The Egyptian dictatorship is an Arab dictatorship like many another — like many another dictatorship period. This one can be especially irksome, however, in that it is an American ally, and an abuser of U.S. citizens.
Yesterday, Sudarsan Raghavan of the Washington Post reported on the case of Reem Mohamed Desouky. Here is how the report begins:
When Reem Mohamed Desouky arrived from Washington last month with her 13-year-old son, Egyptian authorities detained them at the airport, he said. They confiscated their phones and interrogated Desouky, holding the two for hours.
Then, they jailed Desouky, a Pennsylvania teacher and dual U.S.-Egyptian national.
Her alleged crime was criticizing the Egyptian government on Facebook.
Sure. That’s what Egypt’s dictatorship, like dictatorships everywhere, does: jail critics. There’s more.
Last week, when her brother, Nour, visited her, he was also jailed. Her son, Moustafa Hamed, is staying with relatives in Cairo, hoping that he and his mother can return home to Lancaster, Pa., before school begins at month’s end.
“I just want my mother back,” Moustafa said. “She didn’t do anything wrong.”
Here is what happened to Moustafa’s uncle Nour: He went to the prison to bring his sister a toothbrush, some shampoo, etc. And he never reemerged — from the prison.
“Now, everyone in my family is scared to visit my mom,” Moustafa said. Yeah, no kidding.
Raghavan’s report details other cases of U.S. citizens in Egyptian prisons (where the worst takes place, naturally). Then there is this:
Critics say Sissi has been emboldened by Trump. The repression has grown since Trump signaled in a May 2017 speech in Saudi Arabia that human rights in the Middle East would not be a priority for the White House.
Since then, Sissi’s government has blocked or shut down hundreds of websites deemed critical of its policies. Last year, Egypt’s parliament passed a law tightening restrictions on reporters and social media, granting the government far-reaching censorship powers. Journalists, bloggers and authors of dissenting social media posts have been arrested.
In that 2017 speech, given on Saudi soil, Trump said, “We are not here to lecture — we are not here to tell other people how to live, what to do, who to be, or how to worship.” The problem is, that is exactly what dictatorships do: tell people how to live, what to do, whom to be, etc. Who will stand between the persecutor and the innocent? Who will lend the innocent a hand? Who will lend him even moral support?
When General Sisi was “reelected” last year, Trump called him to congratulate him. It was a funny reelection. Sisi’s nominal opponent was a warm admirer of his, who was simply playing along.
A dream opponent, you could say.
Have a little more of Sudarsan Raghavan’s report on Reem Mohamed Desouky and her son, Moustafa.
After Egyptian authorities inspected their passports, the pair were told to wait. After half an hour, mother and son were taken to a room, where they were held for three hours.
“We kept asking, ‘What’s wrong?’ ” Moustafa said.
Ultimately, the security officials demanded both their phones and began to scroll through Desouky’s contacts, photos, videos and social media posts, he said. They asked them questions such as why they came to Egypt and about her social media activity.
“They asked my mother if she liked Sissi or Morsi,” Moustafa said. “She didn’t want to reply. She knew you would go straight to prison.”
But the security officials were not satisfied. Desouky was separated from Moustafa, who was picked up by his uncle.
It is a rotten, low, wicked world, and sometimes you have to ally with the devil. But not always. Free World governments are capable of much, much more than they do, and maybe even more than they know. Senator John McCain was on Egypt’s behind all the time, and so was his partner Lindsey Graham. Someone else should pick up the slack. At a minimum, these goons should not be able to push our citizens around.