Mahboob A. Khawaja, Ph.D.

“Tyranny begins where reason ends.”

Egypt is people, nation, culture, history and civilization, the progressive and conscious combination unparallel in human history. Not too many knew in the modern world that Egypt can generate a momentous history of freedom from man-made evil and oppression. First, the Western media described the Freedom Movement as “unrest” as usual in the Western corporate owned news media’s portrayal “unrest” is always colored, not white. Then it upgraded its status to “Egyptian Uprising.” After persistent sit-ins at the Tahrir Square, it was defined as “People Revolution.” If Islam was the system of governance, it would have been a consequential outcome of the people’s movement for change and reformation of the old and obsolete governance.

Across the Arab Middle East, the former European colonial masters ensured continuity of the systematic linkage to exploitation and institutionalized corruption planned and managed by the few neo-colonial rulers loyal to the Western imperialism. Dominating the culture of ruthless authoritarianism is the strand of interwoven emotions of fear and hatred. The new proactive generation of Egyptians has proven the irrelevance of the cult of fear and came out in thousands and thousands to demand freedom, justice and human dignity. Any critical analysis would have pointedly exposed the helplessness and political and economic miseries endured by the people for ages. Egypt’s people movement has compelling similarities to the African National Congress (ANC) movement against the white apartheid Government in South Africa. The 10% White Rule was financed and supported by the World Bank, the then US governments and British and other European interests in South Africa. Nelson Mandela was charged and jailed for almost 20 years on bogus treason case. Upon freedom from illegal captivity, the African leader strives for a new age of reconciliation. The West glorified Sohartu, the Indonesian military dictator for thirty years. Indonesia was defined by the IMF economists as role model for economic and social developments. General Sohartu became billionaire as did Hosni Mubarak with the blessings of the Western financial institutions and accomplice politicians. When Indonesians raised the voices of REASON and challenged the tyranny of military rule, the Sohartu regime fell in disgrace as did the Mubarak regime, and it is said that the ordinary Indonesian people were searching garbage for their daily foods and survival- the type of economic progress planned and pursued by the IMF loans.

Cruelty knows no bounds. The Western political masters install evil and corrupt people into political role-play to do the business as usual. Hosni Mubarak was one of those selected dummies found to be useful to promote the modernity in Egypt. Mubarak lacking leadership and any intellectual capacity was used by his masters as rubber stamp wherever needed. It is reported now that he is worth $40 Billions to $75 Billions all acquired through commissions of foreign contracts, fictitious real estate investments and other illegal activities. With strong political and military support from the US and Europeans, nobody imagined that Hosni Mubarak will be ousted so soon. While the Egyptians cried for freedom from political and economic cruelty and bled at Tahrir square, the US leadership preferred a wait and see attitude, willing to unbelief that Mubarak could be removed from the powerhouse. The political changes are not part of the US economic plan for the Arab world. For half a century Egypt was ruled by military dictators against the wishes of its people. Authoritarian rulers never develop institutions or people except material things to maintain the status-quo of ignorance and indifference. The complex dynamics of change were never considered relevant to the Egyptian landscape. But when Allah wants to bring change, human beings have no conscious to sense how the change will come to materialize. President Obama publicly acknowledged that the young people of Egypt have “inspired us” and that he is witnessing the process of “history-making.” One would wish if Obama and Hillary Clinton were part of the history making rather than being spectators and supporters of the Mubarak regime.

Undoubtedly, the young entrepreneurial generations of Egyptians have made the history for freedom- a role model articulated for other besieged people in the Arabian Peninsula. The process entailed all factions of the Egyptian panorama, whether young or old, liberal or conservatives, Muslims or Christians, all have made sacrifices to further the cause of human freedom and a new political future in the making. This is called People Revolution. The pain and sufferings of the masses were known to them- the ordinary folks, not to the outsiders. Egyptians are mindful of the foreigners who have ruled them for ages under various forms and shapes of political cruelty. History as it unfolds; nobody thought that the Mubarak regime will collapse within three weeks. There are reportedly 39 banks in Egypt, out of which 24 banks are owned and managed by foreigners. Those foreigners with vested economic interests backed the slow process of change over many months to ensure continuity of political repression and to safeguard their investments. Not so, when Allah commands something, it happens right away without any lapse of time. Against unthinkable odds and living Pharaohs, Egyptians have won the freedom. There are more critical challenges ahead: how best to transform this change process and newly gained freedom into substantial work of planned political institutions, maintain unity of people and purpose and to establish people-based participatory democracy under proactive civilian leadership for the good of people and nation. Many foreign observers are allergic to the name of Muslim Brotherhood- the masses rooted best organized political entity in Egypt. The Muslim Brotherhood subscribes to the welfare state concept dedicated to serve the interests of the people, not the rulers. It will be up to the people of Egypt to make their free choices in a future election and facilitate the new civilian governance with competent leadership.

The oil-producing Arab rulers survive on borrowed time and opportunities facilitated and managed by the US-British intelligence and security services apparatus. The Arab secluded palaces are not equipped with the phenomenon of change. There are critical problems of knowledge-based governance, lack of public institutions and proactive visionary leadership, political imagination, absence of freedom and human dignity. Over 60 years of the neo-colonial governance, the Arab rulers have not planned nor developed any institutions to cope with problems of social justice, political conflict management and human development. They rely on foreign myths and hired expertise. Those living in distant palaces have no sense of the people and issues of the streets - be it bread, butter and social justice- that Islamic governance ensures to all its citizens. Islam is missing and modernity flourishes as a replica of consumerism- highways, cars, airports, sky-high buildings and shopping plazas unknown even in the Western economies. The Arab people have one identity that is of Islam. The contemporary oil exporting Arab states and rulers have embraced modernity- consumerism to replace Islam and to sell cheap oil to the Western industrialized nations in return for safeguard of security and authoritarianism. In view of the successful People’s Revolution in Egypt, the fearful rulers have called the Arab League into an emergency session. Strangely, what can an old colonial dominated organization do to deal with the challenges of change and reformation of the repressive regimes? Most likely, the Arab regimes will call upon the CIA and the European security agencies to buy protection and individual safety. Being ignorant of the current affairs, the repressive regimes view things one way in trade-ins, buying all with petro-dollars. There is lot in human affairs that can not be bought with paper money. The Arab rulers are belittling themselves by refusing to plan for change and reformation of their own thinking and priorities. They NEED educated and intelligent Muslim scholars to plan for change and make positive things happen for the best of Arabian masses. The storm is at the door but they are in deep slumber and unwilling to listen to the voices of the people and make navigational changes.

Politics is the game of pretension, fear and hatred, and like Egypt millions are recruited in secret police establishments to watch the herd and keep the authoritarian rulers in palaces. This has been the blueprint of the US led Western collaborative relationships with the tyrannical rulers of the Arab Middle East. Now the blueprint is shattered, the Western think-tanks could not have imagined seeing it happened in their lifetime. They were all egomaniacs who cherished the sensation of power and cruelty to enjoy good life. But recent developments make us think what was unthinkable, that when a people want to strive for their rights and freedom, despite many difficult hurdles and mountains of obstacles, nobody can stop the process of change and freedom from oppression. Like the Roman rulers, Arab authoritarianism has not learned to inhabit the world of imagination. There are fatal deficiencies in the Arab authoritarian soul- behavioral sinking, an obsessed insensitivity and literal mindedness to continue to forge history of crime and violence against the people, not knowing what the future holds for them in accountability. With active support from the US and its allies, the Arab oil exporting rulers perpetuate a coercive self-image and to go on committing aggression and violence to safeguard the tiny sheikhdoms and splendid palaces built with stolen fortunes of the people. Sooner or later, the castles built on moving sands will collapse and the egoistic rulers will take asylums elsewhere as the people’s movement and voices of REASON grow louder and louder across the Arab Middle East landscape. Like the USSR collapse, it occurred suddenly and out of the scope of the NATO or Western strategic plans. President Obama do seems to share some sense of rationality and history that the Egypt people’s revolution has “inspired us.” Wael Ghonim, the Google marketing manager and one of the architects of the People Revolution, imprisoned and tortured by the Egyptian secret police without any crimes, today stands high at Tahrir Square and proclaims courageously that after half a century of bondage “Egypt Wins Freedom.”

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(Dr. Mahboob A. Khawaja specializes in global security, peace and conflict resolution with keen interests in Islamic-Western comparative cultures and civilizations, and author of several publications including: "Muslims and the West: Quest for Change and Conflict Resolution", University Press of America; How America Lost the War in Iraq and Afghanistan and Mujahideen Won, VDM Publishers, 2009; To America and Canada with Reason, VDM Publishers, 2009; “President Obama – War is War, Not Peace”, 2009; “ Global Peace and Conflict Management: How the Arabs-Israelis and the West Duped the Humanity?” “The Arab People Look for Peace and New Leadership.”, and “President Obama and the US Generals in Search of Navigational Change” , “Palestine Looks abroad for Rational Understanding.” Comments are welcome at: kmahboob@yahoo.com).