NEW YORK: Egyptian-Americans in New York City were scandalized by the outcome of Egypt's presidential election, where the Muslim Brotherhood candidate, Mohammed Morsi, claimed his victory. “Morsi's victory is bad news for me," Egyptian born Amani Hassan, an Arabic professor at New York University, born in Cairo and living in the United States for 20 years, said. “I did not hear from him a convincing plan on how he is going to fix Egypt's economic problems," Hassan told Bikyamasr.com. “The guy has no political experience to run a country." Elected or not, many Egyptian-Americans felt that Morsi's victory was more so a religious one than political, as Morsi's victory solidified the Muslim Brotherhood's growing grasp over Egypt. “Egypt has always been governed by a president, not by a group of people who want to run the country under the name of Islamic democracy," Iya Gabre, student and resident in Astoria, Little Egypt, in Queens. According to a statement issued by Morsi's campaign, this should not be the case. Morsi promised “not to take sides, equal to Muslims and Copts all the same, those who voted for him or haven't." However, some American Egyptians are not ready to believe Morsi. “As a Coptic Christian, I'm upset because I don't want to see Egypt become a theocracy," Mark Iscandar, a student of Egyptian decent told Bikyamasr.com. “Copts already have it bad enough there but a theocracy will make it much, much worse." Aside from the Copts, some worry that a new regime of fear will be built wherein no one could safely make choices that differ from those of the ruling party. “Now everyone who is going to be against him will be called an atheist," Hassan said. “The thought of Egypt becoming an Islamic state makes people uneasy," Iscandar said. This uneasiness has infiltrated the minds of Egyptians in New York who fear their lifestyles will change when they visit their homeland. An Islamic state promises “restrictions on alcohol and smoking, which will hurt the economy even more, more conservative dress code for women, and a repeal of the laws that try to protect women," Iscandar said. Others recognized that between Shafiq and Morsi, Egypt was fighting a losing battle. “Most Egyptians realize both candidates have nothing new to offer," Iscandar said. This “losing battle" stemmed from the 2011 Revolution where former president Hosni Mubarak was eventually forced to step down. However, the glow of the revolution has faded in many eyes due to the election results. “The Egyptian revolution rose to remove corruption and bring true democracy to the country. I don't see that if either is elected," Gabre said. However, this is after all, Egypt's first chance in a number of years at securing democracy. But some believe in the promise of the future. “I think Egyptians are learning about democracy for the first time and making this choice will make them learn lessons firsthand," Hassan said. Others disagree with this, believing that these election results can negate the progress the revolution demanded. “Sometimes I feel like we went in a big circle and ended up right where we started," Gabre said.
