NOVANEWS
One of my sources sends the following recommendation for on-the-ground
reports from Egypt.
Here are three of the many women of the Egyptian Revolution – that will
counter some of those images of passive Muslim women. Change in the Middle
East is being pushed forward by women like Mona, Asma, Sarah, etc., too, and
they are not few. There are many more women who are actively shaping the
revolution, who are blogging, twittering, writing, vlogging etc. about it here,
and who have been working for years for this change, but here are three for now:
Asma is said to have triggered this revolution through her vlog – which is not
that she is the source of it. Either way, it’s a strong video.
Mona has been in Tahrir non-stop, even though they kidnapped/”detained”
her father for days (he is out now). Only on February 5th did she leave the
square for a bit. This message was recorded on January 31st, it seems. Both
before and after, she kept posting really encouraging, inspiring and inspired
messages.
Sarah (half-British) is – and has been for years – one of the very few journalists
and photographers that has covered activism and workers movements in Egypt
from the ground. In the past, she has repeatedly been harrassed for her work.
If you are looking for other good sources, please read:
or check out the following on twitter:
@ajenglish (Al Jazeera English)
By Jesse Bacon
Ashley Bates continues her excellent reporting by interviewing Hamas spokesman
Ahmed Youssef. The story is an interesting variant of the “Is it good for Israel?” that
we have been subjected to such a barrage of. While obviously I don’t support Hamas’s
views or their actions, I think that too often they are ignored and that leads to US policy
based on ignorance. It is interesting to read them during revolution in Egypt, one where
the American reaction has been so dominated by fears of the Muslim Brotherhood,
which Hamas is in some ways a descendant. (Though unlike Hamas, the Muslim Brothe-
rhood does not have an armed wing.)
Hamas has long been viewed as too extreme to bargain with. Yet as these
negotiations crumble, Yousef may have the chance to capitalize on the
uprisings to bring Hamas back to the table—that is, if the upheaval doesn’t
spark a new
Palestinian civil war. Yousef hopes the popular revolts in Egypt and Tunisia
will inspire long-overdue Palestinian elections, and lead to the formation of a
“unity government” that is recognized by the west—and which includes
Hamas.
Interestingly, he thinks this not because it will enable more violence but the opposite,
that it will lead to inclusion of Hamas in power-sharing and negotiations. Sad that it took
the utter failure of our policy in Egypt to even make this common sense approach a
possibility. Sadly, this support does not extend to the solidarity protests of Palestinians,
which Fatah has suppressed as well.
anti-government demonstrators, but these attempts have quickly been
squelched by Hamas and Fatah. So as much as Yousef may want to see a
Democratic revolution come to the Middle East, the government he
represents is also threatened by it.
It’s quite the turnabout, Egyptians have helped Israel to suppress Palestinians,
now Palestinian leaders are stifling support for Egyptians.
On the other hand, Yousef also sees the transformative energy created by
the pro-democracy uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia as a chance to promote
Palestinian democracy. “The Palestinian tragedy is that we are now two
governments for a people without a state,” he says. “The only salvation is
to hold an election.”
I would say that slavation is unlikely to come from elections alone, but I appreciate
the sentiment.
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