As many as 2,000 in Chicago protest for democracy in Egypt
BY MAUREEN O’DONNELL Staff Reporter/moddonnell@suntimes.com
They came from as far as Iowa, Indiana and Wisconsin — as well as from all over the Chicago area — to call for Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to step down after 30 years in power and to open his country to Democratic reforms including free elections and a new Constitution.
Outside the Egyptian consulate at 500 N. Michigan, a local protest Saturday supporting the demonstrators a world away in Egypt stretched a full block .
While police estimated there were 1,000 demonstrators, organizers put the number at closer to 2,000.
“People want the ‘Pharoah’ to leave,” said Dr. Zaher Sahloul, chairman of the Council of Islamic Organizations for Greater Chicago. “Egypt is asking for the right of its children to dream.”
The marchers compared the anti-government unrest in Egypt to the thirst for democracy that drove the American Revolution.
But they also criticized President Obama’s response as too neutral and said the long-term U.S. foreign policy had bolstered Mubarak’s regime. Several speakers said Egyptian authorities were using American-made tear-gas canisters against demonstrators there.
“You cannot be neutral between right and wrong,” said Mahmoud Hamad, an assistant professor of politics at Drake University in Des Moines, who brought his 4-year-old son to the protest. “You cannot be neutral between a dictatorship and freedom.”
What the world is seeing in Egypt is decades of frustration, said M. Cherif Bassiouni, president of the Egyptian-American Society. Mubarak regime’s has given Egyptians corrupt elections and no health care, he said.
“Over 90 percent of the wealth of the country is in the hands of 200 families, said Bassiouni, a DePaul University law professor. He said 20 million people — 25 percent of the population — live in poverty.
The Chicago march rang with cries of “Mubarak’s got to go” and Arabic chants that translate to “Long live Egypt.” Signs ripped Egypt for shutting down the Internet in response to the protests. “When Government shuts down the internet, it’s not to silence the tweets, but to silence the SCREAMS,” one read.
“This is just the beginning of democracy, all around the world,” said Islam Eldewek of Egyptian-Americans for Democracy.
The protesters said the Egyptian clashes mirror frustration simmering in other parts of the Middle East and the Muslim world, including Libya, the Chicago protesters said; as well as and Tunisia, where the unrest began. Some marchers linked the Palestinian cause to Egyptian demands for change.
Bassiouni predicted Friday will be pivotal. It is the traditional day of prayer in Egypt and massive protests are being organized, he said.
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