February 8th, 2011 by Kyle

Writing at Foreign Policy, Blake Hounshell discusses the emergence of Wael Ghonim as a potential leader of the protest movement in Egypt.  Ghonim is believed to be one creators of the Facebook page “We Are All Khaled Said” which was made to commemorate Khaled Said, who was killed by police in June 2010. The initial January 25th protests were organized on the page. Ghonim, who was imprisoned for 12 days before his release on Monday, gave an impassioned interview on Egypt’s DreamTV stating: “This was a revolution of the youth of all of Egypt. I’m not a hero.” Hounshell believes that Ghonim’s release comes at a critical time: “Ironically, by kidnapping, detaining, and then releasing Ghonim — instantly turning him into a nationwide celebrity — the regime may have just created an undisputed leader for a movement that in recent days has struggled to find its footing.”

Posted in Egypt, Protests |