Majid Nawaaz writes on Facebook: “With mass protests against Islamist rule in Egypt, I hope we finally see the end of regressive-leftists claiming that Islamism is the “indigenous” voice of Muslims in Egypt. In other words, please be quiet you lazy, ignorant, reverse-racist, reductionist subscribers to the poverty of expectations. Egypt doesn’t want Islamism. Get it yet?”
Woo hoo! Long live the revolutionary people of Egypt!
Pascal Descamps of Communisme Ouvrier has been sending in regular updates of the protests in Egypt. You can read them below (it’s summarised translation from French):
The ultimatum of the army will finish in 2 hours an half. Revolution continues. The Al Monofiya governate decided civil disobedience against Morsi’s speech. After the fightings in Giza, “People’s Committees” block the streets and control the cars, looking for Moslem Brotherhood members. Near Cairo’s University, where there were 16 deaths last night after violence organised by Moslem Brotherhood, anti-Morsi people stop a bus of Islamists and put the buses in fire. In front of Ittihadiya Palace, more and more tents and the streets are blocked by the people.
Egypt, July 3, half past 6pm
Hundreds of thousands of people demonstrate again in Tahrir Square in a party atmosphere. People chant “The people rid of the regime”. People take the streets in Alexandria, Tanta, Damiette, Mahalla, Suez, Luxor, Mansoura… People’s Committee are created again as when Mubarak was overthrown. Half past 4, everyone is in front of the TV to see what the army will say. Giza government is dimissed, 30 senators dismissed. At 5 o’clock, in Tahrir there is a rumor that Morsi has been arrested by the army and the people are shouting with joy. Fighting in different cities.
Egypt, July 3, 8pm
It seems that there is a military coup d’etat inside the revolution, the goal of this coup d’etat is to stop the revolution, to not allow the revolution to go as far as its goals. Army did the same in 2011 with Mubarak, when the army did not support Mubarak the army defends the interest of the ruling class. This 2 years, the protest did not stop and become stronger since December 2012, with more and more social fights. The army can not be with Morsi against the current revolution. Army tried a military coup d’etat in June 2012, but was stopped by people, and they give the power to Muslim Brotherhood (2 millions members in this time). Now, in June 2013, the situation is worst for the army. Muslim Brotherhood lost all its influence and the revolutionary movement is stronger than in January 2011. And the social situation is more tense. The future is social revolution, not just in Egypt, but in Turkey, Brazil…
Egypt, July 3, 9pm
Morsi is no longer in power and a new “technocratic” government is created until creation of provisional government. The Islamic constitution has been suspended and there will be new elections. Huge celebrations; people are singing, shouting, kissing each other in the streets, cafes, underground, buses… People shout “free prisoners”; the revolution continues.
The leader of the Muslim Brotherhood is arrested at the Libyan border. Misr 25, the TV of Muslim Brotherhood, stops its programming.
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Not sure if I said it yet but LONG LIVE the revolutionary people of Egypt.
I have more hope for Egypt than I do for mainstream journalism. To read the (Canadian) papers, nations aren’t the people, they’re the fancy titles of institutions and offices, and public participation is akin to the nation rotting in the mouths of termites. Also supposedly the goal should be stability at any cost, meaning Islamism, because a bucket load of colonial-era racist assumptions. I think this sort of writing means the papers have no one on the ground in Egypt.
I can not support military-rule.
33 million people on the streets is military rule? That the army has taken over to control revolution does not deny revolution or power of people. The most democratic politics where people have most say is revolution but you go ahead and defend MB’s ‘election’ and the Islamic democracy, which by the way the military helped install again to stop first revolution two years ago. That was democracy though, right?
I hope it works out this time for the Egyptian people. The MB and Morsi won the previous election because they were the best organized. Maybe this time around the secular opposition will get their act together. Hopefully, Egypt will not turn into another Syria, which would be a disaster for the entire region.
Incidentally, there are reports in the Israeli press that the Egyptian Army has moved up heavy weapons to the Egyptian/Gaza border. However, they did not appear to be tanks, rather APCs. It’s not clear, assuming the reports are accurate, whether they are planning to occupy the Gaza Strip or just positioning forces to prevent any attempt by Hamas to interfere in the ongoing Egyptian struggle, as Hizbollah has interfered in the Syrian civil war.
I believe it would more likely be the latter – the Israeli’s and the Egyptian military have worked in tandem before when their interests align.
The “leftists” of whom Nawaaz speaks really need not search for long, nor with much exertion, to find Egyptians who express genuine left wing, anti-Islamist views. That said, the indictment “lazy”, seems wholly apt.
He is speaking of the pro-Islamist Left here in the west that defends Islamism as the demand of Muslims: http://www.onelawforall.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/SidingWithOpressor_Web.pdf