İşgal Kahiresi’nde Bir Çığlık: Muhammed Cibrîl’in Muhammed Ca‘las’ı
Muhammed Cibrîl, 20. asrın son çeyreğinden itibaren genel olarak Arap edebiyatı özel olarak da Mısır Arap edebiyatında kendisinden söz ettirmeye başlamıştır. Edebiyatını İskenderiye şehrine damga vurmuş bir şahsiyet olarak da tanımlayabileceğimiz Cibrîl, hem roman hem kısa hikâye alanında önemli eserler kaleme almıştır. Yazdığı bazı eserlerinde -günümüzün de önemli bir sorunu olan- İsrail-Filistin, İsrail-Arap sorunlarının bir tarafı olan Yahudileri sembolize etmiş, hep Filistin halkının yanında yer almış hatta İsrail’i ‘başkalarını kendilerinin uydurduğu yalanlara inandırmaya çalışan bir devlet’ olarak tarif etmiştir. “Yahudi Mahallesi” adlı hikâyede hassas bir konuya değinilmiş ve işgal Kahire’sinde, Yahudi toplumu tarafından uğradığı haksızlıklar karşısında, işgale uğrayan bir toplumun kendi başına direnişini temsil eden Muhammed Ca‘las’ın mücadelesi anlatılmıştır. Çalışmada öncelikle Mısır’da ve diğer dönemlerde Yahudilerin tarihi kısaca ele alınmış, Yahudileri himaye eden İngilizlerin işgalindeki Kahire’ye değinilmiş, böylece hikâyenin tahlilinden önce bir alt zemin oluşturulmuştur. Bu arada işgal Kahire’sinde azınlık ve çoğunluk arasındaki gerilim de değerlendirmeler arasında yer almıştır. Çalışmada asıl kaynağımız Muhammed Cibrîl’in Yahudi Mahallesi adlı koleksiyonu ile aynı adı taşıyan “Yahudi Mahallesi” adlı hikâyesidir. Doğu ile Batı arasında sıkışmış olan insanda tabii olarak bir endişe, bir umutsuzluk her zaman hâkim olmuştur. Tahlil ettiğimiz hikâyede de halk; Yahudiler ve çaresiz Mısır hükümeti arasında uzun zamandır süregelen umutsuzluk ve hayal kırıklığı içindeyken etkileyici bir direniş hikâyesini yaşamıştır.
A Scream in Occupied Cairo: Muhammad Jibril’s Muhammad Jalas
Muhammad Jibril began to use his name in Arab literature, particularly in Egyptian literature, in the last quarter of the 20th century. He can be described as a prominent figure who left his mark on the city of Alexandria, writing significant works in both the novel and short story genres. In some of his writings, he symbolizes the Jewish involvement in contemporary issues such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Israeli-Arab dispute, consistently siding with the Palestinians. He even depicts Israel as a state that tries convincing others of the lies it has fabricated. The story of “The Jewish Neighborhood” touches on a sensitive subject and describes the struggle of Muhammad Jalas, who represents the resistance of an occupied community against the injustices caused by the Jewish community in occupied Cairo. This study briefly examines the historical context of Jews in Egypt and other periods are briefly examined, alongside the role of the British, who protected the Jews during the occupation of Cairo. This provides a foundational foundation for story analysis. The tensions between the minority and majority populations in occupied Cairo are also considered. The primary source for this study is Jibril’s collection titled “Jewish Neighborhood,” particularly focusing on the eponymous story. Naturally, a sense of anxiety and hopelessness has always dominated the human experience of being caught between East and West. In the story we analyze, the society witnessed an impressive story of resistance in the midst of a long period of despair and frustration between the Jews and the helpless Egyptian government.
Muhammad Jibril, who was born in 1938, is an important writer who represents the socio political life of Egypt through his works. As he wrote many novels and stories, he was also a journalist. Having a high expression aptitude, Taha Hussein, Naguib Mahfouz, and Youssef Idris influenced him. He was also influenced by Westers such as Dostoyevsky, Balzac, Hemingway, and Gabriel Garca Marquez. Alexandria’s city plays also played a significant role in shaping his way of thinking. His father’s rich library also made significant contributions to the development of the author’s intellectual world from childhood. Some of Muhammad Jibril’s works have been translated into English, French, German, and Malay, and his works have been studied in the universities of France, Lebanon, and Algeria. He was also nominated for the Nobel Prize by Egyptian intellectuals. It can be easily said that he was one of the best-known intellectuals of Egypt in contemporary history.
His professional life has also influenced his approach to social events, and he has touched on social issues very often in his works. His story namely “Jewish Neighborhood” is also one of his works that covers social issues. This story is included in the collection that was published with the same article. The story is built on the privileges granted to minorities, particularly Jews, and the social deteriorations that arose from these privileges.
The Jews referred to in the Jibril’s story have been living in Egypt for a long time. According to the Old Testament, many Jews immigrated to Egypt after the fall of the Kingdom of Judah, and this Jewish migration continued for a long time. The population of Jews who have been in the region for thousands of years varies. According to the 1898 population information, there were 25.200 Jews living in Egypt, with a total population of 10 million. At the time of the 1920s, when Jibril’s story takes place, there were totally 75-80 thousand Jews in Egypt. The Jews in Cairo lived in adjacent neighborhoods known as “Harat al-Yahood al-Qarain” and “Harat al-Yahood”. The story of Muhammad Jibril occurs in “Harat al-Yahood” (which means Jewish Neighborhood).
Jibril’s story occurs during the years of the British occupation and reflects the spirit of the time. Egypt, which was under British occupation during the 1920s, when the story took place, did not gain its full independence until 1952. During the occupation, British rulers exiled Egyptian patriots to Malta and dragged Egyptians into hunger and poverty through false economic policies. Under the British colonists, the Arabic language was repressed and English became the new language. During these years, Jews gained a powerful position, particularly in the commercial area. The Jewish families who benefit from the privileges arising from British colonialism had the opportunity to gain a crucial position in the Egyptian economy compared to their population. In these years, the Jews who benefit from western colonialism gain an important status in Egyptian society, where they lived as a group of minorities.
The main character in Muhammad Jibril’s Jewish Neighborhood story, Muhammad Jalas, was deliberately bankrupted by the Jews through various conspiracies while he was running a jewelry store in the 1920s in Egypt. Furthermore, a group of Jewish youngster beat up his son Ali with sticks. After being bankrupted and having his son beaten up, Muhammad Jalas, as a former bully, goes to the Jewish Neighborhood to teach the Jews a lesson so that they would not repeat the same things again. Jalas, the main character of the story, desires that the Jews attack him just like they did with his son. To give them a lesson that they deserve.
The residents of the Jewish Neighborhood have realized the intentions of Jalas and have understood how serious the situation is, so they close up their shops and houses to defend themselves against him. On the other hand, Jalas calls out to his men “Our intention is just to build an order, not to kill”. After the two sides take precautions, a clash breaks out between Muhammad Jalas and the residents of the neighborhood. During the clash, none of the stores were harmed, nor were any goods stolen, and none of the fallen were harmed. Muhammad Jalas tries to teach Jewish youngsters a lesson by beating them up with the men he brought from his district.
Muhammad Jalas orders not to kill while attempting to establish an order in the Jewish Neighborhood. At this point, through the character of Jalas created by Jibril, it is seen that the act of killing is one of the greatest sins in Islam and Judaism. As a commandment, “You shall not murder” from 10 commandments in Judaism is adopted as a principle of the main character of the story while he is struggling against Jews. In the story Jalas used the terms of Judaism while he was fighting against the Jews.
With this story, Muhammad Jibril tried to express the emotions of Egyptian society through the Jalas character he created. An intense reaction can be seen from his tendency toward the neighborhood and his monolog as Muhammad Jalas enters Jewish neighborhoods. The author expresses the disappointment and anger of being treated unfairly in his own land through Jalas’ feelings. As a matter of fact, he answered positive when he is asked; “Can you be seen in your works”. We can clearly see the author’s approach to social cases through the way he created his characters in his stories.
Another point that has attracted attention is the desperate and miserable situation of Jamaliyah Police Station, which was the security unit of the Jewish Neighborhood. The police station responsible for the neighborhood’s order is not able to fulfill his mission and almost looks for the help of Muhammad Jalas. Not only children but also grownups do not feel safe in the neighborhood. In this part of the story, it is obvious that Jamaliyah Police Station represents the Egyptian Government, which is under British occupation. As a matter of fact, the homeland, which is a source of safety for the nations, cannot provide any safety for either Muhammad Jalas or the police officers working at the Jamaliyah Police Station.
In conclusion, Muhammad Jibril’s Jewish Neighborhood story, inspired by the Egypt of the 1920s, has made its place in Egyptian literature as a significant work that reflects the spirit of the time. The psychological state of the Egyptians and, moreover, Arabs against Jewish society created Jalas’s experiences as the main character of the story. Wide sociological cases are handled with the character’s emotions and monologs and the narrative is built up on these wide social cases in the story of Muhammad Jibril. Therefore, “Jewish Neighborhood” is opening a wide window through the Egypt of 1920s. In this study, Jibril’s story of the Jewish Neighborhood is examined by considering the socio-political structure of the period.
