Unless you’ve been living under a very, very large rock for the past week, it’s been nearly impossible to miss hearing about the problem in Egypt. In case you don’t know all the facts, you can find it here, but here’s a summary. On January 25, Egypt faced a Day of Rage, when the people protested against the current President Hosni Mubarak, and their current situation.
President Mubarak
Inspired by the successful revolution in Tunisia, they protested the poverty, unemployment, and many other problems that the government and president of 30 years has failed to solve. Although Mubarak announced he will not run for elections this year, the protestors wanted him to leave immediately. What started out peaceful quickly turned violent as the government used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowds. Along with this injustice they also cut off Twitter and Facebook, which happened to be the way they communicated. On Thursday, Nobel Laureate Mohamed ElBaradei returned to Egypt to head the protests.
Mohamed ElBaradei
He is thought to take the power when Mubarak is removed. On Friday the biggest protest was staged while Egypt shut down all internet communications. Today, they’re taking these protests as a security threat and arresting the dissenters.
President Mubarak
Inspired by the successful revolution in Tunisia, they protested the poverty, unemployment, and many other problems that the government and president of 30 years has failed to solve. Although Mubarak announced he will not run for elections this year, the protestors wanted him to leave immediately. What started out peaceful quickly turned violent as the government used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowds. Along with this injustice they also cut off Twitter and Facebook, which happened to be the way they communicated. On Thursday, Nobel Laureate Mohamed ElBaradei returned to Egypt to head the protests.
Mohamed ElBaradei
He is thought to take the power when Mubarak is removed. On Friday the biggest protest was staged while Egypt shut down all internet communications. Today, they’re taking these protests as a security threat and arresting the dissenters.
When we were learning about this situation in History, the news that shocked me the most was that the government shut down internet communication. All I could think about this was how could they possibly do that? To cut down the world’s primary method of communication is akin to cutting off someone’s right hand today. Frankly, the protests in Egypt are worrisome but I also feel respect towards the people in Egypt for standing up to what they believe is right. For a protest that started on a Facebook page by a group of young people, it’s progressed to a revolution that's making history.
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