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Egyptian Government Falls
Jim Wagner
I have not only been following the Egyptian protests of the
last few weeks, now called “The Egyptian Revolution of 2011” that began January
25th, but events that lead up to it with the New Year’s church
bombing that killed 21 and wounded 100 Coptic Christian worshippers at a
church. Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attack. Immediately following
the killings Christians staged demonstrations in three cities to protest what
they felt was the government’s failure to protect their communities. Riot
police were called out, but the Christians were bold in their protest. It was
this defiance that brought out other groups to protest the Mubarak government,
but of course the news media did not link the two events.
Through a few Egyptian associates I was told that many of
the Coptic Christians believe that the Mubarak government was actually the ones
attacked the church in order to distract the people from growing political tensions.
The government didn’t want to look too obvious, so other groups were targeted
as well. The only problem was that it backfired in their face.
In 1989 I visited Egypt and saw the corruption of the
Egyptian police first hand. In fact, many of the protesters were attacking the
police for that very reason, and clashes between protesters and the police were
fierce. The police were so hated by the people that the military had to step in
and take control of the streets. When I was in Cairo, walking alone, a
uniformed Egyptian police officer came up to me demanding, “Basheesh!” (Arabic
for money). I told him in English, “I don’t have basheesh!” He then chambered a
round in his AK-47 pointed it at me and said with a hard look in his eyes,
“Basheesh.” I gave him some Egyptian pounds.
Then a couple of days later, again I was alone, in
Alexandria on the Mediterranean Sea, a Egyptian police sergeant came up to me
asking nicely, “Basheesh, basheesh.” I could see a patrol officer behind him
blocking the exit I was heading to with his hand on the pistol grip of his
pistol that was in the holster. I already knew from the first experience that I
had to pay, and so I gave him some pounds. However, he wanted it all. With hand
signals I pleaded with him that I needed to eat. What I needed it for was to
get back to Cairo. After a few attempts to communicate he had mercy on me and
waved his hand for me to go.
The police generally would leave tourists alone, provided
they were in groups. But, if you were on your own, like I was, you were fair
game.
Despite being robbed twice by the police I like the Egyptian
people, and most are very hospitable. Yet, because I travelled throughout the
country I saw the desperate poverty of that country, and that was over 20 years
ago.
The big concern now for Western countries is the Egypt may
turn into a radical Islamic State like Iran. Just today the new Egyptian
government has authorized two Iranian warships to pass through the Suez Canal
to eventually dock in Syria where there are two Russian military seaports. For
the first time ever the Russians and the Iranians are in the Mediterranean Sea.
When Egyptians are crying for “freedom,” it is not the same
freedom George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, or Benjamin Franklin called for
before the American Revolution. Nor is it the same freedom gained during the
French Revolution. This new “freedom” may breed trouble for the West. I hope
not, because Egypt has been a good ally of the United States for the past three
decades. When I was in the United States Army in 1981 as an 18-year-old private
I received my pay right along with two Egyptian officers, and ever since then
I’ve seen the close ties between our two militaries.
Right now troubles are brewing in Tunisia, Algeria, Libya,
Iran, Iraq, Jordan, and Yemen. There is a lot of unrest and many terrorist
groups are stoking the flames. If you have not been paying very close attention
to this part of the world, you should. It will eventually effect you directly;
mark my words.
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