Al-Sabbagh's I am the Girl Banned from

Christian Religious Classes

Life Imitates Art
Does life imitate art or is it the other way around? ''I am the Girl Banned from
Christian Religious Classes'' by Shaimaa Al-Sabbagh is proof that both can be
true. Al-Sabbagh was a 31-year-old poet and activist for the Socialist People's
Alliance Party who was shot by Egyptian police while laying flowers in Tahrir
Square in January of 2015 to honor protestors who were killed by authorities
in the Square in 2011. After her death, some of Al-Sabbagh's poetry was
translated into English to honor her memory. The poem ''I am the Girl Banned
from Christian Religious Classes'' uses Christian iconography to vividly portray
a scene in which blood of innocent people is shed on the street. Let's examine
the background, religious meaning, and political ramifications of this poem.

Egyptian Political Climate

To understand this poem, the reader should have some background knowledge
of the political landscape of Egypt in the 2000s. In 1928, the Egyptian Muslim
Brotherhood was formed with the goal of restoring traditional Muslim values
that they felt were negatively impacted by Western influence due to British
occupation in Egypt. Throughout the 1960s, a nationalist ruler targeted and
imprisoned the Muslim Brotherhood and political opponents to promote his
own popularity.

By 2005, the Muslim Brotherhood won 20% of the seats in parliament. In

response, authorities arrested hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood members to
cut political funding and remove candidates from office. When a new
parliament was elected in 2010, only one member of the participating Muslim
Brotherhood was retained. Suspecting the election was rigged, the Muslim
Brotherhood participated in an anti-government protest that took place in
Tahrir Square in January 2011. President Mubarak resigned his power to
military control and more than 800 non-violent protesters died. The country
remained under military rule until June 2012 when Morsi, a candidate from the
Muslim Brotherhood was elected. The following year, a military coup ousted
Morsi from office and declared the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group.
Journalists that supported the Muslim Brotherhood were jailed and the
military was given full authority to use violent force to disperse crowds that
form to protest the government.

Commentary on Tahrir Square

How is this related to ''I am the Girl Banned from Christian Religious Classes''?
Sabbagh was not interviewed in America before her death, so any commentary
about the meaning of her works must be assumed. In the poem, the poet
writes, ''...all the windows were open and the blood was racing the cars on the
asphalt...'' This may be a reference to the death of hundreds of people, not
only during the 2011 protests but those who had been killed on a regular basis
by the military government for standing up for their rights.

The narrator continues with ''I am the girl banned from love in the squares''.
This line may relate to the application of laws that foreshadowed the poet's
death. As a member of the Socialist People's Alliance Party, Sabbagh didn't
hold the same beliefs as the Muslim Brotherhood and thought that Morsi
should have been removed from power. However, she did believe that the
Muslim Brotherhood had the right to protest and most likely wanted to show
love for the lives that were lost by bringing flowers. When she says she is
''banned from love in the squares,'' she may mean that she feels restricted in
her ability to support the rights of all citizens because of the restriction of
citizens' rights under military rule.

Christian Iconography
Al-Sabbagh was raised in a conservative Muslim home, so why did she use so
much Christian symbolism in the poem? Being banned from ''Christian religion
classes, and Sunday mass'' is not literal in the sense that she is unwelcome
by Christians, but is suspected to be a commentary on the aggression that
Coptic Christians faced by Islamic extremists, including church bombings.
Christian iconography is a metaphor describing the religious war and
sacrifices of the innocent.

The poet compares the blood sacrifices of innocents on both sides of the
conflict to ''the crucifixion of Jesus''. Further, she alludes to the hypocrisy of
religious warfare in the lines ''And the people who love God as they damn this
moment that the creatures of God approved/To crucifying Jesus naked in the
crowded square on the clock arms as it declared one at noon.'' Al-Sabbagh
rejects the notion that violence or oppression in the name of God is
acceptable, instead sending the message of love and unity by insisting that
she ''will never miss the dawn''.

Threat to Egyptian Government

Al-Sabbagh did not oppose the government as those from the Muslim
Brotherhood did, nor was she the only Egyptian citizen who was murdered by
police for gathering peacefully with like-minded citizens. However, Al-
Sabbagh's death happened to be filmed and was sent to press before
authorities could confiscate it and the Egyptian government could not deny
their role in inciting violence. The combination of the visual image of this
young mother bleeding to death on the sidewalk and the political messages
she sent opposing the division she witnessed in her country led to her
becoming the face of the Egyptian revolution. After her death, hundreds of
citizens defied the laws related to protesting to demand that the government
accept responsibility for her death and she became a face for the revolution.
Lesson Summary
''I am the Girl Banned from Christian Religious Classes'' is a poem by the
Egyptian activist, Shaimaa Al-Sabbagh, who was killed by police while laying
flowers at a march in Tahrir Square, which marked the anniversary of a deadly
protest against an allegedly rigged parliamentary election. After her death, the
poem was translated into English in her honor. The poem references the
deaths on the Square, unfair laws about standing up for citizens' rights, and
the hypocrisy of those who claim they are killing for God. After her death, Al-
Sabbagh became a symbol of the revolution, inspiring hundreds to defy anti-
protest laws and force government responsibility.