Living in Egypt through revolution, protests, new opportunities

From ENS-

The Rev. Paul-Gordon Chandler is an Episcopal priest living in Egypt. He has served since 2003 as rector of St. John the Baptist Church in Cairo. In this ENS interview, Chandler reflects on the changes in Egypt over the past two years and speaks about the recent protests triggered by a film containing anti-Islam content.

ENS: Egypt has seen some major transformations in the past two years. How would you describe the country’s current political landscape and infrastructure to someone who doesn’t really understand the context?

P-GC: Where does one start, when it comes to Egypt over the last 18 months, let alone the last few weeks, even days? Each day is so full of surprise that it is hard to stay up with it all.

Obviously, after more than 60 years of authoritarian rule, and decades of being a police state, Egypt is experiencing what might be called “growing pains.” However, it has to be said that in the most democratic elections since 1952, the Egyptians did freely select their leader, Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood, who won 51 percent of the vote. The famous Tahrir Square went crazy with joy when the announcement was made. Many were jubilant because a proponent of conservative Islam had won. Others, not so excited about this and even concerned about the agenda of the Muslim Brotherhood, nevertheless rejoiced in the revolution’s true victory.

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2012/09/24/living-in-egypt-through-revolution-protests-new-opportunities/