By: Tallha Abdulrazaq
I confess that I certainly did not see the events that are currently unfolding in Egypt coming. I knew that one day it had to happen, but I certainly did not think it would happen so soon. A thirty year iron fisted rule by Mubarak, the pervasiveness of the ludicrously sized Egyptian security apparatus (some figures put the ratio at 1 security/intelligence officer to every 30 Egyptians) and a tired and downtrodden people are usually not the right ingredients for a popular revolt of this magnitude and ferocity. Similarly, the ousting of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, former disgraced despot of Tunisia, caught me off guard too. However, I console myself with the knowledge that nobody saw this coming. Who would’ve thought that the Arabs, normally so docile and willing to be ground into the dirt by their illegitimate governments, would rise up with such fury and attempt to cast down the masters imposed upon them? Human intellect is no match for God’s will, that’s for sure.
But what are the potential outcomes to what is happening in Egypt? Inspired by the Tunisians, they’ve taken to the streets in the hopes of finally getting rid of the man and the government that has been oppressing them for decades. The police confronted the protesters before pulling back and seemingly vanishing, and the Egyptian Army has yet to do anything decisive for either the protesters or the embattled Egyptian government. However, internationally, already we are seeing involvement and signals from significant world powers.
