Arkady's Thoughts

Today, February 11th of 2011 will surely go down in Egypt's history as a turning point and will perhaps be immortalized as a national holiday.  After more than two weeks of reasonably peaceful protests and striking the Egyptian people have achieved their primary demand, Hosni Mubarak has stepped down.  While this revolution may just be a foot note in western historical texts, what transpired was indeed truly remarkable.  Consider, after thirty years of autocratic rule and a systematic suppression of all opposition a dictator running a police state has been removed by the people!  However as always in this world what meets the eye may not be reality.   First, as I have maintained earlier, my belief is that the underlying reason for what transpired is economic and not because of Mubarak's authoritarian rule.  Media sources describing events in Cairo would often mention that rising food prices and unemployment were problems that Egyptians wanted resolve...

A shining example of how America's left logically combines marching and vocalizing support for a free Egypt while exhibiting anti-semitism and hate.  This is precisely the reason why all protests and support for Egypt must be done carefully and with caution.   Internal mood in Egypt and people's opinions are not only supportive of strong Islamic principles, but extreme animosity towards their democratic neighbor Israel. Here is a video of the same people transitioning nicely from "Down with Mubarak" to "Zionist Jew".   We should all be celebrating and wishing for freedom in Egypt, that is a wonderful thing to wish for, yet how does one reconcile this desire with hate and rabid anti-semitism?  When you stand with these crowds and join in their desires, you support the other side of the equation: hate.

In a rather telling headline, the WSJ reports today that the Christians of Egypt are worried what might happen with Mubarak's departure.  Consider  Coptic Christians Worry About Future Without Mubarak and think about this for a moment.  Why would about 8 million people willingly accept an autocratic tyrant who has turned Egypt into a police state?  The same 8 million people who have been beaten, persecuted, blown up and marginalized by the virtue of them being Christian?  People who in some areas are relegated to the trash heaps of Egypt, literally .  What can possibly be worse than what they already have? Answer:  Islamists. Plenty of people across the world are calling Egyptian's Muslim Brotherhood a humanitarian movement that is destined to bring democracy, freedom and liberty to Egypt  Oh really?  This is why Coptic Christians prefer a tyrant?   Who do you suppose understands the dynamics of Egypt better, people who li...