NEW YORK — Waves of celebration rippled out of Egypt and washed onto America's shores Friday, with Egyptian-Americans already looking to the future after the departure of President Hosni Mubarak and his three decades of authoritarian rule.
Three weeks after protests began in Cairo and for a time seemed futile, Sherine El-Abd found herself sobbing with joy at her home in Clifton, N.J. A board member of the Washington-based nonprofit Arab American Institute, she predicted that the military in Egypt will "oversee a clean, democratic election."
"Listen, if the person with the thickest skin and the densest brain in the world — Mubarak — got the message the military gave him, the message is loud and clear," El-Abd said.
Ayman El-Sawa, an activist from Highlands, N.J., who has helped organize protests including one in Times Square, fielded more than 50 celebratory phone calls in just the first half hour after Mubarak shocked his homeland by finally crumbling and resigning.
"But we should celebrate with one eye — and keep the other eye open for the next step: We have to be sure the army agrees with all the people's demands and does not repeat history," he said.
Community leaders estimate that the area encompassing New York City and its suburbs, plus New Jersey and Connecticut, constitutes the nation's largest concentration of Egyptian-Americans, with a population of about 100,000.
Among the calls El-Sawa took at home was one cancelling a no-longer-needed protest on Saturday at the White House. Instead, activists were busy Friday organizing gatherings in their local communities, including one at the Egyptian Mission to the United Nations on Manhattan's East Side.
Gatherings were also planned Friday in Dearborn, Mich., in the heart of the nation's largest Arab-American community; in Los Angeles; and near the White House.
In Brooklyn, Khaled Lamada got news about Mubarak on his cell phone while walking to noon prayers.
"I feel great, I feel honored, I feel proud to be Egyptian," said the physical therapist, who is president of the Virginia-based Egyptian-Americans for Development.
He said he believes the Egyptian army will ensure that elections lead to democratic reforms. Though most army officers consider the outgoing Egyptian president as "their godfather" and don't wish to harm him, he said, it was Egypt's army that pressured the president to step down amid protests by millions of people.
El-Abd, who said she has spent years fighting to bring democracy to her native land, said she broke down while watching the news about Mubarak on television. Still, other changes were already on her mind.
Though Omar Suleiman remains Egypt's vice president, she said, "in reality, he's history."
Read More
IPR: Indiana Michigan Power extends Tillotson Avenue road construction project
By Indiana Public Radio / 4 days agoOriginally, the project had a November completion date. In a statement Thursday, the company says it has found more damage to “the existing underground infrastructure.”
Indiana Capital Chronicle: New revenue eaten up by Medicaid budget forecast
By Indiana Capital Chronicle / 5 days agoActuaries defend $1B ‘mistake’
Ball State holds 200th Commencement ceremony
By Trinity Rea / December 14, 2024Ball State University held its 200th commencement ceremony Dec. 14, celebrating over 1,200 Cardinal graduates.
