The Arab Spring which started in Tunisia, continued in Egypt and developed in Libya is actually an inspiration for the rest as many countries are still being ruled by repressive regimes. Many communities in the region which has no chance to assign their future is trying to follow the process by their limited possibilities.
The ‘Nahda Network’ happened in Istanbul last week on the initiative of the ‘Young Civilians’ has unite the activists from Egypt, Tunisia, Lubnan, Palestine and Syria that took place in the revolution of the Middle East and lay the groundwork for them to tell their stories. The Lebanese journalist and blogger Assaad Thebian kindly met with us at the event and tried to correct the facts that we misjudge as he could explain.
turk-internet.com: Can you please tell us how did all this revolution started in the region?
Assaad Thebian: I think that there are two terms that are given for the revolutions in the our World. The first which is called an internet revolution which is giving all the credit for the internet while in fact the internet is only the tool. So people use the internet as much as they use the print paper, as much as they use cell phones, as much as they use talking to each other about they need to change.
So the first problem would be free call at the internet revolution. Second mistake that is given that because it happened in February, January and March and the time that the whole thing started.
I think this is also a mistake because the our revolution started years before now. And if we eliminate those two factors and we start to think more general way, we would know that this is a result, this is not the main factor. This is a result of what was happening in our world in the last years. People were going to demonstrate in Egypt.
8 thousand demonstrations per year but nobody heard about them. People were going to say no online for Binali for censorship they did the campaign for 3 or 4. They did the campaign against …. who is the person that is responsible of censorship. And all of this subjects happened long before January or February 2011.
So based on that we could say that its a general conscious. People started nagging from the dictatorships that were controlling our world for the last 30 years. The same regimes that were the sons of the 50s and 60s, they came just right after colonization where people were unilateraled, where people were weak, when people did not know their future and some dictators came either by – most of them came by the army and they took control of the Arab countries.
Years and years people being educated, people being taught the new techniques of talking to each other especially through the internet. And of course the suppresion. Because those regimes did not respect the people. They did not believe in democracy, they did not believe in tranparency, the corruption rate was very high and they did not even bother to transform the authority to some other person in the same political party.
All these factors together have brought the Arab into a state that they need to change. This change started with one guy who was Mohammed Azizi, he set fire to himself because he could not take it anymore. And this fire went around our World to Tunusia, to Egypt, to Yemen, to Bahreyn, to Syria and other countries. We Lebanon as well have our demonstrations and unfortunately our case is not the same, we do not have one dictator. We have a flawless regime with many heads in it which did not lead to a dramatic change yet.
turk-internet.com: And were the people in the region ready to change?
Assaad Thebian: At first, one country to another I think that the question should be asked was not whether the people are ready or not. It’s not up to us to choose that. What happened is the change was a must.
Who comes to replace those leaders should be a system, its not a person. But you need build it as a secular state where you know the rights of each person and where people are treatened equally, equal changes to work, have medication, to go to schools and to have proper education, to have shelter, to have food, to have salaries equal.
And then regardless to the person who will take the power whether he was Islamist, whether he was Christian background, whether he was moderate, whether he was secular, whether he was a believer or unbeliever regardless the person, the system is what is needed. Because make a country depended on a person or a group of people, those people will eventually go and if they don’t go you will have the dictatorship.
What you need to do is to build system. Our people are ready to build systems or not, well yes I think some are and some are not. But this does not mean that if the majority does not build a nation that you say ‘yes, ok I don’t wanna build a nation’ common sense says it is not only the interest of us now. It’s an interest of our children and the future. And our children demand from us to build secular nations, respect all the people and who know whats good for the people, whats good for the nation and where the decision comes right from the people and does not come from foreigners.
turk-internet.com: So what do you think will happen to those nations like Egypt, like Libya afterwards?
Assaad Thebian: I think until now we have 3 successful revolutions, they were Tunusia, Libya and Egypt. And each of them have a different course in order to succeed. In Tunusia I think its blossoming. Democracy is there, the elections happened. Regardless one party or not but democracy is there. People wanted voting, %90 of the people the highest rate. They all voted and they acted demoratic.
What we are looking for now is the constitution. They have good constitution that will respect this generation and the generations to come. And Libya is a different case but I think Libyans have proven much they want democracy.
Everybody criticise how Kaddafi was killed but after that we have a new prime minister in Libya. We have elections that already happened. And I think Libya has a state that has been suffering for a long term and time, now it’s up to the people to build democracy.
On the other hand in Egypt it’s still quite difficult. The army council has taken the authority there and unfortunately they have not achieved democracy. On the country, he has been working on the same consept and the Mubarak regime used to do which has divide and concur.
The army council must and should go back to the barracks and people should take the authority and people should be the judicative force and it should be the people who take the decisions in the country. The army should follow the orders and execute them but not to force them on the other political parties.
turk-internet.com: What people think that western people supported the change?
Assaad Thebian: I think that’s a must that each nation in the world support the change. A nation represent people. I think all the people in the world want democracy, all the people in the world want liberty, all the people in the world want justice. And if the nation does not represent those three words, justice, equality and democracy, then it’s not being representive to its own people. So support any revolution in our world or non Arab country should be based on those standarts only and not on political terms.
This is why countries support all the political changes in our world regardless of what were happening. Our contries that we are looking up to as countries that give hope for us. They are giving this support to freedom. But countries that are very selective and their choices for not the support and what not to support, they are basically countries that are only playing with the feelings of the people. And they are measuring everything according to their political agenda. And this is something that we refuse and eventually the people will see that these countries do not respect democracy as much as they respect their interests.
turk-internet.com: And last question, can you please introduce yourself to our readers?
Assaad Thebian: My name is Assaad Thebian, I’m a Lebanese blogger. I was a part of the anti sectarian regime movement in Beirut. I currently work as a social media consulter. And I studied journalism.
turk-internet.com: Thank you so much.
Assaad Thebian: Thank you.
Kaynak : 