COLUMN: Stand with Egypt
It is difficult to not cheer for the Egyptian protesters. Thirty years of dictatorial rule have given them very few benefits. Schools are crumbling, large portions of the population are illiterate, basic necessities are not being met and many millions of Egyptians live in poverty due to lack of gainful employment.
The protests are interesting because of who is protesting. The median age in Egypt is 24 years old according to the CIA World Factbook, though some dispute that number and put it at 28. The protesters are college-aged people who have little hope in the current Egyptian economy.
They are struggling young people, similar to you and me.
Yet many of my conservative peers are lukewarm about, or even oppose, the anti-President Hosni Mubarak movement. The skepticism seems to stem from the idea that if Egypt was to have free and fair elections, its citizens might elect the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamic organization.
Conservatives argue that any sort of Islamic government in Egypt might destabilize the region. They cite the revolution in Iran, in which the people toppled the government of the Shah and replaced it with the theocracy that still stands today.
This is a ridiculous comparison. The 1979 revolution in Iran was a religious movement when it began, as opposed to this Egyptian revolution in which people are demanding secular reforms.
It is true that the Muslim Brotherhood has decided to get involved with the protests, but that does not delegitimize the fact that a spontaneous movement for democracy has erupted in Egypt.
The United States of America is the oldest democracy on the planet. It was founded on democratic government and individual liberty. The legacy of America will always be that we are a beacon of hope and freedom in a dark and dangerous world.
That is why it is so offensive so many conservatives seem to be siding with an Egyptian dictator. It is within the realm of possibility that Egypt elects a fundamentalist Muslim who wants nothing more than to destroy Israel and the United States. But also possible is that Egypt elects a progressive reformer with a modern disposition toward the world.
Either way, we as Americans have to support the idea that it is the decision of Egypt. It is their country, their government and their livelihoods. In America we are free to choose our leaders, and we should always be in support of those around the world who wish to have that same right.
