We've enjoyed a beautiful day here in Berlin. We went to the zoo, and even had the delicacy of Dunkin Doughnuts on the way home (from the legal department: the views and opinions of Dunkin Doughnuts corporate or their franchises or their employees are not necessarily the views and opinions of Church of God Ministries or Three Worlds).
Then...
I came back into the Nachtigall's lovely home and saw this headline from local Cairo news:
Essentially, the interim government is classifying the pro-Morsi sit-ins (the "peaceful gatherings") as a "threat to national security" and that the Ministry of Interior is to end the "terrorism".
This essentially raises all sorts of questions:
- how will you attempt to remove this threat?
- who will be involved?
- when will you attempt to do this?
- how can you prevent that from becoming a worse nightmare to security?
One of the reporters we follow on Twitter quickly sent out the following tweets (read from bottom up):
And followed with...
and concluded with...
The following video clip helps to share both sides of a complicated situation - on the one hand, you have the interim government observing a segment of society that is disturbing neighborhoods, accused of having "weapons" beyond just sticks and of torturing people who are not among their group, and whose leaders incite their participants to fight even to death in this cause. On the other hand, you have a demonstration that is based upon their votes being discounted by a demonstration, whose members have been killed, and who are now being threatened with the possibility of forced removal.
As I recently tweeted myself, the situation is so much more complicated than western media soundbites and even one-hour "in depth" investigative reports can possibly reveal. There is so much gray, no black or white understanding to all that has transpired, is transpiring, and will yet transpire. Each response and decision triggers a multitude of emotions that lead to irrational (as well as rational) responses and decisions -- throw in the handful of radicals ON BOTH SIDES and you have what one expat friend of ours classified as a potential "powder keg" - and, as our friend wondered, it's not just the immediate ramifications that cause concern, but also the possibilities of 3-6 months ahead.
And what is the solution?
Any proposed, reasonable course of action usually involves more compromise than either side is willing to concede. And the "sides" seem to be multiplying, or at least, becoming more confusing, with each passing day. The April 6 Youth Movement, which has been on the "side" of ousting former-President Morsi from early on, is questioning the forced removal of a sit-in. The new "Third-Square" group, formed in opposition to MB and military rule, feels that Egypt has become a police state since General Sisi called for support for military action to end "terrorism" - they are now holding demonstrations.
Egypt has been in and continues to be in a "Now What?" conundrum.
Pray for Egypt...
Then...
I came back into the Nachtigall's lovely home and saw this headline from local Cairo news:
Essentially, the interim government is classifying the pro-Morsi sit-ins (the "peaceful gatherings") as a "threat to national security" and that the Ministry of Interior is to end the "terrorism".
This essentially raises all sorts of questions:
- how will you attempt to remove this threat?
- who will be involved?
- when will you attempt to do this?
- how can you prevent that from becoming a worse nightmare to security?
One of the reporters we follow on Twitter quickly sent out the following tweets (read from bottom up):
And followed with...
The following video clip helps to share both sides of a complicated situation - on the one hand, you have the interim government observing a segment of society that is disturbing neighborhoods, accused of having "weapons" beyond just sticks and of torturing people who are not among their group, and whose leaders incite their participants to fight even to death in this cause. On the other hand, you have a demonstration that is based upon their votes being discounted by a demonstration, whose members have been killed, and who are now being threatened with the possibility of forced removal.
As I recently tweeted myself, the situation is so much more complicated than western media soundbites and even one-hour "in depth" investigative reports can possibly reveal. There is so much gray, no black or white understanding to all that has transpired, is transpiring, and will yet transpire. Each response and decision triggers a multitude of emotions that lead to irrational (as well as rational) responses and decisions -- throw in the handful of radicals ON BOTH SIDES and you have what one expat friend of ours classified as a potential "powder keg" - and, as our friend wondered, it's not just the immediate ramifications that cause concern, but also the possibilities of 3-6 months ahead.
And what is the solution?
Any proposed, reasonable course of action usually involves more compromise than either side is willing to concede. And the "sides" seem to be multiplying, or at least, becoming more confusing, with each passing day. The April 6 Youth Movement, which has been on the "side" of ousting former-President Morsi from early on, is questioning the forced removal of a sit-in. The new "Third-Square" group, formed in opposition to MB and military rule, feels that Egypt has become a police state since General Sisi called for support for military action to end "terrorism" - they are now holding demonstrations.
Egypt has been in and continues to be in a "Now What?" conundrum.
Pray for Egypt...
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