Uprising+in+the+Middle+East+Essay

Protesting for Freedom: Egyptians Fight for Their Rights


After enduring several decades of being subjected to the reign of a dictator, the Egyptians were tired of feeling powerless and unimportant; many of the citizens wanted to enact change within the governmental structure to improve their living conditions. Propelled by the need to make a difference starting in January 2011, the younger generation of Egyptians began posting statuses on Facebook and Tweeting their thoughts expressing the wretched environment in which they were forced to reside in. Social media was utilized in an attempt to spread awareness to their cause because they were fed up with the lack of concern the government showed for their needs as people, who were trying to prosper in a country with a high instance of wealth inequity. Seeking to counteract the negative media attention, President Hosni Mubarak shut down the internet and temporarily disrupted the cellular service for the entire country (Ladhani). The people believed that their inheritable right to freedom of speech and expression were being taken away from them in an effort to regain control of the minds of the citizens; as a result they decided to begin protesting to make changes to the ruling style of the government using the technological advances that they helped create and facilitate. The protestors vowed to have their demands met and their voices heard by the leaders. The corrupt and ineffective ruling power and their elimination of the access to the technological advancements contributed to the angst that motivated demonstrators to overthrow the government in Egypt in a quest to seek a governing entity that adheres to the needs of the people. The struggle to build a governing body garnered the attention of political leaders and media outlets around the world inspiring various revolutions in other countries that were enduring similar adversities.

Existing under a veil of mystery, Egypt’s neoliberal governmental structure claimed to uphold a policy of openness; however, there were widespread instances of corruption going on behind closed doors. The ruling power under the control of President Hosni Mubarak pretended to be concerned with the needs of the people in front of the eyes of the Western countries. The purpose of upholding this front was in an effort to continue to have the support from the Western nations that fund his lavish lifestyle. He consistently ignored the realities of “growing inequality, poverty and social insecurity” that the majority of the citizens were facing (Maher). Prior to the revolution, the regime cut off social protections, privatized the health care system, reduced food subsidies and sentenced the lower class to a life of turmoil and suppression (Maher). The working class of the population realized the strategy of the ruling class was to unite power and concentrate the vast amount of new wealth that has been acquired into the bank accounts of the richest people in the state. Feeling abandoned by the entity that was supposed to make their lives easier, demonstrators wanted their voices to be heard in order to try to change the way things were ran.

The downfall of President Mubarak’s period in office was exacerbated by the act of shutting down the internet for the entire country. Initially the government denied access to Twitter and then the following day access to Facebook was taken away, these drastic measures were the president’s last hope in limiting the people’s exposure to the media outside of the country. Tension between the ruling class and the working class were immensely elevated as Noorin Ladhani explained by stating that “Local and international tech and news companies joined together and acted quickly to bring the messages of Egyptians to the forefront of international news.” Several companies rushed to create loopholes for the citizens that would allow them to update their statuses and communicate using a landline instead of the internet to get their desired messages across to a global audience. Enraged by the stifling of their rights to freedom of speech, the younger generations began to heavily halt business ventures in Egypt by continuing to protest, thus affecting the lucrative industries that have helped the nation to compete in the global market. “The country’s one billion a year ad industry is shut down” (Wentz) due to the uncertain and instable political climate. Eradicating the medium that was used to express thoughts, concerns and feelings was a key indicator to the people that the need for a shift in the governing body was imminent and crucial.

The increase in protests affected the economy of Egypt, the surrounding countries and Egypt’s allies in the West due to the low productivity in the industries dominated by the working class, who were the protestors. The representative government that succeeded President Mubarak attempted to sustain an “open market approach” or a capitalist economy in order to remain competing with their Western counterparts (Maher). The new transitional government outlawed labor strikes and has applied harsher punishment for protestors in an effort to “ensure the continuation of financial flows and consolidate domestic class power” (Maher). Maintaining fiscal earnings was the main priority of the new leaders, instead of implementing stability back into the lives of the people. Everything that the new political power has altered was to prevent Egypt from declaring bankruptcy and losing all their financial advances over the last few decades due to social unrest. Journalist, Stephen Maher points out that “the Egyptian capitalist class and its international allies hope that by enacting mild political reforms, such as the freedom to organize political parties and speak more freely, the urban movement can be appeased and more radical social transformation and democratization forestalled.” The new governing body didn’t want to make the same mistakes that the Mubarak administration did.

Through resilience and dedication the Egyptian revolution was eventually successful in accomplishing the goal of removing Hosni Mubarak from power. Ousting an ineffective leader contributed to the progress of the movement but many problems still exist within the country that need to be dealt with appropriately. Maher ascertains that “ongoing strikes across the country have forced the ruling military junta to increase the minimum wage sixfold, while a plethora of new, independent unions have sprung up across Egypt.” The majority of Egyptians recognize that the fight to earn equality in the eyes of the ruling class is not over. The limited reforms that have been adopted since the beginning of the revolution are motivated by the need to maintain financial growth within the industries that Egyptians have worked tirelessly to develop. Adhering to the necessities and concerns of the people should be the focus of the political parties if their intent is to remain in power, instead of continuing to be enthralled with the idea of making money and taking advantage of the people.

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