Fire in the Middle East

Is this unexpected ?

No really, should the idea of a repressed group of people fighting back and being very angry surprise anyone..?

I was reading a little from Reza Asian (the author of No god but God) and learned the following today.."Seventy-five percent of the population of the Middle East is under the age of 35; fifty percent is under the age of 25. In Egypt, the median age is 24. In Algeria it is 27. In Jordan it is 21. In Yemen it is an astonishing 18! According to Reza Aslan, it is this restive, socially conscious, politically active, and globalized youth bulge that is changing the face of modern Islam." With unemployment reaching up to 40% in some parts of the region, is it any wonder that these people are restless, frustrated and angry..?

If you combine that with leadership that has been thrust upon them, supported by (suspect in their view) western governments and an almost complete lack of freedoms that we take for granted here...well it's only needed an ignition point. That came from the Tunisian student who set himself alight and captured the feelings of the generation, that it was too much to bear.

The youth in the middle east aren't very different from youth anywhere else. They believe themselves infallible and have enough knowledge to identify what they don't like. They don't have all the solutions (As is obvious from the streets of Cairo these days), but in reality what very young person does..? The vacuum here is wisdom and calm leadership from a voice that is respected by them - one that will be listened to. Historically, as in the west, that came from the religious leaders, but they appear to have been compromised by their own manipulations of power and perceived alignment with these autocratic regimes.

So what will happen - will they buy into the "I'll be nicer in future" comments the leaders in Egypt and other countries are making ? (I promise not to run again in future). Or will they take their cue from the Who - "Won't get fooled again". No one knows, and that includes the various deeply interested local parties that are very invested in the potential outcomes.

Can we help, should we help, if we did want to, who would we help ? All valid questions and all have varying answers. If I have learned anything it's that the values I hold dear, and define my way of living are my own - they shouldn't be forced onto anyone else, so to preach that this solution, or that direction is best for them reeks of hypocrisy and a blatant mis-read of the sentiments flowing across the region. My hope is that a voice of reason trusted across the age-divide emerges, and helps calm an extremely combustible situation.

Right now we have a wild-fire, and like a real fire, it will consume all in it's path until it reaches a natural or man-made obstacle. It will keep burning unless extraordinary measures are taken to put it out. Or it will die out naturally once it's passion dies. Ether way, it'll leave behind a charred landscape that will take time to prosper again.