Novel Overview

"French Clouds" is a novel by the author Doaa Aasi.(1) The issue of identity is addressed through the celebration of the ideas of the Copts in Egypt, discussing the betrayal of teacher Yaaqoub and his followers during the French campaign in Egypt led by the butcher Napoleon Bonaparte (1798-1801), when they formed an army of Copts called the Coptic Legion and established a fortress in al-Rawai'i in Old Cairo. They fought against their Muslim brothers and killed them on behalf of the French invaders.

They did not limit their fighting to the capital; rather, they continued to battle alongside the French invaders deep into Upper Egypt. When the French campaign retreated, they withdrew with them and lived in France in the manner presented by the narrative, from a satirical perspective on Islam and Muslims.

About the Author

The author is inclined towards the left and the West in general, due to her upbringing in the house of her father, the Azhar-educated communist Sheikh Mustafa Aasi (1931-2011), who was born in the village of Basat Karim al-Din, affiliated with the Sherbin Center in the Dakahlia Governorate. Although the man had an Azhar education and worked in a religious capacity as an imam and preacher in the Ministry of Endowment, he lived within the public and secret organizations of the Socialist Union, and under the protection of Egyptian communists who referred to him as the enlightened Sheikh (what connects Islam and enlightenment that rejects religion and believes solely in material experience?). In 1976, he participated with them in founding the "National Progressive Unionist Party," which politicians often refer to simply as "Toto," a party that is government-affiliated by all accounts. The party ended up with a regrettable fate, as many of its members who were deceived by its dazzling slogans dispersed.

At one point, their number reached three hundred thousand members, but now, at best estimates, only three thousand remain. Its leaders beautify and promote the decisions of the authorities in exchange for some crumbs thrown their way, such as appointments to fictional councils and bodies that hold no real value in the living reality, and the domination over the destinies of culture, education, and media! This is in exchange for rewards paid from the blood of the miserable poor people.

Membership and Education

Doaa Mustafa Aasi, (born in Mansoura in 1970) is a current member of the House of Representatives. It has been reported that she is the first Egyptian female writer to obtain full membership in the Russian Writers' Union. She was educated in Franciscan schools and later traveled to the Soviet Union to continue her university studies. It is said that she is proficient in English, Russian, French, and has some knowledge of Italian.

Academic Achievements

She has obtained several certificates, including a diploma in the Russian language from the Pushkin Institute at Moscow University, a bachelor's degree in Tourism and Hotels with a focus on English and French, a diploma in Art Criticism from the Higher Institute of Art Criticism at the Academy of Arts, a diploma in Folk Arts from the Higher Institute of Folk Arts at the Academy of Arts, and finally a diploma in Arab Christian Heritage from the Evangelical Theological Seminary.

Published Works

Doaa has published several books, including the novel "104 Cairo," the novel "Supermarket Happiness," and the novel "French Clouds," which addresses the traitor Jacob and his men, and received significant attention from the Russian side and the dominant Egyptian left in culture and its institutions in Egypt!