Egypt Defined

Sometimes it is hardest to try to start watching the news during a huge event because of names and terms discussed. These people and places are never explained- the viewer is simply supposed to understand what is happening. This is where staunTEENS comes in to help. The situation in Egypt has drastically changed and is constantly changing every day, but here is a simple overview of the biggest people, places, and events.

President Hosni Mubarak- Mubarak has been president since the assassination of Anwar Sadat in 1981. Mubarak has run uncontested in multiple elections, and has won any elections in which he was opposed. He resigned on February 11th, 2011, after 18 days of protests. 

Tahrir Square- Tahrir Square is where many of the protests over the past few weeks have been taking place. It is a major center in Cairo where many important buildings are located, including the national museum which houses the famous mask of King Tut and other Ancient Egyptian artifacts.

Muslim Brotherhood- Finding exact details on the Muslim Brotherhood is extremely difficult. It is a Muslim organization that could be considered more on the “fringe”. The United States Senate in a report says that the group began in Egypt in 1928, and many of the Muslim extremist groups whose names we recognize- such as Al-Qaeda and Hamas- derive from the Brotherhood. Some Americans worry that with the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood and Iran will remake Egypt into a country that is not friendly to America.

Protestors- Most of the people involved in the protests are common people that have been angered by the actions of their government.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad- Elected in 2006 and again in 2010 in what many consider a false election, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is the president of Iran. He is well known for comments about how he plans to “wipe Israel off the map” and that there are no homosexuals in Iran. Some people are worried that the protests in Egypt will allow Iran to exert an Anti-American influence and recreate Egypt to not be friendly to the United States. However, very few of the protestors in Egypt are determined to have a theocracy (government run by religious law).

Wael Gohnim- This young man is the Google executive responsible for marketing in the Middle East. He disappeared just two days after the protests in Egypt began and he has just been freed. It is said that he inspired many people to join the protestors with his statements to an independent Egyptian TV network explaining why people are protesting.