Justice: The Death Penalty
"This was not a fair verdict and there is mass rejection of the judge's ruling. Tahrir will fill up again with protesters. In Egypt the only way you can get any justice is by protesting because all the institutions are still controlled by Mubarak figures."Protesters are still hanging effigies of former president Mubarak from street lights, feeding on their hatred for the man as a symbol of whatever is wrong with their lives. His life sentence does nothing to depress their contempt for the man who had once led the country. They would far prefer to see him dead. "We should have done as the Libyans did and killed our dictator".
That would be a promising start for a new Middle East democracy. Protesters intone their dedication to freedom and justice, but it is their version of justice that matters and must be demonstrated. Anything less is intolerable. This is a violent society; even as ordinary Egyptians are courteous and feel a good measure of compassion for others, they are still incapable of collectively assuming a healthy measure of civility.
Scratch the surface and you scratch the matchhead of incendiary hatred and violence in a paroxysm of self-mutilation. Those among the youth who rebelled against the tyranny of their leadership, invoking the name of freedom and liberty through democratic values are prepared to revisit the glory they felt in their original revolution; the Arab Spring, they insist, is not dead.
June 16 looms close on the horizon, a mere two weeks into the future. The military is in control, with the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafists breathing furnace-hot on their bared and vulnerable necks. Bring in Ahmed Shafiq as elected president, and the country will explode in a tsunami of defiance against the same military that supported Mr. Mubarak, now thrown to the wolves of popular revenge.
"I represent transparency and light. Everyone knows me. The Brotherhood represents darkness and secrets. No one knows who they are and what they do", implored Mr. Shafiq. Demonstrators carry his image as well, highlighting his career as an elite air force officer, just like his mentor, Hosni Mubarak. Ensconced as president, the military will resume its previous backroom power position.
Mohammed Morsi as candidate for the Muslim Brotherhood is anxious to encourage the protests against the life-sentence of Mr. Mubarak, exciting the crowd to continue enthusing about the justice that should be meted out at the end of a rope. If elected, he promised, he would place Mr. Mubarak back on trial.
It was President Mubarak, after all, who outlawed the Muslim Brotherhood after one of their own assassinated his predecessor, Anwar Sadat. Leaving Mr. Mubarak, as vice-president, to assume the mantle that was left to him with that deadly assault.
Under the Muslim Brotherhood much will change for Egypt and Egyptians. The Brotherhood candidate avers that Coptic Christians will be safe within his Islamist Egypt, and women's rights will be respected. Someone believes him, and went out to torch Mr. Shafiq's party headquarters south of Cairo.
Labels: Chaos, Conflict, Crime, Egypt, Heritage, Islamism
posted by Pieface @ Tuesday, June 05, 2012
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