The silence is eerily deafening. Barely anyone from Egypt is online, with all ISPs having been shut down except one – Noor – apparently because that’s the one used by the stock exchange and some banks. Mobile phone services are erratic at best.
A whole country has been wiped off the Internet map as Hosni Mubarak and his regime try to silence a nation and isolate them from communication with the outside world. Clearly, it’s also to shield their ongoing crimes against humanity - and quite possibly intended massacre - from the eyes of the world.
Today is the fourth day Egyptians have protested across the country against the barbaric, corrupt regime that has been in power uncontested for almost 30 years. Further protests are coming in a couple of hours, after Friday prayers at 1:00pm Egypt time. Reports from eyewitnesses on twitter say plainclothes police/thugs are dowsing cars and public squares with petrol, presumably in order to set them on fire during the protests and blame protesters, thus giving them an excuse to attack them. Or, perhaps – God forbid – to set the public areas aflame once they’re filled with people.
It's also reported that the regime's thugs are also out in large numbers armed with knives and baseball bats.
Contrary to popular public opinion in the US and other countries, these protests are not being led by the Muslim Brotherhood (although some members of the MB are reported to be protesting as individuals) or, in fact, by any single group. They are being powered by the people, by individual Egyptians who have had enough.
Do whatever you can to support them and let the world know they’re being heard.
Only God knows what will happen in Egypt over the coming hours and days. But to all of Egypt and all Egyptians… your white heart is beating loudly and we can hear you.
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Nice post, Emily.
ReplyDeleteI would like to say though that I haven't heard one word about the Muslim Brotherhood from any major news source here. The reports on network television are that the protests are being led by the people of Egypt, and the stories mostly focus on the use of social media in organizing them. I'm a bit of a news junkie so I'm tuned in a lot. I am looking forward to a report directly from the streets of Egypt later today from a reporter I greatly trust and admire. We will see.
Sadly, as a friend of ours posted this morning, while Egypt is in chaos most people here are talking about Charlie Sheen... I apologize about that. - S.
A beautifully written plea for help on behalf of everyone 'trapped' inside Egypt. The internet has become a very powerful force for ordinary people as evidenced by the events in Tunisia and Egypt, Wikileaks activities and the increasing interest business is now taking in social networking sites for commercial purposes. Their interest/investment (for good or evil) speaks louder than words. Freedom of speech and information - someone has to find a realistic way of stopping governments turning our access off when it suits them; managing our expectations - directly, or indirectly as in the case of Wikileaks. pamela
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