I just finished reading, "Diary of October war, by Saad elDin elShazly (Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Armed Forces)". And I can only say I was really shocked, depressed and deeply angry, allow me to say that before reading it, I already had small an idea of all the information inside, but not documented in such way.
I was born few years after that war, so I didn’t actually live it, but ever since, I knew a lot of facts, we had a huge defeat in 1967, and we had a marvelous victories in 1973, sure all that came from our media and big festivals we use to see every year. Latter on start to wonder if we did such a marvelous success in the war, why there are a lot of people against the peace we did.
The book really open so many doors in mind, that what made me shocked from the flow of lies we been living in(I know many knew that before me), but I'm only going to talk about one point which is lying(not only in 73 war but all our history). Back in 1948 we lost the war trying to keep some parts from Palestine, we lost because our king was fighting to kill some domestic issues and some regional glory, same with king Abd Allah king of Jordan, whom some went that he had a pervious deal with the Jewish before going to war, in 1967 we all know what happened, we lost the war without even fighting, lost our land, air force, and many other things, and yet when President Gamal announced he'll leave his place as he failed, people didn't accept it and ask him to stay…………
Now I'm so sure that the whole nation was wrong for stopping Gamal from leaving, he failed so badly in 67 war, not only that but he(as he the president of all)LIED through the media, and kept announcing fakes about what is actually happening in war, and there is no reason for doing that, After Wilson Churchill gave Britain victory in the second world war, he lost the next election because his performance in rebuilding the country was bad, yet Churchill didn't lie, but Gamal did, and we emotionally forgive and forget, in 73 Sadat LIED about the third army was under sedge , Sadat lied about his mistakes that causes huge change in the war, and yet lies deep float to us.
If you lie to your enemy, is so much normal act, because he is your enemy, but lying to your own people, is the strange act, especially when the whole world knows the fact, and laughs at you, when you inside meant to be blind, so your ruler can keep his place.
King Farouk lied in his true intention for going to 1948 war, Gamal Abdel Nasser lied, by announcing fake statements through 1967 war, Sadat lied about the third army under sedge, which last for 3 months, lied that he made huge mistakes that causes the Loophole(الثغرة), and put it on someone else, and still we accept lies, like how our economy is improving, and the happy 30% raise,
I wish I could write more about the book, it really worth reading, and also I wish I've read SADAT's book to see both sides, but yet I think it be only holding lies, or why Egyptian authorities didn't reply on Shazly's book or provide us with true facts.
All of that is our mistake, us no one else, if you allow others to make fool of you, and you did nothing about it, don't wait for them to stop. And finally if we could pick up one from each Egyptian era, I would stand tall and say proudly that, "I'm living in the worse Egyptian time, and yet still manage to survive some how", or it might be a big lie.
