orientalist militias

Camel-riders with whips. Crusader swords. Ornate ceremonial knives.

Apparently there are some articles out there observing that this may have been deliberate orientalism to make the counter-protests look “authentic.”

It would only work for ignorant outsiders, of course. Egyptians, plus long-time residents like me, were simply confused by the bizarreness of all the medieval sh*t until we started reading these articles and understood their point. None of that Arabian Nights stuff exists in everyday Egyptian life in 2011 any more than it does in everyday Houston, Texas life in 2011.