First Day in Cairo- The protests

The day before I arrived in Cairo (so wednesday) there had been a flare-up in violence in the Coptic Christian area of Cairo that involved attacks by some Muslim extremists that resulted in the death of a few Copts. Since the revolution each of the friday protests had focused on a certain domestic issue, and this Friday the protest was focused on denouncing the violence and in support of a unified Christian and Muslim Egypt. I have no idea how many people were there, but it definitely numbered into the thousands, with people of all ages, social classes, and religious groups packed into the streets and the sidewalks around an improvised sound stage. There was chanting and cheering, songs were sung, and people marched about carrying signs depicting various images. I was able to take a position close to the side of the stage and get a few photos and even a video of the proceedings. The few people I spoke to there were so happy and friendly and all they asked was that I would share their message of a Christians and Muslims living in peace with the people back home. I told them I would and as a result here are my favorite pictures from the demonstrations.

These two pictures give a good estimate of the size of the crowd, just throngs of people in every direction. I also really like the design combining the cross and the crescent moon, which can be found over and over again in these pictures.

This is a great sign someone had next to me of Mubarak running off with a bag full of Egypt's money. Mubarak is suspected of being one of the richest men in the world, with all of his wealth coming from corruption, backdoor deals, or just plain stealing from the Egyptian people's coffers.

 I love this drawing. People in America need to have this attitude. And when I say "people in America" I really mean American Christians and xenophobes, not really Muslims who seem to be just as kind in the US as they are in the rest of the world.

 This picture goes to show the importance and respect held by the Egyptian army in the public's perception. Even though these troops were at Tahrir Square in an official capacity to ensure that everything was peaceful, this did not stop people from simply celebrating their presence and their role in the revolution. It would be incredibly difficult to concisely describe the reasons why Egypt loves their army so much in this blog because who books can be written on the subject, but suffice to say imagine how much America loves its military, then remove all the controversial wars and accusations of war crimes and add a revolution by the people which was actually supported by the military. That is a lot of love and respect and honor to be held by the army and I hope that they continue to deserve it as the country moves forward.

That pretty much sums up the revolution.

Finally I saw this spray painted on the wall while walking home and had to take a picture of it. It is obviously from during the revolution and really captures I think the sentiments of so many of the people during Mubarak's final days in office.:

"I want to see another president before I die"

So After I had my fill of watching the protests, i wandered back to the hotel to rest a bit and grab a bite to eat. I found a place with some Hummus and Foul (almost refried beans) and ate dinner while planning my next day- A trip to the Giza to see the pyramids and the sphinx! Just before sunset, I wandered over to the Nile to take a few pictures and enjoy the beautiful breezes of springtime in Egypt. While the city is massive, crowded, often smelly and dirty, there are still countless places to find peace and serenity.