Q&A: Wael Ghonim - Facebook leader of Egypt's Revolution

Aired 02/05/12How did the Egyptian people overthrow longtime ruler Hosni Mubarak and are the people of Egypt better off today?I am very excited to speak with WAEL GHONIM, the Egyptian web exec who played a leading role in last year's Tahrir Square protests. With the first anniversary of those protests and the recent elections in Egypt, we have a lot to talk about. WAEL GHONIM was a little-known 30-year-old Google manager, unwilling to publicly criticize the Egyptian regime -- silenced like many by resignation and the fear of reprisals -- until he anonymously launched a Facebook campaign to protest the death of one particular Egyptian man at the hands of security forces. In his new memoir, he tells us - from his experience -- why and how the Egyptian people finally rejected 30 years of oppression and found their voice. Let me read two quotes from WAEL GHONIM: "Social media allow ideas to be shared. They are places where people can unite, Revolutions can begin. A new type of Revolution - Revolution 2.0"and finally -- "People have called me a hero, but that is ridiculous - this has not been a revolution of heroic individuals, but about people coming together to overcome dictatorship.https://www.facebook.com/WaelGhonimhttp://hmhbooks.com/hmh/site/hmhbooks/bookdetails?isbn=9780547773988&srch=true&utm_source=02-05-2012-GHONIM&utm_campaign=Wael+Ghonim-02-06-2012&utm_medium=email