Nawal El Saadawi is full of joy. I have not heard her so hopeful and vibrant in years: – I am happy! I am 80 years old and happy that I live to see these days. Being able to participate in a revolution. I have dreamed of this. I attend every day of street demonstrations.
Should we be concerned about Muslim fundamentalists? Here in the west we are warned of the risk of them seizing power?
– No! We are not afraid of Islamic fundamentalists. You must know that millions of men and women are on the streets. It is not about right or left, about Islamists or any other political movement. People are frustrated about poverty and Mubarak's regime. No political party has started this revolt. This is a spontaneous movement. But all political movements are trying to be part of it now. Now when people are out making change a fact both right and left want to join. People have finally managed to cry out together for freedom, social justice, integrity, independence and equality. What is going on now is a movement that belongs to the young people and nobody else.
– It is clear that the US and Israel, who supported Mubarak with its neo-colonial policies, want to scare people. They want us to believe that if we demand change, then we will be dominated by fundamentalists. It is their trick. I'm out on the streets every day. Sure, there are believing Muslims and Christians in Egypt. But I do not see the Muslim Brotherhood in the streets. There are individuals who sympathize with them. The Brotherhood actually did not want to be part of this movement from the beginning. The same goes for other political parties on right or left.
– People in the street are aware. They protect their revolution.
Media in the west focuses on the looting, who are the robbers?
– The police do not do their job. Instead, they released criminals to the streets to loot and scare Egyptians so we say that we should keep Mubarak.
Women, what are they doing in all this?
– Women are involved in everything that is going on. The regime took away many rights from us after the last revolution in Egypt. Now we are very careful. We will not let that happen again and won´t be silent. And I'll say the same thing to the Tunisian women. That they should be aware of the dangers and not give up.
What can we do here in Sweden/Europe?
– Support us! Go into the streets, outside the Egyptian Embassy and support people. I was in the hospital yesterday. Police shoot young people. One that I saw lost an eye. This means that the police are shooting to kill, says Nawal El Saadawi and embarks on the Cairo streets again.
