Two questions from Sister Asmaa Shukr of Soot News:
Q.) Why do you think there is this attack against Shahıd Bolsen?
A.) If there was not an attack, it would be strange. The slander campaign against me coincided with the adoption of tactics on the ground in Egypt against multinationals by some revolutionary groups, my efforts against the Economic Summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, and a wave of media attention in the international press about my ideas.
The strategy of targeting the profitability and operational efficiency of multinationals was clearly having a dramatic impact, and it looked as if the revolution might shift towards this type of strategy. The power structure reacted, and part of that reaction was to invent the idea that I am a leader of some sort, the “master mind” behind this strategy, so that I could then be targeted by a smear campaign to discredit me personally. The idea was obviously that the revolutionaries would reject following this path if they were made to believe that I am either some sort of intelligence agent, or otherwise an immoral and indecent person. It is an entirely predictable step In fact, it is standard operating procedure.
Q.) What is the purpose behind this distortion, especially since those who are promoting it are from the same ideological and political side?
A.) Well, I can’t really speculate regarding others. But, in my case, the attacks are not at all from those who are on the same side with me. I am not really aware of who has participated in this slanderous campaign, except a few of the original culprits, and these are people who are very far from my position; people, indeed, who do not even comprehend my position.
As for their motives, again, it is fairly transparent. They are people who have turned the revolution into a career opportunity for themselves and it threatens their self-interest for any voice to emerge that distracts from their own. This was actually articulated to me very explicitly by various associates of the originators of the campaign, though, yes, it does not really require an explanation. Such people will not hesitate to cooperate, knowingly or unknowingly, with the enemies of the revolution in order to secure their status as “leaders”.
My opinion about it? I honestly don’t care. I never sought to be admired or to attract attention to myself, and I am not really bothered if someone chooses to believe the words of people openly committing the major sins of al-Ghiba and Nameema. May Allah guide the ones slandering me, and those who listen to them. They are only compounding their own sins and removing mine, insha’Allah, by the evil they spread against me.
The only thing that matters to me is spreading the understanding of this strategy and working for the liberation of Egypt from corporate imperial domination.