Cairo Cooling Down; Lebanon Bracing for More

Tahrir Square, Sunday, September 16

Things are relatively back to normal in Cairo after days of protests regarding the inflammatory YouTube video that set the region into deadly attacks and demonstrations upon western embassies and citizens.  There was a noticeably greater police presence along the Metro (subway) line in Cairo yesterday, and as I stepped into Tahrir Square for a few moments last night, I was surprised by what I saw:
- largest police presence I've ever seen in the now world famous Square;
- police were directing traffic in groups to keep an orderly flow;
- vendors that once lined the square and the streets were far fewer and now limited along the sidewalks as opposed to the roadways;
- and, not only were this week's demonstrators moved out, but so were the left over January 25, 2011 demonstrators who have been camped out waiting for "real changes"--the tents, protest signage and more were all gone.

In fact, the Square looked cleaner as a whole than it has in quite some time.

This is in part to the security effort, but also in part to a Morsy administration initiative to begin cleaning up Tahrir Square and to create demonstration areas as opposed to the chaotic and potentially dangerous scenes that have been created by filling the square, roadways, and surrounding yards/sidewalks.  The effort to move out this past week's film demonstrators just took advantage of the efforts and personnel to work on doing the rest at the same time.  This is not only a positive resolution to the previous week's events, this is positive for the future as well.

As tweeted yesterday @ok2serve, the Prime Minister in Egypt reported that several of the arrested demonstrators were admitting to being paid to continue escalate the events in Cairo, creating more havoc.  Those confessing said that as they were watching the events from a distance, "unknown persons" approached them, offering 50 EGP (less than $10 USD) for their involvement.  (This coupled with the reports that the Libya embassy attack may have been organized in advance indicate that there are definitely dark individuals attempting to manipulate and make bad situations worse.)  Cairo authorities kept 11 in custody after releasing 20 on bail set at 200 EGP.

New demonstrations in Egypt from schools to transportation
An American University in Cairo teacher shared that upon their arrival to the campus for classes on Sunday, they found that there were students locking out other students from attending classes; their demand is that the AUC reduce the cost that was recently raised.  Of this teacher's three classes, only one had students--three: 1 who lives in the dorms on campus, and 2 others who reasoned their way past the blockade.  Other schools are facing similar demonstrations, while teachers and transportation workers also go on strike.


Meanwhile, in Lebanon...
The Pope had a historic three-day visit for which the country had been eagerly preparing.  Lebanon, in the strife-stricken north around Tripoli, had some demonstrators regarding the film that attacked American-chain restaurants like KFC and other riotous behavior.  This area had been consumed in sectarian clashes over the events in neighboring Syria.

Hezbollah leaders were oddly quiet--usually quite vocal on these matters, the news coming out of Lebanon during the regions tumult were often only about the smaller events in the north of the country.

But now that the Pope has left, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has spoken, apparently quiet and waiting for the Pope to exit Lebanon, and what he has said seems to indicate that the worst film demonstrations are yet to come for Lebanon.

from the CNN report, Nasrallah said:
"We must stress that should be awareness among Muslims and Christians not to let any strife take place in any country or any place in the world," Nasrallah said. "The people who should be accountable, and brought to justice as well as punished and boycotted, are those directly responsible for the film and those who support them and protect them. And it is the United States of America that is at the forefront of those."

from the Al-Jazeera report:
Nasrallah told followers to stagger their protests around the country. He called for protests in southern Beirut on Monday, in the southern city of Tyre on Wednesday, in the eastern city of Baalbek on Friday, in Bint Jbeil in south Lebanon on Saturday, and in Hermel in the eastern Bekaa valley region on Sunday. All are majority Shia areas.


Thank you for your continuing prayers on our behalf; now is the time to pray for our Lebanese brothers and sisters during this next, uncertain week.  Pray for their peace, protection, witness, and wisdom.  Pray for world and religious leaders to work together to bring some resolution that can be satisfactory for all.