Egyptian revolution

The Egyptian Revolution Continues. The People vs. the New Pharaoh

January 31st, 2013

The revolution in Egypt ain't quite over yet. Cynic that I am, I did not see this level of defiance this coming. There have been so many examples of Islamists successfully hijacking revolutions from cowed and disunited secular democrats to seize absolute power around the world. I expected the violence in Egypt to die down and the Muslim Brotherhood to consolidate their rule a la the Taliban in Afghanistan, the Mullahs of Iran and the hellish pockets ruled by self-declared sultans from Algeria to Pakistan.

This may still happen. But Egyptians are not going down without a fight.

The ongoing riots aren't just a rejection of Morsi's theocractic thuggery. They're a reaction to a dire vision of a future that's been decades in the making. It's doubtful that a President and parliament absolutely committed to economic reform and a secular democratic civil society could ever pull his countrymen out of the grave the country's rulers have dug for themselves. Hunger and never-ending violence on the scale of Somalia are pretty much the only sure things people have to look forward to... and the Muslim Brotherhood are going to have to wear this failure....More >>

Muslim Brotherhood Declares Victory in Egypt Vote

June 17th, 2012

More good news from the Arab Spring: Egypt votes in the political wing of Al Qaeda for President.

But that's OK -- the ruling military council will never let the Muslim Brotherhood govern. It's much better for Egypt to be ruled by army officers who spend most of their time figuring out how they can rip off the rest of society.

No more Mubarak. Just a bunch of little Mubaraks -- with theocratic fascists waiting in the wings. They probably won't be left waiting for very long.More >>

Egyptian Democracy On Trial

February 26th, 2012

Sorry, my mistake. There is no Egyptian democracy under the military regime. Rather, the trial of pro-democracy activists in Egypt, including 16 Americans, is itself a clear indictment of the junta for continuing to destroy Egyptian civil society. The Egyptian judge who has deferred proceedings until April (presumably to allow a political solution, er, billion-dollar ransom payment) is complicit in this travesty of justice.

The activists are accused of being on foreigners' payrolls. You know who else takes money, directly from the US government? The tyrants in Egypt.More >>

The Egyptian Revolution in Tahrir Square. Part 2

November 22nd, 2011

The revolution thus far has been a failure, effectively replacing one thuggish regime with another, with the added bonus of ethnic cleansing against Copts. Will this new round of protest deliver positive change or will Egypt go from the frying pan into the fire?More >>

Mubarak To Be Put On Trial

July 27th, 2011

The unelected and worryingly long-lasting interim Egyptian ruling military council has moved to put former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on trial for corruption and murder. Two steps forward, one step back for Egyptian democracy... or is it vice versa?

Egyptians will only ever taste democracy if they finish their revolution.More >>

The Egyptian Revolution Shuffles Towards Failure

July 17th, 2011

In a bid to quell discontent on the streets, Egypt's military caretaker government shuffled some cabinet posts.

The new rulers appear not to understand protesters' main complaint: none of the people in charge was ever given a democratic mandate by the people in the street to represent them in the first place.

The still-born revolution is rotting away.More >>

Interview With Kefaya Punk About Egyptian Democracy

May 4th, 2011

Kefaya Punk is a 23-year-old pseudonymous blogger and activist in Egypt. Punk graduated in summer of 2008 in Mass media and communication – Radio & TV major at a private university. He blogs about linguistics and politics and his facebook campaings and dissident opinions online made him a target of censors several times. He is helping build an NGO dealing with issues like diversity, accepting difference and tolerance.

In this interview, Punk tells The Propagandist's Contributing Writer Niklas Anzinger about his political activism and has news about his close friend Maikel Nabil Sanad, who was arrested by Egyptian military police. (Read our interview with Maikel Nabil Sanad).

Your political activism touches on secularism, democracy, religion and especially about Israel. I noted you take also pro-Israel stances similar to Maikel. What does it mean to take that stance in daily life and given the political circumstances?

Secularism is the only alternative to religiously-shaped civil wars and inequality. Secular statehood is the only guarantee for citizens to be treated equally no matter what their religious beliefs are.

Democracy is significant in ensuring that the authority of the state and politicians won’t corrupt them...More >>

Free Maikel Nabil Sanad Now!

April 15th, 2011

maikel nabil sanad egypt revolution prisoner military politics The news hit me like a hammer: Maikel Nabil Sanad was arrested in his home in the Ain Shams neighbourhood if Cairo at about 10pm on 28 March 2011 by military police.

Readers of "The Propagandist" may remember the interview I conducted with Maikel. Ever since then we kept in contact and discussed the Egyptian uprisings.

I was very skeptical of the Islamist character of the revolution. I'd read Barry Rubin and his warning about the strenght and the sharpness of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Maikel just responded "Let Muhammed Badi (The Muslim Brotherhood's leader) die. No one listens to him."

The revolution was his. He was politically active since 2004, aiming to change the status quo in a autocratic police state. His genuine optimism to obtain a liberal democracy and to take the Egyptian people with him sounded naive to me at first. But there was one part of the interview I thought a long time about. He said "revolutions change the beliefs of the people."

"What if he is right?" I...More >>