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From VOA Learning English, |
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this is In the News. |
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Tens of thousands of Egyptians on Friday |
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answered calls for a "Day of Rage" |
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with protests across the country. |
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The marches were the idea |
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of the Muslim Brotherhood movement |
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of ousted President Mohamed Morsi. |
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They took place two days after Egyptian police |
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destroyed two large pro-Morsi camps in Cairo. |
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The police operation left hundreds dead |
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and thousands wounded. |
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The protesters were demanding |
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that Egypt's new government release the ousted president |
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and other leaders of the Brotherhood. |
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The Egyptian army has held Mr. Morsi |
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since it removed him from office early last month. |
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In recent days, violence between civilian groups |
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has increased. |
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Christians reported that their religious centers |
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were attacked on Thursday. |
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Some Egyptians raided and set fire |
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to two government offices in Giza, |
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a city across the Nile River from Cairo. |
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Government employee Fehmi Hassan says |
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the attackers were supporters of the ousted president. |
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"Today, about a thousand supporters |
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came and broke the exterior fence |
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and hurled stones at the building, |
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and they set fire to the governor's office, |
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the auditing office and all the governor's cars." |
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The United Nations Security Council |
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held an emergency meeting |
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to discuss the violence in Egypt. |
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The Council expressed sympathy to the victims |
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and regret for the loss of life. |
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It also called for an end to violence by all groups in Egypt. |
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The United States and other countries |
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have condemned attacks on Mr. Morsi's supporters. |
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On Thursday, President Obama |
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criticized the violence. |
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He also cancelled a major joint military exercise with Egypt. |
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"While we want to sustain our relationship with Egypt, |
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our traditional cooperation cannot continue |
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as usual when civilians are being killed |
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in the streets and rights are being rolled back." |
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Some observers have criticized Mr. Obama's statements on Egypt. |
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They say the United States is showing support |
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for the Egyptian military |
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if it does not take stronger action. |
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Saba Mahmood is with the University of California at Berkeley. |
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She says the United States can pressure |
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the military-supported government in Egypt |
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to end the violence. |
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"If the United States is actually |
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interested in instituting any kind of democratic change, |
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they hold a very crucial card in this, which is |
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over $1.8 billion of annual military aid |
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that the United States gives to Egypt. |
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They can simply say |
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that we will suspend that aid |
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unless there is an immediate dissolution |
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of this intense violence." |
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Others see hope for the competing forces in Egypt |
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to avoid civil war and carry out the reforms |
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that Egyptians wanted in 2011. |
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That year, Egypt's military |
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answered huge protests |
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by supporting the ouster of long-time President Hosni Mubarak. |
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Stephen Zunes chairs the Middle Eastern Studies program |
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at the University of San Francisco. |
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He says civil society has been growing stronger in Egypt |
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and across the Arab world. |
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"More and more people realize |
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that they are ultimately those |
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who must decide their own fate. |
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And so as tragic as the recent events have been, |
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it is just not the final word." |
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Professor Zunes says it is not only the Islamists |
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who are affected by the suppression of dissent. |
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And he says democracy will come to Egypt |
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not by suppressing Islamists |
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but by organizing democratic forces. |
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"The younger generation of Egyptians |
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do want a future |
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that is based on democracy and social justice." |
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And that's In the News from VOA Learning English, |
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written by Onka Dekker. I'm Steve Ember. |
