Mohamed Elserafy’s eyewitness view of Egypt’s uprising, Jan. 8

CORNWALL — Nearly a year after Egyptian citizens rose up against a repressive government, the country at the northeastern tip of Africa remains in turmoil. The military is working to restore order. Hosni Mubarak, president for nearly 30 years, is now on trial for conspiracy to kill hundreds of protestors.Mohamed Elserafy spent last summer there. He will speak about his experiences on Jan. 8 at 11:30 a.m. in the Parish House of the UCC church in Cornwall. The public is invited.Elserafy lives in West Cornwall with his family. He was the valedictorian of the class of 2010 at Housatonic Valley Regional High School. He is now a sophomore engineering major at the University of Connecticut. He was born in Saudi Arabia, where his Egyptian parents worked. He lived in Egypt for two years before moving here in 2000. “I live here, and it’s a great place. But my family has always upheld their culture. I have always thought of Egypt as home.”They visit on a regular basis. All of their extended family members are in Egypt. During his last visit, Elserafy had a chance to check in on family and friends dealing with the tenuous situation there. He traveled a lot, including to Alexandria and Cairo. Most Egyptians live in cities along the Nile River. The rest is primarily desert.“It’s still very hectic there. There is some fighting. The police withdrew all their forces and all the prisoners escaped. Everyone has a phone number for the military.”What he saw was more of a move toward restoring peace for all, rather than people out to protect themselves or gain from the situation.“People have organized vigilante neighborhood police. It is working very well. They have whistles and have armed themselves with mostly household items. They are mainly working on turning in criminals.”Elserafy maintains a dual citizenship. Should he give up being an American, he would have to register for the selective service in Egypt. It is not something he outright objects to. He hopes to move to Egypt after college, but said he will be looking, at that point, to “build himself” and will look for opportunities wherever they present themselves.His talk will be about his experiences and a description of what he saw. He does not intend to go into details of the political situation or offer his opinions.

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