Voices of Change: Egypt's Revolution 2011

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VOICES OF CHANGE T H E   E G Y P T I A N   R E V O L U T I O N   2 0 1 1  

B y   P h i l   J o h n s o n ,   P h . D .  

The Egypt-based interns of Global Next Leadership Institute talk about Egypt’s protests and revolution. These interns are an extraordinary group of people and are part of the future of Egypt. This article is

dedicated to their words and their thoughts and to the memory of those who gave their lives for something bigger than themselves.

Timeline

Jan 25 Inspired by recent events in Tunisia, Egypt hosts its “Day of Rage.” Protests against government corruption begin.

Jan 27 Nobel Peace Laureate, Mohamed ElBaradei, former head of the IAEA, returns to Egypt and calls for Mubarak to resign immediately.

Jan 28 Largest anti-government protest yet called, “Friday of Anger.” Government shuts down cell phones and Internet to disrupt communication.

Jan 29 Mubarak appoints Omar Suleiman as vice-president. Says he understands protestors’ demands. No one is buying it.

“I hope that people will change themselves and help change others around them so that we can have peace and progress.” - Amr Ali (24)

The voices of a new generation

The world now knows that everything in Egypt has changed. The seemingly impossible has been achieved and Hosni Mubarak, the man who ruled Egypt for thirty years, seemingly as immovable as the Sphinx, has been deposed by the demand of the people. Egyptians are now looking into the future with new eyes and new hopes. People who have never known an Egypt without Mubarak have made this historic moment possible. University students and young adults who were born into a Mubarak-world are the ones who first fueled the protests because they knew that the status quo wasn’t feeding the hungry, providing jobs or offering the freedom necessary for meaningful lives.

So, it seemed to Global Next that it would be a good idea to hear from some of the members of our internship program in Cairo about the extraordinary events that took place just forty-eight hours ago and that changed the course of history. Here’s what they had to say about events that shook the world and that, in the end, surprised many Egyptians themselves when their president finally yielded to pressure and stepped down from his office. And while all of the young people interviewed for this article support freedom of speech, freedom of information and the freedom to live purposeful lives, they share a wide variety of viewpoint regarding the events that took place between January 25 and February 11, 2011.

What was your reaction to the protests that began on January 25th? Egypt’s protests began on January 25th, encouraged by Tunisia’s recent revolution that ousted their president, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who had been in power for twenty-three years. Aya Elboriny, (21) a student at the Germany University in Cairo, says that when she first received information regarding the planned protests via Facebook she was nothing short of skeptical. “I wasn’t skeptical about the protests taking place, I was skeptical about the outcome of what these protests would bring –about the possibility to really bring about a revolution.”

“March of Millions” 500,000 protesters march and demand Mubarak resign. He says he’ll step down – eventually and won’t seek reelection. Protesters are defiant.

Feb 1

Violence erupts as pro-government forces decide to be heard – some attacking from horses and camels in Tahrir Square. World watches in horror.

Feb 2

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Mohamad Ragaie (23) is a recent graduate of Ain Shams University and is currently employed by Teleperformance. He indicates that when the protests began, he didn’t think they would amount to much - he’d seen small attempts before. But as the hours went by and he saw how the protesters stuck together, he realized that this was something different – different than what Egyptians had done before.

Mohamed Amr Lotfy (22), also a student at the Germany University says that he “always believed that one day, the Egyptians would wake up from their slumber and realize that they had rights that God had given them and they should try to claim them.” He says that he knew that this day would come but he just didn’t know when it would happen.

Did you participate in the protests? Why or why not? Not everyone of this remarkable generation saw eye-to-eye on the best way to bring about change in Egypt. Ayman Ghanem (22) an engineering student at Ain Shams University says, “Yes, of course I participated because I want to see the changes I want in my country.” Ahmed “Ousha” Atef (24) says, “At first I was just watching and trying to help those who protested, but then I participated because I think that we had enough of Mubarak, he needed to go.”

On the other hand, Mohammed Ali (22) a student of engineering at Ain Shams University said that he protested for one day only. He got to the point where he wanted to see what was happening for himself so he went to Tahrir Square. He didn’t want to be manipulated by the media; he wanted to be an eyewitness to history. He indicates that he supported everything the protesters wanted with the exception of the immediate removal of President Mubarak. He felt that the promised transition into democracy would be smoother if Mubarak remained in office. Mohammed’s brother, Amr Ali (24) echoes this outlook. He expressed deep frustration with Mubarak’s government but also frustration with the protesters when they refused to accept the concessions of the government and began to turn the protests from demands for freedom and reform to a personal vendetta against Mubarak. But Amr concedes, “I admire the youth who look for their freedom and who want equality even if I disagree with their method. I think that if you truly want to change a nation, people have to change themselves first before changing other things. And we have a lot of work to do on ourselves.”

“What  touched  me  deeply  is  that  in  Tahrir  Square  while  Muslims  were  praying,  Christians  protected  them  and  made  a  circle  of  defense  around  them...and  the  Muslims  did  the  same  

for  the  Christians.  That  is  the  real  Egypt  that  we  were  searching  for.”  –Islam  Mohamed  (22)    

Timeline Feb 6-8 Suleiman meets with

opposition groups – including the Muslim Brotherhood. Promises are made; transition plans are announced. But President Mubarak will not step down.

Feb 10 Mubarak offers a confusing speech transferring power to vice-president Suleiman but still won’t step down.

Angered and disappointed by Mubarak’s speech, protests escalate. Protestors move to the state TV station and the presidential palace.

After 6:00 pm Cairo time, vice-president Omar Suleiman announced that the president had resigned and the army was taking control of the country.

Mubarak’s resignation was followed by nation-wide celebrations.

Feb 11

“Being    in  my  twenties,  I  didn't  witness  the  changing  of  our  president  before  and  to  be  honest  I  feel  confused...  I  mean  I  

don't  know  how  I  should  feel  toward  such  an  event!!!”                            –  Peter  Rezkallah  (22)    

“I don’t believe that change can be created effectively through violence. I participated in the revolution by protecting my family and neighborhood from criminals and gangs when the chaos erupted.”

– Mohamad Ragaie (23)

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“We have to understand who we are now and what we are capable of. We shall never fall to oppression again…”

-Mohamed Amr Lotfy (22)

“I am only 21 years old and I have lived through 9/11, the War in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Israeli-Palestinian conflicts and now Egypt’s revolution. I don’t know how much more I will see, but I know that I will never be more proud of a person, of an

Egyptian as I am right now” –Aya Elbordiny (21)

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Did you worry – on any level – that the protests had gone too far and could have caused more harm than good? Even those students who were very committed to active protesting had some concerns about the possible unintended consequences of their actions. Marina Mina (21) a student at MSA University says, “Yes, I actually think people should have accepted Mubarak’s second speech…in the long run I was concerned that the prolonged protests would cause people to run out of daily supplies like medicine. Safety, as well, was not guaranteed during this time. Yes, safety is in the hands of God, but I am always fearing what may happen to people I know.”

Mohamad Ragaie echoes this statement in saying, “After Mubarak’s second speech, I believe people should have waited to see. The army gave a speech to guarantee what Mubarak said, and the government now knows the power of the people so they will act more carefully.”

Mohamed Amr Lotfy indicated that he was worried about the unintended negative consequences of the prolonged protests because he envisioned several potential scenarios including threats of violence from the army to the protesters, which could have weaken their will to continue the protests, to actual violent conflict between the army and the protesters to the unlikely but possible scenario of the army turning against the government creating a massive war.

How big of a role did the Muslim Brotherhood play in the protest and will they have a significant role in Egypt’s future? The Muslim Brotherhood is the world’s oldest and largest Islamic political group. Hassan al-Banna founded the Muslim Brotherhood in March 1928. It began as a religious, political, and social movement with the credo, “Allah is our objective; the Quran is our constitution, the Prophet is our leader; Jihad is our way; and death for the sake of Allah is the highest of our aspirations.” It is a group that has been banned by Mubarak’s government and a

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group that causes Westerners a fair amount of concern should they become a dominant force in Egyptian politics. On this issue, Global Next’s interns were rather united in their responses. Ayman Ghanem stated that the Muslim Brotherhood would not play a vital role in Egypt’s future. He says, “No, this time it was the voice of the people.” Ahmed “Ousha” Atef believes that the Muslim Brotherhood has significant influence in the country, but they will not have a substantial impact on Egypt’s future. Ousha asserts, “They just want their voices to be heard, but I do not think they will take rule of Egypt.” Marina Mina hopes that the Brotherhood won’t have a hand in Egypt’s future. She believes that this revolution was the work of the youth of Egypt. Here are her words: “I believe that the Muslim Brotherhood were not a vital part of the planning but were definitely a part of the revolution. Currently, I think they are not a significant influence but they have the potential to influence people and that is what I fear the most.” (*See recent Pew Report on Egyptian attitudes towards democracy, freedom and human rights at the end of this article.)

What was your reaction to Mubarak’s speech on February 10th? Reactions to Mubarak’s February 10th speech are much more varied. Amr Ali states, “I think that he (Mubarak) was doing his best to satisfy the Egyptians.” Ayman Ghanem simply says, “I was depressed.” Mohamad Ragaie says that he thinks, “Mubarak almost covered all the requests of the protesters except stepping down himself.” Mohamed Amr Lotfy believes that the speech was meant to confuse people to create division and conflict between the people of Egypt. Aya Elbordiny feels that the media built up a lot of commotion and gave people false expectations about Mubarak resigning. For herself, she never expected Mubarak to step down. “However,” Aya states, “This didn’t take away from my repulsion to the fact that after all that was done, he still insisted on staying.”

"My favorite memory of Egypt's revolution is a nation gathered under one flag, with the hope for change." (Hossam Atef, 22)

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What are your greatest hopes and fears for the future of your country? It is hard to overstate the importance and significance of

Egypt’s revolution. Begun by the youth, joined by the masses and completed by a military take over, it is still important to

remember that the road to democracy has just begun. And my guess is that it will be more of a marathon than a sprint. The military has essentially been in charge of Egypt for 60 years. And while the military is greatly admired by most Egyptians, it is prudent to remember that the leadership of the armed forces in Egypt have benefited greatly from Mubarak’s regime. Power is difficult to give up. As of today, February 13th, the military has suspended the constitution and stated that they will stay in charge for six months or longer until democratic elections can be arranged. They are refusing to meet the demands of protesters who want a swift transfer to democratic power. Here’s what Global Next’s interns said about their hopes and fears: Mohammed Ali says that his concern is that Egypt could develop a “protest culture” with a mentality that resists each new president. But his hope is that Egypt becomes “the best country in the world politically, economically and scientifically.” Mohamad Ragaie states a concern for external attacks but believes that Egypt will “stand up and rise again and be better than before.” Ayman Ghanem declares that he has no fears at all and is confident of Egypt’s future. But, he says, “We need some time to develop ourselves more and more.” Mohamed Amr Lotfy says his biggest fear is that people will forget the struggle, pain and sacrifice it took to achieve what they have achieved and that people will, “fall into a state of sleep walking again, a state of going through your life in an empty and shallow way of living.” But Mohamed is confident in the potential of his country’s people and asks every Egyptian to “serve without limitations his or her country and his or her land to help bring what we hold with the utmost pride, Egypt, to supreme glory.” Finally, Mark Salama (22) a graduate of Ain Shams reminds us, “I can see now a NEW Egypt…I cannot deny God’s hands and His presence and His wonderful plan for everyone and His peace that has been with all of us in the last 20 days. He has protected our homes, provided us with food, allowed us to support each other and give support to each other in Tahrir Square. Please, don’t forget that.” The future is bright, but there are still concerns. And wise observers of revolutions will remember that it took nearly 20 years for Turkey’s strong military-influenced government to cede into the background. As my friend Moataz Kotb said shortly after the revolution was completed, “Less talk, more work.” It’s time to get busy building a nation on the principles of freedom, human rights and purpose.

Lighter Moments

“In the end you need to leave quickly so that I can get my hair

cut”

“Just leave so I can take a shower!”

“Just leave! My hand is hurting from holding this sign!”

-Submitted by Mina “Ostrich” Atef (21)

Egyptians rarely lose their sense of humor – even when

overthrowing a 30-years old government.

“People now know that their voices are heard and they will never be stuck with something they don’t want. This is a great opportunity for Egypt and for Egyptians to develop and experience this range of democracy and freedom that was never a part of their past.” – Marina Mina (21)

EG YP T I AN   V I EWS  ON  D EMOCRACY   AND  HUMAN   R I GH T S   “When the Pew Research Center surveyed the Arab world in April 2010, it found that Egyptians have views that would strike the modern Western eye as extreme. Pew found that 82% of Egyptians support stoning as a punishment for adultery, 84% favor the death penalty for Muslims who leave the religion, and in the struggle between "modernizers" and "fundamentalists," 59% identify with fundamentalists. That's enough to make one worry about the rise of an Iranian-style regime. Except that this is not all the Pew surveys show. A 2007 poll found that 90% of Egyptians support freedom of religion, 88% an impartial judiciary and 80% free speech; 75% are opposed to censorship, and, according to the 2010 report, a large majority believes that democracy is preferable to any other kind of government.”

“How Democracy Can Work in the Middle East,” (Zakaria, Fareed, Time, February 3, 2011)

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Global  Next  Leadership  Institute  

Global Next Research Group and Leadership Institute tracks leadership, cultural and global trends and uses this information in its international conferences throughout the US, Europe and the Middle East. Global Next currently has eighteen interns working in Cairo, Egypt.

You can learn more about Global Next by visiting our website: www.globalnext.org or emailing: [email protected]

Dr. Phil Johnson is the president and founder of Global Next. His passion is to

help people understand the world in context and experience lives that scrape against the

bottom of eternity.