As protests in Egypt continued for the 11th day, calls continued for Hosni Mubarak’s ouster, a state of affairs the Egyptian President said he is “fed up” with, in an exclusive interview with the American broadcaster ABC News.
A R A B I C A ???????
By Kristen Gillespie
As protests in Egypt continued for the 11th day, calls continued for Hosni Mubarak’s ouster, a state of affairs the Egyptian President said he is “fed up” with, in an exclusive interview with the American broadcaster ABC News. Mubarak insists he will not step down, saying the country would fall into chaos if he did. On the streets, it seems too late for that, as reports of lawlessness and looting continue to pour in, a general strike continued, opposition leaders refuse dialogue until Mubarak leaves and banks and the stock market remained closed as Egypt loses hundreds of millions of dollars in income for every day of instability.
ALL NEWS IS GLOBAL
*Pan-Arab media outlets and Arabic wire service coverage continue to emphasize the inclusive nature of the protests; peasants, leftists, Islamists, Egyptians of all beliefs and classes, uniting to fight for two things: the resignation of Mubarak and a more representative government.
*In Algeria, opposition activists say they are planning to carry out protests on February 12th despite the promises of President Abdulaziz Boutefliqa to lift the state of emergency that has been in place for 19 years and allow reforms. This from Reuters Arabic. “Rashid Malawi, a union president and one of the protest organizers, said he believed that the protest would take place because the actions taken by Bouteflika are not convincing. Malawi said he believed the government was not serious about achieving democracy in Algeria.” The one common thread of protests across the Arab world, from Yemen to Algeria, is that the people out on the streets are not accepting their leaders’ words at face value, and are demanding nothing less than immediate action.
TWITTERING
*Samih Toukan, one of the Arab world’s most successful internet entrepreneurs, tweeted in Arabic the historical analogy Western analysts have ignored: “The Great Arab Revolt,” begun in 1916 to throw off the yoke of Ottoman rule, led by T. E. Lawrence and Sharif Hussein of Mecca, the great-grandfather of Jordan’s King Abdullah. The Revolt was also noteworthy for planting the seed of Arab nationalism, a new form of which is taking shape every day.
*Those people in the streets have no time for television, says @hmada20: “We’re in the streets, not watching Al Jazeera – we’re making our own revolution, ourselves.”
*This homemade sign in Arabic was spotted in Tahrir Square today, addressed to Mubarak: “If you love Egypt, leave her.”
GRAPHICALLY SAID
*Jordan’s most famous cartoonist Imad Hajaj imagines the shame of Egypt’s once-respected army as it stands by, allowing Mubarak’s thugs to attack civilians:
“Mubarak’s supporters savagely attack protesters in Tahrir Square”
The inscription on the statue’s plinth reads: “The father of the modern Egyptian army, Abdel Moneim Riyadh and representative of the war of attrition”
photo credit: illustir
