Acorn

Issue date: 4/25/08 Section: Opinion

Media Credit: Kelsi Bitgood

A general strike and protests in Cairo's Tahir Square were supposed to make April 6 a historic day for the people of Egypt. Instead, stores remained open, factories were forced to function and the Metro still ran. The only visible differences were the hundreds of soldiers and police in Tahir Square and an overbearing sense of oppression. For me, April 6 proved the illegitimacy of this regime and led me to again question the support of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak by the United States government.

It is estimated by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees that over one million of Egypt's citizens are refugees, and that only includes those who have registered.

I am a Drewid currently studying abroad in Cairo at the American University. Besides classes and surviving the Metro, I teach adult English classes at two refugee schools three to four nights a week and help with Sudanese children's programs at a local community school.

The status of the Sudanese and other refugees in Cairo is disturbing, and many Egyptians treat them appallingly. I am aware that not all Egyptians are like this, and have seen wonderful examples of their kindness toward the Sudanese, but unfortunately the negative experiences overshadow the positive.

Mubarak has maintained power for 21 years through fixed elections and political suppression. The only strong opposition is the Muslim Brotherhood. The United States supports Mubarak because we fear Muslim rule. So though she likes to be called one by many in the West, Egypt is less a democracy than an authoritarian regime, and Mubarak is much more than its president.

I understand the fear of Egypt allowing real free elections because of the likely ascendancy of the Muslim Brotherhood to majority power, but I had enough as a U.S. citizen and Political Science major of the enemy of my enemy is my friend tactic. I am not in favor of our continuous, unconditional support of Mubarak.

I am not sure of the solution-how do we as a nation prevent a perhaps greater "evil" from coming into power, while not supporting dictator-like rule and violations of human rights? Continually supporting regimes like that of Mubarak without challenge, while claiming to be encouraging democracy, only serves to further destroy our image in this region. Democracy can only occur with development and with a change in ideology and political culture of the people. It cannot be introduced into a region where informal and patrimonial politics have ruled for centuries.

Three months ago, I might not have been able to tell you that Mubarak was even president of Egypt, let alone be able to hold my own in a debate concerning it, but living here changed that. Studying abroad in Cairo made not only a huge impact on my understanding of Middle Eastern politics and international domestic politics, but more importantly, I learned about another society and culture and how the people think, act and relate to politics.

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