Happiness in Egypt
Excuses, admissions, promises… the tyrant, who couldn’t believe what he was seeing, tried all of these. A people said ‘enough’, and ignored the curfew. A people made the army doubt the legitimacy of a government that came from illegitimacy, a government who went to great lengths (without result) to try and prove itself democratic.
The people would not leave the plaza. Eighteen days of demands, of civil disobedience, of non-violence facing both the threat of violence as well as violence carried out. Nothing could turn them away, not even this bloody regime of riches, arms, and power. The people had the feeling, as the days went on, that the true power rested with them. They believed that their great moral force was invincible, and they trusted and counted on it, and they had their much-deserved reward.
Mubarak resigned, the Egyptian people celebrated.
One hopes that this same internal force which led them to sustain this non-violent struggle, will also lead them in the right direction in building the country that they want and deserve. Surely, a country that will be pacifist, inclusive, and with equal opportunities for all.
Let’s hope that the Egyptian people do not let go of the reins of their destiny, which it cost them so much to gain.
*translated by Meghan Storey*
