Last Friday, General Mamdouh Shahin, the assistant defense minister for legal affairs and member of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), phoned ONTV during a broadcast to reprimand the channel for its use of the term “mass” in describing the most recent rally in Tahrir Square (dubbed by organizers the Second Friday of Rage). Before criticizing him however, I must first blame my colleagues at the station who took the word off of the screen following the call. Here are some of my reasons for criticizing both sides.
1) Egypt’s revolution, with its waves and turbulent turns, is currently going through a phase marked by mutual apprehension between different groups within the country. This increases everyone’s responsibility, especially that of the SCAF, the head of the household.
2) Merely describing a protest does not merit such a controversy, sparked by a sudden phone call dictating to the staff at ONTV how they should describe the reality around them. This is especially the case when the caller is among the heads of the household, which usually commands obedience and respect.
3) The heads of the household should not take sides in such matters; instead they are expected to rise above all parties and remain on the side of the people and their revolution. The fact that the household heads were angered by this description, regardless of how accurate it was, makes it seem like they believe the success of the protest necessarily means their defeat. This is not and should not be the case.
This was not the first time for the household heads get directly involved in a politically divisive affair. In a previous phone call with ONTV talk show host Reem Maged, Shahin claimed that 77 percent of Egyptians said “Yes” to the SCAF when they voted in favor of the constitutional amendments. Such a statement has the potential to create more confusion than inflating the number of protesters at a rally in Tahrir.
4) Despite unrelenting efforts to terrorize and delegitimize members of the household, the protest was stronger than expected—both in terms of size and how it was organized. Faced with great challenges, protest organizers managed to hold a rally that should make everyone—especially the heads of the household—feel proud rather than threatened.
We owe it to ourselves, especially at this juncture, to remember Benjamin Franklin’s famous quote: “Those who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
In other words, those who fight for their liberty first will secure their safety at the end. This would be better than living safely as slaves under a corrupt regime.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
