Thursday, May 19, 2011

Egyptian uprising's reporter: 'Two Egypts have emerged'



Ayman Mohyeldin was the face of al-Jazeera's coverage. Time magazine named him one of the most influential people of 2011

Ayman Mohyeldin
The Guardian, Thursday 19 May 2011

"In the past 100 days, two Egypts have emerged. One is revolutionary Egypt, driven by ideals and demanding reform and institutional change. And then there is the other Egypt, in which the military tries to maintain law and order. In certain areas, those two Egypts conflict; in other areas, they converge. Right now, they are torn apart and heading in very different directions.

When you look at something like the Israeli embassy clashes the other day [in which 350 people were injured when security forces fired teargas and rubber bullets at protesters], from the demonstrators' perspective it's seen as exercising one's right to protest and one's right to demand a re-evaluation of Egypt's relationship with Israel. But from the army's perspective, it's about maintaining security and protecting foreign embassies – specifically, the embassy of a Israel, which, were it to be overrun by protesters, would have broader implications for the country and the military.

The one thing that has definitely changed is the dialogue. The fact that there is an ongoing discussion now that really knows very few red lines is a step in the right direction. There's a wider political pluralism on display, what with the Muslim Brotherhood moving out of the shadows and the emergence of new youth leaders, and so on. But the country is taking two steps forward, one step back.....

I don't think elections in September will be free and fair, but they will be freer and fairer than the sort of thing we've seen in the past. It would help if Egyptians could swallow their national pride and allow foreign observers to monitor the polls, but I doubt that will happen....."

No comments: