In defense of the Sandmonkey

Tomanbay, I won't get into details of the brawl you have with Sandmonkey, so my feedback will be a brief commentary in form of a belated response to this strange comment that you made last month to this post "The trouble with Egyptian bloggers" which I stumbled upon by chance - something I've been wanting to do, but refrained from responding to in avoidance of an unnecessary row. But now that you have let the issue out of the bottle, this would be the appropriate time for my response.

Anyway, this is the disputed comment that you made:

"hawkish Egyptian bloggers"! that's the word I was looking for...I couldn't agree more with both of you. A lot of Egyptian bloggers are trying to be more royal than the king. And as you put it they're trying to distance themselves from their ppl by actually trying to take just opposite decisions. If ppl hate America, then they're all for America. Which I think is plain stupid, because there are many shades in between, which they're failing to see. I for once like the US (just like every other country out there really). I have no reason to hate the country, but I have every reason to despise the administration. Even from an American prespective I have reasons to do so. Of course if I went on in my blog and said that, you'll have reactions like : you arabs, so and so!!!In a way I see most of the bloggers that you're referring to are guilty of the same sins they're tring to pint out in their own people: narrow focus, intolerance, and inferiority complexes.

Toman,

I don't fault you for an opinion you may have, and as you know, it would be unnatural for you to agree with everything that somebody says. But I was taken aback by how different what you said here was from the comments that you left in these people's blogs, and how different it was from the posts you wrote in your own blog. And I can't help but state the obvious basic presumption that what you say here is an unfair misrepresentation of these "so and so" bloggers, given the fact that they openly welcome and receive your posts in their own blogs. And while you admit here that you don't express your opinions of America in fear of anticipated reaction from possible critics, at least these people openly express how they feel about the issues that they cover and about their political and cultural affiliations, and as far as I can see, they do the best they can in answering critical challenges to their opinions. I can only ask the same of you now; to write clearly about your opinions of the world in your blog, rather than keep them bottled up for so long until you surprise us all when you eventually explode in the midst of us (and no, I am not calling you a suicide bomber - but you can see the similarity). Only then, if somebody has an issue with an opinion that you state, can he challege it - and if he does not, he may leave it alone. But hiding your opinions in the dark, and resting all your criticism on what Sandmonkey says or does not say just doesn't cut it (and Mohamed, especially you come to mind when I say this: step forward into the light from behind this obscurity) - and is not in any way considered fair play. Sandmonkey is an intelligent and champion blogger, but he is not preaching the gospel, and to the best of my knowledge, he never claimed to do so; the world does not rest on what Sandmonkey does or does not say.

So Sandmonkey,

Keep up the good work. We love your blog.

And Toman,

Also keep up the good posts (but no more plagiarism! Just kidding...but really!:)) , but please from now on try to shed some more light in your own posts on what you think of these worldly issues that you agree on or disagree with. Only in such a transparent atmosphere can we then have a worthy and civilized debate.

Good luck to both of you,

Seneferu