Revolution in Egypt: Facebook and Twitter back up since last night

My chats with a source in Alexandria last night revealed that the Egyptian government had lifted restrictions on at least Facebook and Twitter, a fact that appears to be confirmed as of this morning. When I asked if this had anything to do with Secretary of State Clinton's request, the young man replied that the government had figured out that if they open up social media, there will be less people on the streets with which to contend.

There was a great deal of concern about Suez and the situation there, because that region is not wired at all, including cell phone access. This is also the area that has claimed the most number of lives. My source was telling me that parents are upset as they cannot get to bury their children, who are still being held at the city morgue. Islamic law dictates that burial should be hastened following death; the body must be washed, enveloped in cloth, lids must be closed, and the person should be buried facing Mecca.

I was also apprised of a large, upcoming protest scheduled for Friday, January 28th, after Friday prayers in Alexandria.

Earlier, I responded to a call for help in showing evidence of police brutality, and photos of victims were made available. They will appear in a later article today on the violation of human rights in Egypt.

Checking in this morning with my sources, they confirm the availability of Facebook and Twitter, but they are continuing to issue proxy servers just in case there are glitches.

These social websites have played a crucial role in the organization of these demonstrations not only in Egypt, but around the world. Demonstrations in California and New York, where there are relatively large concentrations of Egyptian expatriates, are planned.

We should not forget that Iran's green revolution, albeit never carried to a fruitful conclusion, was made possible through social media; ditto for Tunisia, and as of four hours ago, Yemen. We have learned that inspired by Egypt, who was inspired by Tunisia, Yemenites are now protesting in the streets of Sana, the capital,  and asking for the removal of President Ali Abdallah Saleh.