Riots in Egypt?

[vj288]

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[Sial Axetder]

Briefly heard it being about Gov't blocking FB, and various other sites.

I could be entirely wrong.

Other than that, no idea.

 

[kihira]

So I know there are riots in Egypt right now and have been trying to read up on what it's all about, but politics and current events aren't really my forte. So what exactly is going on with the riots and why? I know the internet/cell phone/contact with outside world has been cut off, not exactly grasping the reason why though. And I know we have at least one user from spw located in Cairo, are regular civilians usually safe during riots or should I be worried? That last wondering is really what I'm most concerned about. Thanks in advance.

Probably no need to worry, most people keep their heads down when these things happen

 

[WeirdyMcGee]

I have a feeling that this type of occurrence--- the disconnection of our information network; will be used more often in the future whenever anything 'happens' in a different part of the world.

 

[Sinar_Matahari]

The Egyptian people don't want incumbent president Hosni Mubarak in office any longer and I suppose they feel that the only way to get their point across is to burn, loot and destroy homes, businesses, buildings...Apparently, he's running an authoritarian regime. I was just reading how Egyptian youth are rising up because they're pissed off that all ISPs have been cut off. I guess they can't live without their facebook...lol....The Egyptian government has taken the news network Al Jazeera off the air, too. There's more to it than this, but that's all I know for now.

 

[Remus]

I think the internet encourages freedom and democracy wherever it spreads

 

[Sinar_Matahari]

I think the internet encourages freedom and democracy wherever it spreads

Among other things....

 

[cosmosis]

In all seriousness, talk about backfiring. When people couldn't communicate online, they went into the streets instead. Hopefully governments are taking note.

 

[Honda]

I was born and lived in the middle east and I'd like to chip in about this topic..

I was fed up with how the Muslim Brothers being over-hyped by the US media.. People in Egypt aren't Islamists and most Muslims themselves over there dont want an Islamist government just like what happened in Iran. Which makes me relived and secure about the fact they will figure themselves out since Islamists aren't that dominating in this nation.. The revolution was started by a group of college students and then backed by lawyers, doctors and engineers..

Mubarak was a dictator that dominated the country using soviet style undercover secret police and corrupt members of the police forces. I have to say the current poor economic conditions have pushed those desperate people to get over with it and make a final push not to mention the latest riots in Tunisia aswell.. & I have to admit it took alot of guts for many of those people all over the nation to come out on the streets; this is a police state and at some times some people got to witness their loved ones being dragged out of their homes and locked away if not dragged on the streets and killed in cold blood..

You have no right to complain or question things.. The nation is ultra corrupt and all businesses are monopolized by business men that run the ruling party and are protected by the secret police and corrupt police. With people left with no future and no rights to even at least complain about it.. & if they do then their destiny is either being beaten up, tortured, imprisoned or even killed.. There is no future for anyone and poverty is extreme. If you want to be rich you have to hang out with the mob bosses (government/ruling party boys) or endure working for 12-18 hours just to barely survive..

Now the army is controlling the security and the stability of the country and is seeing how things can be arranged and managed with the people and their representatives in order to setup a proper democratic government.. Although left-overs of the regime like the presidential guard and some of the rich party members are somehow worrying..

On a final note there is alot of questions that are to be raised and one of them is the financial aid that the US sends to Egypt for the past decades.. & I cannot find a reason for it because the country has a peace treaty with Israel and super good relations with all surrounding countries... Other than providing that dictator with equipments to crush any attempts to overthrow his regime.. US tax payers should ask their government because as a non-American i have to say your foreign policy sucks big time for the past few decades... Not to mention some of the evil Islamist regimes that are allies with the US government like Saudi Arabia and Pakistan that really treat their people like animals.. Saudi Arabia is a breeding ground for terrorism and it pisses me off that the USA considers it a friend.. I would not be surprised if the US media mentions the opposite if Mubarak was winning...

Now, I pray this spreads all over the middleast as they are all almost the same thing.. Israel is worried but they shouldn't at all... Democracy means they will have to negotiate diplomatically with neighboring countries.. Unless their interests are more secure by puppet dictatorships i dont know..

 

[NathanielWingatePeaslee]

I am wondering: how much do you realistically think things will change, now? It's difficult to uproot everything criminal from a system that's been badly corrupt for a long time. I am fuzzy on how the infrastructure is being reordered.

On a final note there is alot of questions that are to be raised and one of them is the financial aid that the US sends to Egypt for the past decades.. & I cannot find a reason for it because the country has a peace treaty with Israel and super good relations with all surrounding countries... Other than providing that dictator with equipments to crush any attempts to overthrow his regime.. US tax payers should ask their government because as a non-American i have to say your foreign policy sucks big time for the past few decades... Not to mention some of the evil Islamist regimes that are allies with the US government like Saudi Arabia and Pakistan that really treat their people like animals.. Saudi Arabia is a breeding ground for terrorism and it pisses me off that the USA considers it a friend.. I would not be surprised if the US media mentions the opposite if Mubarak was winning...

I agree.

 

[Honda]

I am wondering: how much do you realistically think things will change, now? It's difficult to uproot everything criminal from a system that's been badly corrupt for a long time. I am fuzzy on how the infrastructure is being reordered.

Its critical and somehow scary so far everything looks fine till now and is going in a slow and clean fashion. Though I admit i have some ideas in the back of my head about some members of the former ruling party or some external forces might interfere in a form of 'an act of terrorism of some kind' but many people believe its unlikely. I am scared of any external pressures from Saudi Arabia specifically.. Israel is now watching silently to see how matters go..

Regarding the Muslim Brothers, I understand nobody wants to see them in power and they are still emphasizing that they dont want to do so at all yet they proposed that they want to only be presented in a democratic government and reject the ideology of an Islamist state.

As far as Im hearing now the protesters have an organized plan about what should be done next. Right now the army is performing its duty as per the constitution, which I salute them for siding with the people and not making a single attempt to stop or attack the protesters.. Now the army officials and some key members selected by the revolutionists are discussing and planning on how to take matters further on.. There are still some minor members of the ruling party still there to run and operate the basic functions of the country until the new government arises..

It will take sometime, probably a year or two and there will be some disputes and setbacks lets just pray all goes well as there's no turning back.. Many Egyptians there and ones I know are expecting that there will most likely be problems that will arise as it is a major phase..

Would like to note out that Im watching CNN, BBC world, Al Jazeera and France 24 to keep myself updated about this..

 

[arsenalwa]

Whoa, I didn't realize you made a thread to make sure I am ok, vj. Thanks Things have changed a lot since then though and all the violence's stopped and he finally stepped down yesterday. What those protestors achieved in 18 days is actually quite admirable. I've never really liked my country but for the first time ever I feel that it can really move forward now. It cost 300 people their lives though.

The Egyptian people don't want incumbent president Hosni Mubarak in office any longer and I suppose they feel that the only way to get their point across is to burn, loot and destroy homes, businesses, buildings...Apparently, he's running an authoritarian regime. I was just reading how Egyptian youth are rising up because they're pissed off that all ISPs have been cut off. I guess they can't live without their facebook...lol....The Egyptian government has taken the news network Al Jazeera off the air, too. There's more to it than this, but that's all I know for now.

Just thought this was very unfair and misinformed. Nobody were rising up cause ISPs have been cut off. They've already began the protests when the government cut the internet off. They did it to prevent more people from joining in in the protests since what started the protests in the first place was a human rights page on facebook that was made cause of a certain tragedy that happened here like a year ago when a young man was beaten to death by 2 police officers for almost absolutely no reason, and that page reached a ridiculous amount of members, mostly youth, and then they all arranged and started the protests in January 25th in the Liberation Square. It will go down in history as quite an odd revolution actually, started by facebook. They really wanted it to be totally peaceful all along, and did their best for it to be so, though the corrupt system did all sorts of dirty things that caused a lot of violence and innocent lives lost, like making secret police in civil clothes attack the protestors as "pro-system protestors", and like opening prisons and setting prisoners free to cause chaos all over the country and force the protestors to go home to protect their families, but despite all that they held their ground for 18 days, and overwhelmed the government when they used violence and refused to go home till they achieved what they were out to achieve. Don't get me wrong, I didn't participate in anyway as I'm always very depressed and always find it hard to care so much about what most other people care about, but I was left in awe at the bravery and determination of these people, even as some of them saw their loved ones die in front of them by the corrupt system, it only made them more determined. It was all quite epic actually if you watched it for 18 days and knew all what was really happening. Even though it will probably take a while to get the country stable again after all the mess of the last 18 days, I have no doubt that this will be the beginning of a real change for the better as it's very obvious how much these people really want it, especially educated, enthusiastic youth.

 

[Lea]

Genius told me he was from Giza. I hope he is well.

 

[Cynic]

People in Egypt aren't Islamists and most Muslims themselves over there dont want an Islamist government just like what happened in Iran. Which makes me relived and secure about the fact they will figure themselves out since Islamists aren't that dominating in this nation.. The revolution was started by a group of college students and then backed by lawyers, doctors and engineers

I gather that growing numbers among the younger Iranians are getting tired of the Islamist government there too. Maybe its only a matter of time now like what happened when the Shah was ousted at the end of the 1970's.

Mubarak was a dictator that dominated the country using soviet style undercover secret police and corrupt members of the police forces. I have to say the current poor economic conditions have pushed those desperate people to get over with it and make a final push not to mention the latest riots in Tunisia aswell.. & I have to admit it took alot of guts for many of those people all over the nation to come out on the streets; this is a police state and at some times some people got to witness their loved ones being dragged out of their homes and locked away if not dragged on the streets and killed in cold blood

Massive respect to the people of Egypt and Tunisia and let's hope more tyrannies around the world crumble in the not-too-distant future too.

as a non-American i have to say your foreign policy sucks big time for the past few decades... Not to mention some of the evil Islamist regimes that are allies with the US government like Saudi Arabia and Pakistan that really treat their people like animals.. Saudi Arabia is a breeding ground for terrorism and it pisses me off that the USA considers it a friend.

I agree with you there.

I think the internet encourages freedom and democracy wherever it spreads

Every authoritarian tyrant's nightmare.

 

[bsebring]

YouTube - Obama speech after Mubarak steps down