[Air-L] ISOC Statement on Egypt?s Internet shutdown

[Seda Guerses]

aziz wrote:

>> Why haven't been
any mass uprisings in the region before this decade? 


i just luckily received a post that provides a (specific) historical perspective to mass protests in egypt:

"Besides these three state-commemorated events, Egyptians have revolted against the corruption, greed and cruelty of their rulers many more times in the last 60 years. On January 26, 1952, Egyptians emerged onto the streets to protest an array of issues—including the corruption of the monarchy, the decadence, power and privilege of foreign business elites, and the open-ended British occupation. The revolt was quickly suppressed, though the damage to property was massive, and it set in motion an exodus of foreign elites—and the military coup months later. In 1968, Egyptian students launched huge and daring protests against the repressive policies of Nasser’s police state. In the early 1970s, Egyptian students engaged in sustained mass protests against the radical political reorientations of the new Sadat regime—and eventually forced the state to re-engage in military confrontation with Israel. On January 18-19, 1977, Egyptians rose up en masse to protest against IMF austerity measures imposed on the country by the corrupt, inept and ruthless regime of Anwar Sadat. The Egyptian President was already on his jet ride into exile before the Central Security Forces and Army finally gained the upper hand. In Egypt it is the Central Security Forces rather than the military who deals with civil unrest and popular protest. Yet, even this “solution” to the problem of recurring popular revolt has proven at times uncertain. As in the military, the CSF has been the site of mutinies, one of which, in late February 1986, involved 20,000 low-paid conscripts who were put down only when the army entered the fray. During the early 1990s, Islamist protests against the authoritarian rule of Mubarak escalated into armed conflict, both in the slums of the cities and in Upper Egypt. Hundreds of militants, soldiers and innocent civilians were killed before the revolt was finally suppressed. This list leave out other significant moments of mass civil protest and contestation—like the massive protests against the First Gulf War, the US invasion of Iraq and Israel's attacks on Lebanon and Gaza—but even so, the tally is impressive: no less than 10 major revolts and revolutions in 130 years. In other words, despite what commentators might say, modern Egyptians have never passively accepted the failed colonial or postcolonial states that fate has dealt them."


i am still the opinion that one of the main contributions of social media has been an increasing awareness of the one sided non-pluralistic broadcast that most of us in western oriented countries have been subject to. and, it is true, had it not been for facebook, i would not have had this post, and would have not been able to provide any commentary on the past lineage of protests in egypt, as well as the role different media, in this case poetry, in "moving the masses". i highly recommend the rest of the article:
http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/506/the-poetry-of-revolt

and, here some of it in action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwIY6ivf70A

best,
s.




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