The line of fire

One of the best things about our revolution is that it has no leader. Some people consider this as a mistake. I see that the regime suffered a lot because its remnants couldn’t find a leader to defame or assassinate to put an end to the momentum of the streets of Egypt during the first 18 days. No party or a group of people could claim ownership over our revolution as well because no one knew who those revolutionaries were.

 

For the past 15 months the term “Line of fire” was used a lot to describe the front line at any of the clashes between protesters and either the CSF or the Military. Being there in the middle of the clashes made me realize a lot of things and I would like to write about   the clashes from a totally different perspective; from the perspective of each single person I saw or met.

 

On the front line, stood a young girl with medical supplies, she went out from her home against her parents’ will and risked her life to prove to herself and to the world that she is not as weak as they forced her to believe she was. She stood there despite of the fact that her family is well off enough to support her and her future family for the rest of her life; because she believed that this was the only way to live in a country that abides by a law that would punish anyone who would dare harassing her.

 

On the front line, stood a nine year old poor homeless kid throwing rocks at the CSF taking his revenge from his lifetime experiences of running around to hide from the cops who would beat him if found. He thought that by defeating the cops he would get the life he deserves, not a life with plenty of food or a place to sleep but, just a life where he won’t have to run around hiding all the time.

 

The girl tries to convince the boy of leaving the front line and stand in the back but he was so stubborn and never listened to her. Finally she convinced him that he was needed more at the entrance of the street to help the injured protesters by delivering the medical supplies to them, so he finally listened feeling proud of being useful in the situation.

 

On the same front line, stood a devoted Muslim believer chanting as loud as he could running from the left to the right trying to protect himself and people around him whom he never met. He didn’t join because he wanted to impose his dogma or rules upon the others. He joined because he thought that it was the only way for gaining his right to believe in his religion the way he wants without being asked to visit the state security building every now and then.

 

On the front line, stood a doctor helping those who fainted from the tear gas. Nothing mattered at that moment except saving those protesters because he was sure that this was the only way to gain his right as a homosexual, to live his life the way he thinks it should be.

 

On the front line, stood an atheist right beside the believer not caring about death, not thinking about his afterlife but just because he thought that this was the only way to gain his right to have an identity card without the religion label on it, he just wanted his constitutional right to be an atheist, to get married and have a family the way he wants and not how the government wants.

 

On the front line, stood a Christian man who left his newly born baby at home with his mother to take part in the clashes. He thought that this was the only way to pave the road for his baby to be raised in a country where he will never get bullied because he was born Christian.

 

All those people stood together against the same enemy, they knew what they wanted and fought for their dreams. Maybe they disagreed in almost everything but, they all knew who their enemy was. Each and everyone of them had a personal incentive to take part in the clashes but, not even one of them stood there to risk his or her life for a political party.

 

Unfortunately, the dirty game of politics started early, people started debating who is right and what is right before taking down their enemy first. But, once the clashes started again those same people went back to fight knowing that they are not only risking their lives but both their lives and dreams. No one knows how it will end but the only thing that I am sure of is that our generation will never give up. We will never stop fighting everywhere until we get the rights of each and every human being in Egypt.