What We Can Learn from Egypt

The 18 days of protests in Egypt were intense, powerful, and moving. People in the United States and around the world witnessed as young Egyptians used Facebook, Twitter, and other means of social media to get out their message. Wael Ghonim, a Google executive in the Middle East, was instrumental in organizing these protests. Using Facebook, he was able to rally people together for the first day of protests, and then after his disappearance, people continued to gather in growing numbers, and he told CNN of his shock when he was freed and saw how many people became involved. “This revolt was mainly inspired, initiated by young people savvy with social media,” said Mahmoud Elshazly, President of the Alliance of Egyptian Americans.

The people in Egypt protested for eighteen days to try to get Hosni Mubarak to step down as president, in addition to having the Constitution rewritten. Mubarak came into power after the assassination of Anwar Sadat in 1981. He ran uncontested in multiple elections and won all of the other elections, as well as amended the Constitution several times. In the eyes of the Egyptian people, he had become like a dictator. Protests started on January 25th, and just a few days ago, Hosni Mubarak finally resigned as president of Egypt. This was one of the demands of the protestors, as well as establishing a new constitution.

This event can be inspirational to American teenagers. Social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, is used everyday, and these tools helped to create a revolution. “In Egypt, every one is ecstatic and celebrating the departure of a hated dictator, except of course the few people who benefited from his regime. Step by step there will be a new modern constitution, parliamentary and presidential elections," continued Mr. Elshazly. "Of course there are fears that the military which considered Mubarak as one of their own might stifle the democratic reforms.”

The inspiration lies in the fact that anyone can change a system with which they are displeased. Even against all odds, anything can be done by anyone, especially in this emerging age of communication and connection. With more protests starting in the Middle East and North Africa against oppressive governments, it will be interesting to see how social media impacts these events.


Special thanks to Mr. Mahmoud Elshazly for his wealth of information and input on this article