Allahu Akbar—our soldiers cried
out these words in the glorious October War of 1973, as they stood against the
might of one of the most powerful armies in the world, and they achieved
victory. Allahu Akbar over the oppressor, Allahu Akbar over the aggressor,
Allahu Akbar protects our borders, Allahu Akbar protects our soldiers, Allahu
Akbar grants us victory, Allahu Akbar humiliates and defeats our enemies.
War may weigh heavily on the
heart, yet we did not seek it, nor shall we ever seek it. We were never
advocates of war, but we will never compromise our dignity. We did not do so in
the past, we do not do so today, and we never will in the future. We are a
nation—should Hell itself be poured upon our heads—that will remain standing.
Yes, standing. In the past we stood firm against the hordes of the Hyksos, the
swarms of the Tatars, the legions of the Crusaders, and the brutal Europeans.
Never did we break, never did our resolve weaken; such is our legacy recorded
in the pages of history.
The Egyptian nation has always
been active and resilient. We have inscribed the pages of history time and
again, engraving our words upon them with blood and sweat. The dawn of
conscience was born upon this land, and it shall never die. We swore to keep it
alive in our hearts for eternity. We shall not retreat, we shall not be
defeated, and we shall never accept humiliation in our homeland. War, though it
burdens the heart, we have only waged in defense of our land, our honor, and
our dignity. We were never aggressors, and we never shall be. Even when we
expanded east and west during the era of Muhammad Ali Pasha, we were rightful
heirs, never conquerors.
It is our destiny—and Egypt’s
destiny—to always be the point of beginning and end, the key to resolution in
this region scarred by conflicts and ambitions, especially in this difficult
stage of its history. The destiny of those men who crushed barbaric invasions
beneath their feet at Ayn Jalut, Hattin, Mansoura, Suez, Ismailia, and beloved
Sinai, was to offer the world and humanity model after model of steadfastness,
remaining steadfastly armed, as we stand behind them—a people who, even if Hell
were poured upon their heads, would remain unbowed.
A salute to every hand holding
fast to a weapon at every frontier outpost across the land of Egypt. A
heartfelt salute on this Day of Victory, and a sincere prayer from every
Egyptian: May God be with you, may He protect you, may He grant you victory, and
may He make your feet firm.
