(The Beacon)
By Shagy El-Halawany, Guest Commentary -- The Beacon
The Egyptian revolution, it is neither a political revolution nor a religious revolution it is a revolution against the oppression inflicted by Mubarak's regime. There was no one responsible for this revolution; everyone was responsible for the revolution. The women and men, the Muslims and Christians, the rich and the poor, and many more, they all had their reasons, but they all demonstrated for one thing, no more we will be humiliated, no more our will or dignity be tampered, no more will we be silent.
I am not into politics, and at the beginning of the revolution I really did have much hope that the regime will be overthrown. I mean when you are born into this world seeing nothing but this regime and as time passes by, this regime just became encrypted in your brain as a normal fact in life, there is nothing that could change it, because that wasn't a regime any more, that became a way of life. I used to believe that even if the regime was overthrown and a new one came it won't make any difference, because it is now the people that need to change, they know nothing but injustice, oppression and to be quite.
Mubarak's regime made the people look under their feet. The average household, which constitutes most of the population of Egypt, main concern is how to earn the loaf of bread which he could feed to his family, not to get into trouble and return safe to this family. The regime destroyed many potentials of youth or anyone who could think and have the idea of a reform. I didn't like politics simply because of the fact that you could do nothing about it. But after the Egyptian revolt and the downfall of a long lasting tyranny, I finally can see hope and that hope is not for a new regime, that hope is that I, as in me and all the Egyptians, have a Voice and not only that, IT WILL BE HEARD. There will be a voice to fight injustice, oppression, all manipulations and everything that is wrong.
The revolt is not over, there were two cabinet reshuffles after Mubarak's step down, they were followers of the old regime, and the people learned and will keep on revolting until their demands are met and no one from the old regime will be in any key position in the government. And for the new regime which comes in power, they will think twice if they have any intention to follow the previous regime, because the people will always be there to stop them. They will always remember that the government is by the people and for the people.
Shagy El-Halawany is a Business Administration major. He can be contacted at elhalawa13@up.edu.
