Six thousand miles from the historic upheaval, Egyptians in Tennessee can only watch, wait and hope that the regime change in their home country leads to democracy and peace.
"There is a sense of excitement, but it's guarded," said Mohammed Albakry, a professor of linguistics at Middle Tennessee State University, as news spread that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak had stepped down. "I hope this is going to bring a sense of closure, but it's unclear what's going to happen next."
Before the uprising, Albakry had been preparing a study-abroad trip to Egypt for a group of MTSU students. Now the State Department is warning against travel to Egypt, and Albakry is waiting to see what happens next before he decides whether to cancel his plans.
Albakry has been in touch with his family in Egypt, and they share his excitement — and
his worry.
"We're not very excited about power being handed over to the military," he said. Still, there is a sense that something momentous is happening. "They're starting to call this the people's revolution, and that's really what it was."
For Ustina Rezkalla, a Lipscomb University freshman and a member of Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Christian minority, the sight of Mubarak stepping down brought worry.
Would Egypt continue to be a land where Christians and Muslims live side by side in peace, or would Mubarak be replaced by a hard-line fundamentalist regime?
"Definitely, worry. We don't know how it's going to turn out," said Rezkalla, who is double-majoring in mathematics and engineering at Lipscomb.
"For Christians, it's a big deal. … If we get someone (in power) who's a religious fanatic, are they going to try to turn Egypt into an all-Islamic country?"
Mubarak, she said, "was a really good president, but 30 years is not a short time to be in power. … It's like the old saying: You start out a hero and you live long enough to be a villain."
Conduct evokes pride
Friday was a historic day for Egypt — and that's saying something in a country whose history starts sometime around 3,000 B.C.
For Egyptians in Middle Tennessee, the uprising, and the way their countrymen conducted themselves during the 18 days of protests that led up to Mubarak's resignation, was a source of enormous pride.
"I am so very proud of myself, to be an Egyptian and an American," said Imam Ossama Bahloul, leader of the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro. "I think it shows the quality of the people of Egypt."
During the protests, Bahloul said, when the government stopped picking up the trash, the people cleaned the streets themselves. When police abandoned their posts, the
protesters organized security. Now he hopes Egypt can take that spirit of responsibility and move forward.
"I'm quite optimistic," Bahloul said. "I hope the country will move forward. I hope the people will understand the responsibilities of freedom."