The Inspiration of the Egyptian Protests

Can insurrection be inspirational? We’re finding that out right now on the streets of Cairo as the Egyptian people demonstrate there and in other cities for freedom and democracy and the end of despotic rule. 

It is too early to know whether the outcome of these amazing demonstrations will bring democratic rights to the Egyptian people and the establishment of a more open and tolerant society, but an awesome image a friend emailed me gives me hope. It shows Egyptian Christians guarding their Muslim fellow demonstrators while they answer the call to prayer.

Still, this is a perilous time for the world. Events in Egypt took on a frightening cast when government-led violence erupted on the streets on Wednesday and Thursday. Tensions seem to have eased since then but the situation is volatile and the direction of the country after the current unrest remains in question. We’ve seen this movie before.

Nevertheless I find promise in the youth of the demonstrators and the population as a whole. Egypt is old but its people are young. A huge majority is under the age of thirty and they want change. I am hoping their idealism and yearning for freedom survives the politics. I have been impressed by the relative non-violence of the protesters and their courageous determination. Upheaval in the Middle East has historically produced undesirable results. There aren’t any democratic models for the people to emulate. They are starting from scratch and against entrenched forces opposed to democracy. Yet civilization itself arose from the ancient land of the Nile. I want to believe that freedom can rise up too.

My prayers are with Egypt.