Secondary: Rapid Response Assemblies



MIDDLE EASTERN TURMOIL

By James Lamont

As with all rapid response assemblies, you might need to update this before use.

Suitable for Key Stages 4 and 5

Aim

To reflect on the unrest sweeping through Egypt and other Arab states.

Preparation and resources

• Photos can be downloaded from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698.

Assembly

1. For days, Egyptians have participated in demonstrations. After a successful protest in nearby Tunisia drove ruling dictator Ben-Ali from power, pro-democracy feelings have spread through the Arab world, and the regime of Hosni Mubarak, Egypt’s ruler for thirty years, has been besieged. Anti-government protestors have braved police bullets and the dreaded secret-security apparatus to challenge a dictatorial regime that some believe is run solely for foreign interests and for the rich.
   
2. Egypt gained its independence from British colonial rule in 1922 but British influence remained until 1954, when the Republic of Egypt was founded. In 1956, the president, General Nasser, won a key victory over Britain, France and Israel during the Suez crisis, demonstrating the new nation’s autonomy. Nasser’s successor, Anwar Sadat, was more pro-Western than Nasser and made economic reforms that many thought gave power to rich foreign businesses, not to the Egyptian people.
   
   During this period, the founder of political Islam, Sayyd Qutb, wrote down his ideas, which would later go on to inspire the 1979 Iranian revolution, and the wave of Islamic fundamentalism that is a defining feature of today’s world. Qutb was later imprisoned, allegedly tortured and then executed for his writings.
   
3. The Islamist movement assassinated Sadat in 1981 and he was replaced by Hosni Mubarak. During the 1990s, a wave of violent terrorism, grounded in extremist interpretations of Qutb’s writings, swept across Egypt. The terrorism served only to strengthen support for Mubarak’s rule.
   
   Mubarak has been a staunch ally of the United States, even signing peace deals with Israel, traditionally an enemy of the Arab and Islamic nations. Seen as a force for stability in a region that could easily be dominated by anti-American forces, the United States has given Mubarak’s regime military aid to the tune of $1.5 billion a year.
   
4. The recent protests have called for democracy in Egypt, alongside similar protests in Tunisia, Yemen and Jordan. Mubarak has promised to step down in September; for many, this is not good enough and the only acceptable choice is his immediate abdication. The Egyptian army has stated clearly that it respects the right of Egypt’s people to protest and that it will not open fire. This step is clearly a positive one and if Egypt’s people can maintain the optimistic, peaceful nature of their movement and succeed in bringing about change, then a truly wonderful event will have occurred: the peaceful destruction of a dictatorship.
   
5. What the current protests demonstrate is a universal yearning for liberty – the type of liberty that comes not through the barrel of a gun, but through the expression of a people’s will. Just as Sadat was brought down by the resentment he suppressed, Mubarak’s fall – if it comes – will be the result of the human desire for freedom, which cannot be suppressed for ever.
   
6. The wave of pro-democracy demonstrations that is sweeping through the Arab states reminds us of the 1990s, when Communist rule collapsed in Eastern Europe and beyond. Time has yet to show how far this wave of protest will spread, and whether true democracy will be the result. Meanwhile, we hope for a peaceful process, leading to greater freedom for the peoples of these countries.

Time for reflection

Light a candle, and pause.

We take a moment to think about the democracy we enjoy and take for granted.
We think of the people of Egypt and other Arab nations that are experiencing turmoil.
May peaceful change come, leading to democracy and a better life for all.

Prayer
We give thanks for the brave people of Egypt,
who have stood up to intimidation, bringing the right of peaceful protest to the country,
and we pray that the process may be peaceful, giving rise to a democratic system that ushers in a regime of justice and peace.
Amen.

Song

‘Peace perfect peace’ (Hymns Old and New (Kevin Mayhew), 414)
‘For the healing of the nations’ (Hymns Old and New,139)