Cairo and other cities in Egypt, anxiety has also been increasing in Iran. The people of the two nations, who'd been very close for centuries, were ripped apart by a revolution in Iran and an Islamic regime that replaced the monarch, Mohamed Reza Shah Pahlavi. The sick King of Iran's final resting place was Egypt, the country where, nearly half a century earlier, he'd whisked his first bride, the glamorous Princess Fawzia, off her feet and taken her with him to Tehran. It was his destiny to be laid to rest near his former wife and their half- Egyptian daughter. President Hosni Mubarak, who was very close to late President Anwar Sadat and came to power in October 1981 after Sadat's assassination by a radical Islamist called Khaled Islamboli, has never forgiven the Iranian regime for its jubilation at Sadat's assassination. Both reformist President Mohamed Khatami, who came to power back in 1997, and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have put a lot of effort into improving relations with Egypt. Ahmadinejad, in two interviews with The Egyptian Gazette, has admitted his willingness to boost relations between the two countries to a higher level as soon as Mubarak agrees. “As soon as we have [improved] relations, I will open our embassy overnight in Cairo,” the Iranian President has said. And now, with the uprising on Egypt's streets, the willingness to have an embassy and better relations with Cairo is increasing among ordinary Iranians, as well as the leaders of the Islamic Republic. The only person left to decide is Mubarak. No matter who becomes the next president of Egypt, it seems that the days of bad relations and bitterness between the two nations may soon be over. Just as when the downfall of Saddam Hussein's regime allowed many devoted Iranian Shi'ites to achieve their dream of visiting the holy sites in Iraq (impossible under Saddam), many Iranians are now starting to wonder if they may soon be allowed to visit the Giza Pyramids and the tomb of the late King Pahlavi in el-Rifai Mosque. Let's hope this dream come true – and the sooner the better! As much as ordinary people are excited about these changes, the Islamic regime is closely watching the developments in the Egyptian capital. The regime is anxious because it is not sure what kind of government might replace Mubarak, and whether a new government would be anxious to thawrelations with the Iranian regime, which have been iced up for the past 32 years. The regime in Iran is cautious, as it is afraid what kind of impression that the Egyptian people's uprising against Mubarak, who has been in power for so long, might have on Iranians. The Iranians, who took to the streets two years ago to demonstrate against Iran's presidential elections, were angry with the Supreme Leader, who came to power twenty years ago and shows no sign of stepping down or reducing hisabsolute power. The Iranian protests were crushed by the Supreme Leader's loyal guards and security forces. But now Iranians are seeing Egyptians demonstrate against a totalitariangovernment and it may wake them up – just look at what has beenhappening in Jordan and Yemen inrecent days. Meanwhile, most of the radical clergy in Iran like to think that the Egyptian unrest has been inspired by the Iranian Revolution that happened over 30 years ago. When I talked with several Egyptians in New York City, they expressed their fears that, if some of the Islamic radical movements jumped on the wave of change and democracy in Egypt, the nation could end up having a regime like Iran's. This awakens the bitter memory of the Iranian Revolution, which should give the Egyptians an idea about what exactly they should ask of the next government that comes to power in Egypt. Perhaps the awakening of the Egyptians will awaken the Iranian people again. And it may be that, after all the efforts by Iranian presidents to reestablish relations with Cairo, Iran finds itself no longer wanting this in a post- Mubarak era. Democracy in Egyptwould set a bad example for Iran! Entekhabifard is an Iranian journalist based in New York. She regularly contributes to The Gazette and its weekly edition, the Mail.
