On Feb. 9, UC Riverside scholars gathered to analyze protests and potential paths for Egypt's future in "The Events in Egypt and Their Significance: A Teach-In." The event was free and open to the public and was sponsored by the UCR Center for Ideas and Society.
UC Riverside Center for Ideas and Society's director Georgia Warnke believes that UCR's knowledgeable Middle Eastern Studies specialists are able to provide quality insight to help students and the general public gain a better understanding of the situation in Egypt. "The center's teach-in is intended to help students and other participants understand the background for the recent and on-going events in Egypt, their implications for democracy and their possible consequences for other countries in the region," she said.
Participating scholars and their areas of expertise were Muhamad Ali, assistant professor of religious studies and Islamic studies; Feryal Cherif, assistant professor of political science, politics of the Middle East; Ebru Erdem, assistant professor of political science, political Islam; Sherine Hafez, assistant professor of women's studies, Islamic societies and cultures; Susan Ossman, professor of anthropology and director of the Global Studies Program, emerging forms of transnational social life and political engagement from the perspective of serial migrants in the Middle East, North Africa and Europe; Jeffrey Sacks, assistant professor of Arabic, Arabic literature and literary studies, and postcolonial studies; and Fariba Zarinebaf, associate professor of history, gender and Islam. Stephen Cullenberg, dean of the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, served as moderator.
Each scholar spoke for a few minutes on their area of expertise, and the panel was then opened up for a question and answer period. Hafez began by outlining the key events and emphasizing the role that social media has played in the protests, especially the January 25 "Day of Wrath" announced on Facebook. She also spoke of contextual issues many have a tendency to ignore when examining the situation in Egypt; the failure of the neo-liberal reform to create opportunities for youth and the phantom stability that creates the illusion that the regime presides over the protection of the region from extremist Islamic trends.
Osman described that this sense of struggle is not merely from lack of employment. She said that the regime makes it difficult for people to go about daily activities. Also emphasized was the importance of interaction between the media to maximize accuracy and accessibility of information.
Ali, assistant professor of religious studies, emphasized that the revolution taking place in Egypt is not an Islamic one and addressed many misconceptions about the Muslim Brotherhood. He spoke of the diversity in the group, including those of secular and religious backgrounds. He contended that the majority of those associated with the group are against violence and authoritarianism.
Sacks, assistant professor of Arabic, warned listeners to be wary of what they read in the news, especially Western news sources. He cited several media biases and inaccuracies, particularly from the New York Times. He also warned not to resort to blaming a name.
During the question and answer period, the differences in the mindsets of the speakers showed through. A main question topic was what the United States' role should be in the Egyptian revolution.
Some thought the US has an obligation to help instate a more stable democracy, while others believe that the US interests and Egyptian interests are not necessarily consistent and that the democracy needs to be implemented entirely by Egyptians. Jeffrey Sacks vocalized his strong belief that all aid to the Egyptian military should be ceased and that the U.S. should actively support demonstrators but end involvement there.
When asked about what role the military should play in the future, Ali stated that the military in Egypt has infiltrated itself into too many other aspects of government and that it needs to function separate from politics going forward.
As for what UC Riverside students can do to stay informed about the happenings in Egypt, Sacks encourages students to "Read all the news sources you can but know the biases, who is writing, where they were trained and their writing history."