While the West frets over the Egyptian
military's seizure of power and condemns the violent suppression of
protesters, the response within Egypt is more ambiguous. Many of the
nation's intellectuals see those actions not as an attack on democracy,
but as the best chance to save it. Others are not so sure.
After several days of massive protests against the elected president,
Mohamed Morsi, the military removed him on July 3 in what is widely
seen as a coup d'etat. But not everyone in Egypt calls it that way.
"Here in Egypt we don't call it a coup," said professor Saad Eddin
Ibrahim, an award-winning Egyptian fighter for democracy and a supporter
of the revolution two-and-a-half years ago against Hosni Mubarak.
Mubarak imprisoned him three times.
