Meet Asmaa Mahfouz: the woman who organized Egypt's historic demonstrations

[Donnachaidh]

http://smirkingchimp.com/thread/aimee-kligman/34077/meet-asmaa-mahfouz-the-woman-who-organized-egypts-historic-demonstrations

Asmaa Mahfouz is a small frame woman, who does not cut an intimidating figure. But looks are deceiving. Born in Egypt in 1984, she is a graduate of the business management school of the American University in Cairo. She's 26 years old. She was mentioned yesterday, not by name, in an MSNBC report by Richard Engel. Curiosity drove me to find her.

Asmaa Mahfouz witnessed and deplored what happened to Alexandria's Khaled Said. And she also witnessed the self immolation that took place in Tunisia, and subsequently in Egypt. In an interview she granted MEMRI, she expressed the fears that her peers felt about 'doing something' in the face of a regime that had kept its people oppressed, oftentimes beaten, tortured and killed.

In the spring of 2008, Asmaa had seen a successful support of workers strike in the industrial town of El-Mahalla El-Kubra on April 6th. Using social media, Asmaa and two other bloggers Ahmed Maher and Ahmed Salah contacted participants, security services to inform them of their activity, as well as lawyers to ensure their protection. This became known in Egypt as the April 6th Youth Movement.

She was determined to seize the moment as Tunisia showed the Arab World that it was possible for a popular uprising to defeat a dictator. Her primary 'weapon' of choice was Facebook. She was angry that no one wanted to do anything:

More at the link --

[rosesaylavee]

1. Think Roger Ebert reported this first...

But it's an amazing vlog, isn't it? I hope she will be ok and survive this.