"Egyptians are back in business"

As you have probably seen, protests have been rocking Cairo and other cities around Egypt for the last few days. Unlike in January, these protests are fairly localized, meaning that in Cairo for example, they don't extend much beyond Tahrir Square (in Jan/Feb, the whole city was essentially shut down. This is not true today). However, the levels of violence I've seen on videos and heard about from friends who have been in Tahrir has been almost unprecedented. There was of course a great deal of violence in January/February as well, but this is sustained violence, perpetrated by those who clearly belong to the government (in Jan/Feb, the government tried to hide behind "baltageya" - thugs). Additionally, this violence is being sanctioned by SCAF - the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces - who was initially welcomed with joy earlier this year. SCAF is now the interim government and their power grabbing and failure to take proper steps to transition to civilian rule are the main reasons people are on the streets again today. I don't have enough time to fully explain everything right now, so I will leave it to others. I highly recommend reading my friend Anne-Marie Angelo's post titled "Egypt in Turmoil: Why Now?".

Additionally, check out Egyptian actor/activist Khalid Abdalla's interview with Al Jazeera (you may recognize him from "The Kite Runner"). You can also check out this op-ed by a protester: "Egyptians are back in business."

SCAF Field Marshal Mohammed Hussein Tantawi gave a statement yesterday saying, among other things, that SCAF would offer a referendum in which Egyptians can vote as to whether or not SCAF leaves as early as the protesters wish. This seems like a false attempt at appeasement, and from what I've heard, those in Tahrir aren't buying it. At the end of the day, it is yet another version of the age-old dictatorial tactic of using fear to divide and conquer. They'll try and convince the "average Egyptian" that "it will all be better if those protesters just go away and you let us do our jobs." However, Egyptians have been trying this for the past several months, and all that has happened is the further revelation that SCAF is just the Mubarak regime in another outfit.

Please pray.