Egypt: Bidding Farewell to Bhutto  · Global Voices
Tarek Amr

Egyptian bloggers couldn't stop themselves from writing about the assassination of one of the bravest women in the Muslim world, and may be the whole world.
Carmen – Diasporic Discontents – wrote about her own experience when she met Bhutto [En].
I met Benazir Bhutto when I was in grad school. She was a very powerful speaker and it was hard not to want to be part of her entourage. I asked her where she got the strength to deal with fear and she told me that convictions go a long way.
I think she saw that I was asking this question to find answers for myself and so she added, “You have to stand out for the principles you believe in. If you believe in your principles, your strength will come”.
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Others showed their sympathy with her, such as Mermaid – Halet Saada Moaqata – who said:
اتصدمت النهاردة لما عرفت خبر اغتيال رئيسة وزراء باكستان بي نظير بوتو…انا مش متابعة قوي لاخبار باكستان و افغانستان لكن في الفترة الاخيرة كنت اتلبع قناة الجزيرة و اخريات من القنوات الاخبارية ولا حظت مدي قوة هذه المرأة
و اعجبت بها بشدة لكونها اول امرأة مسلمة تشغل هذا المنصب في دولة من دول الشرق الاوسط
و مدي نضالها لرفع الطوارئ عن بلادها التي فرضها برويز مشرف لضرورات امنية
I was shocked today when I knew about the assassination of the [former] Pakistani prime minister … I am not that aware of the Pakistani and Afghani matters, but lately I've been following Al-Jazeera and other news channels and noticed how strong that woman is.
I really admired her because she is the first Muslim woman to reach such position in a Middle Eastern country.
I also admired her struggle to end the State of Emergency in her country that was made by Pervez Musharraf for security reasons
She then asked:
الي متي سيتم اغتيال الزعماء الراغبين في الاصلاح العام و دحض قوي الفساد المتفشية؟؟؟
لماذا لا تغتال هذي الايدي الخبيثة قوي الفساد؟؟
Till when will this series of assassinations continue to target the leaders who are looking for political reform and fighting the forces of corruption???
Why don't these dirty hands assassinate the forces of corruption instead??
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Eman Abdel Rahman – Lasto Adri – decided to write one phrase only to summarize her feelings towards Bhutto.
يا من لم أعرفِك..
لكن حزنتُ لإفتقادك
To whom I didn't know..
But was sad to miss.
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Eyad Harfoush – Dawn Songs – wrote about the Lady and the Cowards:
The barbarian ashes of the world did it, assassinating the brave lady of Pakistan, one of my early models of feminine character, the personified beauty, the pretty rose of Indian subcontinent, they assassinated “Benazir Bhutto”. The freaked-out rats of Qaida did their former threats, assassinating the former prime minister, who lives in elective exile in Dubai for 8 years, before she return home last October. When the coming election parameters favored her, they killed her with a suicidal bomb. They fooled a son of bitch young man, convincing him he will be admitted to heaven of God, if he assassinated the cute lady and the strong diplomat of Pakistan. May God burn in hell the assassin and all the devilish organization behind him. I do not agree to many aspects of Benazir's policies myself, but this does not make me less grievous on her murder.
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Bella – Afkar Mobathara [Ar] – also wrote:
وداعاً بي نظير التي تفتحت عيناي على صورتك وكنت أشعر بالفخر الشديد لتولي إمرأة منصب رئاسة الوزراء في بلد يبعد عنا آلاف الأميال ولم يدع يوماً أنه بلد الريادة ومع ذلك قام أبناءه بصنع القنبلة النووية وكانت تحكمه إمرأة في يوم من الايام حتى قفز فوق أحلامهم حكم العسكر وحول أيامهم لجحيم مقيم.
Goodbye Benazir, the one whom when I first saw her photo felt the pride of seeing a female prime minister in a country thousands of miles away of ours, a country that never claimed to be a leader, however their people succeeded in creating an Atomic Bomb and was ruled by a woman one day, till the army ruled the country and ruined people's dreams and turned their lives to hell.
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On the other hand, some others preferred to ask some questions, such as Afandina, who wrote here:
قيل في المثل الفرنسي ” أبحث عن المرأة ” وهنا نقول إبحث عن المستفيد … من هو المستفيد من إزاحة أكثر الخصوم السياسيين قوة بباكستان … عند إجابة هذا السؤال سنصل إلى القاتل
رغم إنها لم تكن المفضلة لدي لتحالفها ضد الإسلاميين
إلا أنني حزنت لمقتلها
The French proverb says “Chercher La Femme” (Look for the woman), but here we can see Look for the one who has benefited from it …. who has benefited from moving one of his most powerful political opponents off his way … after answering this question we will know who is the the one behind this assassination.
Although she was not one of my favourites because of her alliance against the Islamists, but I was sad for her death.
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Haffsa – El Nas wel Aalam – wrote some other questions here too:
ليه القتل؟؟
ليه الارهاب؟؟
ليه الغجرية و التعصب؟؟
عشان قالت انها حتستبعد الاسلاميين من برنامجها و لا عشان ايه بالظبط؟؟
Why murder??
Why terrorism??
Why barbarism and fanaticism??
Is it because she said that she will eliminate the Islamists from her program or what??
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The fact that Bhutto was a liberal and Shiite makes way for a different opinion from the Salafis. You can see this in Daktoor Khaled's post here
بي نظير بوتو…تلكم المرأة الشيعـيـــــــة…الاسماعيليــــــــــة….
بعد عودتها من منفاها…
وبعد تخطيط وتدبير وتكتيك منها ومن دول محور الشر…أمريكا…إيران ..بريطانيا..وأعوانهم….
وبعد الانفاق ببذخ..والضجات الاعلامية ..ورفع الشعارات الكاذبة..شعارات العلمانية….والديمقراطية…
في لحظة يا أحباب…بل في أقل من ذلك…..
ينتهي كل شئ…وتنتهي أحلام كثيرة بنتها أمريكا على تلكم المرأة.
Benazir Bhutto … that Ismaili Shiite woman …. after her return from exile … and after planning from the axis of evil … United States of America …. Iran … Britain … et al … and after spending much … on propaganda … and false slogans of secularity … democracy.
In one moment my beloved ones … or may be less … all that was gone … and the dreams America built on that woman were over.
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And finally some bloggers preferred to see it from a feminist angle, such as Bint El Qamar who asked [Ar], why most of those who wrote about Bhutto's assassination were women as if men didn't care about that incident. Also Fantasia wrote here:
A brave woman in her life and death. A woman who looked death in the face.. She is a bold soldier who died fighting for the freedom of her country. Banazir Bhutto scared cowardly men, although they have all the power and authority in their hands.
Another light is out.. Another candle in the wind.. Another flame gone out.. Another voice silenced forever.
Seems that evil is winning nowadays. My tears shall never dry out, my courageous lady. You are one of a kind. You showed the whole what women are made of. It's time for you to rest in peace. And it's time for us to carry the torch. Shame on her who doesn't learn your lesson.