Rural Egyptians add voices to demand for change
By Yasmine Saleh
NILE DELTA, Egypt | Wed Feb 9, 2011 2:25pm GMT
NILE DELTA, Egypt (Reuters) - Beyond Tahrir Square, beyond the boundaries of the sprawling capital, beyond even the
provincial cities where protesters joined the call to topple President Hosni Mubarak, rural Egypt is restless for
change.
Scraping a meagre living from the land, farmers and rural workers in Egypt's agricultural heartland have watched the
largely urban uprising that has shaken the ruling system and many back the web-savvy youths who galvanised the nation.
A few have turned up in Cairo in their galabiyas, the robes worn in the fields, although most are too busy trying to
feed their families. But many believe it is time for a new era, even if some think Mubarak should stay on a few months
more.
"The revolution is good ... It will give us stability but the protest should stop and the president should be allowed to
stay until the end of his term," said farmer Fawzi Abdel Wahab, working a field near the Nile Delta city of Tanta.
"If the president doesn't do as he promised, Tahrir Square is still there and the youth will not die, they can go back,"
he said, his wife and daughter nodding in agreement.
ENDS