From the Blog…

March 7, 2011 (CHICAGO) (WLS) — A local activist who was among the protesters who toppled the government of Egypt is now back in Chicago.

Ahmed Rehab, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, shared his firsthand account of what it was like to be a part of history with ABC7.

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From the Blog…

Ahmed Rehab discusses the controversy about Homeland Security holding hearings exploring Muslim American Terrorists. Rehab refutes the idea saying that there is a difference between the community of Muslims and the underground individuals. Rehab says the individuals are “shunned by the community and we must focus on the underground individuals that are not represented by the community.”

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From the Blog…

Note: I have not had a chance to blog much after Mubarak resigned. Prior to his resignation, I had focussed my attention on protesting, blogging, and running media interviews in the early phase of the revolution. Once Mubarak resigned, I devoted my time to meeting with the revolution’s emerging youth leadership in order to discuss ways in which I could help. I did not feel it was ethical to be insider and reporter at the same time.

The other task that kept me busy was filming a documentary about the revolution that I am co-producing with Yaser Tabbara, Laith Saud and Endless Eye Productions. We were filming 12 hours a day for 10 days keeping me entirely offline.

Much has happened since my last blog post. I will focus on the most recent development and the most important.

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From the Blog…

Worldview frequently checked in with Chicagoan Ahmed Rehab who was in Cairo during the mass protest movement that eventually brought down President Hosni Mubarak. Ahmed, also the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations-Chicago, left Egypt this week. He joins us in studio to reflect on his experiences.

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From the Blog…

In a scene reminiscent of the “Goodbye Jews” scene out of Schindler’s List, a confrontational crowd of angry people in Orange County, California dished out hateful remarks at Muslim families as they calmly entered a charity function to help women’s shelters, homelessness, and hunger.

The angry crowd was organized by designated anti-Muslim hate groups and shockingly attended by speakers that included members of Congress among other officials.

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From the Blog…

CAIR_CHICAGO from Delal Pektas on Vimeo.

Ahmed Rehab and fellow activist Laith Saud discuss their recent experiences in Egypt and the country’s transition to democracy.

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From the Blog…

Now that the dust has settled on Tahrir Square, I, and many of the protesters, are keeping our focus on holding those who ransacked Egypt accountable and on developing a new Egypt in its place.

Egyptian media, now free of government propaganda, is abuzz with former government officials exposing chilling details about the outrageous extent of the corruption that plagued the Mubarak regime, particularly the final years.

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From the Blog…

We fought, we prevailed, we celebrated.

So what’s next?

In my last blog piece, I wrote a bit about how difficult it was for me to leave Tahrir Square and what it meant to all of us who experienced its magic.

Well, this is not the end of the Egyptian youth movement for change; in fact, it’s just the beginning.

It’s time to start working, and many, including a group of youth that met with the Egyptian Military Supreme Council today, have already started.

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From the Blog…

After Mubarak’s resignation and the euphoric celebrations that lasted through the night and well into the next day, it is time to leave a place that will forever be etched in our memory and in our hearts.

Protesters are adamant to crown the success of the revolution by bowing out in style and leaving Tahrir Square cleaner than when we found it. A massive clean up campaign, the sort that is required after a million guests, was under way today: a perfectly civil end to a perfectly civil revolution.

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From the Blog…

When I arrived in Egypt on January 22, life was as normal as ever with no indication that a revolution was about to break out just three days later, forever transforming Egypt and its citizens.

Long fed up with political corruption and monopoly, the people of Egypt finally decided that it was time to take what’s theirs.

Cairo’s streets and bridges, squares and alleys were a stage to history as millions took to the streets, day-in day-out, in a determined explosion of defiance, demanding an upheaval of Egypt’s political system.

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From the Blog…

Egypt’s popular revolution has seen millions of Egyptians take to the streets. It all started as a series of protests on January 25 organized by “We Are All Khaled Said” Facebook group (Khaled Said was an activist who was kidnapped and beaten into a pulp by police in Alexandria). The group’s admin, Wael Ghonim, a Google executive, was kidnapped by plain clothes police on January 27 only to be released yesterday.

Wael was in jail on January 28, a day that saw the biggest freedom marches all over the country yet. In Cairo, Tahrir Square was claimed by the people on that day and remains occupied by the people to this moment.

Since Jan 25, 300 protesters have been killed.

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From the Blog…

By Neveen Abdalla

If you’re offended, it probably applies to you.

I can’t talk out loud right now. If I begin to talk, I will yell, and volume only works if you’re among the agitators in the Tea Party.

But right now I am outraged. I am outraged by the ridiculousness of many in the American Media, and I am particularly outraged at a significant chunk of average Americans.

A revolution started in Egypt on January 25th, and you didn’t care because American Idol was on.

People stormed the streets in protest of police brutality, and you didn’t watch it because SportsCenter was on.

While people demanded their right to choose their own government, you were choosing your next hair color.

When people begged to be heard, you put on your headphones and listened to Wakka Flocka Flame.

America, you have disappointed me. You have broken my heart.

You are so far removed from the American Revolution, Women’s Suffrage, the Civil Rights movement, or any other thing that had to be fought for, that you don’t give a damn about anyone else. Many of you don’t even know your own history, and you don’t give a damn about anyone else’s future.

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From the Blog…

ED SCHULTZ: “Ahmed, Give us a sense of how determined these people are now to see Hosni Mubarak leave. And would they accept the reported negotiation of the vice president, Omar Suleiman, taking over for Mubarak? Do you think that that would disperse the crowd, go home, and wait for the elections? Would they accept that?”

AHMED REHAB: “What I can tell you is that one of the demands of this revolution was change. People want democracy. They want freedom. They want human rights.

“They want transparency in government. And they want an end to the politically corrupt atmosphere that really permeates many levels of government. Not just at the very top, but through all levels.

“As far as Mubarak himself, my personal take on that is that the fact that he‘s going to leave in September satisfies the requests that Mubarak be out of the picture and that we get change. That does not have to happen instantly. The reason I say that is because I got a sense of how many average Egyptians really have a lot of respect for him as an individual, even if they don‘t like him as a politician. He‘s been around for 30 years.

“Egyptians are sentimental people. They‘re also a very proud people. They don‘t want somebody who is a symbol of their country for so long be ousted in a humiliating fashion the way Ben Ali of Tunisia was. And I can respect that.

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From the Blog…

Marc Germain’s interview with Ahmed Rehab, live from Cairo, Egypt. He’s the Executive Director of the Chicago Office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago). (2/6/11) He’s participated in the Cairo protests and blogs about his experiences at Mindful of Dreams.

“We can’t have a conversation about whats going on in Egypt and not mention the Muslim Brotherhood.  Are you a member of the Muslim Brotherhood? Do you support what the Muslim Brotherhood wants for Egypt? And do you think this is a reasonable concern that Americans have about what could happen if Mubarak falls?” asked Marc Germain.

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From the Blog…

It’s a mixed bag in Egypt right now with some developments that call for disappointment, and others that call for hope.

New Government Scandal – Already

The 24-hour long violent attacks by “pro-Mubarak” thugs against peaceful pro-democracy protesters in Tahrir Square amid a total absence of security – coupled with government inaction – do not bode well for the current regime.

It is unlikely that Mubarak, a seasoned politician, authorized such primitive politically-naive action. It is improbable that the newly appointed government leadership was involved. It is highly likely however that elements in the ruling Democratic National Party (DNP) were involved. Either way, the fact that it happened, and that it went on for so long with the government failing to send in security forces, ambulances, or even so much as a timely public statement, indicates that the failures of the old guard system still plague us.

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From the Blog…

A Scandal of Monstrous Proportions in Full View of Egypt and the World. Protesters Continue to be Attacked, Government Continues to Watch

The unfolding drama between pro-democracy protesters in Egypt and the DNP (Mubarak’s ruling party), who are desperately trying to quell Egypt’s popular uprising, lead by a wide cadre of educated youth, continues to take surprising twists and turns.

Since the morning, and for the past 12 hours, tens of thousands of peaceful protesters who have been holding a vigil at Tahrir Square since last Friday, continue to face an onslaught of brutal attacks from an army of DNP related thugs. So far, 6 have been killed and 1500 injured.

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From the Blog…

Hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets across Egypt today in the largest demonstrations yet. Ahmed Rehab spent the day in Tahrir Square in Cairo, site of one of the largest gatherings. He tells us about the peaceful day of celebration. LISTEN HERE

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