My Testimony to the Events of January 25, 2013

My name is Aida Abdel Rahman Kershah, known as Rawya Abdel Rahman. I was born on the 1^{st of April 1946. I am a wife, a mother of two married daughters and the grandmother of a 10 years old boy.}

^{On Jan 25, 2013, I took to the streets, along with countless Egyptians, to protest peacefully and express our anger and rejection of the present situation where aims and aspirations of the Revolution remain unfulfilled. I chanted “Bread, Freedom, Social Justice and Human Dignity”, the slogan of the Revolution. Contrary to our expectations, we, Egyptians, are faced with a far worse situation. Security is almost totally absent. We witness a mad increase in prices. The economy suffers daily from one unjustified crises to another. We are confronted with a Constitution that violates freedoms. We are subjected to social messages that push us into religious strife, and strip women of their rights and freedoms.}

^{After the Friday prayer, I joined a march from Mustafa Mahmud mosque to Tahrir square. Half way, I left the march and joined a protest in Talaat Harb square we were soon joined by a women’s march coming from Sayyeda Zainab. I joined the demonstrators in chants and conversations about the problems our citizens face.}

^{I was in the centre of Tahrir square between 5 and 7 p.m.}

^{Around 7:30p.m. I asked some of the fellow demonstrators to assemble in Talaat Harb Square (around 50 meters from Tahrir). Around 10 of them joined in immediately. We formed a circle under Harb’s Statue. We started our chants criticizing the ruling regime, its tyranny, its insistence to concentrate the power in its hands , and to alienate women as well as attempt to silence their voices.}

^{People started to gather around us. Soon the square was full. A group of Al Azhar clerks joined us on the platform in the middle of the square. A wave of happiness prevailed due to the presence of the clerks. One of them gave a wonderful speech; he talked about the tolerance of Islam, its endorsement of all religions, and its renouncement of religious sectarianism. He also talked about women’s freedom and how Islam honored and dignified women. It was a wonderful speech. It was also a formidable answer to the prevailing eccentric religious messages that we face almost daily from the religious radical right wing. As the speech came to an end, we heard voices calling for a march to Tahrir square. I don’t know who made that call, but surely, it did not come from any of those on the platform.}

^{The march headed for Tahrir square. Women were at the front. Again, there were calls asking the honorable Azhar Sheikhs to take the front, followed by women demonstrators.}

^{Almost half way to Tahrir, shouts called to make a protective human chain around the female demonstrators. Young men in their twenties and thirties joined hands to the right and left sides of the demonstrators. They all looked like typical middle class Egyptians with shaven faces; they were wearing appropriate and clean clothes.}

^{As we approached Tahrir, I started to feel an unclear increase in the crowd. I could no longer see our Azhar sheikhs. The human chain started to tighten around us. My fellow demonstrators were no longer next to me. I saw unfamiliar faces around me. I was pushed to the left side of the march directly next to the human chain. All the way before that point I was almost at the center of it. The chain separated me from the street, which did not look so crowded. The chain tightened to the extent that it was getting difficult to breathe. It was surrounding us from all directions. I heard screams. I could identify the voice of the famous singer who was with us. I yelled “what is happening?” Someone answered “They want you to go to Maspero” (Headquarters of National TV). Out of breath, I answered “This is not our business”. From then on, events happened very quickly, women were screaming, the chain was tightening; tens of hands came from nowhere tampering with the lower part of my body. While I was trying to shield myself from these hands, there were other hands trying to strip me off my clothes, emptying the pockets of my coat. I don’t know if they failed, or maybe decided to stop on their own… A group of young men gripped my arms, pulling me in every direction. Others were pushing me to the front then to the back. I fought very hard I was afraid to lose my balance and fall on the ground. At this time, the square lights went off. They dragged me to a dark side street. I was losing my grip on myself, practically collapsing. I saw a bright light coming out of a glass pane. I later realized it was the stand of a street vendor. I threw myself in the direction of the light intending to go through that glass pane with my head and hands if possible. Just as I landed very close to the food stand, all hands let go of me. I found myself surrounded by three young men. One fetched me a bottle of water to help me regain consciousness; another asked if he could take me anywhere. I was unable to identify them. It was dark and I was in great pain. Somehow, a checkered brown jacket caught my attention as the guy wearing it looked at me with cold eyes that revealed nothing, and left. At that moment, I was sure that my assailants were my protectors.}

^{I straightened my clothes; I had lost all my coat buttons; a sleeve was stripped off my arm. My legs shaken, I walked to a nearby café where I knew my husband was sitting.}