The Tamarod movement were instrumental in preparing the ground for the recent military coup in Egypt. Their mass protests gave the military overthrow of the elected government the cloak of respectability it needed and very much suits the leadership in the West which is quietly pleased with the return of the old order in Egypt.
But how is it that a protest movement associated with the Arab spring is allied with the military, the bastion of the old order and yet claims to be a part of the Arab Spring? A BBC profile of the Tamarod lists the main complaints on their famous petition. It makes for curious reading. One complaint is that "the poor have no place in society", yet it was obvious from the frequent TV footage of Tamarod protests that they were that they were dominated by the urban middle classes with their western t-shirts and sunglasses. Contrast that with the pro-Morsi protestors with their Arab working class attire. Another complaint was the lack of justice for people killed by security forces. Now the Tamarod openly boast about their alliance with the military! Not only did they explicitly support the military murder of over fifty pro-Morsi civilians recently, but about their own followers killed by the military in the earlier Egyptian revolution; all forgotten now?
Unsurprisingly, the English-speaking media cannot explain this conundrum since they are totally brain-washed. Fortunately a piece (in English) in the German media provides a very informative description of the rise of the Tamarod. Two items from that piece stood out for me. First was the support from "anti-Islamist" businesses that "pumped a lot of money into the initiative". The money is a fact. You can the anti-Islamist with a pinch of salt. More likely anti-change. Who ever heard of a street protest movement in the West that claims to support the poor getting buckets of money from big business? Secondly, the military backed the Tamarod right form the start, making a mockery of their huge petition looking for justice for victims of the military.
The problem with Egypt is not Islamism, it is not the military, it is a rotten middle class. They shamelessly ape all the worst parts of western culture (including a syncophantic attitude to the US and hostility to religion) without adopting any of the healthy parts (tolerance of dissent, dislike of military in politics). They are too tied in to the old corrupt power structures so have little to gain from any genuine revolution. In this sense Egypt is still the center and the leader of the Arab world. Until the Arabs middle classes start to act in the interest of the entire nation the Arab spring is doomed to fail. More ominously so long as the middle class is so selfish and rudderless the way is clear for Al Qaeda to hoover up support from the poor and the occasional disenchanted middle class individuals.
But how is it that a protest movement associated with the Arab spring is allied with the military, the bastion of the old order and yet claims to be a part of the Arab Spring? A BBC profile of the Tamarod lists the main complaints on their famous petition. It makes for curious reading. One complaint is that "the poor have no place in society", yet it was obvious from the frequent TV footage of Tamarod protests that they were that they were dominated by the urban middle classes with their western t-shirts and sunglasses. Contrast that with the pro-Morsi protestors with their Arab working class attire. Another complaint was the lack of justice for people killed by security forces. Now the Tamarod openly boast about their alliance with the military! Not only did they explicitly support the military murder of over fifty pro-Morsi civilians recently, but about their own followers killed by the military in the earlier Egyptian revolution; all forgotten now?
Unsurprisingly, the English-speaking media cannot explain this conundrum since they are totally brain-washed. Fortunately a piece (in English) in the German media provides a very informative description of the rise of the Tamarod. Two items from that piece stood out for me. First was the support from "anti-Islamist" businesses that "pumped a lot of money into the initiative". The money is a fact. You can the anti-Islamist with a pinch of salt. More likely anti-change. Who ever heard of a street protest movement in the West that claims to support the poor getting buckets of money from big business? Secondly, the military backed the Tamarod right form the start, making a mockery of their huge petition looking for justice for victims of the military.
The problem with Egypt is not Islamism, it is not the military, it is a rotten middle class. They shamelessly ape all the worst parts of western culture (including a syncophantic attitude to the US and hostility to religion) without adopting any of the healthy parts (tolerance of dissent, dislike of military in politics). They are too tied in to the old corrupt power structures so have little to gain from any genuine revolution. In this sense Egypt is still the center and the leader of the Arab world. Until the Arabs middle classes start to act in the interest of the entire nation the Arab spring is doomed to fail. More ominously so long as the middle class is so selfish and rudderless the way is clear for Al Qaeda to hoover up support from the poor and the occasional disenchanted middle class individuals.
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