No-one can fail to be moved by the sight of young, educated men and women demonstrating in Cairo's Al Tahrir Square for a better future. When so many Arab countries allow their presidents free rein to hold on to power indefinitely and groom their sons to take over, as though they were monarchs, it's no wonder that people all over North Africa and the Middle East are demanding change. That said, there is a fine line between freedom and anarchy and, frankly, the images on our television screens have been pointing to the latter. Egypt has become a lawless land. Thugs have been torching historic buildings, businesses and shopping centres. Thieves are on the prowl, forcing Egyptian families to barricade themselves in their homes. Foreigners are leaving in droves. The once peaceful Egyptians are beating one another to death. The economy is suffering too. This is not the Egypt I know and love. Tragically, there may be much worse to come. There's a saying: ‘Be careful what you wish for. It may just happen'. It's true that an ageing President Mubarak has made mistakes in recent times and seems to be out of touch with what has been happening in the street. Let's not forget that he was head of the Air Force, that restored Egypt's dignity during the 1973 War. As President, he has maintained Egypt's stability and cemented relations with the international community. He has improved infrastructure, cultivated a comfortable climate for foreign investment and presided over a growing economy. That's why I was disgusted to see Egyptians hanging up dummies of their President from lampposts in the street and pretending to shoot them. Hosni Mubarak, for all his faults, is a patriot who wants to die on Egypt's soil. Moreover, he immediately responded to the protesters' demands by sacking his Cabinet and promising that neither he nor his son would stand in the next presidential elections. For the first time, he has appointed a vice president and instructed his new government to overhaul elements of the Constitution, while talking to opposition figures and trying to ensure that university leavers can find jobs. At the same time, the former Minister of the Interior, responsible for police brutality, along with the Minister of Tourism and the Minister of Housing, believed to be corrupt, have been barred from travelling and their bank accounts frozen. It is my belief that Mubarak wasn't aware that people around him were abusing their power and lining their pockets. I blame those closest to him for their cowardice in failing to inform him of corrupt practices and police brutality. He must have been deeply hurt to suddenly find himself an object of hate. I don't know whether the makers of the Egyptian movie The President's Chef had inside knowledge, but they admirably portrayed the President's isolation from the real world, orchestrated by his aides. The initial demands of the core demonstrators have all been met, but the Facebook/Twitter movement has been hijacked by agenda-led, self-interested individuals and parties – in some cases, sponsored by foreign powers. These hijackers are nothing more than opportunists seeking power. They are out to humiliate President Mubarak. They want to see him flying around the world looking for a country prepared to take him in, like the Shah of Iran and, more recently, Tunisia's former President Ben Ali. Of course, Mubarak doesn't want this. He has admitted to ABC News that he is “fed up” of being President but fears that his exit will hurl Egypt into chaos. He wants to complete his term so as to supervise free and fair elections and an orderly handover of power. But the hijackers are refusing even these unprecedented concessions and many insist they will only engage in dialogue with the Vice President when Mubarak has gone. That condition is totally unreasonable, when even a sacked employee usually gets one month to clear his desk. More crucially, Egyptians need time to consider who comes next when people like Mohamed ElBaradei, who's lived abroad for 20 years, and the opposition Ghad Party's Ayman Nour have little grassroots support. The only organised opposition party is the banned Muslim Brotherhood, who joined the tail end of the demonstrations, and have, since then, been playing a clever game by announcing they will not field a presidential candidate. That's now, but what about some time down the road? Those people, who fund Hamas, have admitted they want an Islamic Caliphate and Sharia (Islamic law). They should not be allowed to participate in any election. I am also concerned that Egypt will fall victim to mob rule in the future, now that the crowds have tasted success, and I'm worried that the entire region will suffer from the domino effect of this contagion. I'm particularly surprised at the duplicity of President Obama who now insists on President Mubarak's swift departure, when he has always been Washington's obliging friend. Mubarak is right to say that Obama doesn't understand Egypt or the implications of his hasty departure. There is a lesson to be learnt from Saddam's ousting. True, he was a strongman, but he united all Iraqis under one flag and ensured strict law and order. Democracy is an admirable goal, but it cannot be instituted in one day and one night in a state that has never known it. I admire Obama, but the US would be better served if he stayed out of internal Arab politics and concentrated on resolving the problems in his own country, where many people are homeless and hungry, as well as the fallout from his predecessor's invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq. We don't want Egypt to end up like fundamentalist Iran or Iraq that was once the ‘Cradle of Civilisation' and is now the ‘Cradle of Terrorism'. And we don't want a bloody civil war like Lebanon's. And we certainly don't want every government in the region to be held to ransom by the mob. Finally, I would say this to the Egyptians in the squares: Please go home before you unwittingly destroy your country's economy, divide its people and tarnish its reputation forever. You've had your say, the state has responded and now you should exercise patience. Give your President a chance to restore Egypt's dignity and stability while it's still possible to do so. God bless you all! Al-Habtoor is a businessman and chairman of the Dubai-based Al-Habtoor Group, which has extensive business interests in the region and worldwide. He can be contacted at: www.habtoor.com He contributed this article to the Egyptian Mail
