Arab Spring: The Torch of Freedom

In the history of the Middle East, which stretches back millennia even before Christ, you will find nothing similar to the events which are unfolding over the last three months in the region. The domino effect began in Tunisia when one desperate man burned himself to death as a protest against the corruption and oppression he had experienced all his life. The success of the popular uprising in Tunisia was the spark that lit the torch of revolution that now burns bright from Morocco to Yemen. The leaders in the Middle East have learned that the voice of the people when they are united cannot be ignored or silenced. They have also learned that violence against their own population will not be tolerated by the international community and that this violence only fans the flames of revolution.

What is truly remarkable is that these uprisings are bringing all people together, regardless of their ethnicity and beliefs. Some people, as one would expect knowing the region, are trying to play the faith card to stir troubles and violence in the name of religion among the people in order to advance certain fundamentalist political agendas. The truth is that the people are determined to secure a better quality of life and a better future for their children. The people have learned that no-one can break their will when they decide to take their destiny in their own hands.

Nadim Nassar