Region | Egypt
Cairo spruced up for Obama visit but Egyptians are not excited
Waiting for a bus a few metres from where US President Barack Obama is expected to address the Muslim world, Hassan Fatah Allah, a government employee, is not excited.
- By Ramadan Al Sherbini, Correspondent
- Published: 23:00 June 2, 2009
- Image Credit: EPA
- A man prepares a huge carpet inside the 14th century Sultan Hassan Mosque in Cairo that US President Barack Obama will visit on his trip to Egypt. The Sultan HassanMosque which is a masterpiece of Mamluk architecture was designed to house the four juristic branches of Sunni Islam in one mosque.
Cairo: Waiting for a bus a few metres from where US President Barack Obama is expected to address the Muslim world, Hassan Fatah Allah, a government employee, is not excited.
"He will offer nothing more than words. He cannot stand up to the Jews, who control everything in his country," said Fatah Allah.
"All American presidents were interested in exploiting the Muslims and even in humiliating them. Obama will be no different despite his sweet words and Muslim roots. We should not deceive ourselves."
Obama is due to make his address to the Muslim world on Thursday at Cairo University, one of the most prestigious academic institutions in the Middle East.
The US leader is expected to seek Muslim engagement after years of resentment caused by his predecessors' wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Obama will meet Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak who last month cancelled a trip to Washington, which would have been his first in five years, due to his grandson's death.
The 81-year-old Egyptian leader recently said he was disappointed at past US administrations' policy.
"Obama is coming? He is welcome. But I have more important things to attend to," said Mustafa Mahrous, a car park attendant in central Cairo.
"Will he reduce soaring prices, raise wages, or end long queues of bread outside bakeries?" Mahrous, a father of five, asked.
Over recent years, Egypt, a predominantly Muslim country of 80 million, has seen a surge of labour strikes over low wages.
Mahrous has a particular reason for expecting nothing good from Obama's short visit to Egypt. In preparation to the visit, more policemen and secret agents have been deployed almost everywhere, rounding up innocent people.
Also, Cairo's streets will be cleared on Thursday in order to allow the great guest to move comfortably with his large team of bodyguards.
This means many people will remain indoors and parking attendants like Mahrous will have no cars to attend to. Egyptian authorities have decided to postpone end-of-year examinations in three major public universities on Thursday apparently for security reasons.
Obama is also expected to visit the Great Pyramids of Giza and the 14th century Sultan Hassan Mosque. He will also meet Egyptian politicians of different leanings.
Jameel Saeed, a student who lives near the presidential palace where Obama and Mubarak will meet told Gulf News that the US leader's visit has brought much needed rennovations to the streets of Cairo, as streets are being rid of rubbish, walls repainted and lampposts repaired.
Similarly, the secular Cairo University, where Obama will make his address, got a facelift, its first in almost 25 years.
"I hope Obama will extend his trip in order to visit more areas in Egypt so that they will elicit enough attention from the government," a sarcastic Saeed added.
Will Obama's visit bridge the gap between the Middle East and the West? What do you think are the most important issues that need to be addressed? Tell us at letter2editor@gulfnews.com
Your comments
Although the hightened security is not very popular here, it is certainly very necessary! Obama's visit is more welcome here than your readers' comments show. A lot of people have a lot of hope that the US-Arab relationship will improve under Obama's leadership. His visit to our country, so early in his presidency term, is a strong indication that he wants to change - improve - the US-Muslim relations. We are eagerly awaiting his speech tomorrow. I think it will be a history one.
Samia
Cairo,Egypt
Posted: June 03, 2009, 19:07
I believe we should not expect Obama to solve our economic and political problems in one visit. Besides we should work on improving ourselves as well as not throw all the blame on the U.S. or others. However, the idea of his visit is great and should be used positively by Arabs to consolidate our relation with the US and through it, we could work on solving our problems.
I wish to stay anonymous
Lina Al Syed
Cairo,Egypt
Posted: June 03, 2009, 17:42
Dear Friends: We are hearing at least some good words from Pr. Obama that we never had heard before. Lets give him a very warm wellcome like others do. The main problem is we ourselves.
Abu Alam
Toronto,Canada
Posted: June 03, 2009, 16:09
President Obama's visit to Cairo and his speech at Cairo University are events of great political and social significance which could not be underestimated by casual comments and loose talk.Egypt is a very important country and Obama, a great President. The combination of two, will certainly create a great impact on world politics.
Ahmad M Ebrahim
Bangalore,India
Posted: June 03, 2009, 16:01
"All American presidents were interested in exploiting the Muslims and even in humiliating them. Obama will be no different despite his sweet words and Muslim roots. We should not deceive ourselves."
Thats very TRUE!
Mohammad
Fujairah,UAE
Posted: June 03, 2009, 12:03
Obama brings no change. As the article suggest, he was elected largely to passify growing aversion to US foreign policy, particulary around the Palestinian issue. Obama himself will not bring change. the Neo-Cons and Jewish lobby back in Washington DC still despise Muslims and have no plans on averting their war against us.
Mr Obama, you're already getting our oil for nothing so don't bother wasting thousands of litres of kerosene flying over here. if you really want to change anything for the better and show some respect to you muslim ancestory, stay in Washington DC, address the Neo-Cons and Jewish lobby - Perhaps then we will see a positive change here when Jewish settlements start retracting away from Palestinian land completely.
Nas
Dubai,UAE
Posted: June 03, 2009, 11:57
I think that Grodon Orbison's article in today's Gulf News fleshed out the details of this question wonderfully. Change is not brought about by one man. Great men like Gandhi, Martin Luther and Mandela would not have achieved their goals without the people who believed in them. Sometimes change helps countries progress.
Gitanjali
Mumbai,India
Posted: June 03, 2009, 09:48
From what I am hearing from folks back home, many are interested to hear what Obama has to say and many are hopeful. What is making people angry is the hightened security. people are basically asked to stay home, many shops ordered to close without compensation, schools and unis will not have classes on the day since Obama's route practically spreads across the 2 far ends of Cairo and Giza. So, he will see a ghost city probably
From A Reader
,UK
Posted: June 03, 2009, 02:20
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