Today, I am very sad.
Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak has banned Internet in Egypt in an attempt to control his people. He is clearly a dictator who thinks that his citizens are nothing but slaves who should either listen to him and his cronies or face severe punishment.
What can be worse that disconnecting Internet and Mobile connections?
The act shows desperation and nuerotic despotic behaviour.
I just pulled up Google Analytics of Games2win.com (the business that I run). On a regular day we receive approx 200,000 kids and teens visiting us, of which 2000 are from Egypt.
TODAY (Saturday), the traffic from Egypt is just 7 visitors as compared to 2210 visitors who visited us last Saturday.
EGYPTIAN TRAFFIC ON GAMES2WIN.COM HAS CRASHED TODAY (CLICK TO EXPAND AND READ CLEARLY)
What have poor kids and teens done to punish them in such a severe way?
If the existing government has lost its popularity with its people, then it must have the grace to walk away with its head intact. Let the mediums like the Internet allow people to express themselves and if the government is really intelligent, they could even listen to what their people are saying and what they could do to win their affection back.
Egypt and its ‘ruler’ must understand that the Pyramids are a symbol of its PAST – not future. By behaving like a 21st Century Pharoah, Mr. Mubarak also risks what happens to despotic kinds – they get exterminated and then buried and forgotten.
And he will not even have a Pyramid in his name.
Rabi Gupta
Ohhh this is a sad news. Part of the world is still under dictatorship and its really difficult for normal people to live under such conditions!
Shub
Its sad to hear this. I pity them. And pity their citizens who have never known what true freedom and liberty means. I liked this part of the writing ” Egypt and its ‘ruler’ must understand that the Pyramids are a symbol of its PAST – not future. By behaving like a 21st Century Pharoah, Mr. Mubarak also risks what happens to despotic kinds – they get exterminated and then buried and forgotten.”
Anindya Chatterjee
Mr Mubarak does not seem to be the only Arab dictator in trouble for being so far out of synch with the aspirations of his people.
Sid Kedia
While it is truly disheartening to see the world been taken back to the dark ages but if you think about it, even in those days, Egypt was a trendsetter. It was much ahead of its times and has given the world one of the most magnificent monuments and we have learnt and continue to do so from their civilization, which was the hallmark of that era. So Mubarak has taken the country and it’s people into frontiers completely unknown to that part of the world and this will truly put even the Pharaohs to shame.
On the other hand, China for decades has controlled, monitored and censured internet traffic and accessible websites always and continues to do so. Just because they haven;t taken a step as extreme as this, it doesn’t condone their behavior in the spirit of a free world. Maybe one should voice an opinion against that also. Or maybe not, because who will ever be make any difference to the numero uno rising star of the world today.
So is it only that we voice our “concerns” when we know there might be a likelihood to be heard or is it that we do it as a matter of principle?
Is it yet again, that the powerful and influential get away with murder but someone whom we can exert any pressure/influence upon, we take a moral high ground and start preaching towards?
Food for thought…..
Abey John
You can keep track of the latest here:
https://motherjones.com/mojo/2011/01/whats-happening-egypt-explained
https://www.arabist.net/
https://blogs.aljazeera.net/middle-east/2011/01/30/live-blog-311-egypt-protests
The Al Jazeera live blog is daily so tomorrow the url will change again but you can catch it from the same page.