On Friday, February 11th, the day that is now known as the day of Mubarak’s resignation, about 60 people attended the public forum co-organized by Fightback, the University of Toronto Arab Students’ Association, and the Ryerson Arab Students’ Association. Unfortunately, because of Mubarak’s toppling, two of the invited speakers had to cancel in order to participate in an impromptu celebration at Yonge-Dundas Square, but it did allow for the event to become a celebration of sorts! Nonetheless, the two remaining speakers, Arash Azizi, a supporter of Fightback, and Kamil, a member of the Toronto Young New Democrats, were able to provide a comprehensive overview of the roots, development, and future of the revolution in the Arab world and the whole of the Middle East.
Both Arash and Kamil spoke about the historic significance of these recent events, and what it means for the whole region. “Today, all over the Arab world, in Gaza, Yemen, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, people have come out to celebrate the resignation of Mubarak,” said Kamil, adding that these magnificent revolutionary movements have dispelled all myths about Islamic fundamentalism being a popular or influential force within the masses. “When the real revolutionary movement happens in these countries, Islamists barely have a voice in it,” said Arash, adding, “Have you heard anybody calling for Sharia law, which was called for in Canada before?!” The racist idea that people in the Arab world are somehow not “cut-out” for democracy and prefer to live under despotic, backward regimes was entirely invalidated after the heroic uprising of the Arab masses with demands for democracy and better living conditions, not at all far off from our own demands and struggles here in the Western world.
Arash spoke about the hypocrisy of the Western leaders, as well as those within the left, who called for an “orderly transition of power” while at the same time claiming to be proponents of democracy. “If you are really for democracy, if you think that people should decide their own fate, what is all this fuss about disorder?” he said, adding, “This is what democracy looks like.”
The speakers also described how the recent events in Egypt can help fuel protests all over the region and set precedents for the toppling of dictatorial regimes all across the Arab world. “With the start of Tunisia, almost immediately, in an unbelievable fashion, all over the Arab world similar protests started happening,” Kamil said. “And this is rooted in the conditions of the Arab world.” Pointing to the unity and solidarity that has always existed amongst the Arab peoples, Arash added, “The problems and the political movements all across the Arab world have always been united around similar issues. And if there is one place in the world that this call for the need for the unity of the people on a regional basis has some meaning, that’s the Arab world.”
The speakers pointed to the baselessness of the cynical claims of those who alleged that a revolution in Egypt would never happen because of the rifts between Egyptian Muslims and Christians. Despite the massive discrimination that exists against Coptic Christians in Egypt, when the hour of revolution came there was no faltering in the united will of the people to fight for democracy and better living conditions. Kamil mentioned, “Christians and Muslims were in this together. When Muslims were praying during the Friday prayers, there were Christians guarding them.”
A lively discussion followed, during which the speakers were given the chance to respond to the comments from the floor and elaborate on their points. Worthy of mention was the presence of a number of Iranian communists from the Organization of Revolutionary Workers of Iran, who expressed enthusiasm at the revolutionary wave that has taken over the Arab world. The speakers briefly alluded to the mass demonstrations planned in Iran for the following Monday (14th February) as a show of support and solidarity with the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt, and as a clear sign that the Iranian masses are resuming their revolutionary struggle with renewed vigour and energy.
In the end, both Kamil and Arash emphasized that though the resignation of Mubarak, in itself, is a momentous victory for the Egyptian people and all the masses fighting for democracy in the region, the revolution is not yet over. While the political and democratic demands that the Egyptian masses have been fighting for are of the utmost importance, the revolution cannot stop here. “You can’t eat democracy,” Kamil pointed out. The economic ills that have plagued Egyptian society for decades, such as severe unemployment, rising prices, and widespread poverty, still need a solution. With the lack of a leading revolutionary organization on the ground, the fate of the revolution is still up in the air. While the threat of an Islamic fundamentalist takeover is not as grave as some shamelessly like to claim, the threat of the dictatorship of the rich is as real as ever. It is crucial that there is a complete break with the entire Egyptian ruling elite and oligarchy, as well as the Western imperialists who supported their rule for three decades, for the revolution to be carried to the end.
