"Today, I Saw"
Today, I saw the picture from afar,
And I said, Hussein will die again.Today, I saw—through a revolutionary’s eyes—
Hussein, surrounded by soldiers atop his lifeless form.
They beat him with batons…
Every time he tries to rise.And the people just stood there,
Weeping, instead of stepping in.The flag, a sieve,
Pierced by bayonets and bullets.The path stretched before us,
Paved with blood to the very end.Today, I saw blood on bread.
And I realized, Hussein is us…
No matter how many times he’s killed,
He lives on.
Mostafa Ibrahim in his book “Manifesto”
It is the anniversary of the January 25 Revolution—our “Karbala moment.” This anniversary arrives amid yet another period of economic and political hardship.Egypt's economic woes are no secret. The threat of instability and uprisings due to economic crises and soaring inflation is ever-present. However, 2025 is not 2011. Circumstances, both domestic and regional, are markedly different.
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From the faces I saw in Tahrir square in January 2012 when there were very high hopes |
For regional political reasons, I do not believe Egyptians will rise up now, especially with the Israeli army in Gaza or its attention fixed on Gaza. “Not to mention,” some sectors of Israeli society still cast their eyes on Sinai—whether as an alternative homeland for Palestinians or as part of a grand vision of Greater Israel.
However, the one scenario that could compel Egyptians to take to the streets is the loss of Sinai again—heavens forbid. This remains the true red line for the Egyptian president and military. It is a generational lesson and fear rooted in the memory of the devastating moment of June 5, 1967.
Another hard-learned lesson from history is: “Do not send our army to wars or conflicts beyond our borders—remember Yemen.”
Fortunately, the current Egyptian administration and American and Qatari mediation have managed to broker a ceasefire in Gaza. We pray that it holds and that Israel does not break it as it did in November 2023.
The anniversary of the January 25 Revolution comes as Syria's sudden regime change has brought memories of the Arab Spring rushing back. This has struck a chord in Egypt, evoking both hope and despair.