The holidays were good- France, Egypt, Israel-Palestine, back to Egypt. I'll post pictures one day, but not today, because there are too many tragedies going on.
On New Year's Eve, a suicide bombing outside of a church in Alexandria killed 25 people. This, following riots a few weeks earlier in which State Security officers/thugs rushed with guns and batons into a crowd of Christians protesting the forced stoppage of a church under construction,killing two young men. (Christians in Egypt face massive difficulties in obtaining permits to build and renovate churches, as do other minorities trying to open new places of worship).
Just a few days ago, the Tunisian president fled the country, in what some are calling "The first Middle Eastern Revolution since 1979" (1979 being the Iranian Revolution). His downfall was brought about by protests that were started when a young man, unemployed and hopeless, set himself on fire in a public square. He later died of his injuries.
Today, a third Egyptian man set himself on fire, in what some are calling "The Tunis affect": an attempt by people across North Africa to physically display, through self immolation, their grievances against abusive authoritarian dictatorships that have been in power for decades. It seems they're doing it in the hope that, like in Tunisia, this will spark a revolution.
Facebook posts by my Egyptian friends are all in support of Tunisia and its "revolution", and many are hoping that the Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak, will be the next to fall. (I call it a "revolution" because I'm being cautious. Who knows what will actually happen; right now the Tunisian Prime Minister is taking charge, but it doesn't seem he's any better than the president. Let's hope the people's protests are not in vain).
Despite all of this, Egyptians are not known for their revolutionary spirit, and though the news is full of stories about these events (click on any of the links above to learn more), this might just be a slight "tear in the fabric of the [Egyptian dictatorship]", as opposed to a gaping hole.
That being said, things need to change: Egyptians need change. Could all of these things be the "straw that breaks the camel's back?" We're all waiting to see.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak (right) : "You're the first and we're next."Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who was just forced to step down (left) : "Don't be late boss, it's hard to be the only one [i.e. the only dictator yet who has been kicked out]"
*(Hope it makes sense. It's better in Arabic)
An Egyptian friend posted this photo on Facebook (and I've seen it numerous other places as well) with the note,
"[I really hope this happens]. We all need to pull ourselves together, and do something positive for once. We deserve a better future and a better life. This dictator [Mubarak] has been ruining our country, torturing our people for so long. At least if we don't
[basically revolt] for ourselves, we should do it for the next generations."
(Post-script: Mom, don't worry. This is a reality, but there's no danger here. Life continues as normal.)
1 comment:
That's awsome I've only heard horror stories of the egyptian gov. no one votes cuz it doesn't matter and all that. I hope something really happens there. Thanks for the post Dena!!
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