The Birth Of A New Middle East
Scores of men and women have created a ripple across the globe and the international community continues to hold its breath, pacing in unfamiliar anticipation as the cries of Egypt are heard; anxiously watching as the Egyptian giant awakens from its slumber.
President Hosni Mubarak, the longest-serving Egyptian ruler since Muhammad Ali Pasha (17 May 1805 – 2 March 1848) and ranked 20th on Parade Magazine’s 2009 World’s Worst Dictators list, is bracing for the third day of an unprecedented and commanding uprising in Egypt dubbed ‘The Day of Rage’ protests – triggered in part by the successful ‘Jasmine Revolution’ in Tunisia wherein former Tunisian dictator Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali was ousted.
The level of sheer apprehension being felt by the Egyptian regime is evident as a total media black-out has just been put into place in light of the “Million Man March” set to take place Friday; a plethora of Twitter and Facebook accounts which were once bustling with minute to minute updates have gone eerily silent. Before the internet off-switch was implemented Egyptian’s were stating that in light of Friday protests the “…Egyptian Government is ordering a media blackout tomorrow. Communications, water and electricity will be shut off.”
Hours before the media black-out Twitter was ablaze with calls for solidarity- ”Pray for Egypt.” said Wael Ghonim, an Egyptian citizen, “… it seems that government is planning a war crime tomorrow against people. We are all ready to die.”
Egyptian authorities have banned protests and tightened security overnight to prevent demonstrators from repeating the rally on January 25th, when thousands took to the streets of Cairo. The Egyptian Government has since shut down correspondence between Egyptians and the outside world, all shortly after 1AM local time.
The Egyptian people, unlike their “green” Iranian counterparts, do not have the luxury of acquiring American support behind the scenes – the Obama Administration has shamefully refused to address the Mubarak reign as having negative implications on the Egyptian populous, in spite of the United States’ unconditional foreign aid to the tune of $200 million in 2009; Mubarak’s 30 year rule is marked with unwavering police brutality, martial law and severe poverty - Al Ahram, Egypt’s leading newspaper, estimates that 50 percent of Egyptians live on $2 a day or less.
During an interview with NewsHour, US Vice President Joe Biden was asked how he would characterize Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak:
Do your part and call an Egyptian Embassy in your area – tell them that the Pharaoh must go.
We refuse to remain silent in light of such unwavering brutality. Today we are all Egyptians.
Mubarak, let our people go!
Image courtesy of Matthew Cassel
President Hosni Mubarak, the longest-serving Egyptian ruler since Muhammad Ali Pasha (17 May 1805 – 2 March 1848) and ranked 20th on Parade Magazine’s 2009 World’s Worst Dictators list, is bracing for the third day of an unprecedented and commanding uprising in Egypt dubbed ‘The Day of Rage’ protests – triggered in part by the successful ‘Jasmine Revolution’ in Tunisia wherein former Tunisian dictator Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali was ousted.
The level of sheer apprehension being felt by the Egyptian regime is evident as a total media black-out has just been put into place in light of the “Million Man March” set to take place Friday; a plethora of Twitter and Facebook accounts which were once bustling with minute to minute updates have gone eerily silent. Before the internet off-switch was implemented Egyptian’s were stating that in light of Friday protests the “…Egyptian Government is ordering a media blackout tomorrow. Communications, water and electricity will be shut off.”
Hours before the media black-out Twitter was ablaze with calls for solidarity- ”Pray for Egypt.” said Wael Ghonim, an Egyptian citizen, “… it seems that government is planning a war crime tomorrow against people. We are all ready to die.”
Egyptian authorities have banned protests and tightened security overnight to prevent demonstrators from repeating the rally on January 25th, when thousands took to the streets of Cairo. The Egyptian Government has since shut down correspondence between Egyptians and the outside world, all shortly after 1AM local time.
The Egyptian people, unlike their “green” Iranian counterparts, do not have the luxury of acquiring American support behind the scenes – the Obama Administration has shamefully refused to address the Mubarak reign as having negative implications on the Egyptian populous, in spite of the United States’ unconditional foreign aid to the tune of $200 million in 2009; Mubarak’s 30 year rule is marked with unwavering police brutality, martial law and severe poverty - Al Ahram, Egypt’s leading newspaper, estimates that 50 percent of Egyptians live on $2 a day or less.
During an interview with NewsHour, US Vice President Joe Biden was asked how he would characterize Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak:
“Mubarak has been an ally of ours in a number of things. And he’s been very responsible on, relative to geopolitical interest in the region, the Middle East peace efforts; the actions Egypt has taken relative to normalizing relationship with Israel.As a new day greets the people of Egypt, marking the greatest uprising in the region since the bread riots of 1977, we must become their voices. The Arab giant is awakening and it is time to welcome a new Middle East, one which will refuse to take its place in the world as a pawn in the game of Western hegemony.
I would not refer to him as a dictator.“
Do your part and call an Egyptian Embassy in your area – tell them that the Pharaoh must go.
We refuse to remain silent in light of such unwavering brutality. Today we are all Egyptians.
Mubarak, let our people go!
Image courtesy of Matthew Cassel
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