As fires burn in Egypt’s capital, Ahmad Mokhtar is glued to Facebook.
As he anxiously refreshes the page, he hopes to read of a revolution, but he increasingly fears the worst.
His hometown of Cairo is in turmoil today, but Mokhtar, a construction management graduate student, is stuck a world away with homework to do.
As millions of Egyptians march into the second week of mass protests against Hosni Mubarak, Egypt’s president, Mokhtar has been keeping up with the rapid developments through friends and news organizations on Facebook and other websites.
“These eight days have not been very productive for me,” Mokhtar says. “I am with them 100 percent. I actually wish I was there participating in the protest.”
The protests reached a tipping point Tuesday when demonstrators organized the “million- man march.” That night Mubarak announced he would not seek re-election later in the year.
But the revolution didn’t end — it turned violent. A crowd of protestors were attacked Wednesday by Mubarak supporters.
Fires brightened Tahrir Square in Cairo, the epicenter of the revolution for the past week, leading Mokhtar to fear for the safety of his protesting friends.
“Until yesterday, I was calling it a revolution,” Mokhtar said. “Until yesterday, I had no fear for the people participating.”
Mokhtar said he believes, as several news agencies have reported, that Mubarak’s regime orchestrated the attacks.
“He is defending his position with the lives of his people,” Mokhtar said.
Mokhtar believes the president is using the Egyptian media to skew the attacks, making Egyptians more willing to accept Mubarak serving the rest of his term.
Although global news agencies were reporting three dead and hundreds wounded Wednesday night, Mokhtar said he hopes the protests continue until Mubarak’s regime is ousted.
“I can’t trust him for one more day,” Mokhtar said. “I’m not sure what he will do in the seven months [remaining until elections], but he won’t be working for the people.”
Mohktar said the revolution is long overdue because of the “prison” Mubarak has made of Egypt.
“The country is not improving,” Mohktar said. “Education is not improving, the poverty is not improving and there are not any steps done to correct this. … This is not security. It is prison.”
Mohktar said he is proud of the protesters for finally standing up against Mubarak, who has been in power since the assassination of Anwar Sadat in 1981.
“Before Jan. 25 no one would be able to go into the streets and say Mubarak is bad,” Mohktar said. “I heard about it on Facebook before it started, but I never expected this many people to participate, and I was surprised it went on this long.”
Mohktar said he knew people as an undergraduate in Cairo who were arrested for protesting against Mubarak, and he wants to do something here to help teach people about the situation and show support for the movement.
“The hardest part [is] seeing the videos. I feel helpless,” Mohktar said. “I know I would be going to the protests for sure.”
 
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Contact Xerxes A. Wilson at [email protected]