As one University of Florida student cuts short his study abroad in Egypt, another student with roots there is worried about his family but hopeful for the future.
A UF senior history major is among the U.S. citizens being evacuated from Egypt by the U.S. State Department because of unrest there, university spokesman Steve Orlando said. He said the student had been studying history and Arabic at the American University in Cairo but declined to provide the student’s name.
The student is expected to leave by today at the latest, Orlando said. Cairo’s international airport reportedly had been a chaotic scene Monday as thousands of foreigners sought to leave and countries around the world sent planes to fly out their citizens.
Egypt has been beset by days of protests calling for the removal of President Hosni Mubarak. UF doctoral student Muhammad Rushdi said he would like to see Mubarak’s regime removed as soon as possible but said he was concerned about a brother who was participating in protests and the country as a whole.
“Unfortunately, Mubarak is there trying to cling to power and prolonging the situation,” Rushdi said.
Rushdi, 31, said his lifespan to date is only slightly longer than Mubarak’s tenure, so he grew up in Egypt knowing only the country under his rule. He said the country’s citizens have long been frustrated with corruption and human rights abuses under Mubarak, so he expects the protests will continue until he is ousted. “What I’m sure about is the people will not give up until they at least see him out of power,” he said.
Rushdi said he had planned to stay in the U.S. after earning a doctorate in computer and information science and engineering at UF. But he said the possibility of a democratic Egypt is making him reconsider those plans.
“It will make a big difference,” he said.
Contact Nathan Crabbe at 338-3176 or nathan.crabbe@gvillesun.com.
