Egypt leader calls for nat’l holiday over “Algerian terrorism”
Bikya Masr Staff26 November 2009 in Egypt, Egyptian Sport, Football, News, Sport
CAIRO: Michael Mounir, the head of the Copts of the United States Organization, called for Egyptian groups to declare November 18 each year “a day for the dignity of the Egyptian citizen at home and abroad.” He stressed that as a result of the violence that erupted following the Egypt and Algeria match on that day, Egypt must show its “honor and dignity” to the international world.
He said the attacks and “flagrant violations by the Algerians against the Egyptian fans during a football match” and is calling for the formation of an international legal commission to defend Egyptians living abroad.
Mounir noted in his speech at the “Alliance of 89 human rights organizations to defend the dignity of Egypt” conference this week the necessity of using foreign relations and the “unity of all the Egyptians at home to respond to the Algerian obscenities.”
Mounir said that this crisis should lead Egyptians to review their relations with the Arab countries. His statements are not likely to ease the tensions between the two nations, which have been enflamed since Algeria beat Egypt 1-0 in a World Cup playoff in Sudan.
He continued to say that “unfortunately, Arab brothers are the people who insult Egyptians and the sponsorship system imposed on Egyptians working in the Gulf countries, and the queues of Egyptians in front of embassies, are the greatest witness to that.”
He stressed the need to document the events that took place against the Egyptians and their property in Sudan and Algeria and the production of a documentary film in English, French, Italian, German and many other languages to “show the crimes that the Algerian government have stood behind.”
Mounir said “Egyptian media must work on addressing the world in addition to holding a press conference that would be attended by all agencies and correspondents of foreign newspapers, in which the Egyptian Information Minister shows the footage of the Algerian fans attacks and the injuries of the Egyptians in Sudan.”
He added that “this is the most important step in restoring the dignity of the Egyptians, stressing the need for the intervention of the Egyptian Foreign Ministry to the Sudanese side to issue a report confirming that the Algerian public carried out violence and terrorism against the Egyptians on Sudanese territory.”
In a related story, an Algerian woman living in Egypt and married to an Egyptian, filed a lawsuit on Monday before the Court of Mahalla in the al-Gharbiyah governorate, against the Algerian Ambassador in Egypt Abdel Kader Hagar and against the Algerian newspaper al-Shorouk, due to what she described as the publication of “false news on purpose” over the death of Algerians in Cairo after the first qualifier match between Egypt and Algeria on November 14, which resulted, according to the woman, “in stirring sedition and hatred between the two nations and her family in Algeria insulting her.”
The Algerian woman, Aisha Baridi, said that she has been harmed by the severe tension between the two countries and received sharp attacks and abuse from her family in Algeria and in Egypt from her children because of the “lies by the Algerian Ambassador in Cairo and promoted by the Algerian media.”
Baridi has lived in Egypt for almost 20 years and has been married to an Egyptian contractor for 22 years. They have three sons together.
**reporting by Mohamed Abdel Salam
BM
I think you are really gone mad.
you lost a football match, get over it!!!!!
Egyptian government sat an example of bad sportsmanship and lousy losers. We need serious leaders to solve our serious problems.
What a silly article!
How dumb, shallow, and stupid.
Get a life already. If you are going to write Egyptian propaganda
at least make it better than that!! No wonder Egypt keeps losing everything.
You are really gone mad – Egyptians youths started all this by throwing stones at a bus carrying Algerian players, why now Egypt is playing the victim? Algeria already moved on. What egypt is trying to achieve from this? ~Egypt is just confirming that we are still the third world, this is very low from Egypt. I thought Egypt was better than that.
Indeed
They’ve gone stupid, I think Egyptians need to grow up, they beat the algerians in their home first and now that they’ve dirtied their image, they are trying to come up with all this to cover up, damage’s done, we see you as animals. Sorry for the harsh comment, but the truth as to be said.
Just something to add, a documentary IS in fact being prepared with the intention of presenting it internationally. There are many civilized initiatives done by ordinary Egyptian to raise international awareness. Yes, Egyptians lost the match, which is really ok. To hell with the match! But they’ve lost other things too, and this is only due to their humiliation through the events in Sudan following the match. To the fellow commenter who wrote comment # 7 and the ones before him/ her. Nobody is coming up with anything. We all know about the bus incident with the Algerian players and the rocks… The majority of Egyptians do not deny it. But, if you think the media is exaggerating (which I thought at first), try talking to average Egyptians (not celebrities or politicians as they might have special interest in what they say), just university students who just want to get through their degree yet witnessed the events, you will be surprised. I do not think the Egyptian media spread rumors at all. The only thing i suggest to the Egyptian media is for them to start talking about constructive ways to deal with the problem, it has inevitably become a problem. If you take a look at Algerian media, specifically print media, you will see extreme bias, which is understandable in a situation like this. But when this bias becomes NOTHING but direct insults of Egypt and anything and anyone Egyptian, and it, too, has 90% of its focus on these insulting articles, every Egyptian insulted has the right to hold something against the Algeria newspaper(s) and those who support it / them.
as an Algerian I respect my brothers the Egyptians but there goverment can go to hell
very silly, grow up
Egyptians are not animals as Casbah said and Egypt is a beautiful country but sadly the government have ruined a country that used to be the greatest on earth. This tomfoolery must stop befre Egypt becomes a laughing stock. Is this what the government gets elected to do ????
That guy, what’s his face, who called us animals; is nothing but a monkey! If all of you have not noticed that this stuiped, all of you need to check in at the neerest doctor. I am an Egyptian and I have very good friends who are Algerian, and you know what, this means crap to us. I mean, I alost a little bet over the game, but damn I am over it. And still friends with the same people. That’s because we got out of dipars a long time ago. Unlike alot of people. So, for the few who are making every one look stuiped. PLEASE STOP!!!
Egyptians have proven once and for all that they are dumber then we thought they are, you turned your self into an international joke, the entire world is making fun of you, the more you talk or write an article related to the soccer inccident, the more you insulting your intelegence
again, grow up people, honestly.
And again, remember that you are one the poorest country in Africa, so you need Algeria to help your economy more than algerians need you.
The day Egyptians should celebrate is when it has no longer “leaders” like you who sit somewhere comfortably abroad and spout nonsense and when it has a democratically elected leadership reflecting the will of the majority of the people.
That’s when I go out on the streets and dance in joy!
very dummy. stupid.stupid.stupid.
CopticEgyptian? That looks very sad to read through this article! How about a pharoah Egyptian or an arab egyptian or a Sa’idi Egyptian?
You play the fool of yourself. If there were any dignity lost somewhere, go back to your own history books are read obout 1969 then 1973. Shut-up your mouth and think about WHO are Algerians.
A short advice: Don’t mess with Algeria!
I read the article and I felt very sorry that such a rubbish is published and now we have to comment on it. I just can’t believe that an adult could talk about turning the outcome of football match to a national holiday as a statement of dignity for one people against another. I do not know if any of you did follow the other game, which happens in the same week as the famous Algeria-Egypt in Soudan. The game I am talking about is France-Ireland and, beforee the game the TV news was following the Irish players and the fans shopping and visiting Paris dressed in the Irish national green colors. These people were not aggressed, thrown stones at, yelled at or anything likes that. I watched that and I felt sad. Yes sad, thinking about what happen in Cairo just reminded me what is the difference between people coming from a civilized country and people from a developing country. Even though the Irish did lose the game unfairly, they still just went home without breaking anything or insulting anybody. In fact, most of the French agreed that France did not win honorably. So, I feel even more sad when I read the article above, written by somebody born in a civilization as old as the Egyptian civilization. It is unfortunate but I believe this is what keeping the Arab countries from moving forward. I am sorry! It is sad.