"The people released a collective sigh of relief after a nightmare that did not…last for a night but for almost 30 black, black, black years." These were the words of Judge Ahmed Rifaat when he sentenced Hosni Mubarak to life imprisonment.

Among the good things that Mubarak left in his 30 years of rule is the legacy of despotism, corruption, nepotism, economic disparity and closeness to the oppressive Zionist regime of Israel.

The conviction of Hosni Mubarak to all the Egyptians

Mubarak becomes the first former head of the state to be jailed and convicted after the Islamic awakening in the Middle East and Africa. The life imprisonment handed over to him has seen mixed reactions from the Egyptian population; some have accepted the judgment but the majority have taken to the streets demanding his execution.

A number of political groups in Egypt have called on the people to attend mass demonstrations to protest against the life sentence issued for Hosni Mubarak in his trial and demand a tougher punishment. Mubarak's fate seems unclear as of now but his escape from the clutches of the law is definitely impossible.

Few expected that the little-known vice-president who was elevated to the presidency in the wake of Anwar Sadat's 1981 assassination would hold on to the country's top job for so long and fewer would have expected that it would take less than 30 days for the former dictator to lose his 30 years of power and authority. The man who would move around in limousines and Mercedes is now being moved around in a cage like an animal. The Pharaoh of Egypt who chased Prophet Moses (a.s) was luckier than this Pharoah, the former died within minutes of drowning but the latter is dying every minute of his life. Its time other dictators learn a lesson before they themselves become a lesson.

History has been a witness to the rise and fall of dictators; be it Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, Idi Amin, The Shah of Iran, Gaddafi… all have come and gone. In the words of Imam Ali, "Everyone has an end, it may be pleasant or sorrowful." If history was a man I am sure it would be laughing at the tyrants of our time. Despite witnessing the fate of Saddam, Gaddafi and Mubarak and others, there are many more that refuse to change themselves and their ways.

Mubarak is not the only one to have lost power after the Islamic awakening in the Middle East, his good friend Gaddafi who ruled Libya for 42 years calling himself the Emperor of Arabs faced a pitiful death. When the mass protests began in Libya, Gaddafi ordered his officers to "get those rats (protesters) out of their hiding and shoot them down;" by the end of the protests, Gaddafi met with a similar fate.

In his 42 years of authority, Gaddafi turned Libya into a family business with his children occupying major government and political offices. The money that Libya made from oil was spent on him and his family's flashy lifestyle, hoarding and upgrading the nation with weapons, funding terrorists organization and last but not the least on killing the ones who spoke up against this. Today neither Gaddafi remains, nor his power.

Unlike Gaddafi and Saddam, Saleh of Yemen and Ben Ali of Tunisia were lucky enough to escape conviction after they were toppled, thanks to their masters in Washington.

Despite his escape to Saudi Arabia, a military court in Tunisia has sentenced Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to 20 years in jail on a variety of charges including incitement to murder. According to the reports, a Tunisian military prosecutor is demanding death penalty for the ousted dictator over the other deaths during the last year’s popular revolution.

Immunity granted by the Yemeni parliament is still shielding Ali Abdullah Saleh who remains at large, but how far can he go; one day or the other, he will have to leave all his wealth and power.

In the words of Abdulbari Taher, an independent analyst in Sana’a, “Saleh did not build a state but a gang that is still controlling the army and security forces which make it impossible for change to take place; the deal granted him immunity from prosecution and released his hand to spoil the transition.”

While Mubarak is facing trials, some of his friends are busy working overnight to avoid ending up like him. Bahrain's Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa is busy killing protesters, arresting activists, razing Shiite mosques and religious centers as a form of mass punishment for protesting against the monarchy. The protests that began last year has seen dozens of lives being lost, scores of activists arrested, and many more still missing.

In its desperate attempt to silence the protesters, the Manama regime has even sentenced doctors and nurses up to 5 years in jail; their only fault was that they had treated their fellow citizens injured in the protests. The Human Rights Watch has severely criticized the Khalifa regime of Bahrain in its brutal crackdown of pro-democracy protests.

Thanks to Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al Saud who gives him weapons and soldiers on the orders of his western masters, the Bahraini king has so far been successful in retaining his throne. Even Abdullah of Saudi Arabia is trying hard to curb protests in his own homeland, but given the atmosphere in the Middle East it seems difficult for him to succeed. There are many more dictators who use all means possible to maintain their authority and power.

There is no doubt that such dictators are being supported and shielded by hegemonic powers for their selfish ends, and once their ends are met, the dictator in question ends up like Saddam. I hope and pray that these dictators open their eyes before they close them…

Source: Islam Times