting to prevent them, for this report. The following are highlights from the article to help those of you watching the news incredulously understand the state of mind of the Egyptian protestors which may or may not be similar to those in other regions experiencing similar strife.
"At this very moment, Americans are piling into movie theaters, cheering through their popcorn at the notion of the Islamic prophet as a goat-romancing child molester, and sending 'The Innocence of Muslims' to the top of the box office charts. It’s an evil that must be stopped at all costs, or at least, before the film is released in European cinemas,” urges Ahmed Ibrahim, 23 years.
He is also mad at the security forces because they "prevented the Islamic population from defending their honor; but, worse yet, chosen to align themselves with the American pigs, rather than remain loyal to their own religion."
Reporter Mohsen comments, "like most protesters at the scene, Ibrahim believes “The Innocence of Muslims” is a Hollywood production that, like any local or international film released in Egypt, and presumably elsewhere, passes through several rounds of censorship and receives official state approval from its own government before seeing the light of day."
Attempting to reason with the protestors, the protestors turned on the Egypt Independent team:
"'What do you mean ‘smart’ course of action?' one protestor roars at Egypt Independent’s suggestion. 'The film has already been made; it exists. Our only course of action is war, because this was an act of war. This is our prophet, our religion. Or are you not Muslim?' he challenged.
'We want a formal apology from [US President Barack] Obama, we want the filmmakers executed, and we want all copies of the film destroyed,” another protestor cut in. “All those tapes must be burned.'”
The Muslim Brotherhood attempted to encourage and organize protestors away from the Embassy and Tahrir Square, but some protestors stated that at their Mosque they heard their "Imam vow, 'vanquish the cross-carrying armies as we have before,' a reference to the Crusades which was met with much cheering. No sooner had prayers ended than the crowd pulled together and announced it was heading to the embassy."
According to the article, one protest sign read in English, “If America says they understand freedom of expression, they must be coooooool with us.”
..."a few individuals attempted to dissuade them from continuing to the walled-in embassy, but to little avail. 'You’re going to set fire to more police cars?' an older man shouted from his spot on the sidewalk. 'Who do you think ends up paying for those cars? The Egyptian people can’t even afford to eat, but they’re burning their country down. I hope the Prophet had a sense of humor!' The procession paid him no attention"...
...“'You try to talk sense to these people, and you’re likely to get hurt,' fumes Tarek Farouk, a 27-year-old and one of the few maintaining a frontline of their own, one that separates the crowds in Tahrir from the ones throwing rocks and chunks of glass and metal over the wall and at security forces. Desperate to end the violence, Farouk and his colleagues have tried pleading with, and physically preventing, people from crossing over to confront the state security forces, but it’s a losing battle.
'What do these people know of the prophet?' sighs Farouk.
To his left, his colleague asks, 'What prophet? You think any of these people care about religion?' He turned to Egypt Independent and added, 'You’d think these were the most pious people on Earth, but we were here for dawn prayers and we can tell you not a single one of them stopped throwing rocks long enough to pray.'"...
..."The crowd erupts shortly afterwards, its attention drawn to the two foreign men being quickly escorted from the scene by a small group of Egyptians. One of the men has had his green t-shirt torn; his left shoulder and part of his chest are exposed. Within seconds, hundreds of protestors have descended upon them, some laughing, others clearly enraged, thumping the foreigners on the head, piling on top of them and trying to wrestle them to the ground while bystanders shout for help and the prevalence of common sense. 'You’re beating random foreigners, you dogs!' one woman in a burqa sceams. For several moments, the foreigner men are completely obscured by a flurry of fists and bodies, until enough individuals come to their aid and manage to extract them from the cluster. The small group escapes and is chased out of sight, with those left behind clearly struggling to come to terms with what they had just witnessed. One woman breaks down into tears, men mutter in disbelief, and an adolescent admonishes nobody in particular, shouting, 'I know those men — one is Italian, the other is Dutch. They have nothing to do with this, they’re not even Americans.'
'So what if they were?' one older man bursts, before repeating the question again at a louder volume. 'Have we all gone crazy?'"...
I've been trying to formulate these thoughts and collected articles for months, and the events of protest and riots over the past few days have led me to return to putting this together. Even as I write this, there are more and more articles and stories that relate, and yet the topic seems to grow more incomplete as the uncertainty grows. The latest Embassy protests related to the YouTube trailer have only intensified the importance of this topic, so I offer this not as a definitive statement, but an incomplete set of summaries along a very foggy path...
As many of you know, we arrived in Cairo in January, before the anniversary of the "revolution", the events proceeding from January 25, 2011 that led to the resignation and criminalization of long-term President Hosni Mubarak. Though this event was the pinnacle of the so-called "Arab Spring", many are beginning to question giving this the title "revolution"(and prefer "awakening") until the results of the events have more clearly unfolded, especially as there seems to be more questions than answers, more problems than solutions, more debates, than decision.
One of the most consistent and controversial debates that we have witnessed in our short time here has been the discussions on "free expression."
As the goal of the "revolution/awakening" was a more democratic society, one of the immediate avenues of this was to express disagreement with the state-run news agencies and politics of the Mubarak "regime". In the 1800's, the "pen is mightier than the sword"; in the 2000's, "Freedom of Expression" through "texts & tweets" proved mightier than tanks. Unsatisfied people rallied together and caused others to do so through the internet blogs, social networking such as Facebook and Twitter, as well as simply uploading video to YouTube and to news agencies.
As the new day dawned in Egypt, the same methods that united a population's freedom of expression against their leader began to be used to divide people as their freedom of expression became as diverse as the number of people using the forms of media. By the time elections could be held, there was such a splintering of opinions that the candidates that survived the first round did not represent any of the "revolutionary" ideals that had previously so united a nation just more than a year before. Since then, there have been efforts to unite the revolutionary voices under a "third current", but the debate about freedom of expression is even among those ranks as they each want to maintain their own ideals and newly formed political parties.
Differences appear to be the bricks ready to pave the road to democracy in Egypt--whether or not those differences can be constructively aligned rather than just piling up will determine whether or not the road leads somewhere better or just more of a mess; and this is the debate of freedom of expression.
Just as "Freedom of Speech" is a First Amendment Constitutional right in the democracy of the United States, so freedom of expression (in forms even beyond speech) is a foundational part of a true democratic society. The ability to hold and express differences of perspective, opinion, belief, culture, etc. are the means by which free-societies allow debate and decision on any number of topics, elections, policies, laws, or judgments. Though most free-societies usually settle within two competing extremes of thought, on any given subject, there can exist a spectrum of opinions and desires even within one extreme--again, the ability to freely express your distinction from another is the means by which democratic societies move forward. The flip side of this foundational right is that others have equal ability to disagree and take a different opinion/stance from yours--being able to accept this is the dividing line between civility and chaos.
Are you free to disagree or be different in Egypt?...
This picture near Tahrir Square was taken August 24
at one of the locations where "anti-Morsy" demonstrators were prevented
from reaching the Square.
(Reuter's Photo)
On August 24, the first Friday after the holy month of Ramadan, there were all sorts of demonstrations scheduled to take place in and around Tahrir Square; Tahrir is the place for demonstrations now, and after several major news events during Ramadan, this was the first opportunity to do so. Some Islamic leaders taught that those going to protest were doing so against new President Morsy because he was representing Islamic ideals--their listeners were stirred up to prevent these potential demonstrations (see picture). The numbers of demonstrators were few compared to what many projected to be a busy day in downtown Cairo on that Friday; however, the fewer numbers may have prevented greater loss of life and bloodshed as several were injured and at least one killed in what is now being called "anti-Morsi protests" (though, as referenced earlier, there were a multitude of reasons for protests today). In fact, the death reported came from a demonstration at the Nile Towers for other reasons according to this report.
At the center of days like August 24 are the right to express grievances and to have things changed--mass protests would seem to be a statement of last resort, once channels are exhausted; after all, the Mubarak regime ruled for decades and it's reported that people just got to a "boiling point" that led to January 25. Morsy has only been in office a few months and people planned to go demonstrating in Tahrir--why? Because there doesn't seem to be proper channels, checks or balances, or any believable process by which things can be changed unless the people show up in force. Mass demonstrations seem to be the means to affect policy and public opinion, the way to express desires for change; so, demonstrators took to the streets and squares again.
What about the "pen" and traditional forms of news media? Freedom of Expression is still uncertain among the news agencies. There have been an explosion of new news agencies in Egypt, some being broadcast from beyond the countries borders and into Egypt. These have provided a variety of opinions, and each have led to a variety of grievances. Meanwhile, though the state news agencies promise to not be puppets for the leaders, news paper editors await trial for defaming the Brotherhood or President Morsy on the grounds that they were inciting people to revolt--fortunately, they can wait for their day in court now without waiting in jail. There have been demonstrations by journalists for greater freedom of expression, indicating they are not certain what they write will be protected if it differs from the opinion of leaders.
Islamic news agencies and personalities are finding their way into freedom of expression in the post-Mubarak culture of Egypt. A new channel and television show made a few headlines showing women fully veiled, and then world-wide news was made when newscaster Fatma Nabil wore the hijab earlier this month. The Mubarak controlled media prevented such displays because of wanting to appear more western and therefore more "modern"--similarly, military personnel were prohibited from having beards, a ban that is also now lifted under new President Morsy.
And now, the violent, destructive responses to the YouTube Video...
The latest set of demonstrations at US embassies worldwide and particularly in Libya and Egypt, have put the Freedom of Expression debate front and center. Watch this Al Jazeera "Inside Story" debate which aired earlier this morning 09-14-2012...
And who is right in the above debate?
All sides--there is responsibility on the offender and the offended to act and respond better than this.
In the short program above, you have a civilized debate among those who have long adopted the idea of freedom of expression, and yet you still have some very strong differences when it relates to things like the YouTube video in question. Now, imagine people coming out of the so-called "Arab Spring" who have not only not known the extent of such freedoms, but have yet to fully wrestle with the mental, rational, emotional, and spiritual ramifications of such freedoms and you have the cauldron that has become the powder-keg that we are now seeing erupting throughout the region.
Sadder still, most of this frenzy is based off of 2nd-hand reports, not eye-witness accounts of the video. Even worse, you have in Cairo (as the Egyptian panelist in the video pointed out and as was later confirmed by an Al Jazeera reporter today) that many of the ones fighting and protesting against the police and security forces don't even really care about the video; instead, they are out fighting against the police, basically looking for a fight (riot).
And to top it off, you see again that Cairo is an epicenter: what happens here has shockwaves throughout the region. The Libya situation was a tragic event and may have been isolated; but Cairo's media presence throughout the Middle East, as well as their now history of "successful" revolution, leads others across the region to respond similarly. And like any copycat situation played out in the media, it only snowballs and escalates for greater attention and news-coverage. In fact, while the origins, purpose, and people behind the video are being investigated for blame, perhaps some blame has to be attributed to the news agencies whose constant (and sometimes sensational coverage) has only literally fueled the flames of these protests.
And here is the hope of the Egyptian Awakening--if the free expression of different ideals can progress without rage or insult, but rather with openness of heart and mind, perhaps the epicenter of change in the Middle East could open the doors to new ideas, new discussion, and even new decisions than previously thought possible throughout the region.
We are people of hope.
Thanks for your prayers during these days--if you would like to, please comment to share your opinions and thoughts on freedom of expression, current events, or whatever...
Tuesdays initial response to the inflammatory, independent YouTube film numbered around 2000 according to reports. And though demonstrations continue today, the numbers are conservatively in the "dozens" and liberally in the "hundreds".
The now credited "organizers" of the protest, according to this Al-Jazeera interview, want to fight against insults to Islam and their prophet Mohammed, further acknowledging that though the US government is not at fault, they are demonstrating with the request that the US government do something to stop the film and its producers.
From the amount of concern and questions pouring into our inbox and phone line from the US, we assume the news reports in the US are constant and painting a grim picture. Continuing to link what happened in Libya with what has/is happening in Egypt is sensational, at best.
In deed, Egyptian military and police have been working to move protesters from the US embassy toward Tahrir Square. Using tear gas and police riot vehicles, the crowds that were protesting the US government now seem bent on fighting against the police; in fact, "Nothing has changed under [President Mohamed] Morsy. The revolution will prevail," said protester Abdallah al-Masry, 27, of the Movement of the Revolutionaries of the Egyptian Street. From this voice, you can see that the purpose of the protests is now getting muddled.
Salafi and other conservative Islamic groups are calling for protests in front of Mosques and/or at Tahrir Square to further vent their frustration and demand something to be done for this insult.
Fortunately, there are no reports of any Coptic and Islamic clashes anywhere in Egypt. In fact, the same President Morsy statement above also praised Coptic leaders and Egyptians Copts living abroad for denouncing the film or any such insults. Hopefully, this positive respect and relationship will continue and prevent mobs turning against Christians in Egypt.
As we've mentioned to concerned family and friends, we have yet to receive any additional cautions from the US State Department; we have not seen, even on Tuesday, any aggression or protest near us, the American institutions near us, or against the Christians around us or whom we serve. We're sure there will be some sort of caution in light of the Friday demonstrations being planned, but we have not sensed any cause for concern or panic to our daily routines and schedules.
Thank you for your continuing thoughts and prayers on our behalf. All is well.
All of this tension continues to relate to an ongoing and pivotal debate in policy and public opinion in Egypt regarding democracy and "freedom of expression". I've been gathering news stories and listening to conversations around--hopefully I will have time to work out an article on this controversial and critical debate in the midst of democratic infancies in the Middle East.
UPDATE: 09-13-2012, 08:55PM Cairo Time
This CNN article explores more details about the origins of the inflammatory, independent film.
This video is from that article:
Last week, I had the opportunity to return to Lebanon (after only 3 days back in Cairo) to participate in the annual Heart for Lebanon staff retreat. Though the back to back trips wore me out, the retreat itself energized me.
The staff for Heart for Lebanon along with the leadership of founders Camille and Hoda Melki and Chief Operating Officer Tom Atema and his wife Chris are just wonderful, sincere, and passionate servants of the Kingdom. It was an honor and inspiring to be among them, listening to their stories, their hopes, and to see them productively working through issues to achieve greater sacrificial service.
Their retreat focused on the Scriptural theme of Matthew 9:35-38, and the practical questions of defining vision and values of the organization. Guest Nabil Safi (now the Missions Pastor of Salem ChoG in Ohio) led morning devotions along this theme, and Jim Davey (Senior Pastor of North Hills Church of God, Phoenix, AZ) led inspirational and interactive sessions to help the group process these themes together. Their leadership along with the enthusiastic participation of each staff member made for the energizing experience that made this trip a joy.
This was also a retreat, and the staff spent a lot of time in personal reflection or in group fun & games that further demonstrated that these individuals not only loved the Lord, but they genuinely liked one another. Camille, a great fan of ice cream, twice treated any interested staff member to free ice cream in the valley down below the mountain inn in which we were staying. Camille also kept the venue of the meetings changing to keep us from getting comfortable or in a classroom setting--moving from restaurant, to back room, to front patio, to behind the inn, and even up the road into the Cedars (an ancient and the larges grove of remaining cedars trees in Lebanon).
After the retreat and before being taken back to the airport, I had the opportunity to go with Camille, Tom and Chris to see the latest project of Heart for Lebanon: a micro-business venture in the form of a soap factory that helps children of the New Horizons Center. "Twice-Cleansed" soap will be making its US introduction in Washington, and there was a concerted effort to get the shipment ready. "Twice-Cleansed, the soap with a story" is a venture to not only provide for children who live with the real danger of human trafficking, but also to teach industrial and business skills in the process of providing for the alternative. There are big hopes for this and similar initiatives in the future.
As you will see from the pictures below, the retreat setting was beautiful--but the work of this group has eternal beauty because of the difference they are making for the Kingdom.
Jim Davey leading an outdoor session behind Mon Refuge
first trip to the ice cream parlor in the valley below the Inn
the view across the street from the ice cream parlor--this is called the "Holy Valley", apparently, there is a monastery at one end of the valley and many people will hike the long trail to seek advice from the one monk who resides there. This village was the home of poet Khalil Gibran.
Nabil Melki (field director of H4L) leads worship before Nabil Safi brings the morning devotions.
session in "The Cedars" -- these were planted recently,
near to the ancient grove in an effort to see the forests grow again.
During a break, Nabil Melki took me into the "Forest of God" so that I can have a better view of this ancient grove of Cedars.
it is now forbidden to cut branches or the cedars themselves; souvenirs are made from fallen trees after they are declared dead.
near one end of the forest, one old cedar has a few trunks that wouldn't fall; years ago, a sculptor was commissioned to make some carvings on parts of these. The highest carving is this one of the crucified Christ, while lower ones have faces, some of which are looking downward as if bowed.
In the forest is an old stone chapel that has old cedar furnishings; the acoustics in here were amazing! Nabil was surprised to see the door standing open because it is rarely open these days.
Sun setting over The Cedars
Most of the group gathering for a picture before the sun sets.
a great product with a greater purpose coming near you...
We were out throughout Maadi tonight for soccer practices and dinner, oblivious to the events of earlier this evening that are apparently continuing into the night regarding protests at the US Embassy in Cairo. This CNN story ran this video report: Prior to leaving for this evenings events, I did see a State Department warning come through the email for all American citizens warning about the possibility of demonstrations at the Embassy tonight. We usually receive warnings 2-3 days in advance of an event like this, so I thought it strange to get one within hours of the warning. Nonetheless, we proceeded safely throughout Maadi tonight; Zeke and I even walked the 20 minutes home from Victoria College where his practice was held. We didn't know that anything had or was happening until our Regional Coordinator sent an email after the fact. We do not have any additional information as to the mysterious cause related to a supposedly insulting video/film released in America that is insulting to Mohammed and Islam. This Al-Jazeera report says the film was "produced by expatriate members of Egypt's Christian minority resident in the United States". This local story in the Egypt Independent gave more information regarding the offense, the purpose of the sit in and the response by US officials so far:
Reuters photo
Mohamed al-Deeb, a 20-year-old university student, was provoked to take part in the protest after seeing clips of the film in which the Prophet Mohamed is portrayed as homosexual and misconceptions about Islam are spread.
"What angered us is the insult to the Prophet and the lack of response from the state," Deeb said. "We are always peaceful and we do not want to escalate, but if the film is shown, we will."
Protesters told Egypt Independent that they want the US ambassador to be expelled, for the film not to be shown in the US, and for Egyptians involved in the making of the film to have their citizenship revoked.
"Just like the US always complains that its national security is in danger, we feel that our spiritual security is in danger by having something that is holy to us insulted," said protester Wahid Younis. "We want the US to take action against this film to end this sit-in."
A US embassy official had no immediate comment on the protesters' actions but the embassy had put out a statement earlier on Tuesday condemning those who hurt the religious feelings of Muslims or followers of any other religions, Reuters reported.
"We firmly reject the actions by those who abuse the universal right of free speech to hurt the religious beliefs of others," the embassy said in its statement.
So we're fine -- if you come across any other, related news articles that shed more light on the situation, particularly about the film in question, please send us a link.
Thank you for your ongoing thoughts, prayers, and support...
We are excited about an invitation to learn more about and discover ways to contribute to the strategic and compassionate Heart for Lebanon ministries.
Tomorrow, after just a 3 days away, I will return to Lebanon for a different look at the needs and opportunities in Lebanon. Camille and Hoda Melki have founded a diverse ministry that is respected and supported from a diversity of international ministries and churches, including Joyce Meyer Ministries. JMM created this video that includes several interview clips with Camille, as well as great video of people, places, and ministries within Lebanon.
A lot of this video focuses on the work with Iraqi refugees; in recent months, similar programs have begun for Syrian refugees. The work of Heart for Lebanon is so much broader and proactive than just the response to refugee needs. I look forward to reporting all that we learn through this opportunity.
Zeke and I didn't know what to expect on our first trip to Lebanon; entering the entry level of the largest Middle East system of caves was definitely unexpected, but one of the many joys of the trip.
Zeke and I just completed an amazing first trip to Lebanon.
Ana Terzo means "I am third", referring to the theme of "God first, others second, and then Ana Terzo." Nabil Safi, now the missions pastor at Salem ChoG outside of Dayton, OH (1 of our supporters) had the vision for this camp, and set a 3-year plan in motion. The annual camp has now completed its 6th year and is a strong event for "youth" ages 17-mid-30's. (Junior youth ages 9-17 have their camp in a couple weeks).
We were thrilled by this opportunity; blown away by the beauty of the country and camp; overwhelmed by the sincere fellowship; and just all-around blessed by the great Lebanese young adults and leaders.
Here are a view pics of our time in Lebanon...
On the first day, the campers and I got to repel down into this hole and onto the natural bridge...
...look again at the top of the natural bridge and you will see a few of the first to complete this challenge!
Zeke enjoys a large Lebanese wrap before caving...
The 'restaurant' had a waterfall channelled through the center where they cooled drinks and watermelons.
A group discussion after one of the main sessions at the Lebanese ChoG Campgrounds, Theopolis (City of God)
After using an example from the movie The Lion King, Lebanese youth wanted us to see their "pride rock" which overlooked a beautiful valley.
Part of the group in worship at Theopolis.
A gift from the Ana Terzo Camp for our family, a beautiful Cedar of Lebanon.
(L-R) Natalie, Gerard, Shukri, Katia, Zeke, Fouad, and Freddy after Ana Terzo, after an amazing Lebanese dining experience, and before a trip to Krispy Kreme (takeout to bring to Cairo), and before much needed rest for all of us!!!
