Recent uprising in Cairo ‘not an Islamic Revolution’: Egypt expert

WASHINGTON - Indiana School of Law-Indianapolis Professor Frank Emmert, an expert on Egyptian politics, has said that the recent protests in Cairo that ousted President Hosni Mubarak is an ‘uprising of the middle class against a brutal dictator, not an Islamic revolution’.

Calling Egypt as the key to the Middle East, Professor Emmert urged the US to help the country in preventing itself from being dominated by radical Islamic forces.

“The revolution in Egypt is an uprising of the middle class against a brutal dictator and police state. It is not an Islamic revolution and with our help and a bit of luck, we can prevent radical Islamic forces from playing a major role in a future Egyptian government,” he said.

After Mubarak’s resignation, Emmert had said that although he had given in to the pressure of pro-democracy protestors, the fight was not yet over.

“A real reform government would very likely seek to find out how Mubarak and his family were able to accumulate an estimated wealth of 40-70 billion USD and they may well issue international arrest warrants against him and his family and ask countries like Switzerland to return some of the money, like it has happened after the dictator in Tunisia was deposed recently.” Professor Emmert added.

Emmert directs a partnership project between Indiana University School of Law-Indianapolis and Cairo University, and teaches regularly in Egypt in the project related to business and trade law. His main areas of expertise are Egyptian politics, human rights and rule of law, constitutional reform, and higher education in Egypt. (ANI)