Asia-Pacific stocks mixed on Monday    Egyptian pound down vs. US dollar at Monday's close – CBE    Egypt's FM, Palestinian PM visit Rafah crossing to review Gaza aid    Egypt delivers over 30 million health services through public hospitals in H1 2025    Egypt joins Geneva negotiations on Global Plastics Treaty, calls for urgent agreement    Egypt, Japan discuss economic ties, preparations for TICAD conference    Egypt's PM tells Palestinian PM that Rafah crossing is working 24/7 for aid    Real Estate Developers urge flexible land pricing, streamlined licensing, and dollar-based transactions    Madinet Masr in talks for three land plots in Riyadh as part of Saudi expansion    Escalation in Gaza, West Bank as Israeli strikes continue amid mounting international criticism    Egypt recovers collection of ancient artefacts from Netherlands    Egypt, UNDP discuss outcomes of joint projects, future environmental cooperation    Egypt harvests 315,000 cubic metres of rainwater in Sinai as part of flash flood protection measures    After Putin summit, Trump says peace deal is best way to end Ukraine war    Egypt, Namibia explore closer pharmaceutical cooperation    Fitch Ratings: ASEAN Islamic finance set to surpass $1t by 2026-end    Renowned Egyptian novelist Sonallah Ibrahim dies at 88    Egyptian, Ugandan Presidents open business forum to boost trade    Al-Sisi says any party thinking Egypt will neglect water rights is 'completely mistaken'    Egypt's Sisi warns against unilateral Nile measures, reaffirms Egypt's water security stance    Egypt's Sisi, Uganda's Museveni discuss boosting ties    Egypt, Huawei explore healthcare digital transformation cooperation    Egypt's Sisi, Sudan's Idris discuss strategic ties, stability    Egypt's govt. issues licensing controls for used cooking oil activities    Egypt to inaugurate Grand Egyptian Museum on 1 November    Egypt's Sisi: Egypt is gateway for aid to Gaza, not displacement    Greco-Roman rock-cut tombs unearthed in Egypt's Aswan    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Opinion: Lady Liberty celebrates 125 years
Published in The Egyptian Gazette on 14 - 11 - 2011

During the last month many in the United States have been celebrating the 125th anniversary of the dedication of the Statue of Liberty on October 28th 1886. Since that time, the iconic statue has become a symbol of the United States itself. But did you know that one of the greatest symbols of the United States was originally intended for Egypt?
The Statue of Liberty is as American as baseball and doughnuts, but it might not have been.
Many people know that the Statue of Liberty was a gift from the people of France to the American people, but few know that the statue was first commissioned by Egypt's ruler, Said Pasha (1854 – 1863). Any visit to the Archives of the Statue on Ellis Island in New York Harbour will show this to be true.
“Egypt carrying the light of Asia,” as the proposed statue was first known, would have stood at the entrance to Said's new Suez Canal, if the commission had been completed. When Said Pasha was removed from power, his successor, Khedive Ismail, found that the statue was too expensive and he cancelled the commission. Said was not to reign over Egypt long enough to see the completion of either his statue or his canal.
The rest is history. Auguste Bartholdi, the creator of the statue, did not wish his project to be abandoned and he suggested to friends over dinner in Paris that the statue could be a gift to America from the people of France. The subject of a million postcards, the Statue of Liberty now stands on Liberty Island in New York harbour, beckoning its visitors and the whole world to taste freedom.
Construction of the statue began in 1875 and it was completed and presented in Paris to the American people on 4th July 1884. It was then dismantled and shipped to the United States in three hundred and fifty individual pieces. A public subscription had been opened in New York to pay for the pedestal on which the statue would stand.
A poem written in 1883 by Emma Lazarus to help fundraising for the pedestal now stands inscribed at the base of the monument. As much a summary of American dreams as a description of the statue itself, these lines have became famous: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe freedom…..” In her left hand the statue holds a tablet on which is written in Roman numerals, “4th July, 1776,” the date of America's independence from Britain.
When President Grover Cleveland accepted the Statue of Liberty on behalf of the people of the United States at the unveiling ceremony, he said, “We will not forget that liberty here made her home; nor shall her chosen altar be neglected.”
It might be tempting here to make some modern-day allusion to the Statue of Liberty. We could compare the aspirations of the American people towards liberty and freedom, which it symbolises, with the denial of those very values at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
We could even talk about what some might call a cynical disregard for the true aspirations of Arab people in the so-called Arab Spring.
The USA and its friends have been quick to support those uprisings where they had most to gain, but slow to help where their interests have been at risk.
However, tempting though that might be, we will leave such a comparison and such a comment to others. Instead, let's focus on something much less complicated, which we can apply to our own lives. The statue was the idea of Said Pasha. It was to have stood at the entrance to the Suez Canal, but circumstances took over. Said was removed from power and Ismail, his successor, found the statue would have been too expensive.
That is what might have happened. Instead of standing in Port Said, the Statue of Liberty now stands in New York harbour, a universal symbol of man's desire for political freedom and democracy.
Our lives are made up of many “might have beens.” We might have gone to this or that school, but we didn't. We might have got a different job, we might have married a different person, we might have been run over by a car when we were six years old. The fact is that we are here now and all the events of our lives have led us to where we are. Wishing over might have beens is not very helpful. As Muslims, for all things we say, ilhamdulillah!
We should learn to bloom where we are planted and to make the most of what we have and how we are, trusting that Almighty Allah, glorified and exalted be He, will give us the strength we need.
Another world-famous image is that of the US dollar banknote. It bears on it an equally famous phrase. In the holy Qur'an we read in Surat Al-Qalam:
He is the Most Beneficent, in Him we believe,
And in Him we put our trust……
(Holy Qur'an 67:28)
By inclination, we want to be in control of what will happen to us. We want to be in charge. Circumstances way beyond our control, though, have effects on our lives. History shows us that neither the ruler of Egypt nor the President of the United States can control the destinies of men. On the US dollar bill we read, “In God We Trust.” As Muslims, let us learn to do just that.
British Muslim writer, Idris Tawfiq, is a lecturer at Al-Azhar University. The author of eight books about Islam, he divides his time between Egypt and the UK as a speaker, writer and broadcaster. You can visit his website at www.idristawfiq.com.


Clic here to read the story from its source.