Middle East Uprising: Egyptian Victory

I had been watching the Egypt uprising avidly. I don’t know why. I’m not from Egypt. I don’t think I have any family or friends from there. There have been several such uprisings in the middle east, albeit on a smaller scale. They did not draw this much attention from a person who has about a million things that need this attention. But there I was, buyingThe Guardian in the weekdays when I know the weekend ones alone will be cheaper and provide a summary of the week.

I felt it was different, and now I know it was. Unlike any revolution I have come across or read about, this was the most unified. I was watching history unravel… I was finally seeing evidence of a phrase I had learnt to disbelieve, ‘strength in numbers.’ Video images showed Egyptians marching in their thousands, with passion… with one aim. People halting their lives, work and education, encouraged by the electrifying energy of millions of others and driven by the idea of freedom.

As I was watching, I was sure this would come to a halt. Mubarak had claimed,  ”I will not separate from Egyptian soil until I am buried underneath.” Several protesters had already been killed. Families were suffering from not being able to work. I thought that the protesters would turn to violence surely. On the contrary, their passion was strengthened.

I have to mention that social networking played a big part in this. I will even go so far as to say it gave them a second voice to the world. Twitter especially, where protesters and influential people voiced their anger towards Mubarak as well as their praise for the Egyptian people. Shocking videos of protesters being killed appeared on YouTube, strengthening the pressure on Mubarak to step down.

The people of Egypt and only them deserve this victory as I do not see any other party having helped. Obama had jumped the fence from supporting Mubarak to asking him to step down in seconds. It will suffice to say that America’s relation with Egypt will be edgy in the future. Whereas David Cameron… where was he again?

I am quite glad that no other parties were needed to establish this victory, it only makes it sweeter. If anything, Egypt only proved that to get what the people want, all you need is passion, unity and a vision of a better, a more perfect future. Right now in my room I have A3 picture from ‘Eyewitness Decade’ of the Egyptian people at Tahrir Square, to remind me of this, and give a person like me, hope.