Khaled Saeed...

What can I say about him…

If there is a poll for the world’s strongest, most influential person, I’ll vote for him.

This is the first time I write or talk about “Khaled Saeed”…

Like many Egyptians, I followed his story very closely since the beginning, I remember how angry I was, and the amount of pain I felt. Both Khaled and I from “Alexandria”, his house is very close to mine, 5 min. by the car, and this made it worse. If khaled was from any other city like Cairo or Suez, I guess I would have felt less angry, not that khaled or the city of Alexandria is special, but it’s just because Khaled was just like me, he might have been standing next to me one day, or I might have passed by him someday, and greeted him, who knows…

And the fact that he was killed, or precisely beaten up to death, made me think, he might shouted:

“Help me, please…. they are killing me...am dying”

While I was lying on my bed, maybe reading a book, sleeping. I don’t remember exactly what I was doing, maybe I was driving my car, wondering around, or maybe I was having a cup of coffee with some friends, I really don’t remember…but what I know and sure of, “Khaled” was shouting, and I wasn’t there, and no one came out for his rescue…

I could not stop blaming myself for something I didn’t commit, and I couldn’t stop feeling guilty, I tried to forget his last picture, the picture that showed how brutally he was beaten up, and showed how cruel we have become. I tried not to hear, all the lies being said about him in the media (the ones owned and controlled by the government), and resisted my need to write, make a short movie about him, and interview his family, and made a vow that if I witnessed the day, where I see this regime fall, only in that day that I’ll write and talk about “Khaled Saeed”.

First, why Khaled Saeed?

I mean there are thousands like Khaled Saeed, who were killed the same way, or in a much brutal way, either on the streets, or in jails…why Khaled Saeed?

I do not have an answer to this question, but I guess it is simply because Khaled was like most of us. A simple and innocent young guy, not interested in politics, and like to hang out with his friends in his neighborhood etc.,, to sum it up, just a simple guy.

So somehow, his death presented our generation, boys & girls, men & women, and even our families with the fact that you do not have to be against the president, the government, or the whole regime to be harassed, go to jail, or killed. However, you might be a simple person, with no interest in politics what so ever, and simply killed, on the street, and in your own neighborhood.

That was one ugly truth….

That’s why I feel that this revolution owe a lot to “Khaled Saeed”, of course this revolution owes a lot to all our martyrs, and the people who stood up in every Egyptian city and shouted the word “Freedom” out loud…but I mentioned Khaled in particular, not because, one of the callers for the marching of the 25^th of January was “Wael Ghoniem”, the creator and admin of “We are all Khaled Saeed” page on Facebook, but because I believe that “Khaled” made us brave, and more determent than ever to drop down this regime. He made us fearless, because we all believed that if changes will not occur now, what happened to Khaled would happen to anyone of us.

Since the first day of the revolution, and as we were marching in Alexandria, one of our main stops was Khaled Saeed’s house. Every time we marched, we had to stop by his house for several minutes, yelling and shouting out the word “Freedom”. This was always a touching moment for everyone, and for me in particular. It was very symbolic, it was as if we were waiting for Khaled to look at us from the window or balcony and shout:

“did you come at last??, I shouted a lot…I thought you will never come, wait a second, am coming down to join you”

Of course Khaled never looked at us, or came down…but we all thought he did…we all thought, and some of us were sure he was there, smiling…very happy, seeing us answering his call…

Why I said he is the strongest man, well I’ve seen lots of pictures, logos, and statements during this revolution, but I guess the best and most expressive, was the one showing Khaled Saeed holding up a tiny, flailing, stone-faced Hosni Mubarak…Khaled Saeed is simply the strongest, because he is a guy who dropped down a whole regime from his grave.

Khaled I think I need to apologize to you, don’t know why, but I feel to. I am sorry, for not answering your call sooner, am sorry for not being there when you needed anyone for rescue. I am sure you were with us, when we marched, when we slept in “Martyrs Square”, I felt your presence…am sure you were in “Tahrir Square”, in every Egyptian city, and most of all in all our hearts and minds.

Now am sure, after seeing us from behind your window, and after making sure we all answered the call, and knew our way, now there is no need for you staying with us, you are now above us all, looking down at us and smiling…

That is why I write now about Khaled Saeed,

To celebrate, victory with him…

Thank you Khaled Saeed,