Oula Farawati in Amman takes the pulse of the Jordanian street, and talks to Egyptians who "just want to go home" Taxi driver Abu Sami has one favourite and urgent subject to talk about with his passengers. Each passenger that uses his services in these rainy Amman days listens to his wisdom about the uprising in Egypt. "Mubarak should go by now, this is too much blood," he frowns as the BBC Arabic radio broadcast in the background feeds millions of listeners around the world news and happenings on the "Million Man March" last Tuesday. "Mubarak said we should give the changes he has made a chance. Mubarak has been in power for 30 years, how many more does he need?" he giggles. Hundreds of thousands of Jordanians have been glued to their TVs, computer screens and mobile handsets for every development on the uprising that is rocking Egypt, "the mother of the World", as Jordanians like to refer to it, have sympathised with the Egyptians revolting for better living standards and opportunities. "They speak of our pains," notes Abu Sami. Jordanian writers have celebrated the uprising. For them the revolt is taking Egypt back to its glorious days of leadership in the Arab world in science, religion, culture and politics. "Two weeks ago, we wondered where the brilliant spark of Tunisia will ignite again. And it was Egypt; the big sister and the leader of the Arabs before the system infested it with stagnation, corruption and status inheritance. The revolution shall regain Egypt its magnificence and splendour. And to the people who were humiliated by poverty, misery and disability, the revolt is here to give them courage and dignity and pride," Jordanian columnist and MP Jamil Al-Nimri, wrote Tuesday in Al-Ghad daily. It is primarily the rights of the people that touched most the majority of Jordanian columnists. Yasser Abu Hilala believes that stealing the innocence of kids was a grave mistake by the Mubarak regime: "In a rare census that was conducted in 1999, the number of street children in Egypt was found to be more than two million (the same number as security service), and they are prone to exploitation and crime. Their right to regain their childhood was looted by the National Democratic Party regime, and it shall be regained by those who rebelled for Egyptian dignity and rights," he wrote. The editorial in Al-Arab Al-Yom daily lashed out at those supporting the regime and criticising the uprising. "Criticising the uprising and fear of the people's revolution for freedom and dignity comes only from the enemies of the people who claim that their authoritarian rule is a gift from the sky. Arab people, like any people on this earth, are human beings who are equal in their right to govern justly and live in freedom under the rule of law. Egypt woke up today to shake the earth under the feet of tyrants and occupiers. The real Egypt is represented by the rebels, not those who packed their bags quickly and left the country." But on the 13th day of the revolt, some in Jordan are still wary of what will happen to Egypt if President Mubarak leaves. Abdel-Gabbar works in a second hand apparel shop in Jabal Amman. He sits at a desk all day watching the news as ladies come in and finger piles of clothes looking for a good buy. Women ask him for prices and he answers them while looking at a small screen on the shabby wall. "We are doomed," he declares as scores of pro- and anti- Mubarak protesters in the Tahrir Square hurl stones at each other. Egyptians are fighting Egyptians. Is this the change they want, a change for the worse?" he asked. When asked about the instigator of the Egyptian revolt, Wael Ghoneim, who was abducted for 12 days, Abdel-Gabbar grimaced with anger. "Those kids will take us down with them," he said. But other Jordanians have been sympathising with Ghoneim. Twitter was filled with sympathy tweets as Ghoneim recounted his experience. "Ghoneim, you are a hero," said Samih Toukan, CEO of Jabbar group and co- founder of Maktoob.com, which was acquired by Yahoo for close to $180 million. Yasser, an Egyptian guard at one of Amman's posh buildings, continues life as usual. From washing cars to street sweeping and delivering groceries, his day-to-day life has been normal. But Yasser is filled with anger and worry, and he takes chances to sneak to his basement room to check the happenings on TV. He is convinced that some outside power was behind the chaos, that "the Americans have orchestrated this to strip Egypt of its stability," he said as he was struggling to drain rainwater that flooded the building garage. "My family is safe, they are in the suburbs," he whispered. But Yasser has a change of plan. Instead of going back to his family in April, he will go later, maybe in December, because he is afraid that his chances of finding a job in Egypt are dimmer with the economy suffering because of the political unrest. "America doesn't want me to go home."
