Asmaa Mahfouz was widely celebrated among Egypt's youth as a heroine, when on February 14, 2011, after weeks of massive demonstrations in the country led to the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak. She was one of the faces of the 'digital' revolution, as she had taken to Youtube airwaves and posted a message to Egypt's wired generation to join her in Tahrir Square in order to get rid of the dictatorship that had gripped the country for nearly thirty years.
I celebrated Asmaa Mahfouz as she didn't fit the female stereotype of Egyptian women who are known for their non-aggressive ways, as the country's patriarchal personality has little tolerance for assertive women. See the article here:
Meet Asmaa Mahfouz: the woman who organized Egypt's historic demonstrations
Asmaa was not alone in her quest for change: with the weeks that followed, we learned of another young Egyptian, who used to be a Google executive, who was also instrumental in gathering support and organizing mostly secular, Internet-savvy Egyptians on the art of deposing a dictator.
Since, the number of people using social websites in Egypt has increased dramatically. Whether it be Facebook, or Twitter, I have witnessed more Egyptians getting involved in their country's future, though not all are in agreement as to how it ought to be done. However, the debate is healthy, and there are signs that there may be parliamentary elections this fall.
However, it seems that Egypt's military judicial authority has taken offense at a Facebook post whereby Mahfouz simply stated the following: 'If the judiciary doesn't give us our rights, nobody should be surprised if militant groups appear and conduct a series of assassinations because there is no law and there is no judiciary'. Mahfouz is correct in her statement, which the military has construed as 'speaking inappropriately about the military council and for using defamatory and offensive insults against the council on Facebook and Twitter'.
Mahfouz must be important: they assigned her a case number 55/2011 and her accusers have used heavy hitting language to describe her 'crime':
The case against Mahfouz, number 55/2011, accuses the activist of using her Facebook page to call for assassinations of SCAF members and certain judges, the state-owned Middle East News Agency (MENA) reported.
This is really not surprising at all. The ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (aka Tantawi) has been far too comfortable in its new role, but at the same time, is finding it difficult to shed Mubarak-style propaganda, unjustified and imaginary charges, unwarranted arrests, and let's not forget the recent bout of xenophobia they have instilled in the population, so that anyone standing out in a crowd can be designated a 'spy'.
Though Mahfouz was finally released on bail for the equivalent of about US$3300, the investigation against her continues. However, the SCAF might have been piqued by a comment Mahfouz made to al-Jazeera, on July 23, 2011, when yet another protest was in process to urge the ruling council to stop dragging its feet regarding the country's reforms. In the interview with the Qatari network, Mahfouz alluded to corruption within the SCAF, saying that they were protecting Mubarak, his cronies, his thugs, - actually most of which appears to coincide with actual events.
Trials of key figures continue to be postponed; Mubarak's trial which began August 3rd, where he appeared in court on a stretcher, gave the public the satisfaction they sought, but felt more like a circus than a serious inquiry into criminal activity. There have been reports of preferential treatment of the Mubarak sons at the prison which holds them; and today, not surprisingly, former interior minister Habib al Adly's trial was adjourned.
There needs to be a constitution drawn as quickly as possible, as suggested by presidential hopeful Mohammed elBaradei. The arbitrary arrest and prosecution of civilians in military courts should stop. Mahfouz has already proven that she is not a criminal, but rather a proud citizen of Egypt, who risked her life to turn her country around. The SCAF is proving to be as ruthless as Hosni Mubarak.
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