Monday
February 14, 2000
Little support for revolution in Cairo
DOKHI FASSIHIAN'S INTERESTING ARTICLE ON CAIRO MADE ME REALISE HOW EVERY
EXPERIENCE IS DIFFERENT. WHILST I AGREE THAT CAIRO'S POVERTY IS LAMENTABLE
AND THE DIFFERENCES OF WEALTH STAGGERING I IN NO WAY FOUND IT COMPARABLE
TO TEHRAN OF THE 1970S.
FIRST OF ALL THERE ARE 1-2 MILLION PEOPLE OF CAIRO LIVING IN THE CITY'S
OLD CEMETERY WHICH WAS NOT THE CASE IN TEHRAN. SECONDLY TEHRAN WAS A MORE
MODERN ALBEIT CHAOTIC METROPOLIS WITH A WEALTHIER MIDDLE CLASS AND I DON'T
RECALL SEEING PEOPLE COLLECTING TRASH WITH THEIR HANDS NOR WAS IT AS DIRTY.
ALTHOUGH I ENJOYED THE CULTURAL ASPECTS OF CAIRO I RECALL LEAVING IT
WITH A FIRM BELIEF THAT TEHRAN WAS A MORE MODERN CITY. AS FOR THE EGYPTIANS
LOVING VELAYATTI THAT IS A RECENT PHENOMENON. ONLY LAST OCTOBER EVERY EGYPTIAN
WAS SAYING THAT THEY WOULD ONLY WELCOME IRAN'S FOREIGN MINISTER IF A STREET
NAMED AFTER SADAT'S MURDERER WAS CHANGED IN TEHRAN.
ALSO THE LATE SHAH WAS QUITE POPULAR AND ONE BAZAAR MERCHANT (A JEWELER
IN FACT) TOLD ME THAT THE LAST TIME EMPRESS FARAH CAME TO HIS SHOP THERE
WAS ALMOST A RIOT SINCE MANY WANTED TO SEE THE SHAH'S WIFE AND APPARENTLY
A WITNESS SAW THE EMPRESS HUGGING A FEW CHILDREN.
AT THE SHAH'S TOMB AN EGYPTAIN CURATOR DESCRIBED HASHEMI RAFSANJANI'S
DAUGHTER WHEN TWO YEARS AGO SHE WAS SPOTTED READING THE KORAN AT THE FOOT
OF THE LATE SHAH'S TOMBSTONE! CAIRO IS A VERY FASCINATING CITY WITH LOTS
OF SURPRISES.
I SAW VERY LITTLE SUPPORT FOR THE REVOLUTION IN IRAN FROM THE POOR ESPECIALLY
THE TAXI DRIVERS AND SHOPKEEPERS. BUT LIKE TEHRAN CAIRO IS A TALE OF TWO
CITIES ALBEIT A DIFFERENT TALE.
Cyrus Kadivar
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