Available Tools of an Unavailable Democracy

So a few days have passed since the strikes on Sunday, but the dust has yet to settle. Some are calling it the beginning of massive civil disobedience here in Egypt. Others saw it as a pathetic joke. Some saw it as a complete success. "In your country"-they tell me-"where there is freedom of speech and democracy, this wouldn't have been a big deal. But for us in Egypt, we have to take little steps, and so this was a big statement here." But according to others, the only thing Sunday demonstrated was the strength of the State and the weakness of the People. While the situation in Mahalla was heated--massive protests following the security's interruption of the strike--the deaths, injuries, and arrests were largely limited to this city in the Delta. There were plenty of riot police in Cairo, just not so many riots. Maybe it was because there was a poorly timed sand storm that day, but the streets really didn't seem that different from any other day. The only visible sign of civil unrest was the fact that on every street corner stood 30 police in riot gear.

My friends and I went downtown to see if there was anything going on, and while paused to make a phone call, a plain-clothed policeman came up to ask us to keep moving. I asked why, and they gestured to their uniform garbed counterparts and said it was "forbidden" to stand. We moved to a different part of the plaza, and stopped again to discuss our plan of action. Within heartbeats, another plain-clothed officer approached us and asked us to keep moving. I smileed and jokingly ask "is this okay?" and proceed to march in a circle around and around, "I'm moving, right?!" He smiles and repeated the command and I didn't push my luck. I certainly didn't care to end up in the back of the large empty police trucks that-with the lack of peacefully protesting civilians--now had plenty of room for cheeky foreigners.

There will be another strike on May 4, Mubarak's 80th birthday. It's just frustrating to witness a people attempting to use democratic tools to voice their frustrations: strikes, protests, voting (hm thats a concept), sit-ins, and other peaceful means of demanding their rights. But this government insists on crushing these tools and pulling the rug out from under the people. How long does Mubarak, and Bush for that matter, expect the Egyptian people to get no where with these peaceful tools of democracy (which are probably only effective in a democracy) before some resort to violence? I've always denounced the use of violence to achieve ones goals. But along with my denunciation, I have recognized the importance of providing people with peaceful forms of expression, or at least, allowing them to use those tools of expression which a democracy gives its citizens. Egypt is not a democracy, and therefore I know I shouldn't expect it to give its people the benefits that come with the system. But despite this, I do tip my hat to the Egyptians who are trying, no matter what the consequences, to use the tools of a democracy which doesn't even exist for them.