For the last two weeks protesters have pour out in both Cario and Alexandria, the two major cities in Egypt. In Cario,the protesters took over Tharir Square which is on the banks of the Nile. The square is approximately 480,000 sq ft,so if the protesters pack themselves in like sardines,the square could hold 250,000 people.Now let us say that another 200,000 people came out in Alexandria in protest, and 100,000 came out in the smaller towns and villages,that means around 550,000 people have been calling for Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak to leave office.Considering that the total population of Egypt is about 89 million people,that means 1/2 of 1% of the population is protesting the government.Now there is an old saying that the squeaky wheel gets the grease.Well that's the same thing with protests.If hundreds of thousands of people begin to protest at the same time and for a extended period the government will start discussions with them.The reason is simple,worldwide coverage puts enormous pressure on the government to show that they hear and understand the complaints of the people.There is one exception to this,that's if the government is a religious theocracy. A religious theocracy believes they are doing God's work,so what the world thinks does not really matter.So to ensure their continued existence they will but down any mass protest,with extreme force and brutality.
Now we have already discussed how democracy could be highjacked by extremist elements, so the crossroads Egypt has arrived at is this. One path leads to freedom for all including minorities,the other to repression of individual liberities.Which path will Egypt take,well the signs point to freedom for all. The first sign is that the Egyptian Army is not siding with the Muslim Brotherhood and are doing all they can to keep the pro-government and anti-government forces apart.The other encouraging sign is what happened in Tharir square on Friday and Sunday.On friday which is a day when all muslim's go to mosques or pray facing Mecca the Christian minority among the protesters guarded all the entrances to the square to prevent pro-government forces from attacking their Muslim brothers in the square.Then on Sunday when the Christians held their religious services,the Muslim protesters did the same for them.If both the Christian and Muslim protesters are able to watch out for each other,then freedom is very likely.
One of the most encouraging signs is that the newly appointed vice president has been holding talks with the protesters to find ways to defuse the situation,and allow Egypt to go back to being a peaceful country.Whether or not that President Hosni Murbarak stays in office or what types of concessions the government will have to make to satisify the protesters is anybody's guess.That a compromise will happen is almost a given since the protest has lasted so long.Whether it will happen today or next week, I can't say,but I have my opinion, but the question is what do you believe? Freedom or oppression that's the question facing Egypt now.
I hope that the actions of the two religious groups in Tharir Square is the true face of the future of Egypt. Historically, though, accords reached when facing a mutual enemy rarely last beyond the end of the joint threat - think USSR and various communist groups working alongside the USA during the second world war. It seems to be true that, for both groups and individuals, the differences in outlook are reduced when facing external stress (tornado, war, etc.) and magnified when facing internal stress (grief, financial difficulties, exhaustion). This is shown in the way racial and sexual polarity is exaggerated during economic downturns and the way divorce often follows family trauma.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great observation about life.It gives me more to think about.
ReplyDeleteThanks Richard.
ReplyDeleteFor a further example of my thinking, consider Zimbabwe, Bosnia and even the current divisions in Iraq between the Sunni, Shia and the Kurds.
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