Many in Michigan’s Arab-American community are celebrating the possible resignation of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak. NPR is reporting that Mubarak will announce his resignation this evening.
Osama Siblani is the spokesman for the Congress of Arab American Organizations in Michigan. He's also the publisher of the Arab American News. The congress held a large anti-Mubarak protest in Dearborn last weekend. He says Mubarak’s departure is an opportunity to spread democracy in the Middle East.
“If we go with the will of the people in the region, we will not lose. Because the people will always remain and they will build a relationship them and the United States based on trust and mutual interest.”
Siblani says it’s important for the U.S. to be seen as supporting the rights of the Egyptian people. He says Mubarak’s resignation is just the latest ‘domino’ in a potential wave of dictators to fall in the Middle East and beyond.
“What’s happening in Egypt is not only going to affect the Egyptian people, but affect the Middle East and perhaps the world.”
Egyptians are only a small fraction of Michigan’s Arab-American population.
