Asmaa Mahfouz: 'There Will Be Hope'

At New York Times, "Equal Rights Takes to the Barricades":

People here are not afraid anymore — and it just may be that a woman helped break that barrier of fear.

Asmaa Mahfouz was celebrating her 26th birthday on Tuesday among tens of thousands of Egyptians as they took to the streets, parting with old fears in a bid to end President Hosni Mubarak’s three decades of authoritarian, single-party rule.

“As long as you say there is no hope, then there will be no hope, but if you go down and take a stance, then there will be hope.”

That was what Ms. Mahfouz had to say in a video she posted online more than two weeks ago. She spoke straight to the camera and held a sign saying she would go out and protest to try to bring down Mr. Mubarak’s regime.

It's another reason that, despite the dangers of fanatical Islam, the cause of freedom does burn bright in Egypt.

And it's a shame this administration's on the sidelines: "Obama Frozen on Egypt."