February 14, 2011--18 Days That Shook the World
Ten Days that Shook the World is a book by American journalist John Reed about the October Revolution in Russia in 1917, which Reed with enthusiasm experienced firsthand. Those few days ushered in Russian communism and presaged a worldwide political movement that in a little more than 25 years swept across the world and included, in whole or part, countries in all continents. Even Australia until 1991 had its communist party.
24/7, the 18 days in Egypt we were able to witness ourselves in real time on a variety of cable news channels, especially CNN and if we were luck enough to have it, Al Jeserra in English.
What the future holds, no one knows; but surely this is a world-reshaping event. It is though easy to predict that there will be major implications for every Islamic country, from Morocco to Indonesia. Monarchies will surely wobble if not be overthrown and the many autocracies from Yemen to Syria are in serious trouble. Israel and the Palestinians, like it or not, will have to take notice and hopefully realize that their best chance for real security and prosperity lies in at last making a deal.
The ranters on the political right in this country see all Islamic countries as the same--to them all Muslims look alike and are dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood with Barack Obama aiding and abetting. But they will be surprised to discover that Saudi Arabia is no Egypt, Algeria is no Qatar, and Lebanon and Jordan are not Tunisia, where this ignited. We are likely to witness as many different versions of change as there are Muslim countries.
Barack Obama got it right when he quoted Martin Luther King, "There's something in the soul that cries out for freedom." We will thus soon see different expressions of this aspiration playing out across the globe.
Though it is difficult to predict what will now unfold in Egypt much less anywhere else, fascinating stories are already emerging about what went on behind the scenes at the recent revolution. Who did what to help organize things, what tools were used to mobilize and direct people, and how the various groups and factions worked together, very much including the Egyptian version of the Muslim Brotherhood.
The best early glimpse behind those scenes can be gleaned from the attached article from the New York Times.
Best known of the youthful organizers is Wael Ghonim, the Google executive who was detained, blindfolded for 12 days and then somehow managed to free himself and address those gathered in Tahrir Square with inspiring words. After that he took the lead in mobilizing the protesters, using his skills with Twitter and FaceBook and other social media as only someone of his generation and background could.
There is legitimate concern that the Egyptian version of the Muslim Brotherhood, which is considered to be "moderate" in comparison with its brethren in other countries, has as its agenda the establishment of of an Egyptian government guided by sharia, Islamic law. And though its leadership this past weekend renounced any plans to name a candidate to run for president when election are held this summer, though they have given these reassurances and indicated that they will work with other political parties to bring democracy to Egypt, no one is taking an eye off this most-organized of Egyptian opposition forces.
Having said this, the secular opponents of Mubarak's rule who know the Brotherhood best were eager to work with them during the uprising and have already said they need to play a significant role in whatever government emerges. Thus, during the 18 days of the revolt, all of the 15 or so behind the scenes strategists worked comfortably with the Muslim Brotherhood.
For example, the very secular Sally Moore, a 32-year-old Coptic Christian, leftist, feminist psychiatrist, acknowledges that the MB "always has a hidden agenda, but," adds, "they are very good with organizing, and they are calling for a civil state just like everyone else."
A leader of the Muslim Brotherhood Youth, Islam Lotfi, acknowledges that there are deep cultural and religious divides between the leaders of the revolt, but points to Turkey as an example of how Egypt might become a democratic, non-oxymoronic secular Muslim state.
Asked if he could envision an Egyptian president who is a woman and a Christian, he thought for a brief momenet and said, "If it is a government of institutions, I don't care if the president is a monkey."
Hopeful. But then, we will have to wait and see.
24/7, the 18 days in Egypt we were able to witness ourselves in real time on a variety of cable news channels, especially CNN and if we were luck enough to have it, Al Jeserra in English.
What the future holds, no one knows; but surely this is a world-reshaping event. It is though easy to predict that there will be major implications for every Islamic country, from Morocco to Indonesia. Monarchies will surely wobble if not be overthrown and the many autocracies from Yemen to Syria are in serious trouble. Israel and the Palestinians, like it or not, will have to take notice and hopefully realize that their best chance for real security and prosperity lies in at last making a deal.
The ranters on the political right in this country see all Islamic countries as the same--to them all Muslims look alike and are dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood with Barack Obama aiding and abetting. But they will be surprised to discover that Saudi Arabia is no Egypt, Algeria is no Qatar, and Lebanon and Jordan are not Tunisia, where this ignited. We are likely to witness as many different versions of change as there are Muslim countries.
Barack Obama got it right when he quoted Martin Luther King, "There's something in the soul that cries out for freedom." We will thus soon see different expressions of this aspiration playing out across the globe.
Though it is difficult to predict what will now unfold in Egypt much less anywhere else, fascinating stories are already emerging about what went on behind the scenes at the recent revolution. Who did what to help organize things, what tools were used to mobilize and direct people, and how the various groups and factions worked together, very much including the Egyptian version of the Muslim Brotherhood.
The best early glimpse behind those scenes can be gleaned from the attached article from the New York Times.
Best known of the youthful organizers is Wael Ghonim, the Google executive who was detained, blindfolded for 12 days and then somehow managed to free himself and address those gathered in Tahrir Square with inspiring words. After that he took the lead in mobilizing the protesters, using his skills with Twitter and FaceBook and other social media as only someone of his generation and background could.
There is legitimate concern that the Egyptian version of the Muslim Brotherhood, which is considered to be "moderate" in comparison with its brethren in other countries, has as its agenda the establishment of of an Egyptian government guided by sharia, Islamic law. And though its leadership this past weekend renounced any plans to name a candidate to run for president when election are held this summer, though they have given these reassurances and indicated that they will work with other political parties to bring democracy to Egypt, no one is taking an eye off this most-organized of Egyptian opposition forces.
Having said this, the secular opponents of Mubarak's rule who know the Brotherhood best were eager to work with them during the uprising and have already said they need to play a significant role in whatever government emerges. Thus, during the 18 days of the revolt, all of the 15 or so behind the scenes strategists worked comfortably with the Muslim Brotherhood.
For example, the very secular Sally Moore, a 32-year-old Coptic Christian, leftist, feminist psychiatrist, acknowledges that the MB "always has a hidden agenda, but," adds, "they are very good with organizing, and they are calling for a civil state just like everyone else."
A leader of the Muslim Brotherhood Youth, Islam Lotfi, acknowledges that there are deep cultural and religious divides between the leaders of the revolt, but points to Turkey as an example of how Egypt might become a democratic, non-oxymoronic secular Muslim state.
Asked if he could envision an Egyptian president who is a woman and a Christian, he thought for a brief momenet and said, "If it is a government of institutions, I don't care if the president is a monkey."
Hopeful. But then, we will have to wait and see.
posted by Steven Zwerling at
3:01 AM
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