ITM Thane

SMBA 10

By: B.S.MANIKANTANASHISH JAGTAP

MOHAMMAD MOHASIN

• Causes include human rights violations, economic decline, as well as

extreme poverty caused by unemployment; a new generation of majority and

educated youth with the drive and determination to force a change.

• Globalization brings Western Culture to oppressed Middle Eastern

countries.

• Women are becoming educated and fighting for equality for the first time

ever in some countries.

• Huge concentrations of wealth are in the hands of a select few. Social

media takes the movements worldwide.

• Amnesty International pointed to Wikileaks’ as a catalyst for the revolts by

exposing government corruption to the people.

• Corrupt leaders and governments of several countries have been removed

sometimes by force. Some social changes have been made ranging from

monetary compensation to ending longstanding emergency law. Many

countries saw the release of political prisoners while some saw the prosecution

of criminals and the liquidation of their assets. Women gained the right to vote

in some countries while other countries were given the right to hold elections.

• On the other hand Islamic fundamentalists now have an open door to many

places where they were not tolerated in the past. People who have lived under

the rule of dictators for decades now find themselves in unfamiliar territory and

are looking for leadership. The current elections being held in Egypt is a who’s

who of Islamic groups like Gamaa al-Islamiya, who claim to be “former “

militants, and the most prominent party the Muslim Brotherhood, were banned

in Egypt for being extremists. Riots continue to this day and the entire region is

in turmoil.

Demonstrations = rallies, marches, parades, millions take to public squares to

chant/pray/sing, sit-ins and sometimes mob riots

Protest in the streets = sometimes peaceful, sometimes violent/disorganized.

People demand the end of oppression.

Civil disobedience = strikes, boycotts, wide-spread arrests

Social Media = use of Facebook, iphones, twitter, blogs, internet videos/photos,

chats organizing/communicating to raise political consciousness about

censorship, etc.

Violent reprisal from authorities = police violence, soldiers shooting civilians in the

streets, censorship, political prisoners tortured, enemies of the state have

‘disappeared’

Poverty

Corruption

Unemployment

Censorship

State sponsored violence

against civilians

The lack of democratic institutions.

President Ben Ali overthrown after a

month of protests against his rule in

January 2011.

High inflation

Unemployment

Corruption

On that particular Friday morning Bouazizi was stopped by local police who had been known to harass him over the years. Reportedly the police beat him, made slurs against his family, tossed his produce cart, and took his electronic

weighing scales.

Bouazizi went to the governor’s office to complain, however, the governor would not see him. Desperate, enraged, and humiliated Mohamed went to a

nearby gas station. He acquired a can of gasoline, returned to the governor’s office, and covered himself with the gas. He stood in the middle of traffic

shouting “how do you expect me to make a living?” At 11:30 a.m., less than an hour after the incident with police, he lit himself on fire in an act known as self-

immolation.

The Spark

Tens of thousands protests in streets for 18 days

846 people killed, 6000 injured

Protesting police brutality, limits on freedom of speech, lack of free elections, govt.

corruption, food prices, high unemployment, low min. wage.

President Mubarak ousted and govt. overthrown February 2011

A woman makes the victory sign in front of thousands of people participating in

the "march of a million, a concentration which are expected to look a million

people. A human tide of more than 100,000 people, according to security

officials, crowded the square and tens of thousands more collapse the

surrounding streets, people who continue to receive even though it is about to

enter into force curfew in Egypt. The protesters are demanding the immediate

resignation of President Hosni Mubarak, and free elections.

On January 25th, 2011 the

protests began in Egypt against

Mubarak.

The tension grows in Egypt,

where there have been today

the first clashes between

supporters and opponents of the

regime of President Hosni

Mubarak, while Parliament

adjourned until the review of the

election results. The clashes are

being developed in Tahrir

Square, the epicenter of popular

revolt, where protesters of both

sides are fighting to death and

with stones.

An Egyptian soldier fired into the air to disperse the Egyptians concentrated inTahrir Square, the heart of Cairo, to demand the resignation of the regime ofPresident Hosni Mubarak, on the seventh day of demonstrations against thepresident. The Cairo's Tahrir Square, a symbol of the protests of recent days, isguarded only by the troops of the Army, even though the police have begun tobe deployed by the city to control traffic and order.

Protesters pray next to a pile of stones during clashes in Tahrir Square. At leastfive people were killed in the center of Cairo and fifteen others were wounded byshots fired by unknown militants of the opposition shortly before morning,according to the Qatari Al-Jazeera. The fire with automatic weapons were madebeginning at 4.00 local time (2.00 GMT) in a shootout that lasted for about anhour.

Protesters take part in an anti-Mubarak protest in Cairo. At least one millionEgyptians took to the streets on Tuesday in scenes never before seen in theArab nation’s modern history, roaring in unison for President Hosni Mubarakand his new government to quit.

• Revolt began February 2011

• Rebel groups control parts of Libya

• Gaddafi uses troops against civilians.

• Civil War erupts (50,000 dead by August)

• UN condemns crackdown

• Sanctions put on Libya, No Fly Zone

• In March, UN votes to use ‘all means

necessary to protect civilians’

• Allied military forces strike from air

• Gaddafi overthrown and killed

October 20th, 2011

Started out as peaceful protests in Benghazi on Feb. 15th, 2011

More protests and demonstrations followed

Clashes between police and protesters became violent

Rebels move to take military bases and cities from government control

Rebels burn down government buildings

Government moves to reclaim them

Rebel morale high

Rebels start advancing toward capital

3/6/11: Government tries to stop them with air power (missiles and artillery)

Isolating Libya

Countries urge Gaddafi to step down

Considering creating a no-fly zone to aid rebels

Rebels kill Gaddafi in 2011 after 42 years of his rule.- Thaier al-Sudani

Protests since January 2011

Uprising in March 2011

Citizens demanding:

*President al-Assad to step down.

*End to “Emergency Rule” (ongoing since 1963)

*Freedom of press, speech, & assembly

Brutal repression of protesters

Media Censorship (FB, Youtube, Twitter)

State sponsored terror (tanks, snipers)

Wide spread arrests, torture, executions.

Nearly 4,000 civilians killed thus far…

Massive repression and death in the thousands as Bashir Al-Assad attempts

to hold onto power.

Cities of Homs, Damascus, and Hama saw the most intense fighting and

deaths in the early days. The Syrian opposition received recognition by

many in the world in 2013.

Complications: Syria/Israeli borders. Role of Syria in Lebanon, and the

Lebanon/Israeli borders (role of Hezbollah), floods of refugees into southern

Turkey.

This drew a lot of international attention due to the sheer violence and

complacency of West after vehemently supporting the demonstrators in other

countries.

Bahrain is home to the Formula One race (cancelled) and the US Fifth Fleet.

The silence of the White House on the violent repression of protestors caused

many to question the sincerity of the Obama administration’s dedication to

democratic movements.

Bahrain • Pearl Roundabout where protestors congregated

Troops Move in

• The Arab League sent in troops to help the royal family forcibly put down the

protests, and the Pearl Roundabout was razed.