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Tuesday, February 1, 2011 | 8:51am
How Facebook is Playing a Major Role in Civil Unrest in Egypt
Even without being involved, they symbol of modern American society plays yet another important part in the Middle East?
Believe it or not Facebook has its practical purposes outside of making imaginary friends and reconnecting with lost jumpoffs from high school. Its a tool of information dissemination bottom line and as we’re discovering with the simmering revolt in Egypt, its at the center of the controversy.
At center of the largest demonstration in the country since the 1970′s is a single Facebook profile under the name “Khaled Said.” Said, was a young businessman from Alexandria who apparently was beaten to death by local police this summer, long before the protests ignited but marked a time in which organizers believe the people said “enough is enough.” Though gone his memory still lives in a single but powerful Facebook profile that bears his name. But taking the name the deceased who is considered to have died for that very cause is nothing new. Iran’s Green Revolution was lead by “Neda“, a 26-year-old woman gunned down in the streets of Tehran. Tunisia’s was “Mohamed Bouazizi”, an unemployed university graduate who set himself ablaze outside a government building.
The profile’s administrator goes by the handle “El Shaheeed” which in Arabic means “martyr” and has played a vital role in organizing the demonstrations which have called for an end to the country’s authoritarian regime. The handle is just that…a mask, a profile much in the same vain as the Wizard of Oz, concealing the true identity of the agitating driving force behind the civil unrest. But the administrator’s true identity is unknown to even Egypt’s most active activists.
Esraa Abdel Fatah or “Facebook Girl” as she was affectionately known after she organized a nationwide strike through her page in 2008, said that although she’s been in constant communication with El Shaheeed as they organized the initial protest, but she doesn’t know and has never met who is behind the mysterious Facebook profile.
“El Shaheeed is a dead man who everyone is rallying around,” said a U.S.-based activist in close contact with Egypt’s protesters. “But who’s doing this? There is no gender. There is no name. There is no leader. It is purely about the thought.”
Admitted afraid for his own safety, El Shaheeed has retreated to Gmail Chat as a tool to issue interviews to the press revealing his pro-democracy philosophy all while maintaining anonymity.
“El Shaheeed is a dead man who everyone is rallying around,” El Shaheed said. “I’m taking as much measures as I can to remain anonymous. But of course I’m scared.”
This has all the making of a Hollywood thriller with Leonardo DiCaprio and Ben Kingsley or someone playing lead roles. Its like “The Social Network” meets “Body Of Lies.” But this is not fake revolution. People are dying in the streets of Cairo, for a cause that they believe in, at least to what extent that they understand it. But why is a country that is so deep rooted in religion and authoritarian rule now so eager for Democracy which, oh by the way, is the governmental structure the U.S. has been imparting on the rest of the world? Too much of a coincidence to me.
Call me a cynic but is it not only convenient but advantageous for the Egypt to go nuts and revolt against President Mubarak’s rule and be somehow organized by a single Facebook user who conveniently remains anonymous? How easy would it be for opportunistic American factions to plant a mole via Facebook and get an entire country to follow suit like the Pied Piper. I know its easy to blame the United States but we have a history of doing such dirt and in the end we’ve been guilty of worse. Just my opinions, formulate your own.
FILED IN Editorials, Need to Know, News, Technology, Web 2.0
I don’t know that Egyptians want a U.S.-style democracy. I think there are certain ills in American society that they want no part of. What they want is more freedoms and freedom of choice, I believe. I think if it is a mole that they are following, they are opening a can of worms.
I think a revolt is bound to happen when you have the same person ruling for 30 years…..
But why now? What has transpired? There’s no genocide only poverty and that’s nothing new.
While Facebbok is part of it, I guess you can chalk it up to the age of information we are in. People being able to see that the grass IS greener on the other side via various media outlets and they say to themselves, “I should have more”. But the mere thought or murmur does really break the surface. Then certain actions take course such as the ones you pointed out and people say, “I want more”. And a movement takes place and ideas are spread, now in an instant via outlets like Facebook. More things may happen against those who uprise to solidify their particular want and people enmass are able to see the dead bodies, they are able to see the atrocities, which make in seem closer to home. Then a spark catches, thatt final straw hits the camels back and breaks it. Now people say “we demand more and we are not saying it again!!!”. Then they take to the streets and melee ensues…. Its happened in almost every country, some are just a little slower than other due to economics and their goverments strong hold on the media and the minds of the people….
I’m still holding my breath on this one. As you know, when the Iranian uprising happened a few years back, I had hoped that it would be the beginning. This time, it seems to have carried over to other nations, which (hopefully) is a symptom that it may be a region-wide event.
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I think that we (the United States) must step carefully. In the past, if we tried to help, we were accused of meddling. If we didn’t openly help, we were accused of supporting the dictator; and if we secretly helped (like in Afghanistan against the soviets), the people we help still hated us (because they didn’t know we helped).
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Our position should be that we support the right of all people to elect their leaders and determine their own form of government. If we got nothing more than that, the world would still win in the end.
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In my opinion, it is the free elections, not the form of government that matters.
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For example: If the people of Egypt decide that they want to be an Islamic nation; and if they still have regular, fair and free elections where the peoples’ will is honestly counted, I don’t think the United States would have a problem with that.
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It isn’t Islam, or communism that is the problem. It is the system being forced on an unwilling population. Self-determination, free elections, freedom… everything else falls into place afterwards.
As usual, good analysis, Malcolm. However, I disagree with this statement: “For example: If the people of Egypt decide that they want to be an Islamic nation; and if they still have regular, fair and free elections where the peoples’ will is honestly counted, I don’t think the United States would have a problem with that.” The U.S. government could care less what system of government another country has, as long as that government plays nice with the U.S. The U.S. has a history of supporting ruthless dictators (like Saddam Hussein, for one) as long as he served their purpose. When he no longer did that, (like Saddam Hussein), well, you know how that ended up…The U.S, has helped topple people-elected governments that didn’t want to play ball (in the Dominican Republic, for one) and continuously tries to destabilize others (Venezuela, for example).
I don’t think we should be surprised that the US only supports causes that somehow financially benefit us (them)…honestly even if they DON’T play nice.
By “play nice” I meant “do whatever the f*ck I tell you to do.”
THE U.S. BY FAR IS THE NOSIEST COUNTRY, THEY ONLY INTERFERE WHEN ITS OF THEIR INTEREST, PEOPLE THINK CONSPIRACIES ARE RAMBLINGS OF PARANOID PEOPLE, BUT THERES ALWAYS TRUTH 2 SOMETHING, A MAJORITY OF “DEMOCRATIC” GOVERNMENTS IN THE WORLD ARE RAN BY PUPPETS, FOR THE EGYPTIANS, 3 DECADES OF BULLSHIT UNDER THIS GUY, PEOPLE FINALLY GOT FED UP, THE EASIEST WAY 2 DEFEAT THE WEAK MINDED IS THROUGH MIND GAMES, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ARE THE KINGS OF MANIPULATION, THEY’LL “SUPPORT” YOU, WHEN YOU PLAY BY THEIR RULES AND A MAJORITY OF THE TIME, IT BITES ‘EM IN THE ASS, BIN LADEN DURING THE COLD WAR AND NOW, SADAAM DURING THE IRAQ AND IRAN WAR AND THE LIST GOES ON AND ON, THE PUPPET MASTERS CONTROLLING THE PUPPETS THROUGH MENTAL FEAR.