Human Interest

Safvan Patel

ENGL-1102 VVV

Karen Morris

23 February 2011

The Egyptian Revolution: Thirty Years in the Making

Egypt was consumed by civilian riots following the revolt in Tunisia; Zine El Abedine Ben Ali, the ruler of Tunisia, controlled power for over twenty years. The people had suffered corruption and cronyism and were tired of dealing with unemployment. They protested, violently and successfully. This was the first time in over fifty years where an Arabian country’s autocracy was successfully overthrown. Arab leaders have had the tendency to maintain control over their respective countries; traditionally, in countries such as Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan a revolution would have been thought of as inconceivable—that is, until now.

Events in Tunisia should—and did—motivate the Muslim world; the people demanded justice and when it was denied, they took it. It should serve as a beacon of hope for those who face turmoil day after day. These people live with injustices and do so gladly—they know no other way of life. They’ve been mind washed into complacency; these revolutions serve as a reminder that there is another kind of life out there—all you have to do is know enough to ask for it.

Hosni Mubarak, former Egyptian president, held onto power for over twenty years. This becomes much more important when you realize that Egypt is a republic—not a dictatorship—at least in name. They hold the façade of a republic and go through the motions; there was no due process.

They were fed up. They were sick and tired, just as we would be, and Tunisia was the catalyst. People so similar to ourselves were dealing with things we couldn’t imagine. The median for this revolution is much more significant than the premise behind it; protests were rallied through social media networks and text messages. It was the youth of Egypt—a group that we can truly identify with—fighting against tyranny and corruption while we sit in such leisure without a worry in the world.

The youth utilized Facebook—the most popular online social network in the world (McGee) and created a group to pay homage to the Khaled Saeed (“We Are All Khaled Saeed”).

Twenty-eight year old Khaled Saeed was allegedly in possession of incriminating video evidence; the kind of evidence that implicated the Egyptian police department in a drug deal. He was taken aside, brought into a warehouse for interrogation. He did not make it out alive. He was beaten and tortured to death.

Lines were quickly drawn between the conditions in Tunisia and those that existed in Egypt. The brutality of law enforcement forced people to question Egypt’s perpetual state of emergency—one that had been enacted for over thirty years (Williams). Enforcement officials had the ability to violate personal rights, imprison any political opposition, and do so without requiring any probable cause.

            The protests began as a series of peaceful demonstrations prompting justice; the regime took the position they had taken in the past: they were defensive. They tried their best to soothe the unrest; then, they began to panic.

            The regime shut down of almost 90% of the country’s internet access points (Ackerman). It’s a violation in every sense of the word; how can the people trust the government when the government is just so afraid of contention. The idea that restricting the people would somehow calm them is so naïve and senseless; it’s as if the regime thought of their people as simple sheep who would accept the internet blackout as a sort of punishment—a sort of time-out for the tantrum they had thrown.

            Violence only leads to more violence. As the government became more and more offensive, the people responded; the protests began to swell into riots and those were met with—not only government, but civilian—apprehension. Pro-government supporters clashed in a style similar to civil war. Among the violence: buses trying to run their fellow countrymen down in the streets; men dragged out of cars and beaten in public ("Violence in Egypt clashes").Young men and women threw their lives away—some for the sake of their leaders and others for their right to choose them—in such a senseless fashion.

            Justice in Tunisia inspired freedom in Egypt; it leads one to wonder, who might the Egyptians inspire? These events are monumental and serve as a symbol; there is potential for change within all of us. If the world took a page from the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt, we would all live with much more courage; it was nothing less than inspiring. The bravery required to fight

            Mubarak stepped down; after eighteen days of protesting, thirty years of injustice began to unwind. Until elections are held, the military is in control of the country (Kirckpatrick). Slowly, things will return to the normal—an idea so foreign and forgotten to those who fought for it. This will be the defining moment of their lifetimes. This will be their “Great War.” This will be their “V-E Day.” They’ll remember exactly what they did and where they were when history was made; this will be the turning point—the climax of their struggle—and from this point on, they’ll finally be able to rest.

The momentum of the movement was all so grand. It shows the power that technology and networking has; protests were organized all around the world in response. The Egyptian revolution has done more than give a group of people a chance at justice; it set up a precedent. With as far as it has come, social networking will be a serious tool for organization in the future; grassroots political movements will be much easier to orchestrate. If the people can light the fire, there’s enough gasoline to keep it lit. These modern day revolutions should remind us that change is more than a dream. With the system we’ve built, it’s right at our fingertips: all we have to do is want it bad enough to reach for it.

Works Cited

Williams, Daniel. "Egypt Extends 25-Year-Old Emergency Law." The Washington Post. N.p., 01 May 2006. Web. 23 Feb 2011.

McGee, Matt. "Facebook: Most Popular Search Term & Most Visited Website in 2010, Hitwise Says." Search Engine Land. N.p., 29 Dec 2010. Web. 23 Feb 2011 

Kirkpatrick, David. "Egypt Erupts in Jubilation as Mubarak Steps Down." The New York Times. N.p., 11 Feb 2011. Web. 23 Feb 2011.

Ackerman, Spencer. "Egypt’s Internet Shutdown Can’t Stop Mass Protests." Wired. N.p., 28 Jan 2011. Web. 23 Feb 2011.

"Violence in Egypt clashes." YouTube. Web. 23 Feb 2011.

"Police killing sparks Egypt protest - Middle East - Al Jazeera English ." Al Jazeera English . N.p., 14 June 2010.  Web. 3 Mar. 2011.
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Human Interest Reflection
After reading the first draft of my human interest essay, I noticed that my paper had a distinct lack of emotional appeal. I had intended to try and develop a connection between the reader and the Egyptian public. I wanted the reader to empathize with the helplessness and betrayal they felt. 

After the peer review, it became clearer to me that I definitely need to provide more emotional appeals. 
It was honestly difficult to find an appropriate topic; I settled on the struggle in Egypt. It was a current issue that seemed hard to grasp for the general public. I wanted to make it more approachable. 

The human interest piece was definitely easier than the compare and contrast essay. This topic was more interesting but the emotional appeal was more difficult to handle.