Forget flowers and dinner for this anniversary. The three-year anniversary of the Egyptian revolution is next month, and it just may be marked with another government change. Less than six months after the army threw out the Islamist authorities who took over after the first revolution, the seeds for another uprising are being sown.
Egypt’s Ahram Online reported that one of the key groups that sparked the first revolution is growing concerned. The April 6 Youth Movement said in a statement they thought the army had moderated and would take a backseat to democracy. Looks like they were wrong.
“After the huge amount of blood that was shed, we thought the army now believed in a democratic state that promotes social justice,” April 6 was reported as saying.
“But days have proved that they are similar to their predecessors and they are relentlessly attempting to breathe life into the corrupt and oppressive state.”
The concerns were heightened after a new law was passed requiring protests to be approved by the state – and police cracked down on an “illegal” protest late last month.
You should care what happens in Egypt because the last “revolution” back in summer helped lead to surging oil prices as hundreds were ultimately killed in the fighting. Another conflict would likely do more of the same.
The first revolution anniversary, January 25, is coming up. What will Egypt do to mark this year?
(By Joshua Spurlock, www.themideastupdate.com, December 2, 2013)