Though I'm a bit tardy in doing so, I wanted to make certain to extend my support for Mona Eltahaway, a renowned columnist and speaker, of whom I've blogged on many an occasion, and who was recently and brutally assaulted by security forces in her native Egypt.
To visit such attrocities on any human being is completely unconscionable, and I stand with Mona as I would stand with any survivor, in solidarity against evil. Yet ever since hearing her speak in New York last April, I've deeply admired her energy, optimism, and commitment to democracy in the Middle East, traits that persist in spite of her recent hardship, and that further augment my respect.
Left arm and right hand broken, Mona told MSNBC that what happened to her was in fact "tiny compared to what has happened to so many Egyptians."
Rather than bemoan her own condition, she kept the focus on Egypt itself, calling on the U.S. administration to stop sending military aid to the very junta responsible for the recurring crackdowns.
"Three thousand people were injured during that time when I was injured," she said. "And not all those people have access to media the way that I do . . . The reason this revolution began was to fight exactly this type of brutality."
I'm the first to admit that I haven't agreed with Mona on all points, but no amount of criticism should take precedent over the basic support that her strength of character deserves.
To Mona: I'm with you. They'll fail in the end.
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