This generation will never forget Rabaa Massacre (14 August 2013) committed by the Egyptian police and military forces against the peaceful protesters in Rabaa al-Adawiya Square, cairo, simply because it is unforgettable – particularly for those who have lived it.
This event would therefore be instrumental in building the doctrine of the whole generation and in mapping its hopes and aspirations. It is the mindful and aware nation that knows how to invest such events for bringing about major transformations and making huge leaps in the process of change.
However, the ongoing state of frustration experienced by the Egyptian nation albeit temporary, stands in the way of a deep and effective realization of this fact.
Rabaa Massacre is not less than the massacres of Sabra and Shatila (16–18 September 1982) which inspired the Palestinian resistance and provided it with increased fuel and reason for survival and steadfastness. It is nothing less than the Denshaway massacre (in 1906 against the locals in Denshawai) which had a major impact on fueling resistance against the then British occupation in Egypt.
Rabaa Massacre is no less than the incidents that triggered the revolutions in Europe, America and others; fanned the flames of resistance against the invaders in Algeria, Libya, Vietnam and others; and fueled anger against the military coups in Uruguay, Brazil, Nicaragua and others.
The fact is that innocent blood sprouts resistance; and martyrdom leads to the extermination of the oppressors at the end. (“If a wound afflicts you, a similar wound has afflicted the others. Such days We alternate between the people, that God may know those who believe, and take martyrs from among you. God does not love the evildoers.” – Verse 140, Surat Al-Imran)
Six hard years, full of frustration and despair, have passed since the Rabaa Massacre occurred on 14 August 2013. The reasons for this frustration and despair are not only confined to the continued local, regional and international deadlock, or the violent and terror acts exercised by the brutal coup leaders, or the hypocrisy, fraud and twisting of facts practiced by the international community, but, there are many other reasons related to the Egyptian revolutionaries and political forces, most notably restriction of their efforts to mere temporary reactions, without adopting a holistic vision and a phased plan.
The second reason is division and fragmentation that has not yet been included amid a state of stalemate and limbo; thus, people’s energies and creativity are mostly exhausted on Facebook pages, WhatsApp groups, and other social networking sites for the exchange of insults, abuses, and accusations.
The Egyptian political forces need a vision according to which they can start operating again, as much as we can. (“On no soul doth Allah Place a burden greater than it can bear” – Verse 286, Surat Al-Baqarah).
The memory of the Rabaa Massacre is a proper occasion that should not be missed in order to restore the revolutionary vigilance again. Then, a variety of events on the political, legal and media levels must be carried out to serve the Egyptian cause in general and to pressurize the Egyptian regime for releasing 60,000 political detainees in its prisons – demanding intervention of international human rights organizations to rescue them.
The Egyptian communities around the world and those who sympathize with them from the Arab and Islamic communities in many countries could contribute to the success of these proposed activities.
However, the next step is left to each political faction according to its vision, whether to enter into a political settlement, or to complete the revolutionary course. The revolutionary forces must manage their differences, common spaces, and pluralism of ideas properly.
It is necessary to coordinate the exerted media and human rights efforts, directing and correcting their path, and turning them into effective revolutionary activities. Also, efforts must be devoted for raising the people’s awareness and exposing the regime abuses against the Egyptian people, within the framework of a comprehensive plan of action for resisting injustice and tyranny and restoring the course of revolution against the military coup.
In addition to the Rabaa Massacre as a central issue that could fuel these proposed activities, similar attention should be given to the issue of the martyrdom of the legitimate president of the country, Dr. Mohamed Morsi, calling for an international investigation into the circumstances of his death. It is also useful to expose those foreign governments that prevent the process of democratic transformation in Egypt through supporting the military coup regime.
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