Some people insist on turning 25 January into a day of fear and trepidation. Threats are made, tweets are issued and the message is one of rage and destruction. This has grown into a routine. Every year, around November, the threats are reiterated, spreading a sense of unease. Then the revolution's anniversary comes and goes without much happening, until the same time a year later, when the dire forecasts spread once more. We must not forget that the original 25 January, the day the revolution began in 2011, was not perceived as a day of irreversible turbulence, but as a peaceful call for demonstrations with a clear objective: abrogation of the state of emergency and dismissal of the interior minister. The failure of Hosni Mubarak's government to react to public outrage is what turned that day into a full-fledged uprising that brought down the regime. The 25 January Revolution was a landmark in our history and must be remembered for all the positive things it brought to the surface: the solidarity between young and old, between Muslims and Christians, the resolve to turn a new leaf and give the nation the dignity it deserves and the freedom it demands. Scenes of burning and destruction, one has to admit, are also associated with the revolution. The thugs that took to the streets to bully the population, the burning of police stations, the attacks on prisons — all of this happened, but none of it was at the core of the revolution. At its core was the demand for bread, freedom and social justice. And this is still what the nation demands today. Instead of bemoaning the 25 January Revolution, instead of treating it as the source of all evil, we must be proud of it. And we must honour it by pursuing its original objectives. Those who call on the nation to take once again to the streets are not helping, because their passions are for vengeance and destruction, not for bettering the nation's lot. If there is anything that history teaches us it is that revolutions cannot be replicated at will. Even the 30 June 2013 Revolution wasn't a repeat of the 25 January 2011 Revolution. In the first instance, the call for reform was ignored by the regime and, because of this, the protests grew into an uprising. On 30 June 2013, the opposite happened. Crowds took to the streets in their millions from day one, bringing about a pre-emptive army intervention with a nationwide mandate. These were two different stories, with a different set of grievances and national reaction in each case. Throughout history there is ample evidence that revolutions are not created out of thin air. Take, for example, the change of government that took place in Egypt in May 1805. At that time, large crowds surrounded the citadel, chanting “Inzel ya basha,” a demand that the Ottoman viceroy abandon power. The protests continued for 40 days. To defuse the situation, Omar Makram, Egypt's most influential public figure at the time, held talks with the viceroy. The latter kept saying that he could not abandon a post to which the Ottoman sultan, considered to be the caliph of all Muslims at the time, appointed him. The viceroy told Makram that he could not step down just because the people wanted him to go. Makram said that the people not only had the right to depose him, but had the right to depose the Ottoman sultan himself. It wasn't long before the inevitable happened. The viceroy left the country and the Egyptians successfully pressured the sultan into appointing Mohamed Ali as viceroy. Two years later, disgruntled Mamluk chieftains wanted to depose Mohamed Ali. They collaborated with the British and asked them to intervene in Egypt, which they did. The Fraser Expedition of 1807 proved to be a fiasco, and Mohamed Ali stayed in power despite Mamluk ire. Examples such as this are common in our history. Some revolutions succeed while others fizzle out. In 1919, the nation rose up in a revolt that changed the face of Egypt forever, establishing Saad Zaghlul and his Wafd as the key popular movement in Egypt. For the next three decades, widespread protests were common and national discontent with British rule was considerable, but no major upheavals were reported until the Free Officers ousted King Farouk in July 1952. In the years after the 1952 Revolution, many groups tried to repeat the feat of the Free Officers led by Mohamed Naguib and Gamal Abdel Nasser. None succeeded. Almost 60 years later, when the moment was right, Egypt rose up against Mubarak in January 2011 and, in June 2013, against the Muslim Brotherhood. These were remarkable revolutions, and their ideals must be kept alive. What we need is not another round of uprisings, but to pursue the goals of the revolutions we've been through. What we need is to put the economy back on its feet, make sure that democracy stays on the right course, and pursue the goals the nation set for itself in 2011. Bread, freedom and social justice. Upholding these principles is the ultimate accolade to a nation that wanted to take charge of its destiny, and still does.
