Editing Gene Sharp (section)

===Influence in Egypt===
Coverage of Gene Sharp's influence in the Egyptian revolution produced a backlash from some Egyptian bloggers. One, journalist [[Hossam el-Hamalawy]], stated that "Not only was Mubarak's foreign policy hated and despised by the Egyptian people, but parallels were always drawn between the situation of the Egyptian people and their Palestinian brothers and sisters. The latter have been the major source of inspiration, not Gene Sharp, whose name I first heard in my life only in February after we toppled Mubarak already and whom the clueless [[The New York Times|''NYT'']] moronically gives credit for our uprising."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.arabawy.org/2011/04/17/fm-nabil-fahmy-this-revolution-actually-serves-israel-as-well/ |title=Nabil Fahmy: 'This revolution actually serves Israel as well' |access-date=2011-04-28 |date=April 17, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110425220549/http://www.arabawy.org/2011/04/17/fm-nabil-fahmy-this-revolution-actually-serves-israel-as-well/ |archive-date=April 25, 2011 |df=mdy-all}}</ref> Another Egyptian writer and activist, [[Karim Alrawi]], argued that Gene Sharp's writings are more about regime change than revolution. He defines the latter as having an ethical as well as a material dimension that Sharp deliberately avoids engaging with, and credits local circumstances and the spark provided by the Tunisian revolution for the Egyptian success.<ref>Karim Alrawi, [http://www.karimalrawi.com/writer/Writers_Blog/Entries/2012/4/3_The_Hype_that_is_Gene_Sharp_I.html "Gene Sharp & Egypt's Revolution"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120809071515/http://www.karimalrawi.com/writer/Writers_Blog/Entries/2012/4/3_The_Hype_that_is_Gene_Sharp_I.html |date=August 9, 2012}}</ref>

However, evidence and testimony from four different activist groups working in Egypt at the time of the revolution contradict these claims. [[Dalia Ziada]], an Egyptian blogger and activist, said that activists translated excerpts of Sharp's work into Arabic, and that his message of "attacking weaknesses of dictators" stuck with them.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/17/world/middleeast/17sharp.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 |work=The New York Times |title=Shy U.S. Intellectual Created Playbook Used in a Revolution |date=February 16, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170228181835/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/17/world/middleeast/17sharp.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 |archive-date=February 28, 2017 |df=mdy-all}}</ref> [[Ahmed Maher (youth leader)|Ahmed Maher]], a leader of the April 6 democracy group, also stated in the [[How to Start a Revolution]] documentary, "Gene Sharp's books had a huge impact" among other influences.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mediaed.org/assets/products/155/transcript_155.pdf |title=How to Start a Revolution - transcripts|access-date=2013-02-26 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105174920/http://www.mediaed.org/assets/products/155/transcript_155.pdf |archive-date=November 5, 2012 |df=mdy-all}}</ref> The Associated Press reported as early as September 2010 more than four months before the revolution that Gene Sharp's work was being used by activists in Egypt close to political leader [[Mohamed ElBaradei]].<ref name=deeb10>Sara El Deeb (Sep 16, 2010), [https://www.theguardian.com/world/feedarticle/9267868 "Egypt's youth build new opposition movement"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141224154953/http://www.theguardian.com/world/feedarticle/9267868 |date=December 24, 2014 }}, ''[[The Guardian]]'', (accessed December 3, 2011)</ref> Finally ''The New York Times'' reported that Sharp's book ''[[From Dictatorship to Democracy]]'' had been posted by the Muslim Brotherhood on its website during the [[2011 Egyptian revolution]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/17/world/middleeast/17sharp.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all|title=Shy U.S. Intellectual Created Playbook Used in a Revolution|date=December 16, 2011|work=New York Times|access-date=December 18, 2011|first=Sheryl Gay|last=Stolberg|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120114043516/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/17/world/middleeast/17sharp.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all|archive-date=January 14, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref>