Alia strips again, this time here in Sweden

This is what happened a few days ago here in Sweden. Alia Majed El-Mahdi -whom you most likely know by now- took her protest to the frozen streets of Sweden and the very doorstep of the Egyptian embassy in Stockholm. Alia shed her clothes along with two fellow-activists to denounce what is being done unto her people back home in Egypt. She protested a Muslim-Brotherhood's darling, Mohammad Morsi, for having started to sound much like the notorious Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini lately referring to his powers as "divinely-sanctioned and blessed". 

In my perspective, regardless of how brave and courageous Alia was in at least standing up and doing what she could, this was made possible thanks to this benign and benevolent Swedish nation. What the Swedes have achieved as the fruit of the sweat and blood of thousands of people through generations has resulted to the betterment of not only themselves but many people like Alia. Like us who have taken refuge here in this land. This is added reason why I honestly believe that constructive patriotism should eventually evolve into globalism: You can only have a good neighbourhood if you-first and foremost- take good care of your own residence.

All throughout the years I have never relinquished my unfathomable love for my plagued motherland.  In my mental journey I came a long way from ethnocentrism and blind nationalism to a reformed nationalism to patriotism in the sense just elaborated, - also reflected in the very title of this blog. But today I say proudly that just as I will always remain grateful to my beloved Iran, my second homeland is definitely this very wonderful Sweden.

I love Iran and would do whatever humanly possible for her, but it is Sweden that makes it possible for me to do what I need to do. It is Sweden that allows me to write freely now and indulge myself in these very basic freedoms for which people lose their lives in my homeland. 

I will always love you Iran. I sure will do. But allow me this once to rephrase the opening sentence of this post and say: This is what happened a few days ago here in Sweden, my second homeland.