A beacon of light

Kevin Brandt
Contributor
Many people are asking, “what’s happening in Egypt?”
Well, in short, the people are rising up against what they deem to be a corrupt, selfish, dictatorial government led by one man for the past 30 years – Hosni Mubarak. The Egyptian people argue they aren’t free and that their liberties have been trampled during Mubarak’s long reign.
Heba Morayef, of the Human Rights Watch in Cairo, says Egypt has been under emergency military rule for over 50 years, so it is clear the peoples’ claims are not exaggerated. But they have now had enough and, like the Tunisians, have decided to take direct action.
Mass protests and strikes – these are the weapons used bravely by the Egyptian people. After a bloody Friday, Jan. 28, the military has seemingly stepped aside and are allowing the protesters to carry on without much interference. Pro-Mubarak supporters have recently begun clashing with the anti-Mubarak protesters, but as of Feb. 4, 2011, the military has taken steps to keep the two groups divided.
In an attempt to quell communication and organization, Mubarak’s government has instituted a curfew (which still stands now, but in a relaxed form) and has limited internet and phone services. However, what Mubarak failed to realize was that the uprising exists in the real world, and not solely online.
While outlets like Facebook and Twitter are important means of communication, they are not essential to a socio-political movement. Furthermore, by attempting to stifle the peoples’ voice, Mubarak only makes himself appear more tyrannical. He’s noted he intends to hold elections in September, a race in which he will not run, but he also said that he won’t immediately step down.
“I don’t care what people say about me. Right now, I care about my country, I care about Egypt,” he said.
What he doesn’t realize is that the people are the country – the people are Egypt. If he truly cared about the country, he’d listen to the popular will. No matter; as reformist ElBaradei said, what the people have started “cannot be reversed.” Mubarak’s days as president are numbered.
What about the United States? The Obama administration had said they felt uneasy about the early violence against the protesters, and they called for a peaceful transfer of power through democratic means.
We must keep in mind that Mubarak has been a U.S. ally for the past 30 years, and that he has received generous helpings of American funds, partly due to his continued peace with Israel.
The fear among the international community is that free elections in Egypt will result in parties coming to power that are unfriendly to Israel – parties such as the Muslim Brotherhood – and that extremist fundamentalism will take over.
Nevertheless, the Egyptian struggle has garnered world-wide support, and many large solidarity demonstrations have been held. Ironically enough, the uprising has brought the news network Al Jazeera to the forefront of journalistic coverage, since it provides 24/7 live coverage of the demonstrations.
Such exposure will surely dispel the myth that Al Jazeera is a hub of fanatic terrorism: rather than showing men in masks calling for “death to the infidels,” we see a dignified, fair news source that’s actually quite Westernized.
It is unfortunate, though, for the many tourists who remain stuck in Egypt due to the uprising. I have a friend who travelled there just days before the uprising began, and it took over a week until we could hear from her again.
The Canadian government eventually began evacuations, but they seem poorly organized, and barely helpful. For $400, Canadians will merely be brought to various European cities, and will have to make their own arrangements to get the rest of the way home. Jack Layton called this $400 fee an “evacuation tax.” There have also been reports of Egyptian officials demanding payment before tourists can board buses and planes.
As matters stand now, we must be clear – this is not a revolution (not yet, anyway). But the voice of Egyptian people is loud and clear: they demand freedom. The right to vote and to be heard is something that we can easily take for granted, but others elsewhere still need to fight for it.
Egypt is a beacon of light for all oppressed people, and the uprising is proof that, when the people are united, change can be made. What this will mean for the future of Egyptian politics (and the Middle East as a whole) has yet to be seen, but one thing is certain: the cradle of human civilization has demanded the dignity that is owed to them.