The Arab rebellion spreads (2)
The uprising in Egypt continues to escalate.
A rebel leaflet circulating in Cairo offers guidelines for confronting the regime; I note that it is illustrated with a drawing of a woman with uncovered hair, suggesting it was not produced by Islamist hard-liners (the Arabic writing on it, visible here, says "The people and the police, together against oppression -- long live Egypt"). Nobel-Prize-winning Egyptian dissident Mohamed ElBaradei says the regime is on its last legs. He has been detained after taking part in a protest. Live updates here.
With 80 million people, Egypt is by far the largest Arabic-speaking country; whatever eventually happens there, for better or worse, will have repercussions from the Gulf to the Maghrib.
Update: The rebels control part of Alexandria, Egypt's second- largest city; the ruling party's headquarters in Cairo is reported to be on fire.
A rebel leaflet circulating in Cairo offers guidelines for confronting the regime; I note that it is illustrated with a drawing of a woman with uncovered hair, suggesting it was not produced by Islamist hard-liners (the Arabic writing on it, visible here, says "The people and the police, together against oppression -- long live Egypt"). Nobel-Prize-winning Egyptian dissident Mohamed ElBaradei says the regime is on its last legs. He has been detained after taking part in a protest. Live updates here.
With 80 million people, Egypt is by far the largest Arabic-speaking country; whatever eventually happens there, for better or worse, will have repercussions from the Gulf to the Maghrib.
Update: The rebels control part of Alexandria, Egypt's second- largest city; the ruling party's headquarters in Cairo is reported to be on fire.
posted by Infidel753 at 5:33 AM
5 Comments:
My hopes are with them, maybe they can give us some lessons on how to deal with a corrupt regime.
It must be frightening for the Egyptian people. So often a rebellion leads to brutal leaders taking over. I hope this will work for the good of the Egyptian people. For now we can only look on and wonder how it will impact the region and us.
Two good posts.
It strikes me that in such an enduring civilization, civility might prevail when change comes. I don’t see Egyptians embracing fanaticism.
I agree with your statement: “One can hope that a majority of Arabs are as tired of religious fanatics as they are of their aging tyrants.”
I had just read the following in CNN.com’s overall report:
“The army wasn't the only side exercising restraint.
“The Muslim Brotherhood sent its followers onto the streets after Friday prayers, the first time Egypt's large and venerable -- but illegal -- Islamic opposition called for protest during this round of demonstrations.
“And when younger Muslim Brotherhood protesters seemed ready to hurl rocks at the police in Alexandria, Egypt's second-largest city, older men put their arms around their shoulders, calming them down.”
Link to quote:
http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/01/28/egypt.color/index.html?hpt=T1
BJ
The ramifications of the Egyptian uprising for the rest of the Arab nations cannot be under-estimated. We just have to hope like hell that the end results will be a better world for these people.
I've heard that over half the population is under 30 and that over half are poor. The latter statistic is startling.
I'm afraid that people who are always bitching about conditions in this country don't have a clue what real honest-to-god repression is.
I've been to Egypt. The poverty is stunning. Most Americans' idea of a poor country is Mexico, but that doesn't even come close.
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