They both tried to ban Facebook and failed.
What do Hosni Moubarak and the Governing Body have in common?
by slimboyfat 3 Replies latest jw friends
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lumper
They both are corrupt and been around too long
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therevealer
they are both dictators and both have scamed billions from their people
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JWdaughter
Dear friends: I don't know how much any of you have personal relationships with Egyptian people, but the night that you all heard about Mubarak 'stepping down' I was in a car with friends who are Egyptian (actually came here to visit just a few days before the revolution started) when we were on our way home from dune bashing on the Arabian gulf. We got a text from her brother in Tahrir square who was reporting it as it happened (we got the text a few minutes before Al jazeera reported it)
I think that the comparison between Mubarak and the GB is really spot on. He had a government and 'enforcers' that were there to intimidate freedome of speech and reliigon. This was not just against Christians, but against Muslims. The Muslim brotherhood is no more an entirely radical group of men any more than all republicans are lynching blacks and forcing women to stay in the kitchen, pregnant and barefoot. But there has been such a campaign to paint that picture that Mubarak has the world believing it. In any case, the average Muslim in Egypt had no more freedom of religion than Christians in that if they were at all conservative or criticised the government, they were branded, often jailed for indeterminate amounts of time and suffered the loss of job and general persecution. Accusing someone of being in the brotherhood effectively marginalized their chances to ever get a job or a good career, work in any govt agency and also affected their family members. I have a friend who attended a meeting about a student organization that was associated with the brotherhood more than 15 years ago who still gets flagged at the airport and is given grief when entering or leaving the country or getting necesssary forms filled out
Anyway, the point of this is that there was a subtle terrorism that has filled the hearts of egyptians and it was perpetuated by Mubarak. He got everyone so paranoid about any Mubarak alternatives that he was able to seize and keep control of a huge economy for 30 years because the people were afraid: "Who else can we turn to?" Sound familiar? That is exactly what the GB has done. Scared people away from questioning. Knowing that in the org. we have a "permanent record" and we will be looked at funny and examined with a particular lens if we ask to many questions, make ANY demands or cause any kind of dissent. The threat against JWs is no less potent to them than that of the Masr people.
OH, and here is a little irony for you. Many Muslim men like to grow a beard. It is considered 'sunnah' as in they want to follow the ways of the prophet Muhammed. In Egypt, growing a beard is just asking for all the issues discussed in the second paragraph, above. So, a faithful Muslim brother will choose not to do that because he doesn't want people looking at his family and wondering if they are some radicals-even when all he wants to do is worship God, pray 5x a day, pay Zakat and fast during Ramadan. Nothing too radical.
Mubarak has been pitting Egyptians against each other since he took office, and the GB does the same thing to JWs in many ways. This thing in Egypt has been brewing for decades. I heard from my students and friends for months before this happened about these issues, I enjoy a particular Egyptian poet and he speaks to these issues so when Tunisia started rumbing we could see this coming-though when it happened, it was so fast I think it surprised even those who started it.
The US was so behind the ball on this that they contributed nothing to the newfound freedoms in Egypt, losing a great opportunity in one way, but the hands off approach really emboldened and strenthened Egypt in that they did this w/o ANY help from the US. They are not beholden in that way, the US has no bragging rights here and I kind of think that it is amazing that it came off as peacefully and sensibly as it did. I am very proud of Egypt right now. I pray they take advantage of this opportunity to become as great as they should be in the world. They are poised to do something wonderful-I hope they jump in the right direction-especially since I might well be living there in the next few years.