Egypt: 8-year-old girl lectures Mubarak (video)

Video Link. "And by the way, some of your police officers removed their jackets and they're joining the people." Juju, who is 8, and from Saudi Arabia. (via Ahmed Al Omran)

• [Mantissa128]

  God bless the grass that grows thru the crack.
  They roll the concrete over it to try and keep it back.
  The concrete gets tired of what it has to do,
  It breaks and it buckles and the grass grows thru,
  And God bless the grass.

  God bless the truth that fights toward the sun,
  They roll the lies over it and think that it is done.
  It moves through the ground and reaches for the air,
  And after a while it is growing everywhere,
  And God bless the grass.

  God bless the grass that grows through cement.
  It’s green and it’s tender and it’s easily bent.
  But after a while it lifts up its head,
  For the grass is living and the stone is dead,
  And God bless the grass.

  God bless the grass that’s gentle and low,
  Its roots they are deep and its will is to grow.
  And God bless the truth, the friend of the poor,
  And the wild grass growing at the poor man’s door,
  And God bless the grass.

  - Malvina Reynolds

• [Anonymous]

  Love the ending .. sniff..

• [Oxblood Ruffin]

  Today Egypt, tomorrow Saudi Arabia.

  • [Antinous / Moderator]

    Since the average Egyptian citizen is dirt poor and the average Saudi citizen gets a whopping load of cash from the government, that’s an unlikely prediction.

  • [Anonymous]

    Saudi Arabians are living large, they don’t really have reason to revolt.

• [Rob Gehrke]

  So cute. And right.
  Security services covertly participating in and instigating looting and vandalism would be par for the course. Look up :
  “Strategy of Tension” , used in Italy in 1970′s. It’s the same idea. The abused will fall back into the arms of the tyrant, as the tyrant is the only one who can make him “safe”, protect him and deliver him from the situation (chaos). Torture uses a similar technique as part of its psychological “bullet points”.

  Looting related from someone on the ground :
  http://mondoweiss.net/2011/01/muslims-christians-we-are-all-egyptians-scenes-from-a-revolution-as-told-by-one-eyewitness.html

  OK I’m out

• [Jake0748]

  Overthrow an outmoded and autocratic president-for-life? Maybe after 30 years or so, even kids can get that its the right thing to do.
  Why the hell did Mubarak think he would get away with installing himself as the dictator of Egypt? Why didn’t he at least consider some kind of orderly transition of power? (You know, elections or something)? I remember when Sadat was assassinated and Mubarak took power. I always thought he was kind-of a jerk back then, and hoped he would either mellow out, or get out of the way when the dust settled. No such luck.
  Now, at the expense of his country, he is backed in to a corner. I don’t see how Egypt is going to replace the current govt. without a lot of violence and heartache. I hope I’m wrong. And I send my love and best wishes over there.
  Mubarak… what an asshole.

• [Lobster]

  Well if she’s in Saudi Arabia she’d definitely know what a dictatorship looks like.

• [BastardNamban]

  Amazing how simple the world can be.

  When even an 8 year old girl can explain the reality of dictatorship in the face of a pissed off populace, it’s a wonder these fools think they can hold power in the first place.

  Mumbarak- I hope you are removed peacefully, and simply ostracized for the rest of your life. Assholes like you ignore your people, until even children realize what assholes you are.

• [arikol]

  reminder:
  kids aren’t stupid

  • [Anonymous]

    Reminder: Kids are more sensitive and aware than we are. They may not be as intelligent, but society corrupts us as we do get that way. I would listen to this little girl if I were you Mumb.

• [petsounds]

  Yeah, that’s great, except for her King Abdullah saying:

  “Egypt is a country of Arabism and Islam. No Arab and Muslim human being can bear that some infiltrators, in the name of freedom of expression, have infiltrated into the brotherly people of Egypt, to destabilize its security and stability and they have been exploited to spew out their hatred in destruction, intimidation, burning, looting and inciting a malicious sedition”
  (http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/01/29/egypt.middle.east.reaction/index.html)

  The girl is a damn sight more articulate than I was at eight though.

• [Mitch_M]

  This kid speaks English as well as the adult Saudi English language institute students I drive around town. I hope she’ll get sent straight to college when she’s older since there will be no need for her to attend the English language institute.

• [Gloster]

  I wonder if she would be permitted to make this public statement if only a few years older, when she would be considered a woman and not a child anymore.

  • [pidg]

    I dunno, they have women MPs in Egypt and everything. They’re much closer to the U.S. democratic ideal than some of those other democracy-hatin’ commie rats in the Middle East.

    • [Zeppr]

      Name one Communist country in the Middle East? I’m sick and tired of seeing these kinds of comments, knee-jerk American reaction name anything you don’t agree with as Communist.

    • [Gloster]

      Yeah, but she’s in Saudi Arabia. That was sort of the point. While Mubarak is an autocrat, under his rule Egypt was not doing all that badly on the human rights front, compared with some other countries in the region. (Yes, even taking the fact they do/did torture political dissidents into account, I’d still much rather live in Egypt then Syria, Libya or Sudan, or be a woman in Saudi Arabia.)
      I would definitely welcome a Democratic Egypt (Democracy meaning not only free elections but also full human rights for everybody and the protection of minorities) but it’s far from impossible that the revolution will lead to a theocratic result a la Iran.

• [jocoska]

  However serious the political situation, however I agree with what she’s saying, kids shouldn’t be bothered and tutored on politics. These words aren’t just frases she picked up, leave kids out of politics (however cute it looks).

• [EeyoreX]

  “… some of your police officers removed their jackets and they’re joining the people …”

  Um, Juju, I really don’t want to rain on your parade, but that could actually be something that grown-ups refer to as “agent provocateurs”. Sorry.

• [Anonymous]

  Hahahha, I usually don’t do that cute kid informer thing. But, that kid is awesome that was really cute with the whisper at the end. Great job!

• [Anonymous]

  And, Juju, what would you say to King Abdullah?

• [Damien]

  She’s bright.
  I hope she has a future in politics.

• [awjtawjt]

  I just surprised nobody’s blown anything up yet over there. Seems strangely quiet on the explosives front.

• [awjtawjt]

  ‘m