7/11/13 - One local resident is watching the events in Egypt play out with more than just the casual concern of someone with an interest in international affairs, but with an increasing fear for the safety of her family. Genoa Township resident Mona Shandâs mother and father emigrated from Egypt in the late 1960âs, but stay in close contact with many other family members still living there. Shand, a journalist who at one time worked for WHMI, says that in her opinion Morsiâs removal wasnât truly a military coup, as it followed the protests of millions of ordinary Egyptians upset with his increasing turn toward religious extremism. She says the military is one of the only credible institutions in Egypt and thus had a responsibility not to let the country spin out of control. Shand, whose family are of Egyptâs Christian-minority, says while the country is predominantly Muslim, it has a strong secular tradition that has allowed more freedom than in the vast majority of other Mideast nations. When Egyptian protests led to the ouster of former President Hosni Mubarak in 2011, she said at the time the biggest fear among her relatives was an Islamic-centered government that would run the country using religious law. She says Morsi was increasingly headed in that direction which is what led in part to the outpouring of dissent. She says the best thing that can happen now is for the both the religious fundamentalists and the revolutionary protestors to both stand back and let the situation cool down and let the plan for democratic elections early next year take hold. (JK)
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