Egypt's Culture Of Corruption, Backwardness, And Laziness

[newcastle]

Egyptian Writers: Egyptian Soccer Star Mohamed Salah Would Never Have Succeeded In Egypt – Because Of Egypt's Culture Of Corruption, Backwardness, And Laziness

It comes as a bit of a surprise that such writers are still allowed some freedom of expression in Egypt.

The full article is interesting :

https://www.memri.org/reports/egyptian- ... -%E2%80%93

Some extracts :

"However, along with the effusive expressions of admiration for Salah, the Egyptian press also published articles taking the opportunity of Salah's selection as player of the year to criticize the laxity, amateurism, unprofessionalism, and even racism that they say is rampant in Egypt's educational and sports system. They noted that Salah has gotten to where he is today because he left Egypt, which instead of cultivating its citizens' talents, makes the citizens want to emigrate."

In his April 23, 2018 column in the Al-Watan daily, liberal Egyptian journalist Khaled Montaser spoke out against the Egyptians who attribute Salah's success to his being a believing Muslim, and added that such statements attest to Egyptian society's backwardness. He wrote:

"Mohamed Salah's award is an award for effort, persistence, [and] determination... [His] award is the essence of the journey called 'confront despair and frustration, and without a doubt you will succeed."

"Did Mohamed Salah succeed because he made an effort, or because he prostrated himself in prayer after every [one of his] goal[s]? This question has come up in the reactions [to his award] by the millions who bring religion into everything. Some attributed it to his prostrating himself... others attributed it to his being a pious Muslim who named his daughter Makka [Mecca], and so on. The important question is: Had Salah remained in Egypt, and prostrated himself and prayed all his life in the shadow of the Egyptian unprofessionalism, lax training, diseased sports medicine, and amateur coaches who base [their methods] on the approach of 'trust in Allah... and we will win' ... would Salah have gotten to where he did?!"

"The award is for Mohamed Salah, and we all, as Egyptians, rejoice in this win. But the award is also for [Western] civil secular society that gave it to a dark-skinned Egyptian Muslim without considering his religion, skin color, race, or nationality – a civil society that tests and rewards [people] according to [their] effort, talent, and persistence."

"Mohamed Salah's award attests to the corruption and weakness of our educational system. How did he get through all the stages of Egypt's educational [system] without any teacher noticing his quick intelligence?. I am not talking about him as a good soccer player – only about noticing his intelligence, as it later became evident from his ability to pick up foreign languages, and to integrate into Western society... All these [traits] reflect emotional flexibility and psychological and social capabilities that went unnoticed at the time [i.e. when he was growing up in Egypt?] and that were left to the hand of chance to be discovered by others...

"Laziness, trickery, and perception of lying as routine have become chronic Egyptian ills that we must tackle so that we are fit to be included on the map of the civilized world – just as Mohamed Salah is now included on the map of world sports."

"Ask any Egyptian, now, what he wishes for, and he will tell you immediately that he wants to emigrate to any other country. This is not out of hatred for Egypt, which he loves... but out of desire to distance himself from the difficulties that he experiences from the time he opens his eyes in the morning until he goes to sleep at night, [difficulties that] are not the result of effort, sweat, and fatigue... but of pressure from the persecuting environment."

"[Egypt] has in its depths no petroleum that will one day be consumed, and no skyscrapers built at huge cost, but only latent human talent that no other place in the world has. [What is] needed [to unveil it] is only sunlight, political and social openness, and ejecting the corrupt – instead of ejecting the truly talented."

[Major Thom]

Well someone has hit the nail on the head, although it may get put down. These things mentioned do stop progress, will it ever be addressed, I doubt it!

[Hafiz]

Newcastle you know that MEMRI is to be treated with extreme caution. I don't need to go into detail. (along with all the blockages its amazing that a website that's allegedly associated with Israeli spooks is still open)

A particular point. there is no mentioned author to the MEMRI article/translation - who accepts responsibility.

There is a deal I don't agree with but the story of talented people in parochial third world countries - whether you are a scientist, opera singer or artist. Small thinking places don't like talented people just as small towns/villages in the UK don't. You are an outsider.

Its also true that whether you are soccer player or scientist you migrate to an environment that suits and values your talents in a major rather than a consensus way.

An aside - this player has made a number of recent positive statements about Egypt which, to me, is evidence that along with all other football players he has a disease - he's brain dead.

[newcastle]

Well if MEMRI have been faking it, and inventing the Egyptian articles to which it refers, or deliberately mis-tanslating them, then that's me off to the calaboose for spreading false information and damaging Egypt's reputation.

I rely on you, Hafiz, to crowd fund my lawyer's fees...and for the rest of the forum to sign any petition you organise demanding my release.