Jailan Halawi on post-revolution Ramadan Ramadan has always had a distinct flavour. It is a time when streets are decorated with colourful lanterns and Islamic Cairo in particular can seem a magical place. Ramadan songs are heard everywhere and people rush to the market to buy more food than they really need, for this is also the time when families and friends gather to share Iftar and Sohour. Ramadan is a month of charity. Tables are set up in streets and alleyways to make sure that no one is left unfed in the holy month. The mosques are full day and night, as people throng to do the taraweeh and tahajod, the extra prayers that mark Ramadan. So what of Egypt's first post-revolution Ramadan? How will it compare with years past? People will still go about their daily rituals, crowding shops and markets despite complaints of sky-rocketing prices. They will still go and pray in the mosques. But this year the holy month comes heaped with political, as well as spiritual, concerns. It comes at a time when Egyptians should be celebrating an end of tyranny and repression. The three-decade rule of a corrupt regime is over, its president toppled after the people took to the streets in millions to demand freedom and social equality. Yet rather than looking forward to a better life and future for their children, a great many people lament that their efforts have yet to bear fruit. Complaints are everywhere. People point to increased crime rates, to inflation. The cost of basic commodities is spiralling, and the nation's economy is in dire straits. The tension is palpable as Egyptians are increasingly divided over how to embrace the revolution. For some of the people interviewed by Al-Ahram Weekly this is their worst Ramadan ever. A former government employee, Fahmi believes that since the revolution Egypt has witnessed an unprecedented state of chaos. Crime is on the up and thugs wander the streets with no one to stop them. One might expect people would be more tolerant in Ramadan, but it doesn't seem to be the case. As if daily news reports of violent clashes in Egypt's towns and cities were not enough, there are also headline making stories of attacks on security targets and worries over border incidents. (see p.2-3) The only new thing, he says, is that now they are all being blamed on the revolution, rather than being the inevitable outcome of the policies adopted by the deposed regime. The only difference we witness now is the media's emphasis on the problems whether economic, social or security," he said. Before the revolution, Qandil continued, "the state media tried desperately to paint a rosy picture of what was happening". Now, he says, they do the opposite. "It seems they want the people to turn against the revolution." Galal has no doubt that there is a concerted campaign, executed via the state owned media, to make the public believe that it is the revolution that is responsible for any deterioration in their standard of living. And given the public's propensity to complain, she says, the campaign has found fertile ground. On a more positive note, university student Sara Kamal believes that despite all the divisions "Egyptians are working hard towards establishing common ground and overcoming their differences for the sake of the country".
