The Problems With Freedom for the People of Egypt

Exciting to see the people of Egypt gain their freedom!

The Associated Press/Huffington Post reports:

“From London to Gaza City to Seoul, the world was savoring the spectacular fall of Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak, with demonstrators rallying in the thousands Saturday in cities across the world. But other authoritarian regimes weren’t celebrating — and some are trying to censor the news.

In China, where the ruling Communist Party ruthlessly stamps out dissent, terse media reports downplayed the large-scale pro-democracy protests in Egypt that forced Mubarak from power and instead emphasized the country’s disorder and lawlessness.

The headlines were matched with an outpouring of international support, with rallies in Britain, South Korea and the Palestinian territories, among other places.

Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd congratulated Egyptians on what he called a clear and courageous protest movement.

‘My view is that the people of this most ancient civilization truly deserve a most modern of democracies,’ Rudd told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.”

Read the rest of the article here.

Freedom can be tricky. With more freedom comes more responsibility. I cannot help but think of the verse from the Scriptures which says: “Everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial” (I Corinthians 6:12).

I am praying for the people of Egypt and the Middle East. I am praying for genuine freedom which includes a freedom to choose your own faith, a freedom to express dissent, a freedom to succeed or fail, and so much more.

I am also praying for wisdom to know how to enjoy freedom while allowing others to enjoy their freedom in different ways. As Americans, we haven’t figured out how to pull this off. Too often, we don’t seem to spend time with those who differ or disagree with us.  We can learn to love people not like ourselves, but it is certainly easier said than done.

When the Status Quo is Most Dangerous

I have been trying to pay attention to the protests and human rights issues in Egypt. I have been there and have several friends from Egypt who have family there plus what happens there will affect the Middle East and our world a great deal.

I am not a politician or a strategist for world affairs, but it seems like the US government is a very precarious situation: the US government (Republicans and Democrats) have supported a “President” who has ruled for 30 years without a Vice President and some would say without genuine democracy. We have supported an Egyptian government which has been considered oppressive by the Egyptian people.

We have seemingly offered this support since we knew what we were getting, he seemed to be an ally for us, and his government offered stability.

We may lose Egypt as an ally if/when the government changes hands. At the same time, we are now calling for democracy, but what did we do to help it get there? What, if anything, could we have done?

In life, do we support the status quo because we know what we will get? Or are we willing to choose to risk knowing it could hurt us or possibly lead to the greatest freedom we could ever imagine?

Sometimes we get too close to those we shouldn’t.

Peace in the Middle East?

Protestor Kissing Beleaguered Policemen

My trip through Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey in the summer of 2000 remains one of the highlights of my life. One of the most vivid memories includes the hospitality, warmth, and passion of the people we met.

We also could see and feel the oppression.

With troops holding their weapons at the ready seemingly everywhere, it was hard to ever feel truly at peace.

With the protests in Tunisia, Jordan, and now Cairo (and in Iran in 2009), I hope for genuine peace in the Middle East.

Unfortunately, some of those behind the unrest have a more extreme fundamentalistic worldview which could lead to even less freedom and increased oppression of women.

Will these protests lead to more freedom or will they be squelched with more violence and more restrictions on freedom? 

These uncertain times remind us of those who fought for freedom in our country, but they also remind us how rare and fragile freedom truly is.

Kidnapping Muslims?