Today is being called the "Day of Departure" in Egypt, marking the end of President Hosni Mubarak's 30 years of ruling the country. The protesting and violence surrounding Tahrir Square that started earlier in the week seems to have finally died down a bit, but the actions have not gone without consequences. At least eight people have died and close to 900 have been injured as a result of riots. Stones were being thrown and people assaulted, without any move to intervene by the police. Many have been speculating that the protests were state-sponsored because they were able to continue on for so long.
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| Diagram of the protesting in Cairo, Egypt |
Any Americans traveling in Egypt were urged to leave the country immediately, and many news and television stations reported from inside the country that they were being targeted. News feed contained audio of gunshots being fired by police into the air while ambulances tried to tend to the wounded in makeshift triage centers. President Mubarak blamed the Muslim Brotherhood, an opposition group in Egypt that is well organized and very large. Headlines have littered the front page of The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today and countless other American newspapers, informing us of the extreme violence occuring overseas. Many of us will not be affected by these protests. We might have heard some comments, seen newsfeed, or glanced at a paper headline, but we will ultimately continue on with our lives and say, "that's too bad."
I wonder how our country would've responded had we been in a situation like that. When all of a sudden, peaceful protests turn into full out combat wars in the middle of Times Square, or on the National Mall in D.C. They would most likely be quenched in hours by police forces right? What if the police were told to stay out of it? The Middle East is responding now with continued peaceful protests in Yemen, Sudan, Jordan, and recently Algeria, Bahrain, and Libya. It seems like all of a sudden, pro and anti-government protests have cropped up everywhere. How long until our country follows suit? I would hope that protests of this caliber never happen in our cities, but we cannot think that this is impossible just because we live in America. Issues like this make me proud to live in the United States, but also somewhat fearful of what would happen if there was this much political unrest. 
How quickly the state of Cairo went from rioting and molotov cocktails to this: peaceful, organized praying. Let's make Friday a day of peaceful prayers like the Egyptians have despite their extremely violent week.
Stephanie, WWT
