A BLOG POST BY AHMED KAMEL
The Egyptian revolution of January 2011 stands as an excellent montage of a downtrodden people uniting, fighting and capturing their future peacefully. It was a popular uprising , in the truest sense, that represented all segments of the Egyptian society: poor and rich, men and women, liberals and conservatives, Copts and Muslims, literate and illiterate, as well as young and old. In this revolution everyone felt that they were united in word and deed; women were full, effective, strong, and determined partners in every sense of the word as the photos clearly illustrate.
One picture that is deeply embedded in my mind was shown on CNN on Wednesday, February 2nd, in the late afternoon, Cairo time when the hired thugs of the ruling "Democratic" party attacked the anti-government protesters on a bridge leading to Tahrir square. A group of about 8-10 thugs attacked a young male protester with sticks, knives, punches, and kicks. As the protester started to wobble uncontrollably a heavy set veiled woman stepped in the middle of the mayhem and wrapped her body around him. This singular act of courage abruptly ended the attack as the woman foiled the thugs' blows time and time again. Imagine these acts of courage and selflessness repeated constantly by strangers fighting side by side. Strangely enough, in those momentous times the terrible harassment of females totally disappeared from the Egyptians street
I have never been more proud to say that I am an Egyptian American. I came to America for my Ph D and now, after a corporate career my focus is advising on Middle East business and politics.