"Egypt Is Free!" "Egypt Is Free!"

For years, I have heard the saying, "The revolution will be televised", but I never thought I would actually see it.  In recent years, especially in the Middle East, a peaceful revolution often equates to a bloodbath.  It leads to an "open season" being called upon those in the streets, which, more often than not, are students.  People are arrested and tortured.  Some simply disappear, never to be seen again.

When Hosni Mubarak announced Thursday night that he was not leaving office, it appeared that Egypt would be  a repeat of what we have seen before.  The crowd of nearly a million, which had previously been peaceful, had become angry.  They had reached their limit.  There was talk of storming the offices of the state run television station and the presidential palace.  People in the Mubarak regime would pay with their lives.

That, fortunately, did not happen.  As the sun rose over Cairo, thousands remained in the streets and in Tahrir Square.  Tens of thousands more arrived at local mosques for Friday afternoon prayers.

So began the 18th day of protests in Tahrir Square.  Hundreds of thousands of people gathered together determined to obtain their freedom by any means necessary.  Up to this point, protests had been peaceful.  After Mubarak's refusal to leave office last night, it was increasing growing clear that the atmosphere was changing.  Senior military officials threatened to remove their uniforms and join the protesters last night.  Many soldiers on the street had already joined the protests.  With the exception of a couple of close allies within the government, Mubarak had no friends or protection from what was facing him on the other side of the Ministry walls.

Then at 3:19pm Cairo time, it is reported that Mubarak has left Cairo with his family for Sharm el-Sheikh.  Approximately an hour later, the government reports that soon an "urgent and important" statement would be released by the Egyptian presidency.  At 6:29pm, Vice President Suleiman makes the following statement on state run television.  It lasts only 30 seconds.  It's a paragraph long, and is so short, many Egyptians didn't hear it the first time it was spoken.  It changes the course of Middle Eastern history.

Within seconds, the nation of Egypt exploded into a frenzy of joy.  Tahrir Square became Liberation Square, and it became the nucleus for a party that lasted well into the middle of the night:

There are fireworks tonight over the skies of Cairo.  At the moment, it is currently a little after 3 in the morning there, and people are still dancing in the streets.  February 11, 2011, is their Independence Day.  Tonight, they are celebrating.  They are holding their loved ones, and remembering the 300 that gave their lives so that 80 million of their Egyptian brothers and sisters could have freedom.

The founders of the website 1000memories.com have set up a site called Egypt Remembers.  It is a very touching memorial of the 300 martyrs that were killed during the fight for democracy.  The site is trying to gather as much information about the victims as possible, including pictures, cause of death, occupation, and family information as it comes in.  It is heartbreaking to see how many of these people were just kids.  15, 16, and 17 years old.  Many were shot coming out of their mosque.  Some were shot or beaten on their way home from protests.  They deserve a look out of respect.

Egypt's future is uncertain.  At this point, we can be nothing but optimistic.  Today was a historic day for the people of Egypt, for the Middle East, and for the people of the world.  I feel privileged that I was alive to see such a monumental day in history.  Congratulations Egypt.  The people of the world are celebrating with you.