Dear friends: I write to you today from a very different Egypt to the one I have experienced for the past 30 years. After 19 days in Tahrir Square, we managed to save our beloved country from the brutal dictator who just wouldn't let go, even when millions called upon him to. Finally, Mubarak has stepped down.
I wanted to thank you all for your supportive comments and also answer some of your questions from my previous post. In the process, I will shed some light on why the people revolted now, and why I believe this was an Internet revolution.
Let me first clarify that when I say that, I don't mean that the Internet was the only factor involved, nor do I mean that Internet users were the only ones protesting. Rather, I'm speaking of the main catalyst which I believe inspired this revolution.
We have been living in tyranny under the Mubarak regime for 30 long years. During that time, this great nation of 82 million people suffered a lot of setbacks on almost all fronts. A third of our country is illiterate, and unless the "educated" go to a private school all the way, they're getting a paper certificate but not much education. 40 percent of Egyptians live below the poverty line. Many suffer the lack of good health services, even clean water, at times.
We’ve lived with that for 30 years, and only in the past five years or so have we started speaking up -- murmuring at first, until millions screamed in Tahrir Square. And I’m arguing that what brought the voices out was the presence of the Internet and, in particular, social networks.
This was not a revolution affected or pushed by a foreign influence. This was not a revolution carried out by Islamic fundamentalists. (By the way, 90 percent of Egyptians, including myself, are Muslims. Most are moderate, and many are secular. We’re perfectly peaceful, perfectly non-violent, and we don’t bite!)
For years, when dealing with the outside world, the Mubarak regime used a marketing ploy that led people, including many Egyptians, to believe that the choice was either Mubarak or Al Qaeda-style, fundamentalist Islamic rule. In one of his last hideous speeches, he said, to ABC’s Christiane Amanpour, something along the lines of “It’s either me, or chaos.”
Not true!
The youth who organized on social networks, notably Facebook, to save their country from a dictator’s regime will once again take charge and rebuild their country. And in just the way they were joined by those from all walks of life in Tahrir Square, they will be joined by those from all walks of life in rebuilding their country. They planned the revolution on Facebook, and they're planning the rebuilding on Facebook as we speak.
There is now a healthy plethora of pages and groups on Facebook dedicated to discussing how to rebuild the country, and how to move forward. We're already seeing individual initiatives (joined by thousands, even tens of thousands, of people) to eradicate illiteracy, rebuild the economy, and revamp education.
You might wonder, "How can some people on Facebook, even if they're in their thousands, revamp education?" Well, just remember what happened when millions worldwide wondered, "How can some people on Facebook overthrow a 30-year-old dictatorship?" The beauty of this revolution is that it taught us Egyptians that WE CAN!
And we will!
Thank you all, again, for your support. Long live Egypt!
— Rasha A. Abdulla is an author, lecturer, and consultant, as well as chair of the Journalism and Mass Communication department at the American University in Cairo.
I'm looking forward for an opportunity to visit your wonderful country and learn more about the Egyptian culture.
My friend Birgit (also a blogger in Enterprise Efficiency) wrote an article for our blog when the uprising started, I’d like to know your opinion about it.
My best wishes for a new brighter future for all the Egyptian people.
Thank you for your comment. I absolutely agree. We do recognize that the path to democracy is very long, and that we have many major challenges to address in the near future, including the ones you mentioned.
Toppling Mubarak though was a huge step and called for major celebration. But we do recognize we've only just begun.
I do believe the Egyptian people deserve recognition for the achieving of freedom from “the brutal dictator” Mubarak.
But also believe Egypt has to come back as a civilization of highly educated people, who believe in peace, fights against terrorism and fanaticism, who recognize the right of everyone, especially women, to higher education, and respects human rights and coexistence with other cultures.
The path is not clear to me. Until real free elections are held, and a new completely democratic government comes out of the urns I think it is too early to celebrate.
Also the freedom of speech, access to communication tools without government surveillance, is paramount to guarantee freedom in the future.
I come from a country, Spain that endured 40 years of dictatorship. Now the military serve the people, our Defense minister is a civilian woman, and people do not fear the government. I want to see that in all the Middle East.
Thanks for your insight, I look forward to see your next article.
Revolutions are caused by human agency; not telecommunications technologies, scholar argues
"To listen to the hype about social networking websites and the Egyptian revolution, one would think it was Silicon Valley and not the Egyptian people who overthrew Mubarak"
Thanks for the response. I am sure we all admire the courageous folks who used social media to get the word out, in spite of the risks. But lets not forget the contribution of the FB only because it had no risk to take. FB is just a theme, a theme which is revolutionising the way the world is evolving. Let me draw your attention to 2009 nobel peace prize. I am pasting a paragraph from nobelprize.org
The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009 is to be awarded to President Barack Obama for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.
Key words to watchout for in the above paragraphs are "strengthen international diplomacy" and "cooperation between peoples." . I am sure you will agree social networking sites are doing the same not at the diplomatic level but at the grass root level.
I felt perpplexed that people are rushing to nomiante the Egyotian people for the Nobel Peace Prize. I know the Nobele Peace has lost its aura and persoanlly my regard for it took a nosedive two years ago when it was given to Obama simply on the basis of intentions rather than on accomplishments.
I personally believe that giving the Nobel Peace to the Egyptian people would mark the lowest point in the history of this prestigous award. Don't get me wrong , we all applauded at the courage of the protesters in Tahir Square and what they were able to accomplished. But if any group of people deserves the Nobel Peace Prize as a result of the seismic political shift taking place across the Arab world it would have to be the people of Tunisia. I just can't come to terms that the Egypt of the Pharaohs, the Egypt that was at the forefront of ancient civilization was literally in slumber until a country of yesterday provided the political impetus of what we are seeing today. Egypt getting inspiration from Tunisia just shows the extent to which that proud nations of yours has ben reduced to by tye Mubarak reign.
Egypt occupy a strategic place in the Arab World and I would not hesitate to say that as Egypt goes so goes the Arab world. But for well over three decades you've allowed yourself to be plundered, decimated and reduced to a abject improvishment. Why did it take you so long to act will be the question many people would want to know.
We all hope that recent events will mark a new beginning for your country and your people. That a new Egypt will rise up and take its rightful place among the nations and provide the leadership needed to bring about socio-political transformation in the Middle East. Rather than spending time soliciting petitions for awards, it is time you and your people consolidate the gains you've made recently and to ensure that no one group of individuals hijack what the masses have paid for in sweat and blood.
Very true, we have to congratulate the "Egyptian people" who was determined to continue the battle until victory: Mubarak stepped down, but what matters now is how to rebuild the country towards a successful democracy.
" I wanted to thank you all for your supportive comments and also answer some of your questions from my previous post. In the process, I will shed some light on why the people revolted now, and why I believe this was an Internet revolution".
Thanks Dr. Abdulla for reaffirming what I have always advocated that the poltical shift we are witnessing in the Middle East today should rightly be label an "internet revoltuion". What is happening in the Middle East now will not have happen in a pre-internet era. So rather than branding the revoltuion a a Facebook revolution, let's just celebrate the power of the internet to facilitates such sesimic political shifts.
Thank you, Dr. Abdulla, for updating us on your experiences in Egypt. I certainly hope you'll continue to tell us about your country's internet evolution in the weeks, months -- and years -- to come!
I still have a few naive questions about the revolution... given that it was organized by Facebook/Twitter users and that 40% of the population is below the poverty line, this revolution must have been an upper (middle-class?) class revolt? The participants in the protests may have come from all walks of life, but the origins of the overthrow came from literate, internet users who must have "attended private schools all the way" then?
Uprisings in other middle east countries (maybe in Saudi Arabia, even?) could have similar roots in upper/middle-class demographics, as well? I've heard that the wealth distribution in Saudi Arabia makes a revolt there unlikely, but if the revolutions are started by idealistic and well-to-do youths.....
I'd be curious if you have any further commentary on how Egypt's new path might lead other countries to follow suit.
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