Egypt coat of arms - wikimedia commons
Experts tell us that during times of economic and political crises, there is a greater tendency for extremism to occur. This was seen in the run-up to both world wars. Now the same type of cries for economic stability, while looking at leaders through the eyes of rising expectations, along with nationalism can provoke serious consequences by outside and inside extremist groups.
Egypt, while it's culture is vastly different than that of the United States, is nevertheless a country with many educated people who are used to having some semblance of contact with the western world and with ways that are coherent with values outside of its country. There are also those within the country who have extreme religious views, similar to the types of groups that present those same types of intolerant statements in the United States and elsewhere. This means there is some platform for both common sense and the lack of it, every bit as much as occurred during the political debates concerning the building of a Muslim mosque near ground zero in New York City.
America's position is on the fulcrum of discontent in Egypt, so that if there are abrupt moves in any direction the weight of the distribution of extremism may descend to the detriment of international peace. That is the reason, according to political advisers reported across the globe, Obama must be cautious in dealing with the volatility of the region and the calls for Hosni Mubarak to resign.
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The writer was the first female student in the Middle Eastern Studies program in 1960 at Portland State College, now Portland State University, who studied the language and culture over several years and continues to be focused in reading and presentation of information and opinion on the Middle East and its issues of politics and religion.
