Facing the future
Speaking during a forum at MIT on Monday night, celebrated Egyptian democracy activist Wael Ghonim urged his audience to “get into action,” emphasizing that Egypt — despite having overthrown autocratic president Hosni Mubarak — remains in a political “vacuum” in which the shape of its future government and civil rights are uncertain. “After a revolution, things are messy,” Ghonim said, addressing an energized, overflow crowd of more than 300 in Building 34. He added: “We’re now in the driver’s seat, and it’s up to us to decide: Do we want this to go forward? It will not happen until every one of you as individuals start believing that you should contribute something.” Ghonim has been widely lauded for his use of social media to spur the Egyptian protest movement that forced Mubarak out of office on Feb. 11, after 30 years in power. A Google marketing executive then based in...