What began as a popular uprising that toppled the Tunisian government before spreading into Algeria, Jordan, Yemen, Sudan and, of course, Egypt, may now be headed for Syria.
I'm interested in hearing about these events from a Muslim perspective.
What is causing these protests?
What do the people seek besides just for the dictators to step down?
Do they seek democracy?
Why has the protests spread so dramatically and so quickly?
What do you think will eventually result out of all this?
I'm interested in hearing about these events from a Muslim perspective.
I can't provide a Muslim or Arabic perspective, being neither; however I have been watching the live feed on Al-Jazeera English for that last few days. They seem to have to fullest coverage with people on the street. They have also has several interviews with Egyptian citizens and other figures in the region periodically.
I don't know how much these protests have to do with religion; I suspect it isn't much based upon what I have heard and read. It seems far more social and political, though the Muslim Brotherhood stands to gain status as a legal political party in Egypt after this and take part in whatever new government forms. (I do not believe Hosni Mubarak will survive these protests with his office intact.) So the new government could be Islamist to some degree or at least contain members of an Islamist party in it, even if they are not a part of a ruling coalition. That could blend religion and politics a bit. Certainly their relations with Western nations who supported Mubarak because he made the treaties they wanted rather than provide a free and open society could end up a fair bit cooler as well as relations with Israel. Egypt has the largest military in region and controls the Suez Canal, whatever happens will be making waves that touch just about every shore.
I'm also not a Muslim, but I'm minoring in Islamic Studies at my university and I've been monitoring the situation on the news.
I'm also attending a class on Islamic Societies, and my teacher, an Egyptian Muslim is very excited about what is happening there -- she's hoping something good will happen (Democracy).
From what I can tell, the uprising in Tunisia was because of several reasons:
Wikipedia: 2010-2011 Tunisian uprising wrote:The 2010–2011 Uprising, or Jasmine Revolution, is a continuing series of street demonstrations taking place throughout Tunisia since December 2010. The demonstrations and riots were reported to have started over unemployment, food inflation, corruption,[3] freedom of speech[4] and poor living conditions. The protests constituted the most dramatic wave of social and political unrest in Tunisia in three decades[5][6] and have resulted in scores of deaths and injuries. The protests were sparked by a self-immolation on December 17[7] and led to the ouster of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali 28 days later on 15 January 2011, when he officially resigned, after fleeing to Saudi Arabia ending 23 years in power.[8][9] The protests inspired similar actions throughout the Arab world, most notably in Algeria, Egypt, Yemen, and Jordan.
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Now the Egyptian uprising was no doubt inspired by the Tunisian one, however, it's for slightly different reasons. People aren't making enough money -- many live on a check from day to day. But the main reason people are uprising is because of their leader, President Hosni Mubarak, who has been in office for 30 years.
The police are hated in Egypt because they are generally cruel and have treated protesters harshly. The military on the other hand is adored, and they have for the most part have not interfered with the protesters.
The funny thing is that the military is loyal to Mubarak, who has kept them well equiped and well fed to try to buy their loyalty.
One of the things that really hurts America in all this is that Mubarak has been our dear ally in the region for a very long time. With his help, we established a peace between his country and Israel.
And our administration has been very careful about what they say. If they say "screw Mubarak, power to the people!" then if the protests fail, we've alienated an ally. But if we ask the protestors to stop and we send help for Mubarak, well we would be betraying our values and angering millions of Egyptians.
Our administration hasn't been vocal enough against Mubarak which had lead some demonstrators to link Mubarak with U.S. -- saying that we support him, and we have, financially for a long time.
However.
This protest is largely about voting rights and democracy. While the Muslim Brotherhood is taking the opportunity to cash in on this protest, many protestors don't want them either.
I was watching Anderson Cooper on CNN interviewing a man. He asked, is this an Islamist uprising, and the Egyptian said (I'm paraphrasing). "NO! this is a people's revolt. This is not a terrorist revolt. We have peace with Israel, we are allies." And Cooper asked him, what if the Muslim Brotherhood takes power? "And he said, We won't let them!"
The Muslim Brotherhood doesn't have enough support, and many people like them just as much as they adore Mubarak.
But it's all coming to a head.
The last time that the U.S. decided to support a friendly dictator (Iran) the Iranian revolution took over and became anti-American and extremely religious. We haven't had diplomatic relations with Iran for years.
So it's pretty clear to me that we should support Democracy and support the Egyptian people.
This is a protest video that was shot by a protester. I think it sums up the will of the Egyptian people quite well.
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justimage wrote:Protesters at Tahrir chanting against Mubarak (big and small), sectarianism and a bunch of other issues in a way that's ... unique to Egypt
Translation via Adam:
"Alaa Mubarak, who demands royalties on every business he commissions, And they say he repented but he's stuffing his face with meat (kebab), Guess It's his daddy's money. Money does what it wants, While people became dirty poor, No to Mubarak No to Sulieman, To hell with tyranny. We want a civil state, Not for sect or religious ideology (x2), Not for sects or for bandits!"
I've heard different theories on what ultimately is causing the revolts. And though it perhaps can't be isolated to a single cause, but like the video indicates, it seems like the most basic reason is economic. No jobs for the masses and corruption of the elite.
otseng wrote:I've heard different theories on what ultimately is causing the revolts. And though it perhaps can't be isolated to a single cause, but like the video indicates, it seems like the most basic reason is economic. No jobs for the masses and corruption of the elite.
In my mind, the vast majority of problems I see in the areas of the Muslim world I totally disapprove of is not a result of religion, although much of the problems are reflected in religious thought. The problems are because of a low level of economics and of education.
“What do you think science is? There is nothing magical about science. It is simply a systematic way for carefully and thoroughly observing nature and using consistent logic to evaluate results. So which part of that exactly do you disagree with? Do you disagree with being thorough? Using careful observation? Being systematic? Or using consistent logic?�
I recently watched Terrorism and BBQ, a comedy from Egypt. It gave a fascinating peek into the issues of the Arab world and presents many of the reasons for the massive revolts we see now across that region. Has anybody else seen this movie?
This is unclear. It is unclear as to whether these protests are genuine grassroots movements of and by the Egyptian people or whether an organization such as the Muslim Brothers Society. The safest prediction to make is that this is a mix of the two, certainly there are genuine elements of these protests but also parts of it may be fueled by external groups.
Do they seek democracy?
This is also unclear. The Egyptian system is, comparatively, the closest system that mirrors some type of "democracy" in the Middle East. Rather then seeking democracy, this movement may instead be a backlash to the prolonged incumbency of Mubarak.
What do you think will eventually result out of all this?
This also is unclear. There is a possibility that this could go the way of Iran and the U.S should intervene and interfere to ensure this possibility does not happen. To those who would accuse me of "meddling" (as Obama has said) Egypt recieves a substantial amount of Foreign Aid from America so we should have some leverging power in the type of government that is installed.
There also seems to be huge backlash in Lybia at the moment. All I can say is that this region of the World needs some healthy public demonstrations, bu tthe threat of these movements being capitalized by Islamic Radicals is a clear and present danger that the U.S should work to prohibit.
