After a fun afternoon at a friend’s daughter’s birthday party, I agreed to join a couple of other friends to a late viewing of the recently released movie Argo, staring Ben Affleck, John Goodman and many other famous Hollywood names. The film is about the revolution in Iran and the American Embassy hostages that were held captive for over 400 days! The film mainly focuses on the 6 American Embassy employees who were able to escape the building by the skin of their teeth and sought refuge at the Canadian Ambassador’s residence until help came.
The opening scene with the protestors outside the American Embassy in Tehran not only sent chills down my spine but it shared an eerie resemblance to what is taking place presently in Egypt. The chanting of the angry mob and their determination reminded me of how easily influenced people can be and how quickly things can escalate and get out of control as it has done here in Egypt a few times over the past two years.
The movie struck a deep nerve with me. Egypt is literally teetering on the edge of heading in that direction. We are in a very tough and extremely delicate situation. Believe it or not, I saw it coming a mile away and when I spoke of it years ago. People laughed at me and said; ‘Egypt will never end up like Iran, because Mubarak will always be in power and won’t allow the Muslim Brotherhood to take over, he has them suppressed, so, don’t worry about it.” I was just a young teenager back then, studying business, what did I know of politics and the world?
Famous last words? Mubarak is gone and the Muslim Brotherhood IS in power. After seeing the movie it helped me understand an incident that happened to a friend of mine before the presidential elections took place. He was abroad and he met an Iranian, when the man found out that he was Egyptian, he dropped to his knees and begged him to tell his Egyptian country men and women not to make the same mistake Iran made, because once the extremists get into office they are very hard to get out.
Here we are, in that very position…
We are up against a strong, well-organized group of people, who have been planning for this very moment for decades. To have them step down or remove them from their positions is going to take a very well planned and thought out strategy, because they will not go without a fight. They had been suppressed and oppressed for so long that they will do everything in their power to not be put back into their box.
So my question is….. Do we have a plan?
Let us not repeat our own history! We forced Mubarak to step down but we didn’t have a plan to put in place once he did and because we weren’t ready and the MB knew it, they snuck in very easily and hijacked the movement and got into office. The vicious cycle will keep repeating itself unless there is a P.L.A.N of action!
I don’t know about you, but I really don’t want to end up like Iran or Afghanistan …
So let’s get it right this time.
On A side note, I highly recommend that you go and watch the movie, especially if you are Egyptian living in Egypt. On a second note, I really hope Argo wins the Oscar this year.
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December 2, 2012 at 02:11
Don Liston
From far away Alaska (and I would be IN EGYPT if it were possible) I see things differently. As long as the present group of “constitutional judges” is sitting on the bench, Mubarak is not only alive, he is calling the shots.
Lethal Mistake Number One: The Facebook zealots who inspired the original revolution were not connected to an organized political movement. Instead, as soon as the smoke began to clear they went back to their university classes, their laptops or even their adopted countries and literally dropped out of the movement. They didn’t understand that political crises abhor a vacuum and that the Islamists would seize this opportunity. They offered no leadership, political direction or change for the future.
Lethal Mistake Number Two: They turned Mubarak over to people who were still loyal to him. The result is that they all think that he will eventually prevail because the constitutional judges have a chokehold on Egypt’s future and won’t let go. Mubarak is alive and well and living in Egypt, just as he wanted.
Mohammed Morsi is a man dedicated to Egypt and who hopes to eventually establish an American type democracy there. He is clumsy, awkward and not always well-advised but the only chance Egypt has of NOT returning to Mubarak, the military ruling cabal and the judges who have stopped Morsi in his tracks if he cannot root these Mubarak puppets out of their jobs if he cannot prevail. (He CAN, he is the first duly elected president of Egypt . . . )
In the same sense that “. . . a helping hand is best found on the end of your own arm,” the solution to your present political problems is right under your noses if you can drag yourselves away from hand-wringing, shouting, running in circles and other specious activities.
December 2, 2012 at 14:02
irishalexandrian3109
I agree with you on LMN 1 and LMN 2, but I would have to disagree with your views on Mubarak still being in power, he has a few loyal followers, but all major positions and offices have now been Morsyfied. As for Morsy, I was fine and accepted the fact that he was elected, that was Egypt’s vote. What I do not appreciate is that he going back on his word, he said he would have a Christian VP, which we don’t, he said that he would govern for all parties, but he only speaks for and to a selcet group. His actions have proved that over and over again.
As for the draft of the constitution… well…. there is so much to say and little space to say it in. Those who are writing/wrote it are writing it ONLY for a select group of people and not giving any thought to other groups and minorities.
On the matter of our president, I think it’s best to agree to disagree where he is concerned.