Public Media from Michigan State University

Mubarak's resignation resonates in mid-Michigan

Nawal Ghatas is a Coptic, or Christian, Egyptian living in Michigan. She plans to return to Egypt and hopes to have more freedoms there.
Kevin Lavery, WKAR

By Kevin Lavery, WKAR News

Lansing, MI – The news of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak's resignation is resonating around the world, including mid-Michigan.

Each Friday, members of the Greater Lansing Network Against War and Injustice gather in downtown Lansing to speak out against U.S. military involvement in the Middle East. Their vigil today came within an hour of word of Mubarak's departure.

"I think the idea here is to keep the movement alive in the sense of pro-democracy and civil rights, human rights for Egyptians," says Salah Hassan, an activist and professor of English at Michigan State University. "And, to encourage a broader change of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East that would go beyond simply substituting one form of dictator for another."

Many Egyptians in the U.S. who plan to return to their country say they want to feel safe and secure and have more freedom to express their opinions there.

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