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| Africa: North |
| Egypt anti-war protest divides; Iraqi journalists disgusted |
| 2005-03-21 |
| Edited for brevity. Several hundred people protesting the U.S. presence in Iraq split into pro- and anti-Egyptian government camps Sunday. Riot police surrounded both sides as they massed in the capital's main downtown center. Anti-U.S. protests are not unusual here. But a growing and increasingly vocal movement openly opposes the Egyptian government and President Hosni Mubarak. Criticism once voiced only in the privacy of homes or in taxis is now shouted in public over megaphones. Yesterday's protest, falling on the second anniversary of the Iraq war, included members of the new Kefia (Enough) movement, as well as the Islamist-leaning Labor Party, the socialist party and human-rights groups. They shouted "Down with Mubarak and ... the dogs of Mubarak!" and "Down with Bush!" "Freedom, freedom, where are you?" marchers chanted. "Mubarak is between us and our freedom!" They also shouted "Long live Saddam!" and "Resist, resist, oh Zarqawi!" -- referring to Iraq's deposed dictator and to Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, al-Qaida's leader in Iraq and the man behind many suicide bombings and hostage beheadings there. Several Iraqi journalists visiting Cairo rolled their eyes at the pro-Zarqawi and pro-Saddam chants. "They shout to make Iraq bleed more," said one, Awadh Al-Taee. "I hope Zarqawi joins them in Egypt, and then they see how they like it." "It is so sad that they say they support Saddam and Zarqawi," said reporter Salam Jihad. "That means they support the terrorists. ... If they really want Iraq to be liberated, as they say, they should keep their hands off of Iraq. They are so hypocritical." |
| Posted by:Dar |
| #7 Several Iraqi journalists visiting Cairo rolled their eyes at the pro-Zarqawi and pro-Saddam chants. "They shout to make Iraq bleed more," said one, Awadh Al-Taee. "I hope Zarqawi joins them in Egypt, and then they see how they like it." There's nothing like a pair of eyes wide open. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2005-03-21 9:08:56 PM |
| #6 Shipman, they hate Mo's guts naturally, so I assure you that you can buy entertainment cheaper than that! 1/10 may be a sufficient to induce seething apoplexy in Pharaohstan. |
| Posted by: Sobiesky 2005-03-21 7:09:28 PM |
| #5 Let's cut off Egypt and send a billion to Mo the Berber just for the entertainment value. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-03-21 5:51:09 PM |
| #4 Egypt gets more than $2 billion a year - link |
| Posted by: phil_b 2005-03-21 3:57:27 PM |
| #3 ZF - it was about $1.75BN in 2003 -- all Grants, not loans... and has surpassed $2BN regularly. |
| Posted by: .com 2005-03-21 3:56:55 PM |
| #2 Well - Mubarak is covertly anti-American whereas the opposition is openly anti-American. I suspect if Mubarak gives up his throne, we are in for a spate of big-time anti-Americanism in Egypt. My hope is that we'll have an excuse to finally end the $1b we send to Egypt every year. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2005-03-21 3:42:22 PM |
| #1 I dunno. Sounds like a parallel of the typical lefty cognitive disonance. Something's going on. Maybe mankind is splitting into two species--Homo sapiens cognoscus and Homo disonantus miscreanticus. Hopefully, the second species is on an extinction path. |
| Posted by: Sobiesky 2005-03-21 11:50:21 AM |