Uprisings Hit the Arab World, but What Follows? - Newsweek

As a fellow activist, blogger, loyal Newsweek subscriber, and Master's student of Global Policy and Middle Eastern Studies, I have been passing along photos, videos, articles, and footage from some recent Solidarity Events I've participated in and planned in Austin, TX to virtual leader, ElShaheed.


Newsweek: It's not 'Rage Against the Regime,' though that catchy headline does rhyme with popular band, Rage Against the Machine, which I must admit rocks live. Instead, it's a majority of people's nonviolent rise up through PEACEFUL assembly for revolution -- for Egyptian freedom from Mubarak's oppressive and violent regime. It's all for Egyptian dignity.
Uprisings Hit the Arab World, but What Follows? - Newsweek

It is important to get the word out that there is a LARGE supportive network throughout the world, especially in Texas -- which has a 'conservative' reputation and influence on U.S. policies.

The Obama administration must reconsider its current relationships with Egypt, Israel, and the region at-large and hopefully seize this opportunity to turn away from past policies. An Open Letter to the President calls on Obama "to undertake a comprehensive review of US foreign policy on the major grievances voiced by the democratic opposition in Egypt and all other societies of the region." View ongoing signatures and/or sign here.

Some links to photos (from my iPhone so not best quality):

Feb. 5 demo & march in front of TX Capitol in solidarity with the people of Egypt & Tunisia
or try here

We even got some local FOX news coverage

Feb. 3 Open Panel discussion @ The University of Texas at Austin LBJ School of Public Affairs, co-sponsors included Center for Middle Eastern Studies

Jan. 29 solidarity demo in front of TX Capitol

UT-Austin's Daily Texan press coverage of our event.

Photos from Cairo, #Egypt

More interesting links & food for thought:

My contributing coverage from the week of Jan. 25

Finally, my friends and former colleagues from Georgetown University's Center for Contemporary Arab Studies and from the Middle Eastern Studies scholarly blogosphere community put together Jadaliyya.com and this is only one of many interesting must-read pieces.

UPDATE and QUESTION: Maybe the reported Muslim Brotherhood's participation in the interim would not be so bad while the rest of the opposition gets themselves organized for speedy elections...???

The Muslim Brotherhood is not a radical clerically based group anymore. It reformed itself in the 1960s, condemns the use of violence, and participates in elections, for example.

Food for thought: My Georgetown University Professor of Arab Politics, Samer Shehata, shares his expertise on the perceived and so-called 'radical islamist' Muslim Brotherhood on NPR, on The Colbert Report and on Democracy Now!

Another friend and former Georgetown colleague, Shadi Hamid, wrote this for Slate

Check out this strange Facebook video: