In this Christmas season, and amidst the doom and gloom in the Middle East, I like to share these two stories from Egypt.First, Mohamed Ayman Shaweeka, a young Egyptian soldier, saved the life of 16 of his comrades in the town of Al-Masaeed in the North Sinai city of El-Arish when he embraced a suicide bomber with his body moments before the explosion occurred. Mohamed died just 15 days before his 21st birthday, but his bravery made him a hero in the eyes of millions in Egypt.Mohamed, the most common Muslim name, is now associated with terrorism, radicalism, and barbarity. Yet Mohamed is actually the antidote of that image. He died not to kill, but to save lives.His story, although widely covered in Egypt, was ignored in Western media—probably because it is considered taboo to praise any Egyptian soldier since the 2013 coup, although this is counter-productive to say the least.At a time when Islamophobia is on the rise, it is crucial to highlight how young Muslims are fighting terrorism. If Mohamed was just doing his job in “Sisi’s army” (as some Islamists would like to portray the Egyptian army), he would have simply tried to save his own life. But he did not. He definitely knew that embracing the terrorist would cost him his life, but he still did it, because—like many Egyptians—he joined the army to defend his country, regardless of the senior brass’s political stance.

Source: Stories From Egypt ‹ Reader — WordPress.com