The best way to ease your mind is to speak it out! This is what Nelson Mandela said in 1998, when announcing the news of his divorce from Winnie, his wife for 30 years, after his release from prison. Whoever tasted injustice knows its bitterness and can easily differentiate between the bitter and the poisonous! I have been wronged in my life a lot. But I used to stay strong, patient, and persistent till the end, until I win over. But the most painful type of injustice is that which you cannot face, until it explodes under your skin! This is what I felt on the evening of April 6, 2009, when official and independent newspapers and different news TV channels spread the false news on my divorce from my wife, Gameela Ismael, after 20 years of marriage and three years of engagement! Even worse, when I denied it, the media insisted that it happened and ignored the legal fact that I am the only one who has the right to make such a divorce. It cannot be done without my knowledge and approval. In addition, they introduced different horrible untrue justifications and reasons why this so-called divorce happened. They also pointed at me in anger asking why I am lying and denying the truth, or what they thought is the truth. The situation became worse when some began to criticize me for what they thought I did and was doing. Their accusations against me which were vicious and unfair, revolves mainly around ingratitude and lack of loyalty to my wife who defended me when I was in jail. They said how ‘can I protect my country if I failed to protect my house.' I believe that the private life, for the famous person, is not an exclusive property of him. But it cannot be owned by anyone and then become a playground, or a space for imagination, and lies either by the state-owned or semi-official media outlets. No one apologized for publishing false news about me since a year and a half! They kept repeating the lie for no clear reason! My house is like any other house. We have troubles, joys, hopes, pains, wows and woes. In short, it is a house similar to any other house, where tension can increase sometimes or decrease most of the times. The only difference here is that I caught the regime, through its media, trying to destroy my house and in turn I tried so hard to prevent them from doing so. Since the presidential elections, the regime is trying to assassinate me politically and morally. Since 2005, they did their best to blow up the strong ties between my wife and me, whom was referred to once as the main source of my power and strength. The regime did not only prevent her from working at local and satellite state owned media, but also all Arab TV stations. Injustice was also extended to her family. They closed the tourism channel owned by her mother Farida Arman, director, and threatened her two brothers to undermine their business. The older brother took the safe side, while the younger brother accepted some pre-tailored roles! The Pressure amounted to dirty limits, such as the promotion of rumors and fabricating scandalous telephone recordings which was delivered to me in prison and even before I got in jail. The other side on the recordings was a police officer. I endured that and more. My wife may have gone through similar pressures. I submitted a complaint to the Attorney General about the aforementioned incidents but up till now he did not investigate any of them. I am sure they will never be investigated, under the current regime, which is absolutely involved in fabricating them I endured it for a year and a half to be accused of denial and unfaithfulness by my wife. I had nothing to say, so I kept silent and showed how grateful I am for every thing she did for me. I waited for so long for her to come back to our home, which was and is still open for her. I endured cold life, mortal loneliness, and unjustified press statements about a personal affair, which ended. Actually, it was ended only by one side. Media ruined my “private” life. Every effort from my side to correct the wrong situation was undermined by media through publishing a news story or a press statement claiming that we got divorced, while we were not. She was my wife, my love, and the mother of my children. I waited for 18 months with confusion and pain; neither a husband nor a divorced. I was ready to wait for more. But I was not sure if this long wait would be seen as an attempt from my side to force the woman I love to do what she does not choose. What is the value of waiting – alone – for life to get straight again. Life will not go on if both sides are not ready to push it forward. The pain I suffered is nothing if compared to the pain of feeling that you are forcing someone you love on doing something they do not want to do. I could not force my wife to remain in the social and emotional position, which she decided to leave. Gameela was my wife, mother, friend, and companion in struggle. She was my sword and my home for 24 years. Since 24 hours, she became only my friend and companion and a beautifiul memory of the good old days. When I denied the false news, I said that if the divorce – God forbid – happens, I will tell the world because it is not a secret to hide. And here I am announcing it, and I will not wait for journalists out there to handle as a scoop! With the bad news, I assert my love, respect, and appreciation for the great twenty-four years I had with Gameela. 24 years are more than half of my life and her life. I wish her best of luck in her new life and pray for God to help me and give me patience on the pain of leaving Gameela. This article is a press release, through which I close this issue forever. Therefore, I would like to ask those who did their best to spread lies about me in the past to stop doing it. I do pray for God to forgive all. BM
