Every morning the boy at the newsstand, Hassan Farouz, hands me my usual newspapers. But the most important thing is, is that Hassan then involves me in a brief chat as he comments on the important news of the day. Before I come to see him in the morning, Hassan has already read through the newspapers and selects the ones he believes I will enjoy reading; the ones that contain important news that I should not miss. Usually I agree with his choices because he has shown consistency in providing me with the best ones. Hassan's compass is set quite good to the pulse of the Egyptian street. The more I contemplate and listen to his brief comments on the current news, the more I find that his grasp on these events is usually better than what is written in the article.
Last week, the headline on most newspapers was in regards to the death sentence of Hisham Talaat Mustafa and Mohsen Alsukari. That morning Hassan did not talk to me about the ruling or the accused, not even about the controversial circumstances of the case or the details everyone was concerned with. Instead, as soon as he saw me he asked me, "Dr. I wonder with all that money spent on Suzanne Tamim, and her murder, how many hospitals and schools could have been built instead?" He left before I could answer. For Hassan this is the norm. He is a fast mover and involves you in his thoughts and dreams whilst he continues to run towards other customers. Or he heads off on his bicycle straight away without waiting for your comment, as if to say that he is simply just delivering a message. From time to time I used to listen attentively to his swift observations and explore his mind. Last week I asked Hassan about his thoughts on Obama's visit to Cairo; I mentioned his speech to the Islamic world. The first thing that attracted my attention was Hannan's lack of interest and response to the subject, which in itself was extremely interesting and I therefore reflect upon its significance. I persisted to nag him on the subject in order to obtain a response. Eventually, Hassan said quietly "Welcome" and then remained silent! Curiosity took a hold of me where by I decided to ask him about specifics such as; "What do you want to hear from Obama?", "What do you want to hear in his speech for example?", "What is it that Obama could say that would make you happy?" This time Hassan replied immediately, "I want a confirmation that their policies will change." He went on to give me one example after another of what we call double standard and brute force; "Is it Halal (allowed) for Isreal to have nuclear weapons and haram (forbidden) for Muslims to have such weapons? Also, they should stop helping Israel kill people. Enough with the devastation and destruction! This is not just in Iraq, but in many other places." My attention was drawn to the expression on Hassan's face after he let go and told me all this. Perhaps he was puzzled by my question or my persistence on this issue, as he advised me to stop writing about these topics and asked me to write about more important things. But rather than respond to his advice I decided to include him in the discussions of the topics I write about!
After this conversation Hassan left and I reviewed his words remembering what I had written in previous articles about Obama's visit whilst also reflecting on the articles of other writers. So I said to myself, Hassan is right. The issue is very simple and boils down to two very clear things. First of all, 'Welcome to the land of Egypt,' immediately followed by - as Hassan said – 'we want a confirmation that your policies will change and not just your speeches.'
