Below are some of Cornel West’s wonderful facebook posts on Egypt. The man got it. They begin January 25 and continue up through the toppling of Mubarak. (If you want to harsh the buzz a little, just compare them to liberal hawk Jeffrey Goldberg calling the revolution “a military coup” that will bring dangerous engagement of the Muslim Brotherhood, or David Frum, saying that the revolution was not representative of the people.)(This post was outlined by Ibn Tufayl). West:
I give great tribute to the incredible courage of my precious Egyptian brothers and sisters calling for an end to the ugly US-backed tyranny of Mubarak. When I gave the Edward Said lectures in Cairo Egypt three years ago, I compared Mubarak to a contemporary pharaoh.and as a follower of Martin Luther King, I say to all pharaohs, “Let my people go!”January 29
Shame on President Obama and Secretary Clinton for their centrist rhetoric when we all should be extremist for LOVE and JUSTICE! To my dear sister Mona Eltahawy, God be with you in your magnificent eloquence in the midst of this historic crisis. Long live the dignity and decency of my Egyptian brothers and sisters in their quest for a Democratic Egypt! January 29
It takes courage to ask – how did I become so well-adjusted to injustice? The courage to love is one of the preconditions to thinking critically. It takes courage to shatter conformity and cowardice. Hatred at its worst is nothing more than a form of cowardice. It takes courage for folk to stand up (RE: Jan. 25. 2011)…. When ordinary people wake up, elites begin to tremble in their boots.February 2
My deep love goes out to my precious and priceless Egyptian brothers and sisters. My tears flow in deep solidarity with you in the face of an embarrassing 30 years of U.S. backed tyranny in Egypt. Let us pray that the Obama administration is effectively more courageous in this matter. February 5
The precious tears of my dear Egyptian brother Wael Ghonim – one of the many heroes of the Egyptian revolution – bring more tears to my eyes. This is a great turning point in our new 21st Century in the struggle for democracy. How I wish I could be in Liberation Square and stand with my brave brothers and sisters against the 30 year US-backed tyranny. Like Reagan in his equivocal stance on apartheid in South Africa – with only lip service to those struggling and past commitments to those who rule, Obama has yet to take an unequivocal stance on behalf of the suffering yet dignified Egyptian people. Again, shame on him. For me, the greatest tribute to those struggling in authoritarian Egypt is this: Martin Luther King, Jr. smiles on you from the grave, your courage resurrects his spirit! This is a historic moment for the struggle for democracy… when you have everyday people who are willing to die. February 8
Mubarak is gone…Let the people reign! A democratic Egypt is now in the making… Hallelujah! February 11, 2011
