Thanks to all for thinking of Mohamed and I. Yes, he remains in the USA on a Leave of Absence from his university in Egypt. He spoke briefly with his brother several days ago - BEFORE the telephone and Internet services were cut off. As you may have already seen on TV (especially CNN) in the past few days, the protesting groups on the streets of Cairo, Alexandria, Suez and several other cities throughout Egypt are made up primarily of young folks - many college graduates who have been unable to find employment - as well as others who are fed up with President Hosni Mubarak's refusal to step aside after so many years in office. Yes, Egypt has been the staunch partner of the USA in the Middle East, serving as a major Arab country in assisting the West to better understand the region and work with the leaders of the various majority Arab countries. However, the outbursts in the past few days from the citizens of Egypt are based primarily on the fact that Pres. Mubarak has focused primarily on HIS own interests (i.e. grooming one of his sons to assume the Presidency), rather than working to bring a better level of income to citizens, helping the unemployed obtain opportunities for employment and basically ignoring the ever rising levels of unemployment in the Country.
Indeed, Egypt is the focus of many travelers from around the world, yet at the same time it is an enormously poor country. Families (NOT just individuals) throughout the poorer regions often subsist on as little as $2 per day (if that). People in the West tend to think of Egypt in connection with the Pyramids and that's fine, since the locations of those sites are a tremendous draw for travelers. And those travelers invariably spent quite a bit of $$$$$ during their presence in country. Yet little of that money filters down to the villages and small cities.
During my previous service as the Cultural Liaison Officer at the Egyptian Bureau in Washington DC, I met a range of Egyptians, their families, many students seeking a strong education in the USA and other Western countries, as well as numerous diplomats and business people from Egypt. Some were enormously successful - billionaire businessmen seeking to develop even more enriched relations with the West; university professors (educated in the West) hoping to improve course offerings at their home institutions in Egypt; Tour Guides and owners of hotels who hoped to better understand Westerners so they could adapt their tours and hospitality sites to whatever customers might wish to find in "the Land of Pharaohs."
But its a new generation now and the younger, well educated Egyptian men and women seek employment - and not just in the Tourist sectors. As was quite evident among the street demonstrations, there is a very strong desire for Pres. Mubarak to step aside and let someone else - NOT his son or any close relation - assume leadership in Egypt. He is NOT willing to do so - at least for now - and that has caused an uproar across Egypt. I expect to see more leverage from Western leaders (in North America and throughout the European countries) encouraging - perhaps insisting - that he relinquish his Presidency. Perhaps even with the threat of reducing or stopping altogether the funds which have been forthcoming for many years. The USA has been a long time supporter of Pres. Mubarak and Egypt, and it has become very clear in the past few days that that relationship now must be one of the strong foundations for encouraging that a new age of leadership in Egypt be implemented. It will NOT happen quickly, but I am convinced that it will happen.
Thanks again to all who have kept our family in prayers and positive thoughts. And to those who recall that my son (fondly known to many as "Chaps") continues to serve as an Army Brigade Chaplain in Iraq, we are deeply grateful for your prayers.
Mahlia
