Here is a heartening statement from some non-Islamists in Egypt. How realistic is it? Who knows:
[...] The good thing about the tragic events of 19 November and 16 December is that they separated the chaff from the wheat. We now know who the real revolutionaries are and those who have jumped aboard the revolution for personal gains.The revolutionaries are the ones who took to the street to uphold the ideals of the revolution. They risked their lives, and they will go on doing so.
By contrast, the army showed its real face. When army soldiers stripped girls naked in the streets, all pretence ended. The army's heart was never with the revolution, but with the old regime.
Likewise, the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) was too eager to celebrate its electoral victory to bother to show up in the protests. How typical. This was the same MB that refused initially to take part in the revolution and only came to the scene belatedly and after some of its younger members practically defected to join the protests.
For years, the MB thought that it controlled the streets. Now all of a sudden, it has woken up to a new reality. The young people of this country have accomplished what the Brotherhood failed to do for 80 years.Whenever it suited its purposes, the MB was willing to ally itself with the military against the revolution and the young people of this country. The MB sees the young revolutionaries as a threat. It views their struggle for freedom, dignity and social justice with suspicion. This is why young MB members keep defecting, or at least challenging the authority of their elders.
The Friday of Restoring Honour, held on 23 December, was a new start. It was a message to the counterrevolutionaries that Egypt is still alive. The young men and women of this country, with support from many members of the middle class, are going to keep fighting for the ideals of 25 January.
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