Two Arab Dictators ousted, 18 to go.

Dr. Adel Elsaie

Due to the successful 25 January Revolution in Egypt, we will postpone our videos on Islamic Youth Awakening to congratulate the great Egyptian youth in their January 25 Revolution.

Sources : http://www.usislam.org/dictators/two_arab_dictators_ousted_18_to_go.htm

http://www.usislam.org/dictators/muslim_dictators.htm

Watch Video of this email at:  http://www.usislam.org/IslamicYouth/videos/Two-Arab- Dictators-ousted.wmv The video is Br. David McClung reading this email.

Discussion on the recent events in Tunisia could be heard in the streets of the Egyptian capital Cairo. In the course of demonstrations against the dictatorship of Ben Ali dozens of predominately young Tunisians have been killed by the Tunisian police and army. Anger over the brutality of the Ben Ali regime was widespread in the Egyptian capital.

“A government that kills its people, rather than creates jobs, has no right to exist”, declared Ahmed, as he wove his taxi through the overcrowded streets of Cairo. “The protesters are not terrorists, as the government claims. They are normal people like you and me who have taken to the streets because they have no perspective. They are fighting the same problems we have here in Egypt.”

Mohammed, a young student in a cafe in downtown Cairo, sees the situation similarly. “The situation in Tunisia is comparable to Egypt. In both countries there a dictator. The population is impoverished, there are no jobs and rising prices.” He then adds defiantly: “I hope the situation here explodes soon. Even if they shoot at us—as in Tunisia.”

I remember Egypt, my great home country,  the longest civilization in history. I remember Egypt during dynasties of Pharaohs when it was a superpower. I remember Egypt, the Muslim country, when it was a beacon of Islamic culture. I remember Egypt when it was the first country to defeat the Mongols. I remember Egypt before the "blessed 1952 revolution"  when United kingdom and Saudi Arabia used to borrow money from Egypt. The history of this great country is one of the best of all times. I love and care about Egypt, the great Muslim Country.

So what did you do to Egypt?

The Egyptian citizen Sherif Hamdi, a 21- year-old carpenter said "We were screaming. Yes we were. We shouted and asked for drinking water. Is this a crime in modern Egypt? Don't we have the right to have water to drink? Don't we have the right to wash up and clean our bodies? Don't we have the right to wash our clothes and clean up our children whose bodies have become sore with infections as a result of the heat and dirt?"

Egyptians try to tackle the deadly daily bread crisis Independent and opposition parties have been sharply critical of  Hosni Mubarak's government, calling the long lines a sign that his government is failing. "Our life has become so miserable," said one worker, Saber Ahmed, who spends up to four hours daily in bread lines to get 20 pieces of bread for colleagues at the cafe where he works. The 17-year-old, wearing a ragged T-shirt as he stood in a long line, said he and co-workers can't afford unsubsidized bread, "or any food to eat with it."

Among cemeteries lives a community of Egypt’s urban poor, forming an illegal but tolerated, separate society. “More than five million Egyptian live in these cemeteries, and have  formed their own enterprises,” said Malak Yakan, an anthropologist and tour guide. “There are five major cemeteries"  said Yakan.

Education system collapsed when the ruling party allowed private tutoring to continue to the extent that this forms a huge financial burden to the average Egyptian family. The purpose of the ruling party was to keep the average Egyptian families in distress all the time to pay for private tutoring in the hope of having a brighter future for their children.

Hosni Mubarak came to preside over this great country to make his priorities appeasing Israel and USA, strengthening the 1.75 million security forces to eliminate any voice of opposition, allowing his ruling party and personal friends to steal the wealth of Egypt and to accumulate billions of dollars while half of the Egyptians live under poverty levels. They ruled Egypt with arrogance: when his foreign  Minister asked if what happened in Tunisia could be repeated in Egypt, he replied "this is nonsense"

Tunisia, Egypt and the rest of the Muslim countries deserves much better than that. AlHamd le Allah this nightmare is lifted in 2 Arab countries.  And InShaa Allah Egypt regains its position in the Arabic, Islamic, and the world scene.