An imam leads protesters in prayer during Tuesday's demonstrations in Cairo. / Photo by The Associated Press
“I think it’s about time. I’m also very worried which direction the change will take us. I am frightened about the Muslim Brotherhood and the pressure from Iran for Egypt to be a Muslim country.
The country should do what America does, separate church and state. Turkey was able to do it and they turned their economy around.
I left when I was 22, there was no opportunity, no freedom of speech, no freedom of choice. Being a woman there and always being opinionated like I am, I wasn’t going anywhere. I wanted to be free.
I still have my mother, brother and sister and other family there and they are terrified, they are running out of food. I’m worried, this has got to be solved soon.”
—Hanaa Hensersky of San Diego, a Muslim and vice president of a bank
“I wish I was there. This revolution is an amazing feeling. Never in my life did I expect the Arabs to be able to pull this off.
What happens is going to depend on what the American government does. It’s going to take some world pressure for (President Hosni Mubarak) to step down.”
—Mohammad Zaman of San Diego, a board member for the Islamic Center of North County
“Right now I am worried about my mom and my sister, I believe they have been locked in the house and cannot leave. I spoke to them three or four days ago and I was told electricity was shut down now.
When I finished university, I left right away. I didn’t like Egypt at all. You can hardly find a job, you have to know somebody up higher otherwise you will be nothing. If I was living there, I would be demonstrating the same as the people who are there.
My hope is we can get (a leader who is) educated and who is a good person — someone who can create a system for everybody to have an equal opportunity.”
—Walid Ibrahim of San Diego, a Muslim and an accountant
“In response to the crisis, we are in the middle of a three-day series of fasting and prayer for a peaceful resolution. A lot of people in the congregation have family in Egypt and some have not been able to confirm their family is safe and secure.
Even though I was born and raised here, I feel very connected to Egypt because of my family and because of the church. Our pope is in Egypt.
For all of us Orthodox Christians, we want to see a peaceful transition to a government that has the best interest of all the citizens at heart, both Christians and Muslims.”
—Father Moses Samaan, St. Demiana Coptic Orthodox Church in San Diego
“We are concerned for our family, for their safety with all that has happened. My father has four siblings there he is trying to reach.
The people of Egypt have suffered for a long time. They essentially want what we have. They want democracy, they want the freedom to choose their leader. They want equality. They want stability. They want the ability to afford food for their children.
My parents left because of this oppression and they came here for a better life for their family and their children about 30 years ago.”
—Bassant Khalil of San Diego, a Coptic Christian and pharmacist
“My parents came to America after they got married in 1984 for residencies in Chicago. They are both physicians and they ... wanted to raise their children in a place where we could practice religion freely and women are treated equally.
We are afraid of what is going to come after Mubarak leaves. The fact that we don’t know who is going to take over, that is very scary. It would be so much easier to take sides if the demonstrators had a leader and they knew who they wanted to put in.”
My aunt (in Egypt) was telling me that in some apartment buildings the men, the youth, they go and make a circle around the entrances with whatever primitive weapons they have for protection. We have other family members there too and we’ve been able to communicate with them very intermittently. They’ve been able to tell us they are OK.
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