Before arriving to Britain's capital London, Egyptian citizens believe that they will get some distance, even if only a little, from their home country or miss its atmosphere, its sorrows, its struggles, its noise and its calm. Yet they soon discover, even while still at the airport and before delving into the streets of London and mingling with its people, that the events are within them, if not all around them. Indeed, they find that they now have to explain, clarify, convey and interpret what is happening in the Egyptian homeland to those who follow the news and the situation there from afar, being thus provided with the opportunity to look at their country from a distance. It is only natural for some Egyptians to feel worried about the future of their country, and about the impact of the conflict between the Muslim Brotherhood and its supporters on the one hand, and the state and the remaining segments of the population on the other. This is despite the fact that Egyptians themselves hold the keys to the solutions and will be the ones to decide the shape and the situation of their state in the future, and that it is by their will that the fate of the Muslim Brotherhood will be decided – and whether the group will return to being a society of educators and preachers, or will remain a political faction that participates like everyone else, if it changes, in the political life of the country. There is nothing strange about this passion for the situation in Egypt and the repercussions of toppling the rule of the Brotherhood, and for the events that await the greatest Arab country and what is happening everyday on the ground, among London's residents, and especially of course Arabs and Egyptians among them. Indeed, one can hardly walk into a shop, a newspaper, a public forum or even a hospital, with those present knowing that one has come from Cairo, without being bombarded with questions about what has happened, what is happening and what can be told of the future. One immediately realizes that the image they have of it perhaps holds more details than necessary, thus becoming distorted, seeming unclear or having its threads and lines mixed-up. Egypt from the outside is different from the Egypt experienced by Egyptians on the ground. Indeed, exaggeration is a main feature of the conversation, and the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood's media and bias in its favor is quite obvious. Propaganda campaigns in the Western media against the interim government have perplexed thinking minds, who see on television screens the opposite of what the Brotherhood's media and its propaganda promotes, thus giving rise to confusion and an explosion of questions. On the other hand, there is also a scarcity or a shortage of information, as well as conflicting interpretations. One might ask you whether you support Al-Sisi or stand against him, while another might surprise you with "are you in favor of the coup or of legitimacy?" Moments later, you might find yourself in the midst of an endless, or let us say fruitless, debate, especially if those debating you are dogmatic and will not let you go before praying that you might see the light, if they find you saying things that they do not like, revealing things that should not be revealed, or knowing things they had not realized you knew. In certain streets of Britain's capital, one finds every strand of the Egyptian political spectrum: Muslim Brotherhood supporters, Liberals, Nasserists, those who support Al-Sisi and those who oppose him, activists faithful to the January 25 Revolution and rebels affiliated to the June 30 Revolution. Among them are some who have engaged in politics, others who have missed its train, and others still who have fled from it, hated it or refused to dabble in it, even when they have found themselves forced to follow its developments. Passion for Egypt in London, even among non-Egyptians, is justified, and the desire to explain the stances and the behavior of all parties active on the Egyptian scene is a pressing one. The debate, the conflict and the quarreling taking place in Egypt are present in the forums of Britain's capital, yet without stone-throwing or Molotov cocktails. Most hurtful for the feelings of Egyptians visiting London is realizing that they have become part of the news, and that their country has come to hold a prominent place in news bulletins, just like Iraq or Somalia. This is especially the case as what is shown in news and bulletins is no longer about cultural or art events, scientific conferences, museums, or pharaonic and Islamic archaeology, but is instead always about those who have been toppled and deposed, about the revolution and the coup, about clashes and protests ...and about blood and death.
