Community Corner

Newark Resident Looks Forward to New Egypt

Student Layma Murtaza came back to the U.S. when the demonstrations heated up, but plans on returning to Cairo soon to celebrate the end of Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule in Egypt.

While juggling research assistant work with the constant flow of news from Facebook and TV station Al Jazeera English, Newark resident Layma Murtaza looks forward to returning to Cairo next week to resume her graduate studies and to celebrate the changing of the guard in the Egyptian government.

Murtaza found out about the resignation of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak Friday while staying with her parents in Newark.

“I feel like I am missing out on history!” Murtaza said during a phone interview with Patch. “I am so happy for the Egyptian people for exercising their democratic rights. I am extremely proud of them.”

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Murtaza, a alum, had finished her first semester of a master’s program in forced migration and refugee studies at the American University of Cairo when thousands of Egyptians hit the streets to protest Mubarak’s 30-year rule.

Murtaza said many of the demonstrations were peaceful and she felt safe in her neighborhood but said things started to change when she and her friends found out about a government-mandated curfew.

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“I’ve never been in a statewide curfew,” Murtaza said. “So we decided to get some food because we didn’t know how long it would last. When we walked to the market, we saw several stores closed for the curfew. We also saw many store owners carrying sticks, knives and metal bats. So we walked a little faster.”

During the curfew, Murtaza said she heard gunshots from male neighbors who were guarding their homes and scaring away looters. At one point, she decided to push furniture in front of her door.

“My mom called me and said to carry forks where ever you go,” said Murtaza. “She said boil water, in case you have to throw it on them (the looters).”

Murtaza said her parents lived through similar times in Afghanistan.

“My dad said (we were) experiencing the same tensions that Afghans felt during the Soviet era,” Murtaza said.

Like other Americans in Cairo, Murtaza eventually  to wait for the end of the demonstrations.

Murtaza’s friends updated her about what was going on in Cairo with photos and videos posted on Facebook. Murtaza was also keeping up with Al Jazeera English and CNN reports when Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman announced Mubarak’s resignation Friday, sparking a wave of celebration throughout the country.

"It's a moment of transformation that's taking place because the people of Egypt are calling for change," President Obama said in a speech at Northern Michigan University on Thursday.

"It's young people who have been at the forefront," Obama said. "A new generation, your generation, who want their voices to be heard."

Saba Mahmood, a professor of anthropology at UC Berkeley, said the protests and resignation of Mubarak is the biggest event in the Middle East in the past 60 years.

"This uprising is going to be felt in every single country in the region," Mahmood said. "There is a huge concern whether there will be a transition to a true democratic process."

When she flies back to Cairo, Murtaza plans on lighting candles at Tahrir Square.

“I can’t see the future, however, the Egyptian people are so empowered now by what they accomplished,” she said. “I hope they want to be a part of the new government.”

Bay City News contributed to this report.


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