From 10 years ago Iraq was invaded and thousands of Egyptians stormed the Tahrir square in protest during the strong days of Mubarak regime.
Ironically at the same time the Muslim brotherhood and the National Democratic Party were hand in hand so-called protesting the foreign invasion of Iraq at Cairo Stadium. Sadly the media focused only what is happening in the Stadium and ignored the square.
The photo below was from the rare photos taken from Tahrir square and published in Egyptian press by Randa Shaath on 20 March 2003 and was published in Ahram Weekly.
Here are more photos from Corbis and Getty
Of course the security forces dispersed by force that huge protest.
Those who protested in the square from famous faces , from activists were then stalked by state security for days and months. Some of them were arrested and tortured too.
You know the invasion of Iraq did change a lot of things in the region without doubt.
Ironically at the same time the Muslim brotherhood and the National Democratic Party were hand in hand so-called protesting the foreign invasion of Iraq at Cairo Stadium. Sadly the media focused only what is happening in the Stadium and ignored the square.
The photo below was from the rare photos taken from Tahrir square and published in Egyptian press by Randa Shaath on 20 March 2003 and was published in Ahram Weekly.
In Tahrir from ten years by Randa Shaath |
Of course the security forces dispersed by force that huge protest.
Those who protested in the square from famous faces , from activists were then stalked by state security for days and months. Some of them were arrested and tortured too.
You know the invasion of Iraq did change a lot of things in the region without doubt.
Saddam, Qusay and Uday. Heroes to the Egyptian people and to the Arab world. How dare the filthy American Crusader infidels kill them?
ReplyDeleteIgnorant Americans like you give a bad reputation to the rest of your countrymen.
DeleteTomas Young Reads in Full His Letter to Bush & Cheney, "A Message From a Dying Veteran"
http://www.democracynow.org/blog/2013/3/21/exclusive_tomas_young_reads_in_full_his_letter_to_bush_cheney_a_message_from_a_dying_veteran
I was at AUC at that time. The first Mohamed Mahmoud confrontation was between AUCians and the police ensued first outside of the Greek campus when the police blocked the CACE gates and then they tried to block them near the science building from joining the masses in Tahrir. One of the students, Ahmed Abu Laban, was jailed for a month at state security. It was the first time for people to publicly chant against Mubarak, and his pictures were brought down.
ReplyDeleteIs it going to be sad or funny when Iraqis turn out to be the lucky ones in comparison to Egyptians? But Egyptians know all. Nobody can tell them anything.
ReplyDeleteStange that 10 years ago, Egytians were held back from expressing their anger at the invasion of a sovereign country by Mubarak, yet today, there is more freedom in this expression, yet carefully being monitored by the powers that be, and always under a watchful jaundiced eye which may AGAIN promote arrest for this expression if the MOI decides it is an embarresment or insult. :( Freedom comes very very slowly when it comes to any at all. Not easily given.
ReplyDelete