On Revolution

Cairo, Friday night: Several thousand demonstrators remained in Tahrir Square, for the Night Prayer and Protest, after curfew (Photo: Ed Ou for The New York Times)


From the writings of Ruhollah Khomeini:

"All governments in the world are based on bayonets. We do not know any monarchy or republic in the contemporary world that is founded on justice and reason. They all maintain themselves only by repression."


From the New York Times, USA (by Anthony Shadid):

" 'We decided on eliminating all businessmen', Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq said Friday of his cabinet in an interview with Al Arabiya, an Arabic satellite channel, in a gesture toward protesters who have made Mr. Ezz a symbol of everything corrupt about the state."


From the Press Trust of India via Hindustan Times:

"A failed assassination bid against Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman has left two of his bodyguards dead, according to a media report. The incident was reported by Fox News which said, "Such an attempt on the life of Omar Suleiman would mark an alarming turn in the uprising against the government of President Hosni Mubarak, who only recently named Suleiman as Vice President in an effort to quell the unrest and possibly line up a successor." White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, however, refused to comment on the issue."


From the Indo-Asian News Service via Deccan Herald, India:

"Protesters stand their ground in Cairo square

Cairo, Feb 5, (IANS):

Defiant protesters continued to camp in Cairo's Tahrir Square to seek the ouster of Hosni Mubarak, a day after tens of thousands of Egyptians held a ''day of departure'' for their president who has ruled for the past 30 years.

Demonstrators stood their ground in Tahrir Square, the focal point of the unrest that has swept through the country. Massive protests also took place in Alexandria, Mahalla and Giza. The protests entered the 12th day Saturday.

Mubarak is under intense pressure to quit as the protests gained momentum. He said he is willing to step down at the end of his term in September, but refused to quit now. He has even warned that if he leaves now, there will be chaos in the country.The protesters are unimpressed with Mubarak's statement and have kept up their demand for his immediate ouster.

Al Jazeera reported Saturday that protests continued into the night as the demonstrators defied a curfew. The newly relaxed curfew now runs from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. local time.

The protesters have made it clear that they would not budge till Mubarak steps down.

"It's either death, or freedom," a protester said.

'Go Mubarak!' chanted the protesters.

Egypt's Defence Minister Mohamed Hussein Tantawi was a surprise visitor to ground zero Tahrir Square Friday. He met his military commanders and a few protesters [see photo below].

The square has been encircled by the army with checkpoints at a few entrances and the soldiers have been trying to keep the pro-Mubarak supporters away from the anti-president demonstrators [see also this Tahrir square protest diagramm].

The unrest had turned violent Wednesday when bloody clashes took place between the pro- and anti-government supporters, leaving 13 people dead and over 1,000 injured. It has been estimated that around 300 people have died across Egypt.

On Friday, there was a huge cheer when a rumour went around that Mubarak had stepped down. The protest leaders quickly said it was false. The protesters became even more upbeat, saying it will be true the next time around.

An Egyptian journalist died Friday of a gunshot wound suffered while covering the unrest a week ago in Cairo, the Committee to Protect Journalists said in New York.

Ahmad Mohamed Mahmoud, who was working for the newspaper al-Ta'awun, was hit by what the newspaper described as sniper fire while filming a confrontation between security forces and protesters Jan 28 near Cairo's Tahrir Square, DPA reported.

His death Friday was the first by a journalist covering the unrest in Egypt, according to CPJ. A number of journalists have been detained or assaulted while covering the protests in Egypt.

Hosni Mubarak said he doesn't care what people say about him and was fed up of being president.

"I don't care what people say about me. Right now I care about my country, I care about Egypt," said Mubarak. Mubarak, 82, told ABC News that he was fed up of being president.

He said he would like to leave now, but can't as he fears that the country would sink into chaos, ABC News reported."

A natural gas pipeline exploded on Saturday in El Arish in Egypt's North Sinai, after mass protests broke out in the country more than a week ago (Photo: Xinhua)

See also

Iranian leader links risings in North Africa to Iran's revolution (CNN, USA)

Egyptian Journalist Dies of Gunshot Wounds (A roundup on violence against journalists, from Associated Press via New York Times)

Saboteurs attack Egypt gas pipeline to Israel (Agence France-Presse via Ma'an News Agency, Palestine, see also Jerusalem Post, Israel)

Anti-Mubarak protests staged in Mauritanian capital (trend, Azerbaijan)

We Are All Egyptians (New York Times' Nicholas Kristof reporting from Tahrir Square on Thursday)

Mubarak's Hired Thugs - Rural Poor Paid To Attack Opposition Supporters (Der Spiegel, Germany, via Free Interned Press, USA)

Egypt's defense minister, Mohamed Tantawi, center (with cap), spoke with demonstrators on Friday in Cairo. (Photo: Khaled Desouki/AFP- Getty)

Source:

Ayatollah Khomeini, Meine Worte. Weisheiten-Warnungen-Weisungen (Auszüge aus Valayat-e Faqih, Kaschfol Asrar und Touzih-ul Masa'el), München 1980, Seite 19 (Original title: Principes politiques, philosophiques, sociaux et religieux, Paris 1979)