Tahrir was not about ushering in a US-style political campaign, and Egypt's parliament is not a touchstone of the future
Khalid Abdalla
guardian.co.uk, Monday 16 January 2012
"....There are three main poles of power in Egypt: the army, the Islamists and the revolution. No single event is powerful enough to obliterate the influence of any one of them. Only time can. The real question is: whose ideology is most resilient?....
But what began on 25 January last year was not a political campaign, it was a country awakening. Over the last year, the streets have had the power to inspire generations, to topple cabinets, prime ministers and a president, to move political roadmaps, to force a cultural shift in the police state and deeply threaten the army. Time and again battles have been fought by citizens of conscience willing to die for their principles, or go to prison. For the first time since 1919 thousands of women have appeared on Egypt's streets, marching as a bloc.
Khalid Abdalla
guardian.co.uk, Monday 16 January 2012
"....There are three main poles of power in Egypt: the army, the Islamists and the revolution. No single event is powerful enough to obliterate the influence of any one of them. Only time can. The real question is: whose ideology is most resilient?....
But what began on 25 January last year was not a political campaign, it was a country awakening. Over the last year, the streets have had the power to inspire generations, to topple cabinets, prime ministers and a president, to move political roadmaps, to force a cultural shift in the police state and deeply threaten the army. Time and again battles have been fought by citizens of conscience willing to die for their principles, or go to prison. For the first time since 1919 thousands of women have appeared on Egypt's streets, marching as a bloc.
As people take their seats in parliament on 23 January, deep down they will know that it is blood that got them there. You can be sure that every person who has died will have chanted the words: "Bread. Freedom. Social justice." Those who have lost their eyes, been tortured, or wounded, continue to do so. So until the country feels those words can rest in balance, expect Egypt to remain turbulent.
If the Islamists can bring that future in one choppy parliament, expect the future to be theirs, deservedly. But presuming they can't; it will be civil society that writes the future, as the street finds ways to organise itself and build its vision."
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