Statue of Liberty Alive and Well at Cairo University

Cairo University: Arrived again at Cairo University at the Commerce Gate. What a change from previous visits! On the second day of the fall term, students were everywhere. Hopefully, their course load will be a source of steadiness in this time of political transition for their country. The Faculty of Economics and Political Science (FEPS) at Cairo University was founded in 1960 and has since then become one of Egypt's most prestigious academic institutions. Although Arabic is the primary language in the Faculty, English and French are also used in teaching. In talking with some of the students, they were all very respectful, asking if I was a professor at FEPS. Some were even a bit shy.

The Dean: Dr. Hala el-Said is the dean. She has served since the revolution, when university deans and presidents were elected for the first time. She ran against 3 male candidates. Sirens blared outside the windows of her second-story, wood paneled office as university staff agitated for higher salaries. Said got her undergraduate degree at the university with high honors; so was granted a teaching assistantship (TA) to complete her work for masters and doctoral degrees. Women make up 75% of the students in FEPS. Out of 140 professors, about 60% are women. The faculty's majors are economics, political science, and statistics. I asked her about the recent clashes in Tahrir and around the U.S. Embassy. She said education will help diminish a clash of cultures between Egypt and the West. She also noted the need to pass through a transition period (quickly she hopes) after the overthrow of the old regime. The media need to be less aggressive. The demonstrators, she believes, injured their cause by using violence. The new president needs to be given some time to address the nation's problems. Presently, the government has only been reacting to problems and putting out fires.

Said participated in the revolution and was in the square. She believes the long-term will be better. A tradeoff has to be made, bearing some of the costs now to get a better future. She indicated that the university has no headscarf policy; students make their own choices. Her grandmother was not covered, although her mother decided to. What started as a custom has for some taken on the sanction of religion. She did indicate that Egyptians are a very religious people. No Anti-Americanism among these Students: In my stroll around the campus, I found a group of students standing by a cardboard cutout scored with the Statue of Liberty and the title: Map '13/ 6th Hacking Democracy/ Model of American Presidency.

You might quibble with the translation. But this was a group of students who are seeking to educate others about the American presidential system. Hacking democracy means they are seeking to break in to find out what it's about. The '13 specifies that the initiative is continuing through the end of the academic year. What a note of optimism! Here are among the brightest young people of Egyptian society; and they're not anti-American. They're putting forth their cause, as American students at stands and tables do on their campuses; and this group is promoting more understanding of the American system. This university seemed much like most–surging with young people at the start of classes, seeking and questing, eager to learn about the world and make their way in it. How refreshing!