My word in Arabic كلمتى بالعربى: A year of a great revolution

Mohamed Kamel*

January 20^th, 2012

A year has passed since the great Egyptian day, January 25^th, 2011 when a mass of millions of Egyptians took to the streets in a huge protest. A protest that turned into 18 days of a peaceful pacifist revolution, starting with a demo and ending with the unity of the Egyptians demanding one thing, Mubarak has to go. They insisted on the removal of Mubarak and his gang and they were united, so they won.

A year later, people are asking themselves what has been achieved. Some think that nothing was achieved because the people who protested in Tahrir are not in power and they are lead by a mistaken assumption or by the dream that a revolution is to change the earth’s direction in one day. Others understand that a revolution is multiple steps starting with a revolt and now it is time to build.

A year later, it is very clear, Mubarak is not in power, and his family is not in control. Recently, Egypt had its first free election in its entire history. A people elected parliament is to sit in its first session in a few days. A new constitution is to be written. A president will be elected. So the building started and Egypt needs all its daughters and sons to build it.

While we are preparing to celebrate a year of a continued revolution, I got to see Egypt very close through a short and an overdue visit. I visited Egypt for the first time after the revolution and touched every coroner of its society exposing myself to all views and ideas from the far left to the far right, from the revolutionaries to the allusions of the minority in support of an ex-dictator.

I felt a country that is revolting on its entire. People who never spoke politics are now practicing politics. People have been changed. Not a fully satisfactory change, but they changed, because they all agree that the past will not comeback.

All but minority participated in the election. They got their fair share of the people’s vote, a fair election that the entire world witnessed and braised. Its fairness is very clear from the outcome where only a handful from the old guard have been voted back.

The few who didn’t participate are the same few that think that the country can be run from the street. The street is a tool to change but the ballet boxes is the only tool to govern.

Am I satisfied with everything going on in Egypt? Am I fully satisfied of the developments in the last year? For sure not! We are just starting and it is a very long process to rebuild what a gang in power destroyed in the last 35 years.

Some think that they can take the revolution hostage for their own narrow minded dreams, and as the new leftist president of Tunisia said yesterday that the extreme left are destroying the revolution*, it is the same story in Tunisia and Egypt as well.

While we celebrate a year of this historic revolution we shouldn’t forget the price paid for our freedom, a freedom that was bought as usual by the blood. We should remember our martyrs and our injured in respect, promising them not to give up our freedom to anyone anymore. We should remember them in respect not by exposing their suffering to achieve a narrow minded goal.

What is going in Tahrir in the last few months is not a revolution. It is a counter revolution. Some might have a good intention but it is misguided with extreme elements and some of the old regime gangs.

That is why they don’t represent me anymore and don’t represent the revolution and they shouldn’t represent any of us. Some might disagree, that is the freedom we gain after January 25^th revolution, a freedom we should keep and maintain.

Happy anniversary to all Egyptians and the entire world

* Mohamed S. Kamel: is a Freelance writer, the editor of http://forafreeegypt.blogspot.com/, he is a professional engineer, a LEED Green Associate and a recognized project manager professional, he is Member of several civil society organizations, a co-founder of the Canadian Egyptian for Democracy (CEFD), National Association for Change in Egypt (Taghyeer – Canada), Association of the Egyptians of Montreal (AEM), Alternative Perspective Media (APM-RAM), , Quebec Antiwar movement “Échec à la Guerre”, Coalition for Justice and Peace in Palestine “CJPP”, ex-president and co-founder of the Canadian Muslim Forum (CMF), member of the board of trustee in the Canadian Muslim for Palestine (CMP) and Community Center for Montreal Muslims (CCMM) . He could be reached at public@mohamedkamel.com

* In Arabic http://www.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/E3D4F095-D710-4E25-8364-C656B6699BDF.htm?GoogleStatID=1

Please read my earlier articles on the Egyptian revolution

22 نوفمبر 2011

المراهقة السياسية

http://forafreeegypt.blogspot.com/2011/11/blog-post_22.html

November 19^th, 2011

In the name of the revolution they are killing it

http://forafreeegypt.blogspot.com/2011/11/in-name-of-revolution-they-are-killing.html

October 22^nd, 2011

Revolution to build, not to revenge

http://forafreeegypt.blogspot.com/2011/10/revolution-to-build-not-to-revenge.html

23 يوليو 2011