On the website of Al-Masry Al-Youm readers are encouraged to leave comments on articles as a way of engaging them and gauging their opinions on various subjects.
I hadn’t noticed the comment section until the Egyptian cultural attaché in Tokyo drew my attention to it, remarking that he follows it regularly. He specifically noted readers’ reactions to my “Zrombistan column which included a comment by the charge d’affaires of Zrombistan in Cairo that said:
“Mr. Mohamed Salmawy.I was disappointed to read that you have betrayed my trust in you by revealing the establishment of diplomatic ties between our two states. Your political leadership used this as a pretext to contact the enemy state of neighboring Krombistan, which led to reprimanding me. .So I implore you to contact the political leadership of your country to explain the situation and ask them to halt any contact with Krombistan.
I apologize to the charge d’affaires of Zrombistan in Cairo, since he clearly has a vested interest in solving the impasse, because if Egypt agrees to upgrade Zrombistan’s diplomatic representation, he would be promoted to Ambassador.
I also apologize because when I disclosed the Zrombistani charge d’affaires’ identity to the photojournalist I had no intention of obstructing his mission or hopes for a promotion as a representative of a country for which I have utmost respect.
Furthermore, I apologize for the late response to his comment, since I only learnt about the online comments recently.
As soon as I read the comment, I picked up the phone and called an old friend, Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit. I stressed that the historic ties that bind Egypt with Zrombistan should have prevented Egypt form seeking to establish diplomatic ties with its enemy Krombistan. We’ve had a common history since the Middle Ages and our fate is tied to that of Zrombistan.
The minister, however, denied having sought any ties with Krombistan and said that Egypt prefers Zrombistan over Krombistan, adding that Egypt regards its relations with Zrombistan as a better strategic choice, especially since the failure of the former strategic choice, which I believe was peace.
Another reader, Said Salem, said that I succeeded in hiding the minister’s identity by referring to his “off-putting appearance and so none of the readers could possibly identify him since all ministers share the same off-putting traits.
Ali Salman from Alexandria wrote: “Oh great writer. This is the true spirit of your pen which your readers adore, so continue writing to all those who love the style and spirit of your weekly column. Let’s all pray to god to rid us of Zrombistani colonialism and the journalists it left behind.
Calling herself a “citizen without rights another reader commented: “Lovely morning comedy! Your column expresses clearly what we have reached.
Another comment by an Egyptian citizen reads: “How refreshing it is to confront our problems with this satirical spirit. What others write about with anger and aggression, you tackle lightly as if it is a joke. This goes with the nature of the Egyptian people who use satire to confront their miserable state.
Finally, Hany commented: “What a strong column. Thank you for this fantastic satirical column and your great writing style.
But clearly the website wasn’t full of praise for my column. Many readers criticized it, but my Zrombistani friend insisted that the critics must have all hailed from Krombistan whose people are full of hatred for anyone praised by other readers.
Mohamed Salmawy is President of the Arab Writers’ Union and Editor-in-Chief of Al-Ahram Hebdo.
