Your Opinionated Response to the Midan Masr Article

2/20/2012

Read any article in the newspaper Midan Masr and voice your opion

Nehal

2/19/2012 11:36:06 pm

Naomi Wolf's article "The Middle East's Feminist Revolution" in Midan Masr Newspaper (Issue No. 0 - vol. 1) does a phenomenal job at describing women's role in the Arab revolutions. Her description of western stereotypes about Muslim women was accurately dead-on. Muslim women are indeed known to be submissive and closed behind rigid gender roles. During the revolutions, however, Muslim women broke out of their cocoons. Women had an essential, even vital, role in the revolution. Naomi Wolf brilliantly described the roles of women by listing the things they did in the revolutions. They helped injured people, provided food and shelter, and even lead some protests. Naomi's description of the inclusiveness of the demographic in the protests is also strikingly accurate. The protests provided a chance to the once-strangled women to break free of their chains and act as freely as they wish (smoking in public and kissing guys) without being harshly judged.
Naomi Wolf moves on to describe the status of women before the revolution and how radical they are getting. It is true that a few decades ago, unlike today, only women from the most privileged families received proper education. I agree completely with Naomi's observation where she stated that once women are educated, democratic agitation is likely to tae place. I especially admired how Naomi Wolf supported this observations by getting examples from the past like Mary Wollstonecraft wrote her manifesto for women's liberation during the French Revolution n 1789 and how American women started to form into suffragettes and demand the right to vote for women (universal female suffrage) like that of men (universal male suffrage) .
Finally, I wholeheartedly agree with Naomi Wolf's statement that "when women change, everything changes."

Baheya

2/20/2012 01:02:33 am

Mahmoud "Sandmonkey" Salem's article " Lacrimosa" in Midan Masr's February issue, No.0, vol.1, is about the effects of the revolution on people's lives. I think the writer wrote a fabulous article that really touched me, and everything that was said was extremely right. The current problem in Egypt is that people do not listen to each other and this is a serious problem but people are completely neglecting it. I totally agree that the media is making everything look really bad and they convince the people that all the protesters are thugs. The thing that I liked in this article that the writer stressed on, was that the revolution was not led by some unemployed, poor, uneducated and stupid people, it was actually a huge thing that happened and will affect every person living in the country, whether they are "non-revolutionary" or with the revolution. I personally think that in Egypt corruption had reached high levels, and the only people that were satisfied and happy were those who were part of it. It is sad how the only way to actually pressure on the government is by violent and cruel demonstrations. I'm totally against the military and police killing and torturing the people and walking away as though it is totally normal. This should not be the way to achieve our goals. We want the police in the country in order to protect us, no to kill us!! We don’t want people to die and we just get along with it, we actually want a government that can bring our country to another level. The best part in this article is when he said:" Hopefully we will both be there, in a country that has finally healed and has a future". I have hope that Egypt will be a good country, but we need to wait and see the change. I really enjoyed reading this article. It is so inspiring and made me think about things that I never actually thought about, and inspired me to believe more in my country.

Ranna

2/20/2012 01:44:18 am

Dear Editor,
I read the article “Writing Through the Confusion that is Tahrir” by Chitra Kalyani. I really enjoyed the article and agree 100% with the author. Chitra Kalyani has done an extremely good job on explaining how Tahrir Square has changed over the course of a year. This article explains how Tahrir is viewed now by many people and how it is starting to “lose its value.” At first, millions of people protested for their freedoms in Tahrir and all they cared about was to have human rights and spread democracy throughout the country. As time passed by, conditions in Tahrir started to change and now anyone who has a personal problem or is unhappy just goes to Tahrir for fun. If they have lost their jobs, they go and basically “hang out” with their friends in Tahrir. Tahrir Square has become more like a country club than a place to fight for freedom and say what you really feel. Also, Bibi-Aisha and Birte, people who visited Tahrir, realized that there have been stalls of people selling knives and violence has become a problem. A year ago, many people had no problem going to Tahrir in order to try and bring democracy to the country. Now, some people have become scared to go there since people are becoming raped and harassed and things are getting stolen. The author, Chitra Kalyani, fears that Tahrir Square will lose its original purpose and will not be valuable anymore. Dalia Danish said in an interview, “Don’t make Tahrir a habit… Don’t make it lose its value.” I strongly agree with her and believe that the main purpose of the protests in Tahrir was to fight for freedom and time by time, this is slowly fading away. We can’t make people ruin the true meaning of Tahrir.
Sincerely,
Ranna Nasreldin

Raya

2/20/2012 02:35:26 am

‘The Egyptian Revolution and Challenge of Politics’ by Khaled Shaalan, pg 1 and 26. This article is a opinionated summary of the incidents after the revolution when Mubarak stepped down. It talks a little about what happened during the revolution, but it mainly focuses on the after effects of the revolution. He said in the beginning that ‘even destiny had no choice but to respond’. It is very well written and I strongly agree with it. That is, when most of the people of Egypt came out of their house and as a group demonstrated with strong determination to overthrow the dictator to bring in democracy, the President had to step down. When everyone was celebrating their first success, I think that many people were concerned about the situations ahead. So, I do not agree with the writer that people were unaware and they did not think about the’ roads ahead’. I think people were aware of the future because they did demonstrations against other issues to bring changes (some people were aware that removing Mubarak is not enough to bring in total democracy and a strong, new constitution). I agree that in the first revolution everyone had a clear and a strong goal to remove Mubarak. However, after that there were some demonstrations which did not have clear goals and I also agree that that there was not a lot of people taking part in these demonstrations. Shaalan said in the article that the army is resisting the changes from spreading the country. I agree that there have not been enough changes that people expected a year ago during the revolution whether it is because of the army or other reasons. Therefore he makes a point that now ‘revolutionaries should turn into politicians’ to bring about the changes needed. I also think that if the revolutionaries take part in the politics, they would help bring changes faster since that is their goal. They know what changes the country needs since they are the ones fighting to bring about the changes. Shaalan also says that ‘rules of democracy are different than those of revolution’. He is trying to say the same idea that revolutionary forces should organize politically. Once they become a political figure, they can contribute to the changes and decisions to make in the constitution. If the revolutionaries take decisions to bring in change in the government and law, then it might satisfy the needs of people.

Alaa

2/20/2012 02:41:30 am

I completely agree with the editor in this article " The Egyptian Revolution and the Challenge of politics" the Egyptians resist against the government for so long. and they did great work to get what they want. But I think that he missed a point here, the Egyptians after the revolution are making big mistake. before the revolution were working together helping each other like if they are one hand and that the reason why they achieve what they wanted and after that they start going down again for example, no one feel safe, the streets worse than before , everyone is driving worse than before too( no body follows traffic rules), the police absence for a while and that causes big problems, and what's happened in Port Said in the stadium, in Cairo they burned the Scientific Council, everyone is thinking of himself . the revolution gave everyone courage to speak up and everyone is thinking if they don't speak and ask for what they want they will lose the chance, if they are going to keep on these actions the purpose of the revolution will go for nothing

Sarah !

2/20/2012 02:45:23 am

James Zogby's article "Will Arabs Be Able to Form Real Democracies?" in the Midan Masr Newspaper (Issue No. 0 - vol. 1) is thorough in its purpose to inform readers that if they have a fair government that protects the rights of the people and administers due process law and such, this hypothetical "ideal" democracy will thrive.
Zogby starts his article by telling of a time he was in Yemen, having been invited to speak on the topics of democracy and elections. While hearing election strategies, Zogby also heard many complaints such as, "The ruling party keeps tearing down our signs." Zogby, one who has been involved in politics since a young age, remarked, "That happens in Chicago all the time." An official from the State Department then complained to Zogby about these comments. Zogby rejected the official's criticism, claiming that America's democracy was not flawless, and I am steadfast in accordance with this statement. America's democracy was not flawless back when it was still becoming a country. In 1788, when a vote was taken in Virginia to ratify the new constitution of the United States, the voted passed 89-79. These numbers show the limitations on voting in America's new democracy. Only wealthy white men could vote at the time. America has grown, however, because seventy years after it became a democracy, slavery was abolished. A long while after, women got the right to vote and then African Americans. Even after all people had the right to vote, there still existed "dirty tricks" that were used to intimidate the turnout of Hispanic and African American voters. In conclusion, democracies are imperfect, but given time to grow, they will become more perfect. I am in total consent with Zogby's statement that, "Democracies aren't born, they are made over time."
However, the real issue of this article is that "whether or not processes are being put in place to impartially adjudicate complaints and take action to correct problems before next elections." What this means is that governments must put in processes that make them fair on making decisions and taking action before future elections. I coincide with this statement because if Arab governments do not put fair processes into their systems, decisions that follow these "arbitrary" governments will be corrupt ones. I accede with Zogby's idea that new democracies in the Middle East will all be different because of differences in customs and conditions, but the test of their validity will be whether they can self-correct mistakes made in the past. On a similar note, governments must respect basic rights and freedoms of all citizens. With a fair government protecting the people from state abuse, administering due process law and such, rights of citizens will be protected and this theoretical democratic government will be free from injustice. I concur with all that is said in Zogby's article and heartily acquiesce with his final advice, "If new democracies do this, they will be starting ahead of where we started our enterprise. The rest will take time and hard work - though, one can only hope, not the centuries it took us."

Faisal

2/20/2012 03:24:58 am

Maria Golia’s article " Egypt Beyond Mubarak" in Midan Masr's February issue, No.0, vol.1,I agree with the writer that I would once like to become a fly in Mubarak’s living room and experience what he and his family had been living like, the wealthy life. Mubarak wasn’t favored that much by the people. The thing about Egyptian government that has been hard to change is the incessant feeling of monarchy. Egyptian rulers still believe that they are the “king” of Egypt that in order for them to step down is if the successor is from the same bloodline. Although this has never happened, the main reason would be is that there wasn’t enough time. Plans were in line for these situations…Does Mubarak watch the news that’s being said about him? The positive and negatives that are being said. After the revolution there will be justice and we will follow the governments rules. There must be a new power to the nation weather its from a president or military leader, if this doesn’t happen then Egypt will stay with the same question unanswered, where’s the leader? I personally don’t care about Mubarak and his family, why ?? because it has been too long for them and we’ve worried about our country in the wrong hands, we care about Egypt.

Hania

2/20/2012 03:47:48 am

Mohhamed "sandmonkey" Salem wrote the article Lacrimosa in the first issue of the opinionated newspaper Midan Masr. I think that the writer did a tremendous job of explaining peoples lives after the revolution, everything he said was true. I love how he stated in the begging of the article that revolutions have a cycle, and that Egypt's revolution is unlike another revolution. I completely agree with the part that stated that the main problem in Egypt is that people in Egypt don't listen to one another, how do we expect to listen to us when when can't even listen to ourselves. Something else that I completely agree with is that Revolution wasn't just the poor people that have no education, but this is a great impact n every person living in this country. There were millions and millions on the streets that ware "regular" people that wanted to speak their minds and that were fed up of the old regime and the cruelty levels that they have reached, their was true torture and corruption levels were reaching levels like never before. I also agree with what he said about is that media take everything and changing the story around like they have all the people convinced that the people that were protesting were all thugs. Another major issue discussed in this article is if the police and the military is not protecting us but they are the one killing and trotting us, how can anyone be ok with that! A major issue in Egypt right now is safety, I hate the fact that I don't feel safe in my own country, I can't walk in the streets without worrying. This article was an excellent article, it talked about all the major points that everyone knows but needed to be said to them. This article gave me hope for Egypt. And we will get there to a place where it has a healed future.

Adam Abou-Gad

2/20/2012 04:03:32 am

James Derounian's article, entitled "Egypt Calling: Lessons in Democracy" The article explains the idea of how the power of speaing out and solidarity can have an impact in the political world, being able to replace authoritarian regimes. He does compare Tahrir's protests to the protests of Tiananmen Square, where the latter experienced crushing results where the authorities did not have any form of care against the citizens. Aside from the points he makes on the steps that should be taken to form a democracy, by going in depth on the various villages and cities and expanding throughout. He states that those in Europe have much to learn from the Egyptians in their ways of defending and promoting democratic action.

I agree with Derourian mainly because since he is a foreigner, he was able to observe the situation with a "foreign" yet legitimate perspective; he understood the realities of the events quite well. I agree with his points about how establishing a democratic system is a long process that is not something that can be achieved quickly and easily. His points about how France has mayors in different local places and that these mayors have effective control and establishment in their places shows the benefits a democracy can have if established in an acceptable manner. Finally, I agree with his point that Europe has much to learn from the Egyptians in defending and promoting democratic action. Since European nations are more developed and established than the Egypttian nation, it can be credible that doing protests like the ones in Egypt in Europe would not end very well (perhaps like the Wall Street protests). I believe Egypt has a long way to go in its transition from what is a country with currently no government or system into a gradually formed and wel-developed democracy, and I hope that expectation becomes a reality.

Hussein

2/20/2012 04:39:46 am

Dear Dr. Kwasi Kwarteng,

I have had the chance to read your article “Eight Months - A Lifetime,” and completely agree on your views about the belated Egyptian society. I also believe that the Egyptian society is in a soft and malleable stage. The Egyptian society needs information to be spoon-fed to them. Starting from what is a government all the way to Democracy 101. We have had a successful revolution until people started pleading for personal privileges. Can you imagine 80 million souls asking you for their right to work less than 12 hours a day? Better yet, 10 million people? These people believe that democracy is an overnight change, that the next day they will have all their rights handed to them as they walk in to work. Little do they know that this is a long and arduous transition that they will have to work for. Egypt will get back on its feet and will be a great country, economically and societally. This population, as you said, needs to gain knowledge to be able to handle what is coming at them. Knowledge is not hereditary nor can it be bought off the counter at a supermarket. A transition period is needed. The interim government should not be pressured by its people to do its job, it has doing it anyway. It’s like telling a fish that it must swim. The people who are at Tahrir Square right now are people who are asking for fair pay, enough jobs, and safe environments. How do they expect to feed their family and sustain a home if they are not going to work? They must try and help themselves before begging others for help.

Thank you

Hussein Zahran

Ashley

2/20/2012 04:48:10 am

Dear Editor,
I read the article “Replacing Humiliation with Dignity” by Mr. Ahmed Davutoglu and was very interested on his plans of the future. I really felt like this was a real action plan that has to be considered by the government of Egypt. The article basically stated everything that is being going on is a historical cycle in the Middle East. Although, Ahmed expected this to the happen earlier than this, it happening right now and has a chain reaction over almost of the Middle Eastern countries. I couldn’t agree more on the argument that everything which is happening now is basically a chain reaction. The author believes that democracy is good and is a right to everyone. I strongly support that statement and believe that everyone deserves to live in a democracy. Author provided four main plans or steps to take in order to restore unity and peace in this country. First, the author demanded for dignity for this region towards the people of Egypt. I, personally, believe that until the sense of pride within doesn’t light up, there is no sense of receiving dignity for the others that are watching. Second, you need change and transformation is a must. Third, the change has to be peaceful and security is major factor to be never forgotten. As a foreigner living in Egypt, security is one the major concerns in my mind, at least my parent’s. Hearing stories about the nearby police station getting burnt and loots over the area isn’t a very comfortable for me. Fourth, is something that the army council has failed to maintain, which is transparency and human rights and the rule of law. If all these four steps are taken in the near future, then I’m willing to believe that such bold change (overthrowing Mubarak’s Regime) in the past will lead greater things in the future.

Mounzer Sammakieh

2/20/2012 04:59:03 am

Mahmoud "sandmonkey" Salem wrote the article “Lacrimosa” in the February edition of Midan Masr. I think Mahmoud did a great job explaining people’s lifestyle after the revolution. Most of what he said I agreed with. He stated that the citizens of Egypt do not listen to one another, how do we expect to listen to us when we can’t even listen to ourselves. Mahmoud said that there are two groups, the non-revolutionary population and the Revolutionaries. The Non-revolutionary people are fed up from the Revolutionaries because of all the protests they do. He called them hooligans without a plan, which I think makes sense. Something else he said that I agree with is that the revolution was not just for the poor people. Yes, the poor people were more furious, because of the poor lifestyles they were living, lack of education and many more problems. Yet the revolution was also for the regular middle class as well, people were red up from the old regime and people who were in it, they were also annoyed because of all the corruption that was happening in the country, and this as their chance to speak up. Another issue that was brought up was the police in our country. The police is supposed to protect the citizens of the country, yet on the other hand, they were treated really poorly; not only were they treated badly, but the police was also killing citizens. It has gone way too far knowing that the police in your own country is killing its own citizens. Talking about safety, how could someone be safe, knowing about all there issues happening in the country, such as police killing citizens? Mahmoud did a great job writing this article, he listed most of the most important issues that are happening in our country.

Nadim

2/20/2012 06:36:49 am

Dear Chitra Kalyani’s,

Your article, “Writing through the Confusion that is Tahrir,” perfectly describes the changes that are associated with the square. The English translation of Tahrir, is liberty, and there is no place better to protest your rights, than liberation square. After the 25th of January, Tahrir received it’s value as a landmark, which hosted one of Egypt’s most momentous events. However it’s value is slowly fading away, due to the lack of appreciation that is currently being shown towards it. Today, people go to Tahrir for no reason, it has become a place for social gatherings, rather than a place for demanding your rights. As you said “Tahrir is a habit,” and if the habit is repeated over and over again, then Tahrir will definitely lose it’s value. Egyptians need to start acknowledging the purpose of the square. Last year people went to Tahrir, without the fear of being harassed or groped, but now women are afraid to enter. This one place which holds the meaning of change, is no longer safe for the people who are actually going with the intention of protesting their rights. People are now selling knives, in the Middle of the Square, defeating the purpose of what the Square represents. Egyptians need to start realizing the harm they are doing, not only to Tahrir, but to all the revolutionists who fought for the rights in that square. No Egyptian should be deprived of Tahrir, as it probably the only place in Egypt where you will actually be heard.

Priyanka

2/20/2012 01:07:21 pm

Dear Naomi Wolf

I have read your article The Middle East’s Feminist Revolution on the February’s edition of Midan Masr. I completely agree with you that women had a great role in this revolution. Many women were seen in Tahrir Square coming with their kids and protesting. There were also many female bloggers who had risked their lives and kept everyone around the world updated with events in Tahrir. I agree with you that educating women and training them how to be in leadership position help because they get the power to express themselves like Sanaa el Seif did by publishing her newspaper. The Middle East revolution showed us the power of women in the Middle East and that them participating in the revolution made a big difference. Women who feared to stand up and speak are now in the help of social media are voicing their opinions. Your statement, “ When women change everything changes, and women in the Muslim world are changing radically”, is completely true. Women in the Muslim world are now freer to voice their opinion and go out and fight for their rights. Women had a huge role in this revolution. They were helping with security, communication, and shelter. Education had changed and more and more women are being educated and taught leadership positions. Women were there to support their country and them being educated made a big difference because they knew how to fight for their rights. These women who were scared to be the spotlight are now on news talking about the revolution. I really liked reading your article and the way you said, “ when women change, everything changes, and women in the Muslim world are changing radically.”

Thank you,
Priyanka

Youssef

2/20/2012 01:18:05 pm

Dear Dr. John Inge
I completely agree with your opinion about the 'democracy case in Egypt.' In the article "What Kinds of Democracy," you stated many important points about the term democracy and how it's understanded in Egypt. After the successful revolution, the Egyptian people have continued protesting because they weren't satisfied with any decisions made and were eager to demand more rights. Although the people should fight for their long awaited rights, they are supposed to be patient and take things more easy. Egyptians can't differentiate between democracy and chaos. Everyone tends to do anything that satisfies his/her desire due to the term democracy and that everyone has the right to do anything he/she wants. The quote you used in your article by Churchill defies the situation Egypt is in now. "The crucial thing about democracy is not how governments are elected or how decisions are made but the fact that you can get rid of a government." That quote explains exactly what has happened in Egypt during the past year. A couple of governments have changed during the past year because the people were't satisfied with their actions. In the future, Egyptians should be patient and consider the difference between democracy and chaos!

Farah

2/20/2012 02:16:25 pm

Lacrimosa

I've really enjoyed Mahmoud Salem's article titled 'Lacrimosa'. It was very well structured, and had many things I could agree with such as that the revolution was not started by people who hated Egypt. It has actually been started by educated Egyptians. In order for the revolution to work and for the Egyptians to get what they actually wanted, they need to work together. Talking about one another will not benefit anyone other than egypt's enemies as opposed to talking TO one another which will benefit both the citizens and the country as a whole. I loved how Mahmoud was brave enough to write about the army and the police mistreating the poor people. This is something that angered the Egyptians, including myself, and cannot be tolerated anymore.
One thing I didn't like about this article is the use of the phrase 'this will bite us in the ass'. Using a term like that in an article that is to be published to the entire country and maybe even outside the country would give the Egyptians a bad reputation. The second and last thing I didn't like about this article is that Mahmoud interpreted what the "non-revolutionary" people think about the protesters. I am one of the non revolutionary people and I think he demonstrators (the peaceful ones) are heroes because they're simply asking for their rights. I don't see why non revolutionary people such as myself can't call the people who are actually participating in this revolution because they can't find anything productive to do, hooligans. Violence cannot be solved by using more violence. It's logically impossible.
The egyptians still have hope that the revolution could have a positive outcome. No one really knows what will happen next. All we could do is wait, and here we are, waiting. Overall, this was a good article; however, it could've been a GREAT article with a few minor changes.

AbdelRahman

2/20/2012 04:19:50 pm

Dear Bishop Dr. John Inge
I have read your article titled "What Kind of Democracy" in the Midan Masr monthly newspaper. I was very content while reading your article; it was very informative and educational without being boring. I learned that in England they have a parliamentary democracy, and that they elect the person with the most votes, not taking into account how many people voted against that person. I also learned that in Switzerland they have a representative democracy, in which they elect representatives to make decisions for the people. Even though many people dislike those types of government, they are still much better than no democracy at all. I personally favored the parliamentary democracy because I get to make my own choice, even if it is not the one that ends up as the winner in the elections. And I completely agree with Churchill's quote, people who have a democratic government don't like it, and those who don't are wishing for one. Thank you for this great piece of work.

hasnae

2/20/2012 04:36:33 pm

Dear Maggie Mitchell Salem
I completely agree with your article about Benjamin Netanyahu's top 3 lessons to be learned. I have to say i never heard anyone thinking that Israel controls American politics. Though I agree in which people, mainly Arabs, need to stop complaining about Benjamin Netanyahu's, the Prime Minister. This article talks about his visit to the USA, May 2011, and what lessons anyone should learn.
I agree with lesson 8. Its tells the readers to be charming, then gives examples about the Prime Minister and his confidence when giving a speech.
lesson 7. Make your point clear. Do not bring many confusing details which happened at different times, you want the audience to understand what you say.
Also lesson 5, it said to be generous with whatever opinion is said.
A very good lesson is 4; Do not do all the talking. Listening more than another person is always best. You will understand more and will have time to come up with a solution.
I do not agree though with the 3rd lesson; If the facts aren't in your favor, ignore them. I do not think so. I believe that if something 'bothers' you, you must say it as soon as possible and not wait for it, because it might become worst then before.
So i mainly agree with this article, because i believe that you should not judge someones act.

Autumn

2/21/2012 04:07:30 am

Dear Ahmet Davutoglu,
after reading your article "Replacing Humiliation with Dignity", I feel an overwhelming need to commend you on your absolutely most beautiful writing. The way that you have referred to the young folk of Egypt was extremely passionate, and just by reading the tone of your words, it is evident that you hold great pride towards the future generations of Egypt. Discussing the current and future situation of Egypt, you still managed to come about with the younger Egyptian generation on top, people who are looking for change like you and me. Furthermore, quite often you mention "No leader, however charismatic, can stop the flow of history." This statement, I believe, holds a great many truths in it. You mention it yet again in the same paragraph, which shows how important this fact must hit home with you. It is true, history will run it's course, whether it be a negative or joyous one, what will happen will happen-as they do say, you can not stop the inevitable. An example for this case would be indeed, the Egyptian revolution of January twenty five 2011. This historic day, bless all of the Egyptian people, was to determine whether Egypt would turn back behind the iron bars of Mubarak and an unlivable regime, or maybe, just maybe, Egypt was going to give birth to a new Democratic government.
It is because of the Egyptian young generation, the, "sha3ab", as they are called, that we are living in a closer to democratic state that Egypt has ever approached. What with everyone free to voice their distress, and complain to the whole world (literally), Egypt has broken free from the chains of silence and is now a boisterous and excited country that is bursting with change. It is no longer the older, very corrupt past leaders of Egypt who will make future decisions regarding the country, but rather, it will be us. It will be everyone and anyone who has a voice and an idea. You later talk about how the "Middle East" often brings a negative image in mind, that which might resemble war or terrorism. Well today, the title "Middle East" is not to be mistaken for anything else except a place in our world that has been experiencing change throughout it's countries to reach the one goal that every single one of us strives for, whether we realize it or not-this goal, is freedom.
We strive for freedom in it's most general form, freedom when it comes down to the specifics of government and social problems. Every human should be entitled to his/her own freedom, so why must the middle east stick out like a sore thumb from the rest of the countries? You mention how Egypt, economically, is even above sufficient-the country has enough money to rebuild itself from top to bottom if need be. This country has so many riches and attractions that it can never fall. No matter how corrupt the system was, or how little of this money was actually spent helping the country itself, Egypt is still in a wealthy state. What people fail to understand is that Egypt has never been classified as the country with "most problems, or "too much debt", or "increased amounts in domestic violence"-really, anything too negative is what I'm trying to point out at. Egypt has taken it's first, and hopefully last, greatest fall of January last year. But after a storm, there is a rainbow, and Egypt did shine. Coming strong with democracy in their left hands and freedom in their right, Egypt was a country surpassing the many expectations of the older generations. you talk about the four changes that will make the biggest difference in Egypt in order for the country to reach a stable state.
The first change is to trust the masses....want respect and dignity." I couldn't agree more with that statement. Who is out there in Tahrir protesting right now? I know it isn't me, and almost a hundred percent sure it isn't you either. It is the young people, the people who are looking for jobs to support their wives and new children, to find found and feed their families. It is these families that need change the most, change to bring food to the table, change to make a walk to the park an ordinary operation, instead of constantly being worried if someone will come out from no where and assault you. The masses are in front of us, screaming out for change, so we must support them. We might be unable to go and physically stand in Tahrir, but we can support them, from wherever that may be, we can.
The second change that you mention is "Change and transformation are necessity, not a choice." The sooner this very idea can become ingrained into our heads, the sooner people will start to realize that sitting at home all day won't solve anything until they get the attention of their government. Believe me, if there was an easier way to get democracy without transforming the whole country, we would all probably take that route. But because there is n

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