For nearly a week Egyptians have been rallying in protest of the military government that took control of the country after Hosni Mubarak stepped down in February. This time, the protests are more explosive and violent than those in January and February.
Many Egyptians feel as though the revolution has been undermined by the armed forces because of a military-led initiative that would have allowed elections to forward as planned but would also leave the civilian government reporting to the military. Protesters feel that the move is a step backward from the democracy that they fought so hard for, and smack of the old Mubarak regime.
More than 100,000 protesters have gathered in Tahrir since Saturday, demanding an immediate transfer of power. Egypt's prime minister and Cabinet members submitted their resignations Monday night after the military's violent crackdown on demonstrators.
But yesterday, Field General Hussein Tantawi, the de facto ruler of Egypt, gave a speech in which he accepted the resignations of the cabinet and made some concessions to the rallying public. But he went on to praise the violent actions of the Egyptian military.
Since then protests have increased in size and the military crackdown has continued apace. There have been reports of tear gas and brutal beatings in cities around the country. The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights has urged military leaders to end what they call “clearly excessive force” against protesters.
AirTalk speaks with local Egyptian Americans on their reactions to the events in Egypt.
WEIGH IN:
Are they confident in Egypt’s potential for a bright future? Are you an Egyptian American with dashed hopes or optimistic sentiments? Will the military council hand over power to the people? How effective can people power be in making this revolution successful?
Guests:
Dr. Maher Hathout, senior advisor, Muslim Public Affairs Council
Osama Shabaik, local Egyptian-American with family on Cairo, hold a double bachelors in international studies and economics from UC Irvine
V-J Um Amel, Media artist and critic, also runs R-Shief.org, a website that collects and analyzes internet content from the middle-east. Also a PhD student at USC studying media arts and practice.
Nile El-Wardani, works in public health and development here in Los Angeles, holds duel American and Egyptian citizenship
Father Gregory Bishay, Priest with the Coptic Orthodox Christian Center in Orange