A Nation Divided - Egyptian Exodus

To all who witnessed the speech of Mubarak two days ago, it was nothing short of a piece of literary genius.

And nothing more than a con that the Egyptian populace fell for; hook, line and sinker.

He expertly manipulated his tonality, his facial expression, to instigate the sense of pride in all Egyptians. All those who remember his once-upon-a-time heroic deeds as a pilot in the Egyptian AirForce. All those that wish to believe deep down, that he always had the country's best interest at heart, and since the people are a part of the country, they were automatically included.


He was successful at jerking the heart of millions, by stating that he will not leave Egypt, as he will one day be buried in its soil.

That statement alone made tears flow freely, and a part of the anti-government crowd to outwardly praise him for his bravery, his patriotism, his Egyptian-ism.


He agreed to amend the constitution, under what statutes I am not sure, but I know people were protesting for 3 changes, he only approved 2. He said, verbatim, I had no intention of running for another term.


The peoples demands were simple; They wanted free and fair elections, the right to elect leaders from other parties not just the National Democratic Party, the oversight of the election by a foreign body (much like Sudan) to ensure fair elections, and an abolishment to the Martial Law imposed since Mubarak came to power.


That last point was not addressed, as the primary benefactor is Israel.


They want assurance that the Heir-Apparent to the throne will not be Gamal, the fortunate son of the regime. All elections ever held in Egypt were tainted by the NDPs thugs and cronies. Egypt has NEVER had free and fair elections under Mubaraks regime.



Had he kept it at that, I have no doubt in my mind that the people would have dispersed. They already have. They claim that they lived under his regime for 30 years, what is another 6 months till the elections? Let him have his parade, let him get his "indemnity", let him leave in a blaze of glory, as opposed to a reign of hell-fire and brimstone.


Yesterday however, was a day of tragedy. And the hollow words of his infamous speech were no more than the three caws of the crow.


You will remember that the anti-mubarak crowd were primarily attacked brutally and forcibly by the Riot Police. Then the "thugs" came out when the riot police pulled out, striking fear and terror in the hearts of the populace.


(for those that watched the news and gazed upon the glazed expressions over the faces of the thugs, it is a common tactic of all criminals in Egypt to get "stoned" prior to police interrogation, as they will be mercilessly beaten)

The Army intervened. They rounded up the thugs. They lived as one with the anti-mubarak crowd in Tahrir square, they were a nation united. The army must remain neutral at all times, protecting the people. Please bear this in mind for the coming analysis.

You will recall that the anti-mubarak crowd, after having been left high and dry by the police elements, took the law into their own hands. It was not vigilante justice, it was community justice. Ordinary people like you, and me, took the time out of their lives to organise traffic, to clean up the streets, to distribute food, to help make signs, to inspect all protesters for hidden weapons, to check their IDs to root out the hidden elements of the establishment (the wolves in sheeps clothing). It was a protest attended by the Azhar Scholars, who took people in prayer on a daily basis, conspicuous by their absence were the Coptic Scholars, who just a few weeks ago were out in full force demanding security and condemning the nation for the vile attacks on them during December; where were they now? Also, please note this point for further analysis later.


It was a family oriented protest, a respectful one after the removal of what? The Mubarak-al elements. There were no police officers, no riot police, no secret police, and yet, the people persevered. There were mothers with their daughters, grandparents with their grandchildren, families out in full force, the love and respect in the air were ambient. On that day, I was proud to be Egyptian.


Mubarak came out for the first time and agreed after 30 years to appoint a vice-president. The people were unimpressed, they wanted a unilateral abdication from him. Again, he spoke at the people instead of to the people.


His second speech, which we highlighted above, gave further concessions. Again, the people were unimpressed, but he triggered the emotional sides of all who listened (except me, I saw right through it from the start).


Then came the day of reckoning. Yesterday.


The peaceful, family oriented protest was voraciously and fervently attacked, by MOUNTED THUGS on camel and horse back, the pro-mubarak supporters, and guess what? On TV, when they showed the pro-mubaraks, I counted several crosses in the protest signs, and a priest out in full garb. A nation divided.


They mercilessly threw any all projectiles they could get their hands on; rocks, bricks, even molotov cocktails, at the peaceful demonstrators, instigating a response in kind.


The Army is powerless to intervene, as now both sides have started attacking each other, and the Army cannot raise their weapons on civilians.


Many of the respectable News Media around the world have proclaimed that the pro-mubarak demonstrators were paid thugs from far off districts, the low-brow community who would slit their own mothers throat for a paycheck. In turbulent times of no liquid cash, they were offered money to brandish weapons and chase after the anti-mubarak crowd. Cash and Violence, a violent mix.


At that point in time, national pride was tossed aside, and they attacked.


Egypt is a big country. There were plenty of other areas in Cairo that the pro-mubarak regime could have occupied, they chose a full scale assault, why? Because Tahrir square is now a beacon for all who dream of freedom (Tahrir = Liberation in arabic).


Some say Mubarak is not behind this; what kind of monster would pay thugs to wreak havoc upon the protesters? I say, even if he is not behind it, he is to blame, as a word from him would set his "radicals" straight. However, he only chooses to come out of his shell when it pleases him, completely oblivious to the fact that the mighty nation of Egypt has come to a standstill, where day-laborers are without wages, where food prices are sky-rocketing during the curfew he has yet to rescind, where the economy has been hit in more ways than any can imagine; Moody's has downgraded government bonds in Egypt, making them worth less and making it more difficult to get loans in the country, the stock market has crashed, losses are rising exponentially.



And yet, he stands and watches, waiting for what, only he knows and only time will tell.


I cannot fathom how the protest of lions, has turned into the submission of sheep, who seek to suckle on the teat of the regime, oblivious to the fact that Mubarak is not superman, he cannot undo what has been done, as he is the root cause of it all. His persistence to stay in power is for his own benefit, it is his easiest option; walking away would be hard, for he shall forever be shunned by the international community, and remembered in the same annals of time that are used to keep the likes of Saddam Hussein, Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin and Qaddafi.


A wise person said, Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, yet expecting different results. If reform was never achieved in 30 years, what on earth makes anyone believe that anything useful will come out of allowing him to remain in power for another 6 months, and leave on his own terms? Wouldnt it be more viable to have a fresh start, to hasten the process of rebuilding, reforming and reshaping this once great economy to its former glory?

Apparently, Egypt is plagued by fighting ghosts and specters. The anti-mubarak crowd believe that all instigators are undercover agents with orders to incite riots amongst the people.


the pro-mubarak crowd claim that there are foreign elements instigating the people, with a nefarious purpose of bringing Egypt under USA or Israeli rule.



All I know is, I am Egyptian, I am 24 years old, I have watched my country fall further from grace with every time I visit, I have had enough, the people have been stripped of their dignity and they go on living with the hope that tomorrow might be a brighter day.


There must come a sacrifice, for the good of the country, if Mubarak is the saint all his supporters make him out to be, he will fall on his sword, do the honorable thing, resign and restore order. He has already said he will not stand for re-election, what more does he want? How many more people is he willing to sacrifice to cling to the presidency?

I am pro-change.


And now to end with a joke:

I look at Mubarak, and all I feel is disdain. The 82-year old with Jet-Black hair, who on earth is he kidding? Hugh Heffner, The Playboy Grand-daddy, is also an octogenarian, with grey/white hair and a 20-something year old wife (just married btw). I do not know how many women The Heff has invited made love to, but I am sure he has been thoroughly outdone by the Octogenarian who screwed 80+million people, simultaneously I might add.