Rebellion Translated from English by Germain Leyens and reviewed by Caty R.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Poems For A Wishing Tree
Interview with Hossam el-Hamalawy, Egyptian journalist and blogger
Rebellion Translated from English by Germain Leyens and reviewed by Caty R.
Rebellion Translated from English by Germain Leyens and reviewed by Caty R.
3arabawy
. Mark LeVine, professor at the University of California Irvine, managed to contact via Skype Hossam to get a firsthand report on the events taking place in Egypt.
Hossam el-Hamalawy
Why it took a revolution in Tunisia to take the Egyptians to the streets in unprecedented numbers?
Tunisia in Egypt say that was more a catalyst than an instigator, because the objective conditions for an uprising there in Egypt and in recent years the revolt was in the air. By the way, we have two mini-intifada or "mini-Tunisia in 2008. The first was an uprising in April 2008 in Mahalla, followed by another in Borollos, in the north. al Jazeera began broadcasting images of her, inspired our youth to take to the streets, in the same way that inspires us today Tunisia.
How do you develop the protests? is too early to say how they develop. It's a miracle to continue after midnight yesterday in spite of fear and repression. But having said that, the situation has reached a level where everyone is sick, seriously sick. And even if the security forces manage to crush the protests today can not crush happen next week or next month or later this year. There's definitely a change in the degree of courage of the people. The state has helped the coalition against terrorism in the nineties to eliminate all forms of dissent in the country, a trick used by all governments, including the U.S. But once the formal opposition to a regime of weapons going into mass protests, it is very difficult to deal with a similar dissension. You can plan the liquidation of a terrorist group fighting in the reeds, but what they will do in front of thousands of demonstrators in the streets? They can not kill them all. They can not even ensure that soldiers do, to shoot against the poor.
What is the relationship between regional and local events in this country?have to understand that it is local regional in the country. In the year 2000 protests began as protests against the regime but rather against Israel and in support of the Palestinians. What did the U.S. invasion of Iraq three years later. But once you go into the streets and confront the violence of a system begins to ask questions: Why Mubarak sent troops to confront the demonstrators rather than face Israel? Why exporting cement to Israel for use to build settlements in place to help the Palestinians? Why is so brutal police with us when we only try to express our solidarity with the Palestinians in a peaceful manner? And so the regional problems as Israel and Iraq became local issues. And in a few moments, the same protesters who chanted pro-Palestinian slogans against Mubarak started doing it. The specific turning point in terms of protests was 2004, when dissent became interior.
In Tunisia unions played a crucial role in the revolution, as its comprehensive and disciplined membership said that the protests could not be easily crushed and gave an organization. What is the role of the labor movement in Egypt in the current uprising?Egyptian trade union movement was fairly attacked in the eighties and nineties by the police, who used ammunition against peaceful strikers in 1989 during strikes in the mills and in 1994 in the strikes of the textile mills. But since December 2006, our country is continuously higher and more sustained wave of strike action since 1946, triggered by strikes in the textile industry in the city of Mahalla in the Nile Delta, the center of the largest labor force in the Middle East more of 28,000 workers. Began due to work but was extended to all sectors of society with the exception of police and armed forces.
As a result of the strikes we have to get 2 independent unions, the first of its kind since 1957, The collectors of property taxes, which includes more than 40,000 civil servants and technicians of health, more than 30,000 of which launched a union last month outside the state-controlled unions.
But it is true that there is a difference between us and Tunisia, is that although it was a dictatorship, Tunisia had a semi-independent trade union federation. Even if the leadership collaborated with the regime, the members were union members. So when it came time for general strikes, the unions were able to join. But here in Egypt we hope to fill a void that soon. Trade unionists independent and have been subjected to witch hunts since he tried to settle, and proceedings are initiated against them by the state unions and backed by the state, but will continue to strengthen despite the continued attempts to silence them. Indeed, in recent days has led the crackdown against protesters in the streets, which are not necessarily union. These protests have brought together a wide spectrum of Egyptians, including sons and daughters of the elite. So we have a combination of poor urban youth with the middle class and the sons and daughters of the elite. I think Mubarak has managed to bring together all sectors of society with the exception of his inner circle of accomplices.
Tunisian Revolution has been described as very headed by the "youth" and dependent for its success on the technology of social networks like Facebook and Twitter. And now people focus on youth in Egypt as an important catalyst. Is this an "intifada youth" and could take place without Facebook and other new media technologies?
Los sindicatos siempre son el remedio mágico contra cualquier dictadura. Mire a Polonia, Corea del Sur, América Latina o Túnez. Los sindicatos siempre fueron útiles para la movilización de las masas. Hace falta una huelga general para derrocar una dictadura, y no hay nada mejor que un sindicato independiente para hacerlo.
¿Hay un programa ideológico más amplio tras las protestas, o sólo librarse de Mubarak?
Cada cual tiene sus razones para salir a las calles, pero yo I guess if our survey is successful and will toppled Mubarak divisions. The poor want to lead the revolution to a much more radical, promoting a radical redistribution of wealth and fight corruption, while the so-called reformists want to put the brakes, pressing more or less by changes "from above" and limit some powers but keep some essence of state. What is the role of the Muslim Brotherhood and how it impacts the fact that the situation remains far from the current protests?
The Brotherhood has undergone divisions since the outbreak of the al-Aqsa intifada. Their participation in the Palestine Solidarity Movement when faced with the regime was disastrous. Basically, every time their leaders reach a compromise with the regime, especially the acolytes of the current supreme leader, demoralize their base tables. I personally know many young brothers who left the group, some of them have joined other groups or are independent. As it grows, the current movement and the leadership street lower part, there will be more divisions because the top leadership can not justify why it is not part of the new survey. What is the U.S. role in this conflict? How do you see people on the street their positions?
Mubarak is the second largest recipient of U.S. foreign aid after Israel. It is known as the U.S. bully in the region is one of the instruments of U.S. foreign policy, which implements the security program for Israel and oil flow smoothly while keeping out the Palestinians. So it's no secret that the dictatorship has received the support of U.S. government from the first day, even during pro-democracy rhetoric misleading Bush. So do not be surprised at the ridiculous statements about Clinton defended the Mubarak regime, as one of the pillars of the policy U.S. foreign is to maintain stable regimes at the expense of freedom and civil rights.
not expect anything from Obama, whom we consider as a big hypocrite. But we hope that the American people, unions, teachers associations, student unions, activist groups - are pronounced in our support. What we want is that the U.S. government remains completely off topic. We do not want any kind of endorsement, simply cut aid to Mubarak immediately and remove the back, to withdraw from all bases in the Middle East and stop supporting the State of Israel. Ultimately, Mubarak will do everything you need to do to protect themselves. Suddenly take the anti-American rhetoric if you think you can help save his skin. After all is committed to its own interests and if you think U.S. not support it, will turn in another direction. The reality is that any really clean government comes to power in the region will open conflict with the U.S. because they call for a rational redistribution of wealth and to end support for Israel and other dictatorships. So do not expect any U.S. aid Just leave us alone.
Mark LeVine is professor of history at the University of California, Irvine, and senior visiting fellow at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at the University Lund in Sweden. His most recent books are
Heavy Metal Islam (Random House) and Impossible Peace: Israel / Palestine Since 1989
(Zed Books).
Source: http://english.aljazeera.net/
Tunisian Revolution has been described as very headed by the "youth" and dependent for its success on the technology of social networks like Facebook and Twitter. And now people focus on youth in Egypt as an important catalyst. Is this an "intifada youth" and could take place without Facebook and other new media technologies?
Yes, it is an intifada youth on the street. Internet only plays a role in spreading the word and images of what happens on the ground. Do not use the Internet to organize. We use it to make known what we are doing on the ground in the hope of encouraging others to participate in the action. 
As you may have heard, in the U.S., talk show host Glenn Beck has attacked an elderly academic, Frances Fox Piven, for an article she wrote calling for the unemployed to carry out massive protests posts work. He has even received death threats, some people without work who seems happier fantasizing about shooting one of his many weapons that really fight for their rights. It's amazing to think about the crucial role of trade unions in the Arab world today, taking into account more than two decades of schemes neoliberales en toda la región cuyo objetivo primordial es destruir la solidaridad de la clase trabajadora. ¿Por qué han seguido siendo tan importantes los sindicatos?
As you may have heard, in the U.S., talk show host Glenn Beck has attacked an elderly academic, Frances Fox Piven, for an article she wrote calling for the unemployed to carry out massive protests posts work. He has even received death threats, some people without work who seems happier fantasizing about shooting one of his many weapons that really fight for their rights. It's amazing to think about the crucial role of trade unions in the Arab world today, taking into account more than two decades of schemes neoliberales en toda la región cuyo objetivo primordial es destruir la solidaridad de la clase trabajadora. ¿Por qué han seguido siendo tan importantes los sindicatos? Los sindicatos siempre son el remedio mágico contra cualquier dictadura. Mire a Polonia, Corea del Sur, América Latina o Túnez. Los sindicatos siempre fueron útiles para la movilización de las masas. Hace falta una huelga general para derrocar una dictadura, y no hay nada mejor que un sindicato independiente para hacerlo.
¿Hay un programa ideológico más amplio tras las protestas, o sólo librarse de Mubarak?
Cada cual tiene sus razones para salir a las calles, pero yo I guess if our survey is successful and will toppled Mubarak divisions. The poor want to lead the revolution to a much more radical, promoting a radical redistribution of wealth and fight corruption, while the so-called reformists want to put the brakes, pressing more or less by changes "from above" and limit some powers but keep some essence of state. What is the role of the Muslim Brotherhood and how it impacts the fact that the situation remains far from the current protests?
The Brotherhood has undergone divisions since the outbreak of the al-Aqsa intifada. Their participation in the Palestine Solidarity Movement when faced with the regime was disastrous. Basically, every time their leaders reach a compromise with the regime, especially the acolytes of the current supreme leader, demoralize their base tables. I personally know many young brothers who left the group, some of them have joined other groups or are independent. As it grows, the current movement and the leadership street lower part, there will be more divisions because the top leadership can not justify why it is not part of the new survey. What is the U.S. role in this conflict? How do you see people on the street their positions?
Mubarak is the second largest recipient of U.S. foreign aid after Israel. It is known as the U.S. bully in the region is one of the instruments of U.S. foreign policy, which implements the security program for Israel and oil flow smoothly while keeping out the Palestinians. So it's no secret that the dictatorship has received the support of U.S. government from the first day, even during pro-democracy rhetoric misleading Bush. So do not be surprised at the ridiculous statements about Clinton defended the Mubarak regime, as one of the pillars of the policy U.S. foreign is to maintain stable regimes at the expense of freedom and civil rights.
not expect anything from Obama, whom we consider as a big hypocrite. But we hope that the American people, unions, teachers associations, student unions, activist groups - are pronounced in our support. What we want is that the U.S. government remains completely off topic. We do not want any kind of endorsement, simply cut aid to Mubarak immediately and remove the back, to withdraw from all bases in the Middle East and stop supporting the State of Israel. Ultimately, Mubarak will do everything you need to do to protect themselves. Suddenly take the anti-American rhetoric if you think you can help save his skin. After all is committed to its own interests and if you think U.S. not support it, will turn in another direction. The reality is that any really clean government comes to power in the region will open conflict with the U.S. because they call for a rational redistribution of wealth and to end support for Israel and other dictatorships. So do not expect any U.S. aid Just leave us alone.
Mark LeVine is professor of history at the University of California, Irvine, and senior visiting fellow at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at the University Lund in Sweden. His most recent books are
Heavy Metal Islam (Random House) and Impossible Peace: Israel / Palestine Since 1989
(Zed Books).
Source: http://english.aljazeera.net/
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