This is not an opinion piece insomuch as it is an invitation; an invitation to turn your heads, once more, to Tahrir Square.
We are taking to the streets again because, a year after our "revolution," activists are offered the luxury of choosing between having their eyes plucked out by sniper rifles, being beaten to death, or being stripped naked and knocked unconscious. And for the faint of heart, there is always the option of being thrown in military jail for an undetermined period of time.
All this while our supposedly toppled dictator relishes the comforts of his five-star suite in one of Egypt's top hospitals and is transported to court daily by top-notch helicopter courtesy of underpaid taxpayers; our democratic government features faces from the old regime; and those dying for freedom are labeled thugs and spies, just like in the good ol' Mubarak days.
Government has threatened that those protesting on January 25th will be sprayed with purple water cannons so that we may be "marked." Well, we say what our South African brethren said, back in 1989: "The Purple Shall Rule."
Mubarak's trial lawyer, Mr. Farid El Deeb (whose last name translates to wolf in Arabic), yesterday announced that, for all intents and purposes, Mubarak is still the ruling dictator...er, president, because a) He did not sign a formal resignation and b) It is unconstitutional to oust the president or remove him from his position. Right. As if revolutions ever need to be constitutional.
Sadly, Mr. El Deeb is right. Unfortunately, we, the pro-revolution people of Egypt, have long known this fact: the events that transpired between January 25th, 2011 and February 11th, 2011 were indeed not a revolution. They were an uprising of the people, aborted by the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) and Mubarak who, as his lawyer asserted, did not step down, he just stepped aside.
Article comments
1 - troll
...will do fem4ever and thank you
2 - roger nowosielski
Thanks for reminding us, fem4ever. In no time have the people of Egypt learned their lesson well -- you can't trust any government unless it's the people who rule. You provided the impetus to what's has started as a global revolution. It's going to take a long time to bring justice to this world, but we will be victorious.
3 - Muhammad Aladdin
waited for this revolution for so long. always been a stranger in my own country.
4 - John Lake
Very moving article!
5 - FEM4Ever
Thank you all for your support.
It will apparently take a very long time. It seems plausible that our children will be the ones to carry on the fight :-S