Lion fighting
Ursula LindseyThank goodness, in these fraught and complicated times, for interviews such as this one, with an Egyptian strongman who plans on reviving the tourism industry (and sending a message to Israel) by engaging in bare-handed combat with a lion. The young man's fantastical confidence, and interviewer Ali Abdel Mohsen's polite persistence, takes this interview almost immediately into wonderful, surreal territory:
Essawy: That’s because they don’t understand what I’m going to do. They think I’m going to kill the lion. I’m not going to kill it, nor will I be armed with a sword or dagger - those are all false reports circulated by the media for reasons I don’t understand.
Al-Masry: So, you’re not going to kill the lion?
Essawy: No. Unless it’s a matter of life or death, in which case I will be forced to kill it.
Al-Masry: When is fighting a lion not a matter of life or death?
Essawy: It’s up to the lion. If he chooses to withdraw, or surrender, and lets me tie him up, then I will not kill him and the fight will end. But, like I said, if it comes down to either me or him, I will have to kill him. But I don’t want to kill the lion, nor am I planning on it. I want to make that clear.
.....
Essawy: When I defeat the lion - which I will - I will pull an Israeli flag out of my pocket, and drape it over the lion, and put my foot on it. Israel led me to this, through all their atrocities which, as a child, I grew up watching on television. The message is that even though Israel and America may be as strong as a lion - the strongest creature on the planet - they too can be defeated.
Al-Masry: By you?
Essawy: By the Arab youth, which is about to explode. Soon, they will be ready to take on the mightiest foe.
Al-Masry: But, technically, the lion’s only fighting because you’re forcing it to.
Essawy: Yes. It’s a caged fight, so there will be nowhere for the lion to run. I have challenged the lion, and I will defeat it.
Al-Masry: So, to dismiss this as just some really crazy guy beating up an innocent lion would be, in your opinion...
Essawy: Completely inaccurate and misleading. I’m not a crazy person. There’s a political reason behind what I’m doing.
...
Essawy: I have a whole series of shows planned in my head. I will pull an airplane with my teeth, and I will pull an airplane with my hair. I will also be run over by an airplane. In between each of these acts, there will be lion battles.
Al-Masry: Have you fought any other beasts before? Will this be your first lion fight?
Essawy: This will be my first battle with a lion, yes. I have fought other animals, mainly dogs. On separate occasions, I have fought three of the most ferocious dog breeds.
Al-Masry: You punch dogs?
Essawy: I punch and kick them.
Al-Masry: How are you training for this specific event?
Essawy: By doing a series of mental exercises. Nothing physical, just brain-training. I visualize the fight for two hours at a time. I visualize the lion, and all the possible ways it could attack. Will it go for the head, or will it grab me by the feet? I ask myself these questions and visualize how I will dodge these attacks.
Just read the whole thing (and obviously here at Arabist we are not in favor of fighting dogs, or lions).
Reader Comments (10)
I thought this was a joke when I first heard about it. But wow. Egypt has literally become a circus /freak show. Essawy seems to be a terribly troubled sociopath who enjoys abusing animals and now he will get famous because people will interpret his message of hatred against Israel as an inspiring metaphor for the Arab/Palestinian/Muslim struggle. But it will only result in making all of us look more barbaric, archaic, and ruthless savages. He should leave innocent animals alone and go to a mental hospital.
Lets sum this up:
1. This guy is picking a fight with a lion.
2. The lion has no where to go, since he is caged and therefore must fight.
3. This guy is telling us that he dose not want to harm the lion, and if the lion will submit to being tied, it would not be hurt. Then again, what is the chance that a lion will submit to such a thing?
4. He is doing all this with no real preparation.
Putting an Israeli flag on this lion is quite accurate. The Arabs picked a fight with Israel when Israel gave them no reason to do it (1948, 1967, 1973). The citizens of Israel had no place to go (read a few books about the holocaust) and submission wasn't an option (read the history of the Jews under Islamic rule) so surprise, surprise this turned into a fight to the death.
Add to that the fact that the Arab nations didn't really prepare themselves that good and the outcome was defeat.
And that is what is going to happen to this poor fellow if he caries out his plan.
"The Arabs picked a fight with Israel when Israel gave them no reason to do it (1948, 1967, 1973)."
Yes. A bunch of European colonists who ethnically cleansed the original inhabitants gave no reason at all to fight. What were we Arabs thinking.
pre 1948 the only ethnic cleansing and depositioning was done by Arabs (see the Hebron massacre and 1930 Arab uprising).
1948 war was a direct result of Arab aggression and anti-Semitism, by international law the outcome of that war lays at the Arab nations feet.
1967 and 1973 the same as the above.
@ Wolf
You either have no idea about the history of the Israeli-Arab conflict and the founding of the Israeli state or are deliberately lying.
"pre 1948 the only ethnic cleansing and depositioning was done by Arabs " I'm assuming you must be unaware of the Israeli terrorist army Irgun which fought the British who ruled Palestine during the period 1939-1947 an almost 10 year insurgency.
Luckily wikipedia has a list of all the Irgun attacks on Arabs during the 1930's (Its a long list).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Irgun_attacks_during_the_1930s
So when you say "Pre 1948 the only ethnic cleansing and depostioning was done by Arab". You are ignoring the 100's of Arabs and 100's of British soldiers killed during the campaigns 1930's including Black Sunday in Haifa which was a clear attempt to rid the town of Arabs and Dier Yassim which triggered the 1948 war in the first place.
I fail to see how this could possibly be animal cruelty. He's just giving the lion a nice snack after all!
1. What exactly happened in Dir Yassim is a matter of dispute between historians and many, even on the Arab side, claim that a massacre didn't occur and it was just a hoax which was convenient for all sides at that time.
One thing every one agrees on, it didn't start the war. It was a part of the Jewish retaliation after the Arab attack.
2. There are British documents which clearly show that Jewish forces didn't force any Arab out of Haifa. These documents show a long dialogue between the leaders of the Jewish forces and the Arab leaders of Haifa in which the Jewish leaders pleaded with the Arabs to stay and promised them full rights if they only agree to accept an Israeli state.
The Arabs refused to do that and as Arab militant gangs (non Haifa residents) filled Haifa, they feared the coming battle and fled.
3. The Irgun was established AFTER a series of lethal Arab attacks on Jews and was mainly a retaliation squad. Can't blame them for not wanting to sit around and watch a bunch of Arab slaughter their brothers.
4. During 1930 - 1948 the amount of Arabs living in Israel nearly doubled itself, so any talk of displacement is ludicrous.
I think the main point here is that Ali had better start compiling his book. Or his memoir. Or a work of fiction. He is just too talented at giving wonderful snapshots of life to keep it cooped up on AMAY English. Come on, Ali. I'm serious here.
There's peace with Israel, so what exactly is the message that he is trying to give Israel with this? That Egypt wants to fight us? That would be a eradication of the peace treatment of 1979, which would mean that we need to get back Sinai.
Wolf,
European Zionists came to Palestine with intent to take it. All of it, or as much as they could. They wanted to form their own country their. Not become citizens in an Arab country. They said so openly and unambiguously. They lobbied the British government to help them. They viewed the natives exactly the same way other European colonists viewed the natives everywhere in the world. Some Zionist thinkers might have hoped that if they were very polite, the Arabs might give up their land and country without a fight. The real powers knew better.
With that in mind, it is not in the least bit surprising or wrong that Palestinians resisted the colonizers with whatever means available. I can probably come up with a long list of atrocities native Americans committed against American settlers in the 19th century. But so what? Pointing out that Arabs did XYZ bad things to European colonists intending to take their land to form their own country with it is meaningless.
Tuvia, Israel, are you under the impression that this publicity seeker actually represents Egypt? Is it your fear that Egypt will revoke the treaty, or your hope? It seems to me that, despite the treaty, Israelis are still coveting Sinai and are looking for any excuse to steal it again.