Raging Grannies Protest Role of Spyware Company in Egypt's Ruthless Repression

Some 25 members of the Raging Grannies and the San Jose Peace and Justice Center protested Feb. 2 outside the Sunnyvale, CA headquarters of Narus, the Boeing-owned company that peace activists condemn for enabling the government of President Hosni Mubarak to track down and punish Egyptian journalists and bloggers.

Best known for creating NarusInsight, a supercomputer system allegedly used by the National Security Agency for the real-time surveillance and monitoring of public and corporate Internet activities, Narus has provided Egypt Telecom with deep packet inspection (DPI) equipment for the same privacy invading purposes. Founded in 1997 by Israeli security experts, the spyware company became a wholly owned subsidiary of Boeing Company in 2010.

"We're here to protest and publicize the fact that an American company is selling Internet technology, known as deep packet inspection, to despotic regimes, including the Egyptian government," retired schoolteacher Gail Sredanovic told the Washington Report. "We're ashamed that the parent company, Boeing-and the local company, Narus-is involved."

Narus considers itself "the global leader in real-time traffic intelligence for the protection and management of large IP networks," according to its Web site, which also boasts that "...service providers, governments and large enterprises around the world can immediately detect, analyze, mitigate and target any unwanted, unwarranted or malicious traffic.

Bay Area Rallies in Solidarity With Demonstrating Egyptians

During the historic weeks of unprecedented protests throughout Egypt, more than 3,000 human rights supporters-many from the Bay Area's Egyptian community-rallied in San Francisco in solidarity with their counterparts in Egypt.

Holding signs reading "Egypt Wants Mubarak Out," "Down With Mubarak," and "Free Egypt," the boisterous group drew attention from passing motorists and pedestrians during the evening rush hour on Jan. 26.

"The people of Egypt have shown they are ready to struggle and we have to show we are ready to struggle," said Imam Zaid Shakir, co-founder of Berkeley's Zaytuna College, during a Jan. 29 rally in United Nations Plaza. "And we have to show we are not going to support dictatorships that deprive the people of the Middle East of a democracy. Democracy is for everyone."

Egyptian Americans at the large Feb. 5 rally disagreed with media reports that "Islamist extremists" might fill the void if President Mubarak steps down. "The average Egyptian-from Egypt's growing middle class-wants a normal life, an opportunity to earn a living, and a free and open government," Ayman, a San Francisco resident of Egyptian heritage, told the Washington Report. "We have many educated, qualified people to be in the government."

While concerned about their families in Egypt, Bay Area residents, many with their children in tow, were thrilled that Mubarak's reign would-they hoped-be coming to an end.

Activists Call for Closing of Guant�namo Prison

Calling for the closure of the U.S.-run prison at Guant�namo Bay and an end to torture and other inhumane practices, human rights activists dressed in orange jumpsuits and black hoods gathered inside San Francisco's federal courthouse on Jan. 11. "President Obama has continued indefinite detention, blocking accountability for torture both by refusing to conduct independent investigations and by attempting to prevent the courts from reviewing lawsuits brought by formerly detained men," World Can't Wait member Stephanie Tang told the small crowd. A lawsuit against Jeppesen Dataplan, Inc. by plaintiffs Binyam Mohamed, Abou Elkassim Britel, Ahmed Agiza, Mohamed Farag Ahmad Bashmilah and Bisher al-Rawi is one case blocked by the Bush and Obama administrations from proceeding to justice. In December the plaintiffs petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to review their case against the Boeing-owned entity (see Nov. 2010 Washington Report, p. 52).

Rubina Kazi Art Exhibit

The Islamic Cultural Center of Northern California opened the Bay Area's first gallery to showcase works by Muslim artists at its Oakland center on Jan. 7. The inaugural reception featured paintings by Rubina Kazi, the first artist to be featured in the three-part exhibition, "Women and the Word: Women Artists and Islamic Calligraphy." A computer and software engineer by profession, Kazi's "Praise and Peace" series of paintings constituted her artistic debut.

Artistically inclined since childhood, the India-born mother of two began intensively pursuing her painting career after viewing an exhibition at Dubai's Islamic art center. "The exhibit really inspired me, along with my trip to Mecca, where I performed umrah," she told her guests. "That experience brought me closer to God, so I decided to use my painting as a medium to express my spirituality."

Kazi's use of geometric shapes and rich harmony of color have a visual appeal-beyond their written message-even to those who don't read Arabic.

Rabea Chaudhry, the second artist in the debut show, exhibits Feb. 4 through March 1, and Salma Arastu, the third artist, will show her works March 4 through 29. For more info visit (<www.iccnc.org>).

Reem Alalusi, Sam HussainWedding

Reem Alalusi and Sam Hussain celebrated their wedding with family, friends and colleagues at an elegant Jan. 22 reception in San Francisco's City Hall.

Following a welcoming fete on the second floor balcony, guests gathered in the beautifully appointed rotunda for the baraat (groom's arrival), followed by the zaffa (bride's arrival). Escorted by drummers and accompanied by his parents, Ashfaq and Razia Nishat Hussain, and other family members, the groom proceeded down the grand staircase to the flower-strewn dais. Also accompanied by her parents, Dr. and Mrs. Hesham Alalusi, and family members, the bride-a dazzling vision in a jewel-encrusted red silk Pakistani gown-descended the marble stairs to join her husband.

Dr. Alalusi welcomed the guests and introduced renowned master of Arabic calligraphy Haji Noor Deen, from Zhen Zhou, China, who, on the previous day, had conducted the nikah (religious ceremony).

Aswat, the Bay Area's classical Arabic music ensemble, performed throughout the evening event.

Born and raised in San Francisco with roots in Iraq, the bride is an independent art curator working with fine art galleries around the world (see April 2009 Washington Report, p. 34). The groom-raised in Texas, of Pakistani descent and fluent in five languages-is a government consultant in Washington, DC, where the couple will make their home.

[Author Affiliation]

Elaine Pasquini is a free-lance journalist based in the San Francisco Bay Area.