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A project of Common Dreams

For Immediate Release
Contact: Sam Husseini, (202) 347-0020; or David Zupan, (541) 484-9167

Roots of Terrorism

ABC News reports that "President Obama convenes a meeting of national security officials in the Situation Room today."

AHMED SALAH https://6aprilmove.blogspot.com

WASHINGTON

ABC News reports that "President Obama convenes a meeting of national security officials in the Situation Room today."

AHMED SALAH https://6aprilmove.blogspot.com
A leader of the pro-democratic movement in Egypt, Salah said today: "I
see the threat of groups like Al Qaeda growing by the day and much of
it is the result of the actions of the Egyptian government. Egypt has
been in a state of emergency since 1981. When Mubarak took over that
year, Egypt was 44th in terms of economic development according to the
UN. Now we are 113th. We have millions of street children who will grow
up to be full of hatred and anger. We have a tiny elite around the
government that is making billions of dollars from corruption. All this
eventually will come crashing down and the rich will flee the country
to their villas in Europe, the U.S. and the Caribbean."

Salah, who has testified before U.S. congressional committees, added:
"The American activists and others beaten in the last week trying to
march to Gaza got a taste of how much collusion there is between the
Egyptian dictatorship and the U.S. and Israeli governments. They also
got a taste of the enormity of the police state apparatus here. It has
gone from 200,000 when Mubarak took over to more than 2.5 million.
Meanwhile, the army has shrunk from 1 million to 300,000. The enemy as
far as the Egyptian government is concerned is its own people and
anyone calling for democracy in the Mideast.

"We are now receiving reports of 2,000 Egyptian riot police surrounding
the Viva Palestine convoy at [the Sinai port of] Al Arish. This convoy
has been held up by the Egyptian government for weeks, having to go
from one port to the next. It shows that the Egyptian president is
helping to suffocate Gaza because that's what Israel wants. I believe
he is ingratiating himself to the Israelis and the U.S. so they will
support him and help arrange for his son to become the next president
of Egypt."

A nationwide consortium, the Institute for Public Accuracy (IPA) represents an unprecedented effort to bring other voices to the mass-media table often dominated by a few major think tanks. IPA works to broaden public discourse in mainstream media, while building communication with alternative media outlets and grassroots activists.