Cairo

The Middle East summit in Cairo Thursday was as splendid in symbolism as it was meager in substance. It would be hard to say which is more important.In one sense, this was the first Middle East summit ever. That is, the first in which Israel's prime minister sat down with his regional counterparts, not just one-on-one; the first in which the others congregated as Middle East rather than exclusively Arab leaders.It began with the prime minister of Israel, the president of Egypt, the king of Jordan and the head of the Palestinian authority sitting down for the festive meal ending the daytime fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, a traditional hour of sharing with family and close friends.

The images shown on the news media are startling: violence rages on the streets of Cairo while a divided government continues to sow seeds of discord. I have spent some time in Tahrir Square this past week and have seen a very different perspective. I saw no violence, I saw no despair. Instead, I saw a people reclaiming their unique voice for democracy. The situation in Egypt is tense, but the future is bright. What started as a political power grab by President Mohamed Morsi in the shadow of his success ending the Gaza conflict turned into chaos on the streets as rival protesters from opposition groups and government supporters voiced their differing visions for the future of Egypt.

CAIRO -A bomb exploded yesterday in a bazaar near the historic Hussein mosque in Cairo, killing a French woman, wounding 18 others and raising fears that Islamic militants might be targeting Egypt's tourism industry after several years of relative quiet. The blast was small, but it reverberated through the tight alleys of the centuries-old Khan El-Khalili bazaar and sent shopkeepers, coffee shop waiters, worshipers and tourists scrambling for cover. Egyptian state-owned TV reported that a French tourist was killed and the other victims, mostly foreigners, were injured when two masked women tossed a bomb from the roof of a motel just after dusk.

The chameleon is finally showing his true colors. Since taking office in June, Mohamed Morsi, Egypt's not-so-new president, has been equivocating, trying to balance Egypt's longstanding diplomatic and financial relationship with the West with his true self: a Muslim Brotherhood fundamentalist who is contemptuous of the West, hates Israel and wants to turn Egypt into a fully Islamic state. "He speaks of moderation for the West," Perihan Abou-Zeid, a 28-year-old Egyptian officer for a media-production company in Cairo, told me. "But then when Salafists blow up churches, there are no arrest warrants.

CAIRO -- Necessary accessories for every tourist in Egypt:* A money dispenser so the merchants who flock around you can help themselves. Why bother rooting through your wallet each time when they can do it for you?* A baseball cap with two flashing signs that can be illuminated at the wearer's choice: "Tourist Open for Business" or "Tourist Closed Now, Try Again Later."Every first-time tourist in Egypt must run the gamut of entrepreneurs with an outstretched hand. The requirement apparently is stamped in your passport in some invisible ink.There is Ahmed, owner of the camel-of-a-thousand-pictures who will hoist you upon a humpy back for a souvenir photo in front of the Pyramids.

CAIRO, Egypt -- Ambushers with machine guns raked an armored car carrying Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Ethiopia yesterday, but he was not hurt and hurried back to Cairo.Mr. Mubarak promptly blamed the attack on Muslim radicals who assassinated his predecessor and are trying to overthrow his 14-year-old regime.Two of the alleged attackers and two Ethiopian security officers were killed in the gunfight that erupted as Mr. Mubarak's motorcade drove from the airport into Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, for a meeting of African leaders.

CAIRO -- Seemingly confident but increasingly reticent, Secretary of State James A. Baker III arrived in the Middle East yesterday to try to soothe Arab and Israeli anxiety over conditions for a peace conference.During Mr. Baker's 12-hour flight from Washington to Cairo, the State Department announced that he would confer Friday with Soviet Foreign Minister Boris D. Pankin.There is nothing unusual about that: Mr. Baker has met 12 times this year with Mr. Pankin or his predecessor, Alexander A. Bessmertnykh.

CAIRO, Egypt -- Suspected Muslim radicals answered the Egyptian government's crackdown on terrorism with a bold assassination attempt yesterday that killed four people and wounded 15, including their target, a top minister.A bomb strapped to a parked motorcycle exploded near the city's main Tahrir Square just as a motorcade passed carrying Hassan el-Alfy, the minister of interior. He is in charge of combating the 19-month wave of attacks by Islamic fundamentalists.Mr. el-Alfy was wounded in the arm and later appeared on national television from his hospital bed to denounce the attackers as "killers and butchers who have no religion."

Cairo, Egypt -- Slick leans over the green baize, squinting at the six ball for an easy shot to the corner pocket. He jabs smartly with his cue . . . and the ball careens four inches from the corner.Specs is next. Another simple shot, a virtual gimmie. His ball, too, spins wildly off mark.Finally Muscles sinks a ball. His buddies snap their fingers -- Egyptian cool for applause.Egypt's latest craze is pool, but the spiraling popularity of the game is no reflection of the skill with which it is played.

CAIRO -- It's known as "the national dream." And that might not be much of an exaggeration. Beneath Egypt's crowded and claustrophobic capital city lies what many feel is the last, best hope to make Cairo livable again.In a city rapidly collapsing under the weight of its own population, government officials and city planners have turned their hopes underground -- to the only subway system in Africa or the Middle East."It's an idea that has been long overdue. They should have started it in the '60s," says Sayed Ettouney, a Cairo University professor of architecture and urban planning.

Each week The Sun's John McIntyre presents a moderately obscure but evocative word with which you may not be familiar — another brick to add to the wall of your working vocabulary. This week's word: FUSTIAN If you come across a piece of writing that is so over-the-top, so bombastic, so pompous and pretentious that it seems more like upholstery than writing, there's a label you can pin on it: fustian (pronounced FUST-yun or FUSS-chen). Fustian was originally a coarse cloth, later a higher-grade twill.

The high hopes of the Egyptian people for a peaceful transition to democracy are being thwarted by the brutal tactics of the country's military rulers, who in recent days have launched a bloody campaign of repression against protesters demanding an immediate turnover of power to an elected civilian government. The armed forces, once revered as guardians of the popular uprising that overthrew longtime dictator Hosni Mubarak in February, now appear desperate to cling to power at any cost.

Matthew VanDyke — the Baltimore writer and filmmaker who was jailed in Libya for nearly six months and then remained to aid rebels seeking to overthrow dictator Moammar Gadhafi — is scheduled to return home Saturday. VanDyke, 32, is set to arrive about 7 p.m. at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, said his mother, Sharon VanDyke. He will leave Cairo on Saturday morning and fly to John F. Kennedy International Airport before coming to Baltimore, she said.

Their voices have been heard. The people have spoken. The streets of Cairo echo with the clatter of democracy and freedom. However, I wonder if freedom in Egypt is truly possible. Can a regime torn by controversy and dictatorship follow with freedom and liberty? Many Americans tend to view Muslim countries with a cautious eye. However, this past weekend I stumbled upon a very peculiar image. The image depicted was thousands of men and women praying together side-by-side after the conclusion of dictatorship in Tahrir Square in Cairo (a feat typically unusual outside of the holy city of Mecca)

As Molotov cocktails, rocks and gunshots filled the streets of Cairo last week, executives at ARINC Inc. in Annapolis fixed on their employees' safety and getting them out of Egypt. The company, which outfitted Cairo's international terminal with electronics systems and maintains U.S. Air Force jets there, decided Thursday after days of anti-government protests and clashes to pull employees, contractors and their families out. It was a harrowing time — there and here. "This is what we've been living and breathing 24/7," said Alice Lao, ARINC'S director of international human resources.

Howard Community College student Sarah Blake was in Egypt when that nation's turbulent demonstrations began, and she and her friends found themselves being pushed and shoved in Cairo's streets. "It was really scary. That's when the tear gas started coming out more and the water cannon trucks were going through. The police cars would come through, and crowds of people would just scramble," said Blake, who returned from the violence-torn nation last week after a one-month stay. Blake is among several area residents who have come home from the country with harrowing stories that mirror the images depicted on news broadcasts.

Matthew VanDyke — the Baltimore writer and filmmaker who was jailed in Libya for nearly six months and then remained to aid rebels seeking to overthrow dictator Moammar Gadhafi — is scheduled to return home Saturday. VanDyke, 32, is set to arrive about 7 p.m. at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, said his mother, Sharon VanDyke. He will leave Cairo on Saturday morning and fly to John F. Kennedy International Airport before coming to Baltimore, she said.

Gary Vikan, director of the Walters Art Museum , is guardedly hopeful that the unrest in Egypt won't interfere with a big exhibit planned for the fall of 2014. Long before protests broke out this week, the Walters had been working on a future exhibit that will spotlight the ancient treasures of the North African nation. So, when Vikan heard that Egypt's museums and storehouses were being looted, he was understandably concerned. But early indications are that damage to Cairo's famed Egyptian Museum was relatively minor, and that the approximately 70 items that were taken or smashed in the first 24 hours of the unrest can be repaired.