I don’t know what you were doing in middle school, but reading newspapers and using words like “theocracy” probably weren’t among your normal activities.
But for Ali Ahmed, a young Egyptian recently interviewed by El Wady News, grasping his country’s ongoing revolution and its political intricacies is as elementary as a spelling lesson.
This video is making the Internet rounds this morning; it’s being applauded as a great introductory primer on Egyptian politics.
“We didn’t get rid of a military regime to replace it with a fascist theocracy,” Ahmed explains in the video. He goes on to give a sophisticated and succinct summation of Egypt’s conflict.
Viewers might assume Ahmed must be parroting his parents, but listen to him speak and it’s obvious that at 12 years old, this child understands political power, public manipulation and social injustice.
The video is blowing up on Reddit and even native speakers of Arabic report the subtitles are not only accurate, but Ahmed speaks at a level that would be considered impressive for an adult.
As expected the boy’s observations about the recently toppled Muslim Brotherhood will probably not sit well with members of that party. After witnessing their leader, President Mohammed Morsi, ousted from office last week, the group has recently pledged to keep demonstrating in Egypt’s streets until their power is restored.
The country remains in peril, but Ali Ahmed seems to be among its most thoughtful and reasoned voices.
Would you have been able to explain your own country’s political conflicts at age 12? Let us know in the Comments.