NY Times: Islamist Group Is Rising Force in a New Egypt

First it was the Washington Post on Libya this week and now the New York Times on Egypt who are no longer falling for the spin of Obama and his advisers or the SoS Clinton and her mouthpieces. However bad we perceive all of the problems to be in Libya and Egypt along with other parts of the Middle East, it has to be a lot worse to get these two newspapers to take on Obama and his agenda.

Former President Carter lost Iran but Obama seems set on a course to lose most of the countries in the Middle East to Islamic fundamentalists. Is this what Obama wanted all along? If it is not, he sure took the wrong path. The Obama Administration set out almost immediately after taking office to try and convince Americans that we had nothing to fear from the Muslim Brotherhood but even the New York Times tells a different story in Egypt including calling them an Islamist Group.

It is now time for the entire media to stop the cover-up for the Obama agenda and report the facts not spin. This new press secretary Carney is nothing but a spinner for Obama who doesn't hesitate to misstate the facts if it benefits Obama. If anyone gets the truth out of him on something that is very important it would be a shock.

This is actually a frightening article about what is happening in Egypt including the fact that the military who opposed the Muslim Brotherhood now seem to have thrown in with them. The dominoes are beginning to fall and the Muslim Brotherhood is stepping into the vacuums that are being created. How many more countries are going to fall when idealistic young people start the movement and then when it takes hold find themselves on the outside looking in at the Muslim Brotherhood in charge? The Brotherhood will make their life even more controlled as we have seen over the years in Iran. Bet it is a safe bet that they are going to look back on Mubarak someday and wish he or someone like him was back in charge.

Islamist Group Is Rising Force in a New Egypt
By MICHAEL SLACKMAN

Published: March 24, 2011

CAIRO — In post-revolutionary Egypt, where hope and confusion collide in the daily struggle to build a new nation, religion has emerged as a powerful political force, following an uprising that was based on secular ideals. The Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist group once banned by the state, is at the forefront, transformed into a tacit partner with the military government that many fear will thwart fundamental changes.

It is also clear that the young, educated secular activists who initially propelled the nonideological revolution are no longer the driving political force — at least not at the moment.


As the best organized and most extensive opposition movement in Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood was expected to have an edge in the contest for influence. But what surprises many is its link to a military that vilified it.

“There is evidence the Brotherhood struck some kind of a deal with the military early on,” said Elijah Zarwan, a senior analyst with the International Crisis Group. “It makes sense if you are the military — you want stability and people off the street. The Brotherhood is one address where you can go to get 100,000 people off the street.”

There is a battle consuming Egypt about the direction of its revolution, and the military council that is now running the country is sending contradictory signals. On Wednesday, the council endorsed a plan to outlaw demonstrations and sit-ins. Then, a few hours later, the public prosecutor announced that the former interior minister and other security officials would be charged in the killings of hundreds during the protests.

Egyptians are searching for signs of clarity in such declarations, hoping to discern the direction of a state led by a secretive military council brought to power by a revolution based on demands for democracy, rule of law and an end to corruption.

“We are all worried,” said Amr Koura, 55, a television producer, reflecting the opinions of the secular minority. “The young people have no control of the revolution anymore. It was evident in the last few weeks when you saw a lot of bearded people taking charge. The youth are gone.”

The Muslim Brotherhood is also regarded warily by some religious Egyptians, who see it as an elitist, secret society. These suspicions have created potential opportunities for other parties.

About six groups from the ultraconservative Salafist school of Islam have also emerged in the era after President Hosni Mubarak’s removal, as well as a party called Al Wassat, intended as a more liberal alternative to the Brotherhood.

In the early stages of the revolution, the Brotherhood was reluctant to join the call for demonstrations. It jumped in only after it was clear that the protest movement had gained traction. Throughout, the Brotherhood kept a low profile, part of a survival instinct honed during decades of repression by the state.

The question at the time was whether the Brotherhood would move to take charge with its superior organizational structure. It now appears that it has.


“The Brotherhood didn’t want this revolution; it has never been a revolutionary movement,” said Mr. Zarwan of the International Crisis Group. “Now it has happened; they participated cautiously, and they realize they can set their sights higher.”

But in these early stages, there is growing evidence of the Brotherhood’s rise and the overpowering force of Islam.

Excerpt:  Read More at the New York Times

Breaking News from the LA Times: EGYPT: Military dissolves parliament and suspends constitution

Don't see where the Military had much choice but to dissolve Parliament since there was so much fraud and mass arrest with the Mubarak faction making sure they held a majority of seats. This type of dictatorship proved to be Mubarak's downfall.

At least it looks like they kept the ministers in place that run the various parts of Government to keep everything working. It is going to be a mess as they continue to sort out the problems left behind by Mubarak and his people who ran the Government for 30 years.

It is a good sign the military is still on schedule to hold elections in the fall. Now some protestors have to give the military the space to act as nothing is going to happen overnight. They will have to patient and take it day by day as the Country gets back to work.

EGYPT: Military dissolves parliament and suspends constitution
February 13, 2011 | 6:42 am

Egypt's military dissolved the country's parliament and suspended the constitution, saying it will rule for six months or until presidential and parliamentary elections are held, according to a statement by the military council read on state TV Sunday.

The move, which comes two days after the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak, meets some of the demands of the anti-government protesters who demonstrated against Mubarak and the parliament and demanded constitutional reforms.

Parliamentary elections held in November were viewed as fraudulent and marred by mass arrests, pressure on independent candidates, news media harassment and a boycott by some opposition groups. Last week, in the final days of the protests, hundreds gathered in front of the parliament building in addition to the thousands in Tahrir Square.

The army appears to have left in place the cabinet of ministers, the body of government that is running the country.

--Raja Abdulrahim and Jeffrey Fleishman

Source: LA Times

Bill O'Reilly Dismisses Beck's Egypt Theory: 'No Evidence' (VIDEO)

The sky is falling and if you don't believe it, watch Glenn Beck's show on Fox News -- you will either be convinced it is falling or you will become a skeptic of anything Glenn Beck has to say with his over the top rhetoric.

When I was sick the other week, I actually set out to watch Beck thinking maybe he had changed from his 'over the top' rhetoric on Fox News. Fifteen minutes into this program and my first thought was this guy needs to calm down or he is going to have a heart attack. Beck has had some good theories but now he sees a conspiracy behind every corner which is not good. His credibility is fast going away among people who think and actually research what he has to say.

There is a lot of legitimate items to criticize about this Administration and how they are running Government in their march toward the left. On the other hand if you take every little thing that is said while taking some out of context, you begin sounding like a continual 'sky is falling' individual so people will quit listening to what you have to say. Why not stick to what is wrong with the major agenda out of the Progressive Democrats in DC? When you focus on too many things at one time, you might win a few battles but you are going to lose the war in the end as people tune you out. 

Objected to the Progressives and the mainstream media picking on everything President Bush said or did like it was the end of the world. Today I object to Conservatives doing the same thing to President Obama.  What the White House served at the Super Bowl is not worthy of trashing.  Never thought I would see the day that a conversation I might have with someone joking around, some pundits would actually report something similar. There is so much rhetoric out there from both sides it is hard to find the truth without spin. Found myself going to websites I have not frequented in the past to get some perspective.

Since Arianna Huffington is joining with AOL, I decided to check out her site this morning and found this gem between O'Reilly and Beck. On her site they reported what happened and attached the video for people to make up their own mind. Score +1 for the Huffington Post in reporting the facts not the spin.

Bill O'Reilly Dismisses Beck's Egypt Theory: 'No Evidence' (VIDEO)
01/11/2011

During the weekly "At Your Beck And Call" segment on his Friday show, Bill O'Reilly dismissed Glenn Beck's theory about the Egyptian revolution--namely, that it marks the beginning of an alliance between Communists and Islamic fundamentalists and will lead to a new caliphate across the Middle East and into Europe.

Beck repeated the theory to a skeptical O'Reilly, saying that the world is "seeing the beginning of the 'coming insurrection.'"

He said that the goal of the movement was "revolution" and "the end of the Western way of life," and that it would end in a caliphate. He also repeated his assertion that a recent New York Times article had validated this theory, because it showed that the Egyptian revolution was being organized by people from a wide range of political ideologies.

"I don't know if that's news to anyone," O'Reilly said. The Internet, he continued, made it much easier for people to say, "'everybody show up in the square.'"

"It's community organizing on a global scale," Beck said. O'Reilly was still skeptical.

"I know they're not going to be able to overthrow the army," he said. "I don't see that. But you do see it." Then Beck said that the revolution was coming to America and Europe, something which O'Reilly completely rejected.

"I don't see the constituency in Britain, in Germany, in the United States, I don't see it," he said.

"You don't have to," Beck said. O'Reilly said that, even if people tried, "they can't change governments and they can't seize power."

"I hope you're right," Beck said.

"There's no evidence that says I'm not right," O'Reilly replied.

WATCH:



Source: Huffington Post

Weekly Standard: Fears of a Muslim Brotherhood Takeover are Overblown

This article from the Weekly Standard is one of the best that I found to express what you were seeing in the streets of Cairo yesterday.  The people perpetrating the violence last week as one activist in Cairo said have disappeared into the woodwork of the streets of Cairo -- no place to be seen.  Another missing figure this week has been El Baradi, the former nuclear inspector of the UN or shall we say the former cover-up person for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and Iran. 

What we have seen all week are families coming out to have their voices heard.  It was a demonstration of people just fed up with being under the rule of Mubarak.  They wanted their freedom and unlike Iran, they had the military on their side.

Yesterday while watching the people celebrate, the parade of cars started with their horns honking and flying the Egyptian flag -- many of these were the people who are the business owners taking part as you saw the BMWs, Mercedes, etc. all honking horns through the streets of Cairo.  It was celebrate today and go to work tomorrow.  The Egyptian people Muslim and Christian were united in getting Mubarak to resign and leave.  A key part came when the drivers of the tanks in unison turned their tank turrets away from the people to signal freedom had come to the Egyptian people.  Now the Military Council has removed the curfew and forbid certain people to leave the Country. 

The Military Council is now in charge until fair and free elections can be held.  Egypt although a Muslim country since 1980 when it was declared the state religion is not part of  the Islamic fundamentalist movement that is on full display in places like Iran.  The chances of fundementalist clerics taking over Egyptian Government is almost nil to non-existent.  The people of Egypt don't want to go from one dictator to something even worse where they are told what to do in their everyday lives.  They have seen what happened in Iran and chances of it being repeated in Egypt are slim to none. 

People we know from that part of the world are unanimous in the fact that Egypt has been not an Islamic fundamentalist country -- religion plays a part but it is in their personal lives and where they want to keep it.  To a person they say there is no way Islamic fundamentalist get anywhere near power in Egypt.  They talk about how this uprising had no real leaders but pulled in people from all walks of life as witnessed how the neighborhoods took over their own security to keep out the thugs. 

My favorite story was the one where the guy tried to break into someones home, they caught him and beat him all the way to where they found the military to hand him over.  Some thugs ransacked one of the museums and Egyptians took it upon themselves to guard the Museums and dare the thugs to try it again.  They had anything they could find to protect themselves and beat up the thugs.  The people were interviewed yesterday were talking about now going back to work and the shop owners were preparing to reopen today.

Yesterday was truly a remarkable day in the long history of Egypt where their prayers have been answered and freedom won -- now the hard work begins to put a Government together and set up free and fair elections. 

Weekly Standard: Fears of a Muslim Brotherhood Takeover are Overblown
8:25 AM, Feb 12, 2011 • By ALI ALYAMI

The controlled public rage against corruption, oppression, and marginalization at the hands of tyrannical Arab regimes that has unfolded in recent weeks is unprecedented and probably unstoppable, but it caught most Western observers by surprise. While they accept the Arab revolt for what it is—a rejection of dehumanizing conditions—most Western analysts have dug out their old notes and recycled their customary predictions: The inevitable outcome will be that Islamists will take over and mobilize the Arabs against Western interests.

Now that Mubarak has stepped down as president of Egypt, worries persist that Islamists will impose their theocratic totalitarianism on the Egyptian people, despite the fact that power has been transferred to the military high command as a temporary caretaker until the Egyptian people decide what form of government they will adopt.

Apprehension that Islamists will turn public discontent to their advantage is understandable and legitimate, but that outcome should not be taken as a foregone conclusion. From what we know now, the uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen have been organized and carried out mostly by nonsectarian citizens who are driven by worldly needs and by the rejection of corrupt systems that enslave them through fear, intimidation, hunger, and contempt for human rights. The vast majority of the protesters in Maydan Al-Tahrir (Liberation Square) were not waving Muslim textbooks or pictures of terrorists and religious fanatics, but flashing signs that read “shukran Facebook”—Thank you, Facebook.

The chance that Islamists will capture the Arab uprisings is slim unless anti-democratic, oil rich Arab dynasties like the Saudi and other Gulf monarchs, or their Iranian rivals, are allowed to pour billions of dollars into the coffers of their respective proxies, as they did in Gaza, Lebanon, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. The West can prevent this from happening, but even if it does happen, whoever seizes power in the countries in revolt will be forced to remember the fate of the ousted rulers they replaced.

The millions of Arabs who took to the streets and risked their lives to bring an end to centuries of oppression are not likely to accept theocratic dictatorships after ridding themselves of tyrannical ruling dynasties. Most of the rebelling generation grew up in the age of transformative modern technologies and knowledge of their human rights. They spend more time debating worldly issues over social media than reading the Koran or going to mosques. Their perceptions of themselves and the world they want to be part of supersede nationalism, tradition, and religious indoctrination. This reality is overlooked in the current avalanche of analysis and predictions.

Instead of concentrating on fear of Islamists, the West ought to focus on the unprecedented shift in attitude among Arabs in addressing their multitude of grievances. For the first time, the Arab people have publicly recognized that their misfortunes are not the fault of outsiders— the West, Israel, colonialism—but the result of the hierarchical and totalitarian Arab methods of governing in which the individual is subservient to the state and to the whims of absolute rulers.

Western analysts are also overlooking one of the most astounding aspects of the present turmoil: It is apparently irrelevant to the well-being of the international community. For example, global trade and travel, and the availability and prices of commodities like oil, are almost unaffected by the Arab uprising. This can be attributed partly to the fact that the Arabs contribute little or nothing to the world’s knowledge-based technological economy.

Some may argue that the world’s relative lack of alarm over destabilizing turmoil in the Arab world is due to the fact that Egypt, Tunisia, and Yemen have little impact on the world’s oil production. True, but even if a political uprising befell Saudi Arabia itself, a short-term interruption of the oil supply could easily be made up from other sources. In addition, Arab autocracies need to sell their oil to placate their restless populations and discourage oil consumers from developing alternative sources of energy, a notion oil producers dread.

Excerpt:  Read more at The Weekly Standard

Per CNN: Mubarack has Resigned

The President has announced he is stepping down per a message from the Presidential Palace and the military is taking over according to what was released just now.  Crowds on CNN are celebrating and chanting "Free Egypt" -- the regime of Mubarack in Egypt is no more!

Mubarak Leaves Cairo (for his summer home) as Military Asserts Control

UPDATE:  (9:14 cst) While watching CNN, the reporter on the ground in Cairo made the statement that the people (thugs) who were causing all the violence with beatings, injuries and stirring up the protestors  have disappeared into the streets of Cairo and have not been part of this week's demonstrations which have been very peaceful.  The tanks by the military have turned their gun turrents away from the people to shouts of joy.  This is a very relaxed demonstration including demonstrators picking up trash -- totally non-violent. 

*****

Will this be enough to satisfy the protestors after Mubarack's strange speech last night?  Only time will tell but hopefully with the military assuming most of the power, it will be.  We have to wait for confirmation and hope this time the media got it right as opposed to yesterday where their reports led to CIA Director Panetta saying he was leaving the Country during a hearing.  Let's hope for better results today. 

Egyptian state television is saying there will be an important statement from the President of Egypt shortly.  CNN is waiting for the statement.  We will update as soon as the statement is released. 

According to Fox News:

Thousands of enraged protesters gather in Cairo's Tahrir Square as President Hosni Mubarak leaves for his summer residence in Sharm el-Sheikh, according to Israeli military sources.

*****
Breaking News Alert
The New York Times
Fri, February 11, 2011 -- 8:57 AM ET
-----

Mubarak Leaves Cairo as Military Asserts Control
The Egyptian military appeared to assert its leadership
Friday amid growing indications that President Hosni Mubarak
was yielding all power. A Western diplomat said that Mr.
Mubarak had left the capital.

As protesters were swarming into the streets Friday morning
for what was expected to be the biggest and most volatile
demonstrations in the three-week revolt here, the Supreme
Council of the Egyptian Armed Forces issued a statement over
state television and radio indicating that the military, not
Mr. Mubarak, was in effective control of the country. It was
unclear whether the military would take meaningful steps
toward democracy or begin a military dictatorship.

Western diplomats said that officials of the Egyptian
government were scrambling to assure that a muddled speech
Mr. Mubarak made on Thursday night that enraged protesters
had in fact signaled his irrevocable handover of presidential
authority.

Read More:  New York Times

Report: CIA Chief Leon Panetta Based Congressional Testimony On Mubarak Departure On ‘Media Broadcasts’

The CIA Director Leon Panetta testifies yesterday using the media for his source but didn't tell members of Congress that was his source which put the CIA.

The director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Leon E. Panetta, testified before the House of Representatives on Thursday morning that there was a “strong likelihood” that Mr. Mubarak would step down by the end of the day.

Panetta needs to resign as CIA Director today. He had no intelligence background when he was named and looks he has none today. You cannot hide the fact that his source was the media which the CIA tried to spin after the hearing that everyone 'misunderstood' which is typical of this Administration -- what we hear is not what was said even though it is on video.  Why let a little video tell the real story when you can spin?

You add in Intelligence Chief John Clapper's fairy tale of the Muslim Brotherhood which was also spun after his comments hit the internet, and you have a prescription for an intelligence nightmare where you have two high ranking people testifying who should not be anywhere near any intelligence organization.

What effect did the testimony of Panetta have on what was happening with the protesters in Cairo? Not every day the CIA Director goes public that the President of a Country is stepping down in this case Murbarak when it is not happening. Using the media for a source in testimony should be grounds for removal. Will it happen? Doubt it because Obama would have to choose someone else and don't think he is up to the task. Maybe he can ask Bill Clinton who to pick since he seems to be choosing all new staff for Obama.

Report: CIA Chief Leon Panetta Based Congressional Testimony On Mubarak Departure On ‘Media Broadcasts’by Colby Hall | 10:30 pm, February 10th, 2011

CIA Director Leon Panetta testified to Congress today of a “strong likelihood” that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak would step down by the end of the day. The report of his impending resignation was only eclipsed by the news that Mubarak would NOT be stepping down as Panetta had indicated to congress. The worse part isn’t that Panetta was basing his statement on on media reports (and not intelligence.) No, National Intelligence Director James Clapper outdid Panetta with his erroneous claim that the Muslim Brotherhood is a “secular” organization.

Certainly the current upheaval unfolding in Egypt is a fluid situation, best described as a leaderless revolt that has put the State Department, the Pentagon and the CIA all on their heels. As it turns out, the true diplomatic stars so far in this story has been the media, who’s on the field reports have not only created compelling visuals for cable news outlets around the world, but also, strangely, informed the CIA director in his statements to Congress.

According to a report by Mark Landler and Mark Mazzetti for the NY Times (emphasis mine):

Mr. Obama watched Mr. Mubarak’s speech on board Air Force One, returning from a trip to Michigan, the press secretary, Robert Gibbs, said. As soon as he arrived at the White House, Mr. Obama huddled with his national security aides. The administration appeared as taken aback by Mr. Mubarak’s speech as the crowds in Tahrir Square. The director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Leon E. Panetta, testified before the House of Representatives on Thursday morning that there was a “strong likelihood” that Mr. Mubarak would step down by the end of the day.

American officials said Mr. Panetta was basing his statement not on secret intelligence but on media broadcasts, which began circulating before he sat down before the House Intelligence Committee. But a senior administration official said Mr. Obama had also expected that Egypt was on the cusp of dramatic change. Speaking at Northern Michigan University in Marquette, he said, “We are witnessing history unfold,” adding, “America will do everything we can to support an orderly and genuine transition to democracy.”

Wait, what? The head of the CIA was giving information to congress that he was getting from the “teevee”? Hmmm…I could have done that.

Panetta was only outdone by the strange claim that the Muslim Brotherhood is “largely secular.” It is true that that the many media outlets and commentators have mischaracterized the group as a “terrorist” affiliated group when they are among the more moderate factions in Egypt, it’s factually incorrect to claim that they are secular.

According to FoxNews.com:

The term ‘Muslim Brotherhood’ … is an umbrella term for a variety of movements, in the case of Egypt, a very heterogeneous group, largely secular, which has eschewed violence and has decried Al Qaeda as a perversion of Islam,” Clapper said.

But the DNI later issued a statement to “clarify” that claim.

“To clarify Director Clapper’s point, in Egypt the Muslim Brotherhood makes efforts to work through a political system that has been, under Mubarak’s rule, one that is largely secular in its orientation. He is well aware that the Muslim Brotherhood is not a secular organization,” DNI spokesperson Jamie Smith said.

While the Brotherhood has renounced violence, one of its goals is to pursue the creation of an Islamic state. The CIA’s own website lists the Brotherhood as a “religious-based” party.

 All in all not a proud moment for American intelligence efforts.  Click on the Link to watch Clappers comments, courtesy of Fox News.

Breaking News: Mubarak Refuses to Step Down

Once again the American media jumped the gun announcing that President Mubarak was stepping down tonight and the military would be in charge. Something happened between initial reports and the actual speech -- Mubarack is not stepping down until his term is up in September but will transfer more power to his Vice President.

Don't know about anyone else but these baseless breaking news during the day make you wonder where they are getting their information. Were the media set up by Mubarak. That wouldn't be too hard to do the way cable news rushes to the airwaves with every rumor. Print media is right there with them.

This is a mess that is going to get worse with media around the world saying he was stepping down and he is not. We certainly don't have the answers but believe it is time that the media stopped this rushing to be first and got it right for a change.

Breaking News Alert
The New York Times
Thu, February 10, 2011 -- 4:16 PM ET
-----

Mubarak Refuses to Step Down

President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt told the Egyptian people
Thursday that he would delegate more authority to his vice
president, Omar Suleiman, but that he would not resign his
post, contradicting earlier reports that he would step aside
and surprising hundreds of thousands of demonstrators
gathered to hail his departure from the political scene.

In a nationally televised address following a tumultuous day
of political rumors and conflicting reports, Mr. Mubarak said
he would "admit mistakes" and honor the sacrifices of young
people killed in the three-week uprising, but that he would
continue to "shoulder my responsibilities" until September,
and did not give a firm indication that he intended to depart
the political scene.

Read More:
New York Times

Chaos in Egypt Also Brings Out the Best in some Egyptian Communities in Cairo

Today for the first time the police have begun to return to some neighborhoods:

As the curfew began at 4 p.m. Sunday, police were seen returning to some neighborhoods and working in tandem with the army to try to restore a sense of security.—

Civilians took over to watch over their neighborhoods when the police were pulled from the streets. Roving bands of thugs were not only going after the Museums but individual residences in some of the best areas of Cairo. The people of Cairo turned out to protect their Museums against the thugs and now we learn they are also protecting their neighborhoods.

We are hoping this is the beginning of an orderly transition from the Murbarak regime but it is too early to say. Egypt faces a lot of chaos in the days ahead as various factions try to take over leadership. Our prayers are with the people of Egypt as they attempt to remove a dictator and keep from sliding into a fundamentalist country like Iran run by the Muslim Brotherhood.

Civilians watch over neighborhoods in Egypt chaos
Updated: Jan 30, 2011 - 11:10AM

AP CAIRO -When Egypt's police melted from the streets of Cairo this weekend, the people stepped in.

Civilians armed with knives, axes, golf clubs, firebombs, metal bars and makeshift spears watched over many neighborhoods in the sprawling capital of 18 million this weekend, defending their families and homes against widespread looting and lawlessness.

The thugs had exploited the chaos created by the largest anti-government protests in decades and the military failed to fill the vacuum left by police.

On Saturday, the army sent out an appeal for citizens to help.

"The military encourages neighborhood youth to defend their property and their honor," it said in a statement.

On Sunday, joint teams of civilians and military were patrolling, some with guard dogs.

Mohammed Gafaar, a 34-year old salesman in the Nasr City area, said his neighborhood watch organized soon after the night curfew went into force at 4 p.m. They did it at the behest of residents, who appealed for protection of their property, sending out the call from the local mosque.

"I feel betrayed by the police," said Gaafar, who had carried rocks, a stick and a firebomb in a soda bottle. "They have to be tried for the protesters they killed and for their treason. They left the country to be looted. I am angry at the regime."

Akram al-Sharif, a 33-year old Cairo resident who lives in one of the affluent compounds in the city's west at the edge of the desert, said locals hired twenty bedouins with guns, and organized into groups to protect the five gates of the compound.

"I am happy this is happening. There was solidarity," he said. But he criticized the military for failing to protect private property.

The troubles began after days of protests calling for the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak reached a crescendo Friday, when tens of thousands poured into the streets after noon prayers in the city's 3,000 mosques. The protests quickly spiraled into clashes with riot police, who fired countless canisters of tear gas, rubber bullets and waters cannons and beat the demonstrators with sticks.

By Friday night, protesters had set fire to the ruling party headquarters along the Nile in central Cairo and the first reports of looting emerged — people making off with electric fans and televisions from the burning complex. Mubarak ordered the military into the streets for the first time to try to control the escalating turmoil.

On Saturday, the tens of thousands of police who normally patrol the streets vanished. Security officials, asked why they disappeared, said that remained unclear. But the police, who are hated by many, may have been seen as just fanning the flames.

Throughout the day, shops and malls were ransacked and burned, and residents of affluent neighborhoods began reporting burglaries by gangs of thugs roaming the streets with knives and guns. By mid-afternoon, shopowners and residents were boarding up their stores and houses.

Gangs of armed men attacked jails, sending thousands of inmates into the unpoliced streets.

As night fell, the neighborhood watches took up where the police left off.

In the affluent neighborhood of Zamalek, where many foreigners live and embassies are located, groups of young men, some as large as 40 people, set up barricades on every street entrance to the island in the middle of the Nile.

In other neighborhoods, residents wore arm bands to identify each other and prevent infiltrators from coming into their midst. In Zamalek, a handwritten announcement hanging on a street window asked people to register their names for neighborhood defense committees.

Watch groups armed themselves with a makeshift arsenal of shovels, baseball bats, whips, and the occasional shotgun. Young men organized themselves into shifts, and locals brought tea and other snacks.

Neighborhood guardians set up metal barricades and stopped cars, questioning them about their destinations and street addresses and sometimes searching them. With many roads blocked, drivers went the wrong way on largely empty one-way streets to get around.

Long after midnight, gunshots rang out on a scenic street along the Nile, near the Indian embassy and the Algerian ambassador's residence. One youth said the neighborhood watch confronted the passengers of a car, one with a firearm, and persuaded them to leave.

Residents said they were filled with pride to see Egyptians looking out for each other in a society where many, if not most, struggle just to subsist.

Gaafar, the salesman, had returned from Dubai to take part in the protests. He said he feels sad at how things turned out, but believes it won't deter people from continuing to protest.

"This has brought out the best in people," he said. "There were people who were much younger than me who have never come across gunfire before... They looked scared. But they were still standing. Everyone was so brave."

Associated Press reporter Sarah El Deeb contributed to this report from Cairo.

Source: AP via AOL News