Egypt trembles

Vera Abdel Malek
Contributor
Egypt is a nation as old as civilization itself, but never before has it trembled beneath the mighty cries of its people.
They are cries echoed by protestors and sympathizers in Toronto, Ottawa, Washington and cities all around the world.
The Egyptian people asked one thing: that Hosni Mubarak step down after his 30-year rule. There were casualties, international outrage and political debates, but the people of Egypt stood united.
Tuesday changed everything.
On Monday, Jan. 31, President Hosni Mubarak agreed to step down – in September. This decision destroyed whatever order was left in Egypt.
The chaos was aimed mainly at removing Mubarak from power, but after his Tuesday announcement, Egypt became divided. While some people are satisfied with his decision to step down, others want this change to be immediate. “Leave now,” they yell in the streets. Others still are fighting on behalf of Mubarak. They call themselves “pro-Mubarak,” and they have appeared as a new element in the protests. In light of everything that’s happening now, there have to be changes.
Mubarak needs to do more. Stepping down in September isn’t enough, but it’s definitely a start. This was a step forward, but protestors aren’t backing down. If he leaves immediately, he leaves a country in ruins. After 30 years, the people don’t have to wait much longer, but there are many that are just impatient. He has made a lot of mistakes, but he deserves the chance to try and fix his mistakes before his time is up. If the changes are going to be made, he needs to have the room to make them.
Last week, the streets were filled with passion. Now anger is taking over.
From the start, the situation was handled poorly. There was never a reason to cut Egypt off from the world, nor a reason to impose a ridiculous curfew.
The Egyptian people have the right to be heard, but they weren’t given that chance without a fight, so the way Mubarak is stepping down almost seems insulting. He made a point to mention he had no plans of running again. He could’ve said that last week, and it might’ve made a difference.
At this point people want to feel like their protests haven’t fallen on deaf ears. To say their pleas led to one of two inevitable outcomes is unfair. It means there wasn’t a revolution, only mass hysteria.
A lot could have been different. But it wasn’t.
At this point, enough is enough. I’m proud to see my fellow Egyptians standing up for their rights, but they’re damaging their country.
Carl Youssef, 24, was one of the attendees at the Jan. 26 protest in Dundas Square.
“I honestly never thought this anger would materialize, but it did,” he said. “We broke the fear that we were fed since birth, yet it was met with a monster mix of stubborn deafness.”
“They tried good cop and bad cop,” added Youssef. “They cut the internet off the whole nation, imposed curfews, jammed mobile networks including SMS and Blackberry chat. All of these efforts were futile and they came to realize that too late.”
This was, in its beginning, a fight for a noble cause. Freedom is something we should aspire to, but there is a point where fighting is no longer the answer.
That point has been reached.
There must be a better way. First, Mubarak has to start making immediate changes. He needs the people to know he’s serious about stepping down, but he’s also serious about bettering Egypt before he leaves.
After 30 years, there must be something positive that can be taken out of his rule.
The people of Egypt are very angry, and anger is rarely rational. Mubarak must rise to the challenge of calming the nation, even if that means stepping down; however, if he steps down, he must find a way to do it responsibly.
It’s time he listens to the people. Deaf ears are costing too many lives.