Gerard O'Neill once said: "Here is my advice as we begin the century that will lead to 2081. First, guard the freedom of ideas at all costs. Be alert that dictators have always played on the natural human tendency to blame others and to oversimplify. And don't regard yourself as a guardian of freedom unless you respect and preserve the rights of people you disagree with to free, public, unhampered expression." By Ingy Rasekh * There are a number of facts which our society and above all, the "regime" must admit and accept rather than trying to question the nature and aim of the 25 January uprising. First, the roots of poverty have been growing deep in Egypt over the past years, and this is witnessed by the ever widening gap between the rich and the poor and an almost vanishing middle class. The fact that the government was obviously unable to speculate that some day there was going to be an uprising (unlike many of us did) is only a sign of how it was "disconnected" from the people they supposedly "rule" and probably measured things from the perspective of a few NDP businessmen whose fortunes were growing bigger over time and in their eyes as in the eyes of the World Bank, the economy was booming and la vie en rose. Second, irrespective of the motives which led to the outbreak of the demonstrations on 25 January or who was behind them, no Egyptian would not have wanted to take part in this "anger revolution" against corruption, injustice and constraints on freedom of speech. The absence of security in the streets, the lack of the most basic needs of the public at affordable prices, the poor education system, the lack of the most basic infrastructure in some areas in Egypt), and the Egyptian flag which is being produced in China (!) are only examples of why this "anger revolution" makes a lot of sense. This means that regardless of whether it was Al-Jazeera Channel, Israel, Hamas, or the Banana Republic which was behind the 25 January uprising, we are very thankful for this "hidden foreign hand" which moved things in Egypt and which lead to the awakening of both the people and the regime. Third, any person who visited the Tahrir (Liberation) Square since the start of the demonstrations, including reporters, confirmed that people from all walks of life did participate in the demonstrations: families with their children, intellectuals, artists, doctors, judges, lawyers, politicians, Al-Azhar professors, opposition parties and even outlaws. It is true that for opposition parties, which have always played a minor role in society or candidates with an eye on presidency, the Tahrir Square became like the "red carpet" which would pave the road to audience and then to power; and they did not spare any effort to step on this carpet to gain popularity. Nevertheless, the reaction of many protesters to these attempts by opposition parties and politicians was plain evidence that these protesters are mainly seeking to liberate Egyptians from the barricades set on their minds and dreams, and that these demonstrations were not necessarily politically motivated. Even if some of the groups sitting in Tahrir Square are pro-El-Baradei or Che Guevara or what have you, this does not take from the legitimate, if not noble, causes which led to this uprising. Fourth, the state, represented by the current regime, failed by all means to deal with the 25 January uprising in a manner which would at least be described as prudent or sensible. The initial blockade of all means of communication, then the excessive and unnecessary use of violence by some police forces against peaceful protesters, followed by a nationwide punishment of 80 million people and exposing them to all kinds of horror through the withdrawal of all police forces and the release of thugs and endangering lives and properties. Then comes the implanting of secret police among the protesters and arresting their active elements on a daily basis while calling in the meantime for a "peaceful" dialogue with the protesters topped by a final attempt of injecting mental disorder vaccines into the minds of the public through Channel One of the State Television by way of distortion of facts and reverting again to the never-ending conspiracy theory of the "hidden hand" trying to cause chaos in Egypt. With these methods one must acknowledge that the state succeeded impeccably in achieving the following: inducing profound hatred towards the regime and increasing the number of protesters from a few thousands to millions; establishing the first precedent in the whole world for a regime which tried to isolate its people by blocking all means of communication with them; exposing the ugly face of the regime to the whole world and causing many people in the Western world to describe it as "mediaeval, barbaric and despotic"; and making the protesters more motivated and determined than ever to achieve their ultimate goal of the "removal of the regime" with all its elements. Once we have agreed on the above-mentioned key points, then no power or state or satellite channel would be able to confuse our minds as to the nature of the 25 January uprising and how the youth who started it had every reason to rebel against the regime and to claim "liberation" of the country from corruption, injustice and poverty. The bravery, determination and tolerance those heroes have demonstrated made the whole world bow for Egyptians out of respect for their fight for freedom and the "Liberation Square" will always stand as a symbol for this undeniable fact. With tears filling my eyes out of pride I have been reading almost daily in the press articles published by renowned journalists and writers from all over the world about the strength and determination of the Egyptian people and how they have come to represent an honourable example for people's fight for freedom which other nations should "copy". In my viewpoint the greatest achievement of those protesters was the revival in Egyptians of all those good old qualities of loving each other, cooperating with each other irrespective of one's race or religion, holding hands to protect one another and finally, talking to each other. The Egyptians demonstrated in the real sense of the word during the past days that they could be as organised and civilised as the most civilised nation on earth if given the chance and the motive and if they believe in what they do. But above all, they proved to the whole world that no one can deter or terrorise them in any manner if they believe in a cause. To all foreign nationals and journalists who were or are still in Egypt: Thank you so much for all your support and tolerance the past days. If it weren't for you the voice of a million Egyptians would not have reached the outside world with the barricades imposed by the government. Our sincere apologies for any person who was harmed or attacked by our regime or thugs or even by normal inhabitants who unfortunately got caught up in the dilemma of the conspiracy theory promoted by our regime and which was behind the shark attacks in Sharm El-Sheikh, the murder of Khaled Said, the global warming, the soaring food prices and the ants which attack our bathrooms in summer. To any future government, if regaining our dignity and improving the living conditions of the poor entails that we go back to eating "Bem Bem" chewing gum instead of "Haribo", then we are all more than happy to do so for a couple of years until the local industries are properly restructured and are at least capable of supplying quality products to the public, including an Egyptian flag which is "Made in Egypt". To Tahrir Square protesters, thank you again for everything you did for this country and for which we will remain indebted to you. With your determination, courage, intelligence and organisation, you stimulated an entire nation and made them stand hand in hand saying that today "We are all Egyptians". And above all, you showed how Egyptians manage to maintain their unbeatable sense of humour even in the hardest times through the slogans you carried around. We love you all and despite the useless attempts by "hidden hands" to impair your image you will stand as honourable symbols for all of us. The blood of those patriots who lost their lives in the protests is the seed of the liberation's tree you planted in the square that bears the same name: Tahrir. Charles de Gaulle once said: " History does not teach fatalism. There are moments when the will of a handful of free men breaks through determinism and opens up a new road". You are the free men who opened up a new road for Egypt and Egyptians and there is no going back. Thank you! * Ingy Rasekh is an international lawyer and one of the protesters in Tahrir Square
