2011 Egyptian Revolution: Looking beyond Differences and Highlighting Commonalities

Allow me to savor the moment and live in the now by celebrating this historic victory! The pharaoh is toppled and Egyptians are finally breathing freedom. From across the world, they have earned respect and honorable recognition as transpired heroes of Tahrir (Liberation) Square.

Egyptians from all walks of life literally moved to the streets of Egypt for 18 days straight, many camping out in the streets of Cairo to protect their hard-earned limited space of freedom; the square.

2011 Egyptian revolution

Determined, united, and full of courage, they stood as one. Men and women, Muslim and Christian, young and old, rich and poor, politician and non-political, artist and activist, all came for the one common aspiration that surpassed their differences; their search for freedom.

Neither religion nor politics, but the mere desire for social justice is what prompted the people’s revolution in Egypt. Why now you may ask? Simply because 65% of the Egyptian population is under the age of 29 years old and have known none other than Hosni Mubarak as president, ruling with an iron fist for the past 30 years. Fortunately, these same people, who have lived under a repressive dictatorship, are the era of generation Facebook. Social networks finally filled the void of a public platform in their land and allowed them to freely express their common dissent, both socially and politically, of the regime. They searched and found similar voices and common issues embedded in the lives of fellow Egyptians among them, many remaining silent in fear. It was the social media that revived their energy and gave them a place to project their long lost voices. They, for once, were able to taste freedom, but only by virtual means. Collectively, they recognized the problem, which wasn’t their differences, but the regime’s intolerance of their uniqueness. Though Mubarak’s regime has lucratively instilled fear in their hearts to speak up and crushed their dreams, fear was now finally defeated. The people came united and empowered against tyranny, hopeful for a new democracy.

This was no time to be divided. Even though the regime made many attempts, using a hate-filled agenda of non-sense, such as lies of Christians and Muslims working against each other, alarmist misconceptions of a Muslim Brotherhood government take-over, and let’s not forget the violent pro-Mubarak thugs sent to strike violence and destruction in the streets. All the above were wicked efforts by the government to bring more fear to the hearts of the people so they may loose sight of their common goal. But we were all reminded over and over again, by the strong willed Egyptians, that this movement was ONLY a people’s revolution; there were no hidden agendas, neither political nor religious.

Instead, Egyptians remained focused on what brought them together; it was their patriotism, their pride in Egypt, their history as tolerant peace loving Egyptians and ultimately their search for freedom. They played the role of protectors of one another, creating security check points in neighborhoods, cleaning up the streets and cracking down on street thugs that aimed to destroy the peaceful demonstrations. Perhaps what stood out the most is Muslims guarding Christians and churches and Christians creating human shields while their Muslim brothers and sisters prayed! Truly Egyptians have changed perceptions. They sang, held hands, danced and chanted ‘down with the regime’, all in one voice, all together! The Egyptian revolution taught the world that “united we stand, divided we fall”. Perceptions of Arabs, the Middle East, Muslims and Egyptians will never be the same again.

Disregarding the endeavors of the people and underestimating their strength, defiant Mubarak was still defeated after 18 days of remarkable protests in the streets of Egypt. It was achieved only by the insurmountable bond that connected people and allowed them to look beyond their differences while highlighting their commonalities as first and foremost, human beings. The search for freedom of choice was the Egyptian people’s common ground and by recognizing and accepting their differences, these people pushed through the corrupt thuggish regime of intolerance. We really owe it to them by doing the same in our lives. Let’s not forget what happened on January 25th 2011 and remember to look beyond our differences.

Slma Shelbayah is a Journalist who focuses on Arab Americans, American Muslims, women and international news specifically related to the Middle East and Islam and Arabs in America. Mrs. Shelbayah freelances for CNN International as an Assignment Editor. She is also an Adjunct Professor of Communication for Brenau University where she teaches numerous courses in International Business Communication and Media. Her experience includes a background in broadcast media and university-level instruction for 6+ years. Mrs. Shelbayah spends much of her time public speaking and workshop training at various engagements connected to her communication and media interests. She has earned her Bachelor’s in Journalism with a minor in Sociology, a Master’s degree in Applied Linguistics with a focus on Arabic and Spanish and is currently pursuing her Ph.D in Communication; Twitter: @SlmaCNN

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