Tuesday 1 February 2011

Massoud Nayeri: U.S. Media and the Mighty Uprising in Egypt

Israel has rallied to the support of President Hosni Mubarak by allowing Egyptian troops into the Sinai peninsula for the first time since a peace deal was signed in 1979.  Monday, January 31, 2011 at 7:16PM Gilad Atzmon

 Fox News and CNN are leading a vicious misinformation campaign in the U.S. Media against the popular uprising in Egypt. Both networks are exaggerating the issue of “instability” in some cities in Egypt, such as Cairo. The fact of the matter is that Egyptians not only don’t see this as “instability” but as a victorious journey to a secure democratic society.

During the 7 days of powerful uprising in Egypt, people in massive numbers are insisting on bringing an end to the 30 years of Mubarak’s brutal and corrupt police state and the numbers are growing on a daily bases. In the early days of the uprising, Mubarak - first by unleashing his infamous police force - killed over 100 people and arrested a multitude of activists and protesters. Then by pulling back his police thugs from the streets and ordering the army forward to select locations as a symbol of intimation thus purposely CREATED A SECURITY VACUUM. This move by the government allowed an opportunity for some robbers and thieves to openly break into homes and places of business and by looting and vandalizing, they created an atmosphere of fear and chaos in some areas of Cairo. Soon, the youth started protecting their neighborhoods by any means necessary. This instant mass response was reminiscent of what happened during the 1979 Iranian uprising where the youth took control of their neighborhoods for security when the Monarch (Shah) was toppled and there was no government in place. In Cairo, the youth in a few short days contained the activities of these thugs and arrested some of the looters. According to some reports, the neighborhood protection committees found the official Egyptian POLICE ID cards among those hooligans.

U.S. media - by reporting “live” from Cairo - is actually trying to picture a doomsday scenario in the Middle East.  Their aim is to justify the need for a military control over this “Civil Unrest” in Egypt. The Obama administration and Secretary of State Clinton,(who shamelessly is still supporting the dictator), now after 30 years of unconditional support for the Mubarak regime and after the recent Wikileaks documents – which clearly reveal that U.S. government had the full knowledge of Mubarak’s Police brutality and torture being "routine and pervasive" in Egypt - have had a change of hearts and are supporting the Egyptian people’s “democratic rights” but advise the Egyptian people to be “peaceful” and ordering everyone that Washington wants to see an “orderly transition” to Democracy in Egypt! 

Fox News constantly is “warning” that “Radical Muslims” will take over Egypt soon and will attack Israel and close the Suez Canal. Geraldo Rivera, reports of cases of constant “looting” and “rapes” in different neighborhoods in Cairo. CNN with the headlines like “Chaos” and “Lawlessness in Egypt” is another source of misinformation about the popular uprising in Egypt. Wolf Blitzer constantly with a grim look after each report comments that this news is “scary stuff indeed”!

The participants in the demonstrations in Egypt like the people in Tunisia and other counties are proud, determine and certainly optimistic for a better future.  The organizers of the newly formed opposition in Cairo have called for a Million March in Egypt tomorrow (February 1, 2011). Considering the solid support of the U.S. for Mubarak that all the commercial flights in and out of Cairo are banned, that the internet and other means of communication are more and more restricted, that journalists are under attack and even Al-Jazeera equipments has been confiscated, considering all of this tomorrow will be a turning points on many levels; and the role of military will be significant. The Egyptian Army as was the case of Iranian Army during the Iranian uprising - is made up of two separable parts. The high ranking officers who are loyal to Mubarak, the U.S. government and Pentagon and take their orders directly from them and then the majority of soldiers who are from hard working Egyptian families, who  have no desire to confront their brothers and sisters or fathers and mothers in the march.  However the question of firing against the peaceful marchers in Cairo tomorrow by some circles in the Army - specially under the new Vice President Omar Suleiman - a notorious Army man - unfortunately is very possible.

The American people should demand that Mr. Obama not allow this bloodshed to happen and publicly warn Mubarak in this regard. Today, Mubarak and his gang would not even drink a glass of water without permission from Washington. We, the American people have a huge responsibility to makes sure that Egyptians will freely and without interference from the U.S. government decide for themselves as our ancestors did in the American Revolution. We need to support our brothers and sisters in Egypt, unconditionally. This is a right thing to do and it will benefit us in long run.

In this equation, the only losers will be the dictators and the Apartheid State of Israel.
River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian

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