I just started to understand something of modern Egypt with an Italian colleague of Saad Eddin Ibrahim, a couple of weeks ago, has kindly sent me an article written by the Egyptian scholar. Ibrahim, a former professor of sociology at the American University of Cairo, is a democracy activist, very critical of Mubarak, and also went to prison for his ideas, little appreciated by the regime.
So, thanks to him, intrigued by his review, I read, with some years of delay, The Yacoubian Building Ala-Al-Aswani, a 2002 novel that became the best-selling book in the Arab world after the Koran. Ibrahim writes: "I found Al-Aswani in prison where I was imprisoned on charges of having stained the good name of Egypt.
Thanks to her words went out from the confines of my cell and I found myself in the Yacoubian Building, a microcosm of Egyptian society that at the time of publication, in 2002, caused a sensation, entertained, and triggered a debate in both the urban elites and among the common readers.
" The palace, built in Cairo in the 30s, and there really has seen better days: Al-Aswani has imagined today, inhabited by its new tenants, which reconstructs the stories outlining a cross-section of Egyptian society, plagued by rampant corruption at all levels. And it is impossible to realize their aspirations along the way that creates regular in the younger generations a sense of inertia and loss of hope that might bring some on the road of religious extremism, which seems to offer justice and equality to those who experiences injustice, tyranny and violence of the regime.
"The book - explains Ibrahim - as all the material that arrived at the prison had to be approved by senior officers, but soon he was admitted, I asked to borrow all the young guards, and then it was the turn of my cell mates. Temporarily set aside their roles, guards and prisoners were discussing the book together in the evening till late.
The meeting had the great merit of making the difficult and ugly human experience of prison. " But why Yacoubian Building has not undergone any complaints? The author was often asked the question and the response of Al-Aswani is interesting to understand that dictatorships can now exist and flourish even tolerate the publication of a novel uncomfortable: "For 14 years, Egypt has a law that says more or not: 'You can say what you want, we do what we want'.
On the one hand can be somewhat positive, but it's really just a statement of the facade for the regime, freedom of speech passive. In a democratic country, freedom of speech should produce political results would follow an investigation of a complaint and investigation, the resignation of someone.
But in Egypt nothing ever happens, we are a reality without a free Parliament, because the people who were elected to sit through sham elections, because there is torture as I write in the book, there are thousands of illegally detained persons, and so on. The Arab world does not know the term ex-president, the presidents are all dead, is the only way you change.
" Chilling, even for us Italians. 
So, thanks to him, intrigued by his review, I read, with some years of delay, The Yacoubian Building Ala-Al-Aswani, a 2002 novel that became the best-selling book in the Arab world after the Koran. Ibrahim writes: "I found Al-Aswani in prison where I was imprisoned on charges of having stained the good name of Egypt.
Thanks to her words went out from the confines of my cell and I found myself in the Yacoubian Building, a microcosm of Egyptian society that at the time of publication, in 2002, caused a sensation, entertained, and triggered a debate in both the urban elites and among the common readers.
" The palace, built in Cairo in the 30s, and there really has seen better days: Al-Aswani has imagined today, inhabited by its new tenants, which reconstructs the stories outlining a cross-section of Egyptian society, plagued by rampant corruption at all levels. And it is impossible to realize their aspirations along the way that creates regular in the younger generations a sense of inertia and loss of hope that might bring some on the road of religious extremism, which seems to offer justice and equality to those who experiences injustice, tyranny and violence of the regime.
"The book - explains Ibrahim - as all the material that arrived at the prison had to be approved by senior officers, but soon he was admitted, I asked to borrow all the young guards, and then it was the turn of my cell mates. Temporarily set aside their roles, guards and prisoners were discussing the book together in the evening till late.
The meeting had the great merit of making the difficult and ugly human experience of prison. " But why Yacoubian Building has not undergone any complaints? The author was often asked the question and the response of Al-Aswani is interesting to understand that dictatorships can now exist and flourish even tolerate the publication of a novel uncomfortable: "For 14 years, Egypt has a law that says more or not: 'You can say what you want, we do what we want'.
On the one hand can be somewhat positive, but it's really just a statement of the facade for the regime, freedom of speech passive. In a democratic country, freedom of speech should produce political results would follow an investigation of a complaint and investigation, the resignation of someone.
But in Egypt nothing ever happens, we are a reality without a free Parliament, because the people who were elected to sit through sham elections, because there is torture as I write in the book, there are thousands of illegally detained persons, and so on. The Arab world does not know the term ex-president, the presidents are all dead, is the only way you change.
" Chilling, even for us Italians.
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