At Northern Michigan University this morning, President Barack Obama made a statement on Egypt, which put the historical importance of what’s unfolding there into perspective.
“We are following today’s events in Egypt very closely,” Obama said. “And we’ll have more to say as this plays out, but what is absolutely clear is that we are witnessing history unfold. The moment of transformation that’s taking place because the people of Egypt are calling for change.
“And they’ve turned out in extraordinary numbers, representing all ages and all walks of life, but its young people who have been at the forefront. A new generation. Your generation, who want their voices to be heard. So going forward, we want those young people to know, and we want all Egyptians to know Americans will continue do everything that we can to support an orderly and genuine transition to democracy in Egypt.”
The movement means a lot to those in the UCF community with ties to Egypt and the middle east.
“This all started with a man wanting his dignity and honor,” says Somaya Mellouli, a Norwegian born UCF Psych Major and US citizen whose family is from Tunisia.
After burning himself in protest of the confiscation of his merchandise and the humiliation inflicted on him by a female municipal officer, Mohamed Bouaziz’s death on Dec 17th, 2010 sparked the Tunisian ‘Jasmine Revolution’ which spread to Egypt. On Jan 25th, 2011 hundreds of protestors took to the streets in Egypt in response to a call that originated from a facebook page with 87,000 followers that was initially set up to honor him. “Our protest on the 25th is the beginning of the end” wrote the organizers.
Ibrahim Zeini, a Scottish born UCF Grad Student and US Citizen whose family is from Egypt said: “People in Egypt and most of the Middle Eastern countries have been living in fear of speaking, breathing, living and have witnessed corruption. Anyone who spoke out or tried to speak would be intimidated, tortured, and sometimes would even disappear. It is hard to believe, since we (in the USA) live with so much freedom especially freedom of speech, religion, and assembly. Also one thing we take for granted is the right to vote. Imagine living for 50 or so years under governments that are not accountable to anyone.”
Egypt’s economy is another factor that has played a role in the uprising. About 40% of the people in Egypt live on less than $2 a day. Egypt is the second largest recipient of US aid after Israel. According to the US Agency for International Development (USAID), Egypt has received $28billion in assistance since 1975.
While these funds have been used for programs devoted to health, education and trade among other things, most US aid goes to Egypt’s military. According to the US State Department, over $1.3 billion received by Egypt annually is through a stream of funding known as Foreign Military Financing.
Dalia Mahgoub, a UCF Electrical Engineering Graduate Student who was born and raised in Egypt, and has lived in the US for last 10 years says: “It was already bad when I was living there. Everything was way too expensive and you were basically either really rich or really poor with a few exceptions of course that you could barely find. But I do talk to my family over there at least once a week and from what they tell me it has gotten a lot worse than when I was living there. It is not just the economy. People live in constant fear of the government. People graduate college and have no jobs and if you wanted to get married that’s almost completely out of the question because if you can’t support yourself how are you going to support a family.”
On February 4, hundreds of thousands of anti-government protestors gathered in Cairo’s Tahrir Square for ‘The Day of Departure’ chanting for President Hosni Mubarak to leave. At least six people are reported to have died so far and more than 1,500 others injured in clashes, according to officials and doctors quoted by the Reuters news agency.
Reem Abdallah, a UCF Freshman and US Citizen whose parents are from Egypt has mixed emotions.
“I’m definitely happy that there is a mood for change and democracy but also very sad and worried about my country and people,” Abdallah said. “All the martyrs and horrific incidents from the past couple of days make me believe that we can’t stop now. These innocent people died for change for us and we must honor them by continuing their path until what they were asking for, simple change and human rights, is inputted into the Egyptian government. These people I see everyday in the protests made me very proud to be Egyptian and made me see my country with a new perspective; one that is full of optimism and hope for a better future.”
Mariam Zeini, a UCF/USF Medical School student and US Citizen whose family is also from Egypt says: “I continuously refresh the screen on my homepage to see if there is any news. I am glued to the television, watching history unfold. The events that are occurring in Egypt are historical. The outcome will affect generations to come. Millions have been protesting for over two weeks in order to gain their rights and have a government that represents them. The situation is not an easy one, but change is never easy. I see the masses of people courageously standing up for what is right, I watch and I pray that no one else will get hurt. It’s amazing to see the protesters standing, unified together. People want their children to grow up in a country based on principles. They want to be paid for their hard work, they want to have food for their families, they want their votes to count and their voices to be heard. The price of freedom has not been cheap, but God willingly, the end result will be priceless.”
Outside the UCF Student Union, Ali Kurnaz a UCF Political Science Major, has been collecting petitions to demand for Human Rights and Democracy in the Middle East on behalf of the Progressive Caucus of the College Democrats at UCF. Kurnaz believes that it’s important to be sympathetic to the plight of those struggling for democracy. Kurnaz says this issue should concern UCF students because unlike in the USA, many students who receive college degrees in these countries may end up having to sell fruits on the streets because they can’t even find jobs and because most people cannot voice their concerns and demand their rights openly in the Middle East.
On Tuesday the White House called for “Restraining the Ministry of Interior’s conduct by immediately ending the arrests, harassment, beating, and detention of journalists, and political and civil society activists, and allowing freedom of assembly and expression; and immediately rescinding the emergency law. US Vice President Joe Biden has also pressured for “an orderly transition of power that is prompt, meaningful, peaceful and legitimate.”
When asked for her comments, Rasha Mubarak, a Molecular Biology & Microbiology UCF Alumni and present Youth Director for the Arab American Cultural Association (AACC) took the opportunity to present an open invitation to UCF families to join the AACC’s very first Arab American Cultural Festival in Orlando on Feb 27th from noon – 7pm at Lake Eola saying, “There is no better time than to be proud to be Tunisian, to be proud to be Egyptian, to be proud to be an Arab American.
