Newsweek.com--Here is a tyrant of Egypt who ruled over Egypt all my life time. One whose face and stature is virtually inseparable to the image of his country; with his whitewashed marble offices and huge smile welcoming in and sending off dignitaries-usually American envoys. His rule relied on a strong backing of Egypt’s popular and modern Army. Its authoritarian and repressive wheels are oiled by the security service, known for its technologies of rape, torture, intimidation and random assaults.
Egypt is a strong middle income economy but with raging population growth, high unemployment rates, corruption and nepotism. Neither its economy nor its politics left any space for teeming youth, sweltering under the heat of authoritarianism, to breathe. Secular by Middle Eastern standards, the most usual distracters were music and sports. Later this September, Egypt’s presidential election were planned to be held in which Mubarak, rumors had it, planned to be replaced by his son. When Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution broke out in Tunisia, it became the last straw which broke the camel’s back in Egypt.
Beginning from the first Friday’s march from mosques and Tuesday’s million men march; the Egyptian youth turned out in droves to tear down the images of Mubarak, to vent their anger against fear and oppression and to call for the immediate downfall of Mubarak’s regime. Tahrir square truly became a liberation square- this time liberation from a home grown tyrant instead of British colonialism.
The sagacity of the Egyptian youth who: planned the street demonstrations; dictated the nature of the slogans; appealed to the army and the conscience of the entire world in their quest for freedom is simply amazing. In so doing, they dashed the usual intellectual and political rhetoric that the Arab and Muslim world shoulders nothing but dictators.
Much of this comes couched in the literature as orientalism. They also drew a clear line that this is a secular revolution for freedom, democracy and political transition. Hence it is not some terrorist anti-American or anti-Zionist plot. In this again, the world glimpsed and reckoned, many for the first time, about the prospect of a progressive, secular and democratic Egypt. Last but not the least, they forced the weak and divided opposition parties of Egypt to come together and speak with one voice. In short, they changed the cultural, political and academic landscape that many students of the Middle East took all so for granted. When Egyptians last heard their president’s defiant speech to stay in power, the youth were adamant bluntly saying “It is either the people or the president!”
While Cairo took the air space globally, something else was taking place around Cape Town, the 92 old President Nelson Mandela was hospitalized for pneumonia. And here, people in general and school boys and girls, in particular, were anxious that Madiba would pass away. Prayers were held for his health in churches, universities, schools and townships. Here is a man who paid the price for his people’s freedom-26 years of prison. Here is a President who helped midwife a non-racist, non-s*xist democratic South Africa on the graveyard of apartheid. Here is a noble man of principle who only served one term in office and stepped down in great grace. Here is a man of the people known for his charity and development work all over the world. Here is leadership embodied threatening to leave us forever!!
Compare these two leaders. One hides in his palace and sends thugs and security policy to kill his own people; the other was on the death row line for his people. One has reached the heights of power and influence only to step down ceremoniously, the other is being dragged down alas at the blood and sweat of his own youth. Egyptians pray that Mubarak leaves town in peace, South Africans pray that Mandela leaves hospital in peace.
Posted By: Siebra Muhammad
Friday, February 4th 2011 at 5:51PM
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