clear

Creating new perspectives since 2009

Did Egypt’s January Revolution die?

January 27, 2017 at 2:00 pm

Egyptians come together, participating in the revolution that took place on 25th January 2011 [The wisdom of the day/Facebook]

January 25th passed without a hitch for the people of Egypt, apart from a few posts and tweets on Facebook and Twitter, some of which were eulogies for the revolution while others expressed sadness at it being lost in a sea of frustration. However, there were also some people who insist that the revolution is ongoing and that it will still achieve its goals.

Regardless of the contrast in opinions, one firm fact remains: the 25th January Revolution was the greatest in the history of Egypt and it was aborted by the deep state, with the help of the corrupt elites whose hatred and detestation of the Islamic trend trumped their love of their country and their belief in democracy, freedom, equality and justice. These are the slogans that they have always promoted and upon which their presence in the political arena is built.

Of course, the region played a role and was an important factor in aborting the revolution, as the surrounding countries were afraid that the winds of change would reach their kingdoms and emirates and shake their thrones. As such, they made great efforts to thwart our revolution in order for it not to spread to their lands. They spent billions of dollars to do this and funded the coup against the first elected president in the history of Egypt in order to kill the new-born democracy and push it back decades.

This is the story of a popular revolution against oppression and corruption; the revolution of a nation against a corrupt leader in order to establish justice in their country. We cannot forget the revolution’s slogans at the time: “Bread, Freedom and Social Justice” and “Raise your head, you are Egyptian”. This nation was able to break the barrier of fear and bared their chests to live ammunition without a care for their own safety. The power of truth that they possessed in them was stronger than the power of bullets, and they sacrificed their lives for the sake of the freedom of their country and the dignity of their people. The revolution was a legend that the people could not defend and protect against its enemies, and the overthrown leader managed to push the people back into the confines of fear and humiliation by the force of arms.

The question now is where did the spirit of the revolution within the Egyptians go? They are living in conditions much worse than during Mubarak’s reign. The Egyptian economy is in a horrible state, with the US dollar now equivalent to 20 Egyptian pounds, while prices in the country have risen to all-time highs. Every family is on the verge of destruction and there is no longer a political outlet; all the windows of opportunity have been closed and no one is allowed to be involved in independent political activities that do not fit the approach and ideology of the coup-led government. If they do, they are considered to be terrorists. This accusation is directed at any free citizen who does not like the current situation in Egypt.

We have lost all our rights and liberties and the country has become a big prison for its people. It is as if the North Korea experience has been reproduced in Egypt; it has pushed us to the lowest possible level. This is Egypt in the era of the coup. Will we be able to restore the spirit of the 25th January Revolution once again in order for us to stand against this corrupt, treacherous tyrant? Or did the revolution really die?

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.