2 I The Blue Banner i 2.9.2011
News Briefs
Compiled by Trevor Metcalfe
AOL buys Huffington
Post for $310 million
AOL recently acquired
online blog site Huffing
ton Post for $315 million
in what founder Arianna
Huffington called “the time
to take leaps,” in a recent
blog announcement. Huff
ington said AOL’s video
and local news capabilities
would help the blog expand
their reach to new markets.
She said she hoped to cre
ate a company that reaches
a global audience and makes
a significant impact. More
than 25 million people visit
the blog each month.
Egyptian journalist
shot, died Friday
The Egyptian protests
claimed their first journal
ist. Ahmad Mohamed Mah
moud, a photographer for
the AI-Ta’awun newspaper,
died from gunshot wounds
received seven days before.
The journalist was shot with
a sniper rifle while filming a
conflict between demonstra
tors and security forces near
Tahrir Square.
Obama challenges
business leaders
President Obama chal
lenged business leaders to
speed up the economic re
covery in a speech to the
U.S. Chamber of Com
merce. He encouraged the
leaders to increase hiring
of American workers and
encourage entrepreneurs.
Obama also defended his
health care overhaul and fi
nancial regulation bills.
'Nfwf
Megan Dombroski - Campus Voice Editor
About 20 students gathered on the quad Thursday to show support for Egypt.They held candles and signs reading,"Today, we
are all Egyptians," and "I am with you."The vigil was organized by UNCA students Maayan Schechter and Amarra Ghani.
Students hold vigil for protesting Egyptians
Trevor Metcalfe
temetcal@unca.edu
Asst. News Editor
UNC Asheville students and
community members stood in
support of protesting Egyptians
at a candlelight vigil held on the
quad Thursday.
“It’s important for Egypt
to know even a small town in
North Carolina is doing some
thing for them,” said Maayan
Schechter, one of the organiz
ers of the event.
About 20 people held candles
and some held signs reading
“Today, we are all Egyptians”
and “I am with you” while par
ticipants talked about the events
in Egypt and their impact on
themselves and the world.
“This is a human rights issue,
not a religious issue,” Schech
ter said.
UNCA freshman Frank
Meadows said he was follow
ing the protests in Egypt, and
attended the vigil to show his
support for them.
“I thought it would be a good
gesture,” he said.
Schetcher and co-organizer
Amarra Ghani said the vigil
honored those killed or injured
in the recent protests, and said
the protests were not just about
the country’s future in the Mid
dle East.
“I think this is bigger than
that,” Schetcher said.
Ghani said the event pre
sented a chance to speak up for
Egyptians, and a chance for the
UNCA community to respond
to the events taking place in the
country.
Samer TVaboulsi, assistant
professor of history at UNCA,
said Egypt historically served as
a leader for the Middle East in
arts, music and cultural power
until about 20 years ago.
“Historically, all modem in
novations came from Egypt,
and they spread through the rest
of the Arab world,” Traboulsi
said.
However, Traboulsi said this
cultural center then shifted
from Egypt to states located in
the Gulf region of the Middle
East.
“Egypt basically lost this role
completely in the Arab world,
and this was during the regime
of Mubarak,” Traboulsi said.
Hosni Mubarak, the current
Egyptian president, assumed
control of the country after the
assassination of president An
war el-Sadat in 1981.
“Politically, Egypt lost its
role completely to the Gulf
states, which is a result of the
interests of Western powers and
Israel in keeping Egypt stable
and calm,” Traboulsi said. “Too
much stability, too much calm
ness, if you want, caused by
oppression from the mling re
gime basically sidelined Egypt
completely, and I believe this is
the main reason Egyptians got
totally fmstrated.”
Traboulsi said even though
Egypt’s role in the region de
clined with the rise of Muba
rak, the president held control
until the recent events in Tuni
sia. On Jan. 14, violent protests
removed president Zine el-
Abidine Ben Ali from power,
replacing him with prime min
ister Mohammed Ghannouchi.
Traboulsi said the revolt
ended one of the most oppres
sive governments in the Middle
East.
“When (the Egyptian people)
saw that this actually happened,
this triggered the whole pro
cess, and the popular uprising
started,” Traboulsi said.
Many opposition parties,
which were banned from Egypt
under Mubarak’s mle, began
to support the Egyptians as the
demonstrations progressed, ac
cording to Traboulsi.
“If you look at the first three
or four days, they were com
pletely nonexistent in the move
ment,” Traboulsi said. “It’s after
the fourth day that they joined
in to make sure that the revolu
tion continues and does not lose
stamina.”
Traboulsi said the Muslim
Brotherhood, one of the major
players in the Egyptian upris
ing, maintains a presence in
many Middle Eastern coun
tries. The Mubarak government
banned the organization from
openly practicing in Egypt after
wins in elections held in 2000.
“In a way it’s an organiza
tion,” Traboulsi said. “In some
countries like Jordan they are
a (political) party. Most of the
time they’re an opposition par
ty”
Traboulsi also said clarifica
tion is needed when discussing
the government forces involved
in the revolts: the Egyptian
army, the Central Security forc
es and the police.
The Egyptian array deals
only with outside threats to the
country’s security, according to
Traboulsi.
“Since 1973, the last war with
Israel, the army has not really
fought any war,” Traboulsi said.
“Since signing the peace treaty
with Israel, the army has been
reduced.”
Traboulsi contrasted this with
the role of Central Security, a
military institution dedicated to
keeping Mubarak in power.
“So, you have the external
front with the army, and you
have the internal front in case
what you see now ever hap
pened,” Traboulsi said.
Traboulsi said the police force
is responsible for daily interac
tions with the citizens of Egypt,
and is also the most corrupt of
the institutions.
“The police are the most vis
ible, because they are there in
the streets everyday, and the
police are the most corrupt
because they are the ones that
deal with the people,” Traboulsi
said.
Traboulsi said the legacy
of the rebellion depends on
whether the protesters can oust
Mubarak, or if he serves the full
length of his remaining term.
“The clear legacy, for now,
is that for the next 10 years, no
ruler can mle in the Middle East
with total disregard of popular
opinion,” Traboulsi said.