IAma 17 year old Egyptian who took part in the revolution two years ago; AMA

Thank you for posting proof right away.

• What was the scariest moment of it all?

• When did you all get a feeling that what you where doing might succeed?

• How do you feel everything has worked out today?

Well,I went down with my dad, who was courageous enough to take me with him -without telling my mom. He finally gave in after hours of begging. We actually went down after the police retreated from Tahrir Square ( there were three days of shooting and tear gas and all of this, then they retreated completely leaving the Tahrir square for the protestors), so it wasn't really that scary; I was just very enthusiastic.

Hmm, to be quite honest, I thought it was going to take a longer time. I had no idea it would end that quickly. I thought it was going to last at least a month; but the turning point was during the third day, "The Friday of Anger" where a lot of protestors were killed. The shooting resulted in more people going down to take revenge for their friends and families. They didn't fear anything. It was after this day, that the Tahrir Square was filled every single day, with more than a million protestors!

I don't think we (the protestors achieved anything). The Muslim Brotherhood took over everything and claim they have started the revolution. They are just a bunch of hypocrites and liars; they'll do anything in the name of Islam to gain power and control.

I hope this is enough. :D

Yes, good answer.

How is the religious landscape of Egypt? Would people tend to be religious?

Around 90% of the Egyptians are Muslims. The rest are Christians. When we talk about religious, we must differ between extremists and normal Muslims. There are a lot of religious Muslims here, but not all of them are as extreme as the Muslim Brotherhood or the Salafi extremists. These two groups have formed political parties and have gained a lot of control during the past two years and want to apply the rules of Islam in Egypt; just like Saudi Arabia does these days.

Would Atheists or secular movements have any problems existing there?

And yes - It is vital to keep the arseholes from the normal people when it comes to belief.

Yes, atheists have a lot of trouble here. I remember there was this one case earlier - like 4 years ago- . He was discriminated, and was on all the media. Every single Sheikh - like a priest, but in Islam - went out and kept insulting him and said he would burn in hell.

It's very disappointing.

Dang. That is always bad when people start using their faith as a reason to behave like idiots.

Thank you for your answers. TIL some things about Egypt.

I'm glad you did :)

Why not come to the U.S.? As an Egyptian who took part in the revolution, American admissions offices at elite colleges will be fighting to obtain you, if you applied.

I'm still deciding.. Perhaps it'll be only one year abroad in the US..I don't know..but I'm really looking forward to visiting the US..I've never been there before.

Do you agree, as many moderate Muslim women are now claiming, that Mubarek and the Brotherhood have 'hijacked' the revolution for the purpose of creating a fundamental Islamic state that will marginalize the rights of other views, including Christians and other Muslim views?

Yes,yes; I totally agree. The MB have hijacked the revolution; this is the right term I 've been looking for all day :P The MB however are not as extreme as you'd think. There might be some extents, but it's not really that extreme. Anyway, I guess we're here to stop them from doing that.

Best of luck. Egyptians deserve a free, democratic and open future so that all Egyptians can have the best future possible. I wish you well.

Thank you kindly. I hope we'll be able to achieve our goals and have a democratic and liberal country after all of this.

that Mubarek and the Brotherhood have

Don't you mean Morsi?

Yes. Thanks for the correction.

I was surprised OP didn't pick up on that.

I didn't notice that too, sorry; my bad.

I just want to say, you are a very brave young man. Good for you for fighting for what you believe in, even though it was dangerous.

Anyhow, my question is, what are your hopes for the future of Egypt?

Thanks a lot :)

My future hope is that we differ religion from politics in this country and start understanding criticism and sarcasm.

Eh, sarcasm can be hard. As can the whole "separation of church and state" thing. I mean look at the U.S., they even put it in the Constitution and yet...one third of Americans support making Christianity the state religion.

I also want to mention that this is my favorite picture from the Egyptian revolution. I wish we saw more of this everywhere.

Salaam and good luck!

Yea, we have a sarcastic TV host just like John Stewart called Bassem Youssef who was just arrested a week or two ago for making fun of the president. :/ It's a long way to go!

One of the best AMAs in a long time. Thanks so much for doing this, you're an awesome dude

Aww thanks a lot, I'm glad you liked it!

Thank you so much for doing this AMA! Did you bring anything with you when you went out on the streets?

Do you think the Muslim Brotherhood is a major improvement, or just a step in the right direction?

Were you apprehended at any time during the revolution?

I only brought this yellow uniform and a broom that I used for cleaning the square the day after the president stepped down.

I think the Muslim Brotherhood are not an improvement whatsoever. They are a bunch of hypocrites; they took over and claimed they started the revolution and that all the revolutionists are spies from the US. They keep blaming the revolutionists for the collapse of the economy and for every negative aspect.

And no, I wasn't apprehended during the revolution, but I know some people who were :(

EDIT: I also got this big red bumper sticker that looks like a car plate that says 25 | January

Thanks for the reply. I actually am an Egyptian who's in the united states, but I was wondering Are the more coptic cities worried with Brotherhood being in power? Should they be? I myself am not coptic but I have friends, cousins, etc who are.

Yes, they're very worried. They're not alone. All of the liberals are worried too. We are divided into liberals, "felool": people who support Mubarak and his old regime and the military rule and Islamists.

As an Iranian my entire family was affected by the 1979 Iranian Revolution. In fact like you my uncle and aunts were out in the street and protested against the Shah.

Much like what you've mentioned about the revolution in Egypt at first the Iranian Revolution was by a broad spectrum of people, and Khomeini and the Islamists only became important and came into power after the Shah left. However like the MB today Khomeini took all the credit, twisting history (such as naming it the Islamic Revolution) and getting absolute control of the country through fear and tyrany. After the revolution eventually there was a mass exodus of people and today to the surprise of most foreigners there is now a huge divide between the people of Iran and the Iranian diaspora, even though only though less than 35 years has passed, and there are even cultural differences between the two groups...

It feels like history is repeating itself in Egypt, it's quite scary actually.

How do you feel about this? Your opinions about all this in relation to the recent events in Egypt would be interesting...

Wow, I had no idea what's happening here in Egypt is a replica of what happened 35 years ago in Iran; TIL something about Iran.

I don't believe it will be as extreme as it is in Iran. We must see the difference of the eras. Nowadays, the world is more modern and there are a lot of foreign countries (such as the US) who would intervene immediately if they see a new Middle Eastern Islamic country erupt out of nowhere. They will use any possible means to prevent this from happening. However, it's also interesting to know, that not only the US and other foreign countries will try to prevent this change, but also the very own citizens and revolutionists of the country will stand in front of such change.

Were you pleased or disappointed with the Obama Administration's involvement (or lack of)?

Best AMA in a while. Thank you.

meh, it was OK..It wasn't that good,neither was it horrible. You know; it's just foreign policy of the USA; the regime is in control: let's support them with military equipment and capital. the people are in control: let's support them with a speech and champion their democracy.

It seems like Egypt is leaning towards more of an Islamist government now. What do you think the main demographic of the protesters was, and did most of them support more liberal policies? I'm slightly confused as to why the Muslim Brotherhood rose to power, when other, less conservative parties didn't. Does the MB reflect the views of most Egyptians? Props for your bravery, dude, I hope people like you can one day rule Egypt!

The MAIN goal was to remove Mubarak from his position. When he stepped down -surprisingly this quick- we started dividing up on what form of state Egypt should be. Throughout the parliament elections, the MB have distributed food to the poor and illiterate people to go vote for them. This is why they won so many seats. As of the presidential elections: The top three candidates were: One of the old regime, Mursi (from the Muslim Brotherhood), and a liberal one. Mursi and the guy from the old regime got most of the votes, so we had to reelect one of both. We were tied down to these two choices: Bad or worse.. We chose the bad one. We had no other choice. But we've learnt from our mistakes!

No, the Muslim brotherhood doesn't reflect most of the Egyptians; they are just some hypocrites who use religion as a mean to get to power.

I mean no disrespect to everything you're people have gone through to create democracy, but the "lesser of two evils" thing is something that happens in all democracies, especially the US.

Year, I know. But this was like realllly bad and wooooorse. More extreme than it is in the USA.

It was either go back to the old regime again, or a new president who would turn this country into an Islamist country.

What do the revolutionists think about Israel and about future relations with Israel?

I can't really answer this question, as the opinions toward this complex and convoluted issue, as there are a lot different approaches regarding it.

Thanks for the AMA!

I read about the protesters forming a ring around the museum to protect the treasures inside during the protests, the subsequent looting of some artefacts and the ongoing problem with illegal and very well organized digs looting tombs and other sites.

• How important do you think it is to prevent this kind of thing from happening in the wake of political unrest?

• As an Egyptian, does it make you angry that some of your fellow countrymen take advantage of this situation to plunder bot a finanacial and spiritual treasure from the country?

• What, if anything, can be done to protect Egypt's history both for the sake of it's people and for general human knowledge?

I'm glad you like it :)

Just before answering all these questions: the incident(s) you're talking about took place mostly during or shortly after the revolution ended.

1) It's very crucial that we prevent any of this robbery and looting, but the thing is we are in chaos. We don't know what are priorities are. Thanks to a stupid and chaotic government, we cannot prioritize our goals and tasks. All they want is just to apply the laws of the Holy Quraan in Egypt before anything else. They are very stubborn.

2) Of course I'm furious at what is happening. But you must know that these 'fellow countrymen' are Mubrak's mercenaries. Shortly after the revolution sparked, Mubarak and his regime started spreading out their paid mercenaries to go out and vandalize public institutions and then the media would blame the revolutionists; it's just an endless and brain-washing cycle. These mercenaries would also dress as normal civilians and go kill innocent citizens.

3) Right now, I think it's under control.

Obviously from your responses here you're not a fan of Morsi. Now that the Muslim Brotherhood has power in your government, how long will they be in power and what do you feel are their chances of implementing their Islamic vision and laws on the country?

Do you think the Egyptian people will be able to offer an alternative that is truer to the spirit of the revolution by the next election?

We've learned from this mistake. We are seeing the consequences now, it's really discouraging. You know, we achieved something VERY huge, and these stupid animals take over that easily? I mean, come ON! So the next time we will probably stand together and try to offer a greater result!

They'll be in power for the next 3 years supposedly. Unless, they start ruling as tyrants again - which they are starting to do indirectly. Then, I think it would be time for another revolution? Perhaps.

personally, do you believe in a more liberal, feminist Egypt or a more conservative, Islamist one?

A liberal one without any doubt. Let's just hope it comes true.

I assume that means you don't want sharia law?

What share of the Muslims you know personally would you say want vs. don't want sharia law?

Hmm, most my friend are open-minded and liberal. So 90% of them want a liberal and free country. They don't want the MB

But bare in mind, we have more than 30 million citizens who are illiterate and under the poverty line who will give their votes to anyone that gives them money or food.

أين تعلمت اللغة الإنجليزية ؟

In school; plus, I do practice my language outside of school.

THanks for doing this. What aspects of the revolution do you feel were not given enough attention by the mainstream media? As a journalist with aspirations of working as a correspondent in the Middle East, I'd be really interested in seeing where things could be done better.

That'sa great question. I think the most important aspect - not during the revolution, but after it ended - is that the people blame the revolutionists for the collapse of the economy and every negative aspect. They think we are to blame for this. The point is, WE AREN'T EVEN IN A RULING POSITION. First, it was the military, then the hypocritical Muslim Brotherhood. Why do you blame us? They are in charge! Blame the people who are in fucking charge.

Thanks for the reply. Thankfully the rise of social networking and 'citizen journalism' has made it easier to debunk this sort of thing but we're certainly not all the way there yet. For what it's worth, I'm sorry on behalf of the media for how you were portrayed.

It's ok. As long as there are awesome and open-minded people like here on reddit, everything's fine.

Was it really a military coup disguised as a people's revolution or is that false?

Hmm, not really. In the early stages, it was a people's revolution. Then the military came in the scene and took over - more or less-

What do you think of the recent violence against the Copts?

It's a shame. Every time I have to talk about such incidents I'm ashamed of my country. I have nothing to say. :/

My wife is Amerian but her parents are both Copts who came to Egypt in the 1970's. They are all very upset and even belive a civil war is possible. Do you think it will get that bad?

Not to that extent. But there's a great deal of hatred going on.

I really hope not. It does seem that a lot of Copts are trying to leave Egypt now though completely. My wife's family refuses to even go back to visit. Such a shame.

Yea, I know..It's not only the Copts that want to leave now. A lot of liberal families I know have already presented the papers to leave. It is indeed a shame!

Don't they realize that driving all of these people away will just batter the economy even more?

Honestly, if there could be peace Egypt and Palestine/Israel people would be flocking there for tourism. It's just so idiotic.

What can I say? They are very idiotic,dogmatic and stubborn. For them , not having Copts (who they consider would burn in hell) around is better than a well-run economy.

Such extremists :/

Well hopefully it will change someday soon and my wife and I can feel comfortable enough to come and visit, I would love to see Egypt!

I hope it will. I think the situation is becoming better with the time.

Anyways, if you guys decide to come, we have to MEET UP :D

There's been so much written about the role social media played for protestors and civic organizations - what are your thoughts about how these same internet technologies helped the regime, military, etc. trying to maintain their power or demobilize the revolution you were a part of? Thank you in advance.

It was a disaster when the president has shut down the internet and all cell phones. We were not able to communicate with each other at all. Can you imagine this? No Facebook, no Twitter, no phone calls, nothing! But ironically, this led to more people going down to Tahrir Square.

[deleted]

The most common misconception (here in Egypt at least) is that the revolutionists are to blame for the economic collapse of the country and for the schism that's happening between the political parties and the Egyptians themselves. It's just media BRAINWASH. How are we to blame if we aren't even in a ruling position? Can I blame an American citizen for the unemployment rate? or should I blame the person in charge? Obama in this case?

Here in the West it seems as though there's a lot of obfuscation about what was really going on over there; from your point of view, what was the main problem that the revolution was seeking to rectify?

What do you mean what was going on over there? Can you clarify your question a little bit?

[deleted]

alright,got it

1) I strongly agree; this was the main goal. We wanted to overthrow a regime that was corrupted and didn't provide anything to the country. Nothing but inequality, corruption, poor people under the poverty line (more than 40% of the population)

2) Islamists started joining later on. They hijacked the revolution afterwards and claimed they were the one that started it. But they contributed,nonetheless. A lot of feminists of course.

3)Strongly agree! Everything stated there was on our demands list that we put up as a poster in the Tahrir square.

I hope that helps :D

How was it all organised? I've heard it was done through bbm but how was the time organised? Also why the green thingy?

It was mostly organized through Facebook. But I really wasn't really active on the facebook thingy, as I have joined later.

The green thingy was distributed the day after the president stepped down. It was sort of a cleaning day, where all the protestors cleaned the square after the 18 days of revolution. It says on the back "Proud to clean Egypt"

Oh that's nice, did many protestors clean up?

Yes, loads of them! The square was really messy. 18 days of eating,drinking,shooting,peeing,even shitting (yes,that happened, there were no public bathrooms around) in one place.

It was a hell of a day.

How is the food situation holding up amidst ongoing economic collapse?

Prices are rising rapidly. But I think we have enough supplies; probably? :O

Great AMA, I support all you guys are doing! My question is, if Morsi attempts to take more power and rule in the fashion of a dictator, do you think the people of Egypt will rise up in the same way and overthrow him?

yes, there will be a lot of discrimination against us at first, because the Muslim Brotherhood is a huge organisation -with a lot of capital and people- that is capable of doing anything they want; directly on indirectly.

As someone who is Jewish and has been to Israel numerous times and has friends in Israel, why can't Egypt assert control over the Sinai as its your territory and do you think the mood on the street will push Egypt to throw away the peace treaty with Israel?

Good question. The answer is 'MURICA! Without Americas support to Israel, I think we would be able to assert claim over Sinai; perhaps. But the US is championing Israel in every possible way. Both are far more superior in terms of military than any Arab country here in the middle east.

As of the peace treaty, I personally (unlike most of the Egyptians) think it was a vital decision to have this treaty and wouldn't want to break it. I actually admire El Sadat for signing this treaty. Counterpoint: Sadat had just won a war,he could demanded anything from Israel and get it. Why demand a peace treaty? Why put his hands with the enemy? ( It:s what they say.)

I don't remember the part about Egypt (or any Arab country) ever winning a war against Israel in modern times.

Well, we did during the 70s..It was a great victory.

What are some of the more interesting things you've seen during the revolution? And it applies to the strange ways people have taken part in it or just flat out strange things that happen on the streets? Edit: grammar

Good question. I remember one of the two days I was in Tahrir square, there was this awesome and very generous mom that was living around the area. She would come with a LOT of food and drinks. And I'm talking MASSES here. Sandwiches, tea, water, everything.. Moms had a great contribution throughout the revolution.

Also, something strange to me (at first) was people taking a shit in the square..There was this corner at the end where everyone went to take a shit, it was so fucking smelly; man, it was worse than the tear gas bombs. But, there were no public toilets around.

Ironically, I cleaned this corner on the 12th of February. BUT I had to wear this mask. God knows what I'd do without that mask. :P

Thank you for the in put. And I am so sorry you had to go through the experience of cleaning a literal pile of shit. and its nice to see that your country is starting to rebuild itself! I have another question, what is one of the most horrifying things you have experienced during the revolution?

It was a cool experience after all.. :)

Hmm, there wasn't really something extremely horrifying, but for me it was standing there next to that gas bomb.

Wait, did a gas bomb detonate near you? Or was it just a depleted gas bomb? And was there any way of knowing what kind of gas was put inside the bomb?

I don't really know the difference. All I know is that I saw gas out of this bomb coming out. I was going to choke. Some people next to me even fell to the ground. The protestors used garlic and oil to wake those people up and regain their conscience.

And I have no idea what kind of gas it was. I guess if you dig it up on Google you might find some stuff. Also, there's a great deal of pictures of people holding these bombs in their hands to show their brands and numbers.

Wow that's interesting and its nice to know that (hopefully) people didn't suffer any permanent damage from these gas bombs. And I'll look into it. I may report back if I figure out what kind of gas bombs were used during the revolution. I believe that one common may used type of gas is tear gas because of their ability to disperse crowds which would make sense for the government to use in mass protests.

Sure thing, if you get more info, it'd be interesting to post here.

I'll look it up in a little bit. Im much too comfortable and lazy to do it now. It will take me a little bit to motivate myself to look it up.

haha; take your time :P

Do you believe that Morsi will be a good president?

No sir, he is an embarrassment to our country. Plus, he isn't alone the president; the Muslim Brotherhood are backing him up in every single decision.

In a nutshell, we removed a tyrant, and received another one!

Yes I agree with you. I did a presentation in my school about your uprising in Egypt and I think that you guys are truly heroes in doing such an heroic thing. I believe that people like you deserve a better life and not another tyrant in Egypt. My best wishes to Egypt!

Thank you, kindly. :) Where are you from?

Morsi or Mubarak? If you have to choose...

I'd rather shoot myself. But eh, if I have to, probably Morsi..

Because you can (and you did) break down Mubarak but Morsi with the MB it won't be "easy". Still a taugh decision and thank you for the answer. (and for the AMA :))

Yeah, it's a tough one.

Thank you too, for participating; I hope you liked it!

Have you lived your entire life in the same city?
What is the farthest from home you have ever travelled?

Yes, I've always lived in Cairo.

I've been to London when I was 5 or 6. I was in Germany quite a few times, so yeah..Germany and London/

Do you have your own car? If not how many cars in your immediate family? Do you consider yourself a good driver?

I don't drive. My father has a Volvo and my mom has a Toyota Corolla.

I don't wish to drive, actually!

Having been to Egypt, I can see why.

Hahaha, it's chaos over here.

Did you protest online(Tweeting, putting up photos, etc)? Did you use Tor?

In a minimalistic way at first, then it augmented. Now, it's not as extreme as before, but I throw in some stuff every now and then.

Salaam Whats the feeling like of you and your friends future prosperity?

Does the future look better before or after the revolution?

What is the genrel feeling towards the muslim brotherhood, are they bad guys or good guys?

Hey, there..I notice you're Arab too. Huzayfa :D

I think we have a slightly better future, but maybe on the long-term, not right now. I think we must wait at least 10 years to see our actual goals become true.

I hate the Muslim Brotherhood; scroll up [or down] and read what I've written about them.

No unfortunately not Arab but British,

Before the revolution did the muslim brotherhood have a better reputation?

Do you like the president? if not do you think the revolution was a waste becuase you took power from someone bad and gave it too another?

What are your feelings to the rest of the Arab world such as syria and conflict in gaza?

They didn't really have much of a reputation. Nobody had a reputation before the revolution. Do you get me? Nobody was even noticed before the revolution. Heck, I din't know anything about our political system before the revolution; and I'm sure 90% of the Egyptians didn't. It was after the revolution that everyone became so politically-educated. They made a lot of compromises with Mubarak's (only) party, which always had 99% of the votes. They said they were willing to give up some seats in exchange for something else I can't quite remember right now :P main point is, they weren't angels.

I don't like the president. He makes me ashamed of my country; really. With his English..omg he is such an embarrassment. Go watch this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jgVtQTOO74 It's mainly in Arabic, but there are some English words in the middle that are just preposterous and stupid. I sometimes think it was a waste handing the power from a tyrant to another one. But you know, it was kinda worth the shot, because we learn from our mistakes.

Lastly, I cannot express my feelings of sorrow toward Syria and Gaza..These are the ones who are really suffering. Shootings everyday and each day tens of innocent people are killed. I am so thankful this didn't happen here!

Do you think you will live in Egypt for the rest of your life?

I want to actually study abroad, mainly because the subject I want to study - astrophysics- is not available here in Egypt. I really like the life and the people here in Egypt. There's just something about it that makes me want to stay forever. However, there are these days when I just wish I'd get out immediately.

My friend is from Cairo and is currently studying here in the US. During the revolution was anyone shot? Why were you wearing a safety vest (the yellow thingy) in Tahir square?

Are you kidding me? There were more than 200 martyrs during this revolution. More than 1,500 protestors lost their eyes ( only two or three cases lost both eyes!!) due to the rubber guns that were used by the cops.

And that's not a safety vest, it's just a normal vest that was distributed to the people cleaning up the square after Mubarak stepped down.

Do you have a preference for where you would hope to study astrophysics?

Would it be easier if stephan hawking's voice synthesizer spoke Arabic?

Either Germany; since I'm already in a German school or the US. What do you think? I'm still exploring and can't decide.

Oh yeah, that'd be fucking epic...I wouldn't leave him if I met him!!!

Maybe you can transfer to Germany next since you are already on that path, and later try to get an internship at one of your favorite observatories. There are some great ones in the US, but we certainly don't have all of them.

That'd be cool. I'll have to convince my parents first :p

News organizations in the United States did some reports on the revolution as being an 'Internet Revolution' or 'Twitter Revolution' because of protesters use of social media like Twitter and Facebook to organize themselves. I am studying social and digital media at my university and we talked a great deal about this. To what extent did protesters really use social media as part of the revolution, and how helpful was it? Do you think the revolution would have been possible without things like Twitter? Would things have been different or more difficult for protesters?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MeeMfjZhTA

This video talks about some of what I'm talking about.

Basically, was it really an 'Internet Revolution'?

That's a cool thing you're doing.

and yes, Facebook and Twitter played a huge role in sparking the revolution. Wether the revolution would take place without them or not is hard question. But I'm going to go with no. They were the spark! Without them the revolution wouldn't have taken place. I was invited to several Facebook events to march to Tahrir square. Within minutes, there were already thousands attending the events. However the paradox was that when the internet and the cell phones were cut off, MORE protestors joined and went down to Tahrir. Maybe being worried and wanting to take revenge for one's friend or acquaintance, have made them more furious. But all in all, Twitter and Facebook were very very helpful throughout the revolution. My mom, who is standing in the picture next to me has made a whole analysis on this point. There's a GREAT book called 'Tweets from Tahrir' I think this might help you with your research. It has been translated into English.

Regarding your last question: >Basically, was it really an 'Internet Revolution'? I'm sorry I can't help you out with this question. :/

I hope the other stuff helps you?

How do you feel now that your country is even more prohibitive and intolerant due to the revolution?

I've lost hope. At first, I was really optimistic! Everyone was. But I still do have hope if the MB retreat; or -better- if we kick them out!

I hope you are able see your goals to completion. Nobody should live under religious, or otherwise, oppression. I believe most peoples in the world would work together to progress our global society, if given half a chance. Good luck to you and yours my friend.

I agree. And thank you :D

Would you run for election yourself if it meant one less seat for the MB?

For the fun, yes :D

Your nose isn't that fat...

hahah, thank you. I actually use the username "Phatnose" more often. It's a wordplay; phat means fashionable. It's my Instagram and twitter username.

[deleted]

1 Hosni-sized duck. I can't get the image out of my head...This is so hilarious :P

Good to know! On a more serious note, I was 17 when the whole thing started. It was very exciting, even sitting at home in Europe, thousands of kilometers away. I was refreshing the live feeds on the Guardian website every couple of minutes, expecting it to blow up at any moment. For someone in the crowd to start shooting back, for the army to massacre 100 people, for the whole thing to go up in flames.

It never did, and for that, I salute the Egyptian people. I admire the fact that Egyptians could protest more or less peacefully and bring down an old strongman. I admire the fact that the army did not start killing Egyptians, like it did in Libya and Syria.

Things might not be great, or even good now - with Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood - but your country isn't tearing itself apart with guns and bombs. Congratulations!

A follow-up question. Are you still involved in activism? Do you attend protests against the MB, or take part in any political events?

Cheers!

Well, yeah you're right. It's not as bad as things were in other countries.

I'm not really that involved anymore. I have attended several protests after the revolution. Most of them were at the beginning,when the military was in rule, so I was protesting against them. I have also protested against the MB ; but usually through the social media. Nowadays, no one is as involved as before. Heck, I have't seen any protests in months.

What do you think it was about that time that catalyzed such widespread participation? Was it just opposition to Mubarak?

Do you think the public is more likely to come together again, like that, as a result of their success?

I don't REALLY know why it was at THAT particular time that we started a revolution, but you know, it was 30 years of corruption and inequality and under the same president. There were earlier attempts of similar revolutions but they were immediately shut down by the police. This time they underestimated the power of the people. I remember the Egyptian president saying: " Leave them to entertain us"

Well damn right, we fucking entertained you,didn't we?

I don't believe the public is more likely to come together again like it did during the revolution. You know, during the revolution we were all one soul,one hand thriving for one SINGLE goal. Now, we have split up and everyone is longing for his own goal.

Did you punch Anderson cooper when he went galavanting in your country or do you know the person who did ?

Aaah, that I remember being all around the media for days. No, I didn't even know him. It mus've been one of Mubarak's mercenaries.

How important was social media for you in terms of the spread of information and who was spreading it?

Very vital. Mainly through Facebook was I notified of upcoming marches and protests and where they took place. Twitter was however more important. Unfortunately, I wasn't really using it at that time. You can follow me now, my username is 'phatnose'

How much better do you think things would be if Muhammad Al-Baradei had been elected?

A LOT better. But he has been discriminated in such a ridiculous way that makes me just sad and ashamed. Everyone kept accusing him of being a terrorist and a and American spy. I can't believe Egyptians actually did this to someone who won a freaking Noble prize!!! I .mean, come on.

And quite frankly,anyone would've dome better than this clown who is now a president.

Do you believe that freedom of speech exists in Egypt today?

More or less. But some people are still being discriminated for their opinion. Bassem Youssef, a sarcastic TV show host just like John Stewart - was just arrested weeks ago for making fun of the president.

I know I'm a little late, but just in case you check back, how much better is it now than it was before? To what degree did things change in the way you wanted them to.

Things haven't really changed that much. I was very optimistic at first and thought we'd be all living in heaven after this thing is over, but the consequences are really bad. It's turning into another tyranny again with this Morsi. But were still herw.; rough n' ready!

So do you think that if the government becomes too tyrannous again their will be another revolution? (Like in the next few years). And thank you for such a great answer.

Hmm I'm not quite sure about wether we'd still be capable of doing another revolution. There are a lot of Egyptians nowadays who blame the revolution(ists) for the economic collapse in the country and the for the political trouble and unrest etc.. So it's not that easy/

I remember when this was all happening! My friends and I took a break from gaming and all sat down to watch a journalist cover it, you're a brave man! :D I don't really have anything to ask but I do applaud your answers, very informative.

Thank you very much; I'm glad you liked it.

awel masry ashufo be7eb reddit, gheri

7abibi

How is Egypt right now, and what's your favorite food?

The situation isn't that good. My favorite food is Koshary.

As an US ex-military member who was put on high alert during the Arab Spring...how do Egyptians (and by extension, Arabs) really feel about Americans? Thanks for the AMA...very brave of you.

Feel about Americans in general; or politically or what exactly?

Hi there Do you think that the MB regime that you have now is (or will turn into) the same sort of dictatorship the Mubarak regime used to be? And do most of the public share your views about the MB hijacking the revolution and using it for their own end? And one last question, is there some common view among revolutionists regarding to foreign policy towards the west and Israel in particular?

Yes, they are starting to turn into a replica of Mubarak's dictatorship. All of the liberals and the people who support the old regime( there are alot of them) share my same view toward the MB.

No, there's no common view regarding the foreign policy towards Israel and the west. It's a pretty convoluted issue.

Do you believe peace between Israel and Egypt is in danger?

No, not really.

What gun did you use during the revolution?

As said before, I haven't used any guns. My friends however had a huge collection of all the weapons you could imagine. He used them against mercenaries who attempted to break in or steal any place.

Is it true the Egyptian government has a hit list for Christians?

No. It's not that extreme.

what do you think of mohamed morsi?

Scroll up, you'll see how much I fucking hate this hypocritical douchebag.

What's your favorite food

Koshary. It's a traditional Egyptian food. Freaking awesome!

Can you tell us how to prepare it?

I think this is what OP was talking about, but the OP should feel free to correct me.

The uploader has not made this video available in your country.

Sorry about that. :/

I can't tell.

Just google it. It's pretty easy I guess.

Do you have any guns? Do you consider yourself a good shot?

No, and no! Interesting to know, a lot of people started acquiring guns (illegally) after the revolution to protect their households and families.

I don't have a question for you, but my little sister went to Egypt 3 years ago and said it was the most beautiful place she's ever been.

It's a beautiful country indeed.

What do you think of people who say the revolution was funded because of the CIA?

Some of the revolutionists were trained in Serbia I guess on how to implement a non-violence revolution. I don't know who it was funded by though. But, it's just preposterous to think that a WHOLE revolution was funded by one single organization. I mean, did they pay all of the 10+ million Egyptians who went down to the streets to protest? Did they fund people who were willing to die just to enjoy a democratic and free country?

I gather you are a Muslim, but not an extremist. Do you eat bacon?

Nope, I don't eat bacon. I once tasted it accidentally, and it was gooood.

Bacon is good. I'm glad you agree. Is it good enough that you would eat it secretly if you though nobody would find out? How far is it to a christian owned restaurant (if that is where you would most likely find it)?

I don't know; I really don't know :P

There are a few restaurants here serving bacon I guess, but you know only Christians in Egypt eat it, or foreigners

The ultimate test of faith !

taste* :P

do you see yourself as a terrorist in ANY regard?

yes, its a legitimate question. right now im personally thinking about terrorists vs. revolutionaries etc. just curious how this plays out in your mind, and how you knew it was time to take a stand.

I've never thought of it this way. Why would I be a terrorist? I didn't use any means of violence to achieve my political goals. As a matter of fact, no, we - the revolutionists - have used non-violence as a mean to complete our goals.

Are you a male or female?

Male; can't you tell from the pictures? :P