Revolution at Egypt Is About a Value America Once Championed

The revolution underway at Egypt is not about Palestine, Israel, America, food prices, or even bad living conditions. It is about Freedom, a value America once championed beyond all.President Obama’s wobbly speech of barely four minutes Tuesday night about that revolution was so hesitant it left Egyptians stunned. In the face of a glorious uprising in the leading Arab country by millions of its people young and old, a president of America they all looked up to, merely asked their ruling dictator for “reforms.”Egypt knows an American president can publicly call for the departure of a ruler whose army has for 30 years been supplied, equipped, trained, and kept alive with $ 1.5 billion a year of U.S. aid. As a nation, Egypt has also received another annual subsidy of nearly a billion dollars since 1979.In that period, on America’s watch, Mr. Mubarak transformed into a fearsome dictator jailing 100,000 people as his police killed and tortured tens of thousands more. Billions of dollars of the American financial aid has been rerouted into bank accounts of Mr. Mubrarak’s wife, two sons, and their coterie of friendly businessmen.Indeed the chief slogan on placards carried by demonstrators widely seen on television around the globe has been: “Enough” and “Thief” printed over Mr. Mubarak’s face.Yet, in his speech of fewer than five minutes, Mr. Obama chose merely to ask Mr. Mubarak to mend his ways as he stays in power ten more months.Mr. Obama’s aides claim he held two conversations with Mr. Mubarak of half an hour each. One wonders what was said in private that the taxpayers whose money is being pocketed could not hear.We do know that Mr. Obama sent Frank Wisner, a former ambassador to Egypt who is quite knowledgeable, to have a talk. Mr. Wisner is also a friend of Mr. Mubarak and several cabinet ministers of the discredited regime. One only questions whether such a close relationship is the proper channel to deliver a stern message.In the past two days, the Egyptian National Museum in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, the greatest repository on earth of world antiquities is being looted under Mr. Mubarak’s generals.Young men and women peacefully demonstrating in Tahrir’s square today were charged by men riding horses and camels carrying swords and knives slashing and cutting them. Dozens were severely wounded. Scores were arrested. Five of those raiders captured by the crowd turned out to have police Identity cards.True, these are actions of a dying regime. Mr. Mubarak is doomed. But why is the U.S. failing to speak for the immediate departure of Mr. Mubarak at a time when the Arab world looks at the first ever African-American President from a Muslim family who less than two years ago in Cairo spoke of democracy?In the crowd then at Cairo’s University a student shouted: “Obama We Love You.” One wonders what that man today feels? Is he among the wounded, arrested or those camping out in Tahrir Square, or Liberation Square, as it translates in English.In a Middle East impregnated with looming revolutions, Tunisia a tiny nation of 10 million people passed the torch a month ago to another of 85 million Arabs in Egypt. Rumblings of more revolts can be heard in the South, North, and East of the Arab world as far as Yemen and Jordan.It is not too early to speculate on the new Egypt that will emerge after the riots and the mayhem.Mr. Mubarak had skipped a tiny window of opportunity to join his friend the Tunisian dictator Zein El Abedein Bin Ali in Saudi Arabia.Now demonstrators by the millions are asking for his arrest and trial along with his entire family, former cabinet ministers and police who did much of the humiliation, killings, and torture for him during decades.The young in Liberation Square maybe leaderless, but they have only one agenda called Egypt. Talking heads claiming credit for Islam, Palestine, Jihad or any other causes are just talking and mostly outside Egypt. This movement inside is lead by middle class kids in blue jeans and women, some in veil, others without. They are in their twenties with older generations now joining in. They talk of jobs, hope, freedom, and a democratic future. They used Internet, Facefbook, Google and Twitter. The last thing of earth they will accept is some bearded preacher, a uniformed general, or leftist professor offering their own agendas religious or otherwise.The first spokeswoman of the group in Tahrir Square on AlJazeera Arabic TV today said their first demand is the release of all those arrested and reopening the internet — otherwise they are not talking and they are not moving.Meanwhile, Thursday and Friday were designated as new “days of rage.” Millions or Egyptians up and down the river Nile are readying for that challenge.Mr. Ibrahim is a concontributing editor of the Sun.

Revolution at Egypt Is About a Value America Once Championed

Revolution at Egypt Is About a Value America Once Championed

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