After reading what happened during the “Mass March by Cairo Women in Protest Over Abuse by Soldiers” (New York Times, December 20, 2011), I am baffled, not by the Egyptian army, acting like any army wanting to retain power, but by the Egyptian women’s acts of bravery, especially the veiled ones.
This is what makes me change my mind and start to believe that real democracy will come to Egypt whatever the military try to resist it or the elections’ results are and will be.
These demonstrations, marches and acts of bravery are also the proof that Islam is not against democracy and women’s equality and rights.
Egypt has always been first in any cultural improvement in the Arab world. It starts and the rest of the Arabs follow. Beware Gulf theocracies! Europeans, do not be afraid anymore of your Moslem citizens. Their extremists’ fanaticism is cultural and not religious, like in all other religions.

Roger AKL

8600, SW, 87 Avenue, Miami, FL33173, USA

1(305) 271 5872

PS: Roger AKL is a former Lebanese navy officer, former Assistant armed Forces Attaché at the Lebanese Embassy in Washington D.C., former Second in Command of the Lebanese Navy (1981- 1984) and former head of the Lebanese liaison bureau with the American forces in Lebanon (1983-1984), former chairman, CEO and director of the board of companies in the INTRA Investment group (1984-1990). Currently he is a writer in Middle Eastern affairs.