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发帖数: 29846 | 1 冷酷现实：“假如我是犹太人，那么显然他们攻击我就合理了”；BBC记者在开罗街头
险些被暴打，对方说“对不起，我们以为你是犹太人”
Relations between Israel and Egypt have become increasingly strained in
recent weeks, and in the Egyptian capital there is a mounting sense of
tension, including incidents of anti-Semitism.
Suspicion is a feature of everyday life in Egypt, and a fondness for
conspiracy theories is as much a part of the landscape here as the constant
traffic jams and their accompanying symphony of blaring car horns.
With the democratic certainties that greeted the immediate aftermath of
January's revolution having faded, however, the climate of mistrust and
unease about the hard-won gains of the revolution is becoming increasingly
palpable.
As disquiet sets in, so does the fear of foul play, backroom deals and,
increasingly, malign foreign influences.
I noticed this tendency towards cynicism while enjoying some of the
incredible food on offer in Cairo.
The streets here are dotted with makeshift, roadside restaurants where in
the mornings you can pick up a veritable feast of quintessential Egyptian
dishes that, thanks to a weak Egyptian pound, will only cost you around $0.
80 (50p).
As dishes of seasoned aubergine, heavily spiced beans, salad, fermented
cheese, chips, tamea [falafel] and gorgeous wholegrain Egyptian bread were
laid out before me, I realised I was beginning to attract attention, and not
just because of my appetite.
A group of old men slurping tea mixed with incredible quantities of sugar
was studying me.
Men smoking shisha (water pipes) on a street in Cairo Cafes offer the chance
to relax and discuss politics
Eventually one of the men struck up a conversation, revolving primarily
around what exactly I was doing in Egypt at a time when most foreigners had
left.
My answers met with furrowed brows and clearly dissatisfied shakes of the
head, when suddenly, raising his hand in front of his mouth in a
conspiratorial gesture one man shot, "I bet he's from Israel" into the ear
of his friend so quickly as to be barely discernable.
I was shocked. In nearly six months of living in Syria, where orchestrated
hysteria about Israel is integral to the very identity of the state, I had
never heard the accusation surreptitiously levelled against me.
Neither am I from Israel, nor am I Jewish, but as someone of unmistakably
European appearance, I have found myself constantly associated with Israel
in Egyptian eyes.
'Conspiracy theorists'
A few days later, while sitting with the same group of men in the cafe, a
bridge in a nearby neighbourhood collapsed with an incredible "boom".
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State media reported five people killed. My new friends exchanged knowing
glances, apparently linking my appearance in the neighbourhood a few days
earlier to an otherwise inexplicable calamity nearby.
Israel is just one of a panoply of worries that exercise the conspiracy
theorists that frequent Egypt's cafes.
The standard fare of political gossip tends to revolve around the trial of [
former President Hosni] Mubarak, internal corruption, and the causes behind
the dire economic woes Egypt is currently experiencing.
A prosecuting lawyer at Mr Mubarak's trial even introduced the novel idea
that the ex-president had died years ago, and that the man on trial was none
other than an impostor.
I would hazard a guess that Israel struggles to make it into the top-five
political issues discussed in Egypt.
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a strong and sometimes violent dislike of Israel is a fact of Egyptian
life”
Israel has probably been less of a concern than the rising power of Shia
Iran in the region, which apparently worries many in this overwhelmingly
Sunni country, partly thanks to a constant stream of stridently sectarian
rhetoric broadcast from Saudi Arabia.
In the Byzantine politics of the region, hearing strident opposition to
Israel and its greatest regional foe, from the same person, almost in the
same breath, is commonplace.
Nevertheless, a strong and sometimes violent dislike of Israel is a fact of
Egyptian life, something I was unfortunate enough to discover after a cross-
border raid by Israel killed several Egyptian security personnel.
The Israelis had been chasing a group of gunmen who had attacked an Israeli
bus close to the border between the two countries.
While walking in the street someone pushed me from behind with such force
that I nearly fell over.
Turning around, I found myself surrounded by five men, one of whom tried to
punch me in the face. I stopped the attack by pointing out how shameful it
was for a Muslim to assault a guest in his country, especially during
Ramadan.
Relieved that a seemingly random assault was over, I was appalled by the
apology offered by one of my assailants. "Sorry," he said contritely,
offering his hand, "we thought you were a Jew."
Shaking his head in disbelief on hearing the news, an Egyptian friend
sympathised: "That's stupid, you are obviously not a Jew."
The chilling implication I was left with was that, had I been Jewish, the
assault would have apparently been justified. |
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