Good Example Of Arab Protests Essay

Protests are the result of the lack of satisfaction and they represent a form of demanding better conditions. This was also the case with the Arab protests of 2010, 2011 and 2012. Escaping poverty, creating employment opportunities, respecting humans’ rights or eradicating the political corruption were the causes that initiated the Arab protests. The Arab protests started with the outrage of Mohamed Bouazizi in Tunis, who set himself on fire as a result of being mocked and humiliated by the political and defense system, which did not allow him to make a living for his family (“World Revolution 2011”). The dictatorship that ruled over the MENA (Middle East and North African) countries for ages led to an oppressed and humiliated population, who saw its rights violated every day and did nothing about it. The manifestations of the Arab people in 2010, 2011 and 2012 represent their desire to emancipate from the tyranny system in which they were entrapped for so long and their quest for democracy (Tonnessen 1).
The protests that were labeled as the “Arab Spring” were brought to the rest of the world through social media primarily and then, only because the protests gained proportions, the mainstream media followed up on those events. Being highly corrupted systems, the governments of MENA countries had control over the local media, hence the protests were not mediated through the official media channels. Nonetheless, the protesting people communicated their actions and events through Twitter, Facebook, video blogs, or other social media networks, reaching out the Occident world, who has become aware of the gravity of the situation in that area. The Arab protests were Facebook and Twitter revolutions because people became solidary and bounded through these channels, transmitting their hopes for a better world and standing united to resist the ruling force (el-Baghdadi, “Meet Asmaa”).
As the Arab protests demanded human rights and democratization in countries such as Tunisia, Egypt or Libya, an active feminist movement has seized this moment for marching for more women’s rights (Tonessen 1). The focus of the Arab protests was to achieve better living conditions in democratic states, hence, changing the form of government. Tonessen (1) holds that the Arab manifestations were based on patriarchic concerns, with no interest to generating gender equality. Sholkamy (“From Tahrir Square”) accounts that the women manifestations for increased rights, gender equality, equal representation in the decisive positions and equal salaries with men were ridiculed and even considered as threatening the actual revolution. Tonessen (23) demonstrates that across time, women’s movement were echoed in actual reforms for bettering woman’s condition in the Arab world, reaching significant progresses. The Arab revolution brought increased liberties for the women in the protestant countries, which are, however still the subject of public controversy. Wearing the hijab or wearing the bikini was granted as a free choice, which is harshly condemned by the extremist traditionalists. Moreover, the Arab protests have encouraged Arab women to disregard the public humiliations and to boldly and repeatedly demand for emancipation and empowerment.
With the advent of the envisioned democratization, gender equality in the MENA countries is a matter of time, which needs to be nevertheless supported through continuous and effective effort. The transition from an authoritarian regime to a democratic one will go through multiple stages, wherein the media, states’ institution, culture, mind set and women’s rights will transform ad evolve.

Works Cited

Sholkamy, Hania. From Tahrir Square to My Kitchen. Available at https://www.opendemocracy.net/5050/hania-sholkamy/from-tahrir-square-to-my-kitchen, accessed 19 January 2015. 2011. Online.
El-Baghdadi, Iyad. Meet Asmaa Mahfouz and the Vlog that Helped Spark the Revolution. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgjIgMdsEuk&feature=youtube_gdata_player, accessed 19 January 2015. 2011. Online.
Tonnessen, Liv. “Prospects for Gender Equality after the Arab Spring”. CMI Insight. April volume, no. 1, pp. 1-4. Print.
World Revolution 2011 – The Arabian Spring! Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6S8iQ5KSkU&feature=fvsr, accessed 19 January 2015. Online.