Egyptian Poet Abd Al-Rahman Al-Abnoudi: Egypt Is Becoming Another Afghanistan

Following are excerpts from an interview with Egyptian poet Abd Al-Rahman Al-Abnoudi, which aired on Dream 2 TV on February 10, 2013.

Abd Al-Rahman Al-Abnoudi: I used to like Tunisia very much. I would see how tourism was thriving there, and the people were familiar with French and European literature… They opened my eyes to Saint-John Perse, and other great poets and novelists. I learnt all this from the Tunisians.

Today, you see there men wearing robes all the way down to here… It is as if they just emerged from a cave in Tora Bora. They took over Tunisia. They are like the Mongols.

First, they came to power. Then, the extremists among them were not content with the rule of the Ennahda Party, so they began the assassinations. They assassinated [Chokri Belaid], who was just like me, only he was a socialist, a union leader, and so on. He was a really good guy. They would not hold a dialogue with him. They do not know the meaning of dialogue.

Interviewer: There was a fatwa sanctioning his killing…

Abd Al-Rahman Al-Abnoudi: We have these fatwas here too. Take the fatwa by that guy with hair all over his face…

Interviewer: You mean Dr. Mahmoud Sha'ban.

Abd Al-Rahman Al-Abnoudi: What is this?

[…]

Interviewer: According to that fatwa, if you oppose the ruler, you can be killed.

Abd Al-Rahman Al-Abnoudi: As I said, it's like Tora Bora. We're turning into an Afghanistan. Soon enough, you'll see mountains here. One day, we will wake up and see mountains all over, and ghosts will be coming out of them, to spook the Egyptians.

Interviewer: You mean that the caves of Afghanistan will move here?

Abd Al-Rahman Al-Abnoudi: Yes, the mountains too. The women who wear tents all the way out to here will also come. We will start to destroy archaeological sites, just like them. These people think like drug addicts.

[…]