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The uprising in Egypt has not abated over the past week, with major demonstrations continuing this week calling on President Hosni Mubarak to end his 30 year reign. Yesterday the actions turned violent when hundreds of pro-Mubarak supporters, mostly men, reportedly bused into Cairo, began attacking the anti-government protesters which included whole families: men, women, and children. Despite the fact that the Military has issued a statement recognizing the “legitimate demands” of the people, and vowing not to use force against them, soldiers reportedly took no action to prevent pro-Mubarak people from using violence against protesters. After realizing the futility of shutting down the internet and other communications to quell the protests, internet services are reportedly back up. President Obama, after receiving criticism for not supporting the pro-democracy movement strongly enough, sent a message to Mubarak to not run in the next elections, according to the New York Times. Less than two years ago, Obama gave an historic speech in Cairo about U.S. relations with the Muslim world during which he noted the importance of democracy among other things. Mubarak followed with a speech yesterday echoing those words – he refuses to step down but has promised not to run in the next election. Instead Mubarak has appointed a new Prime Minister, Omar Suleiman. Suleiman is a close confidante of the President and the move is meant to quell popular demands for change. But Egyptians are not buying it. On Sunday several prisons were attacked, leading to the inadvertent release of thousands of prisoners, among them hundreds of alleged Islamist militants. Egypt’s museums have also experienced attempted looting, but reports are pouring in of ordinary Egyptians forming human chains and impromptu check-points to safeguard Egypt’s rich and ancient heritage. Outside Egypt, people in cities around the world have joined Egyptians in solidarity by demonstrating at Egyptian embassies from New York to Paris.

GUESTS: Amin Mahmoud, with the Alliance of Egyptian Americans, part of the the Coalition of Egyptian Organizations, Ghada Talhami, emeritus professor in the department of politics at Lake Forest College. Her books include “The Mobilization of Muslim Women in Egypt, Emad Mekay, Based in Cairo, he has reported for the New York Times and Bloomberg News. He is currently the Editor of America in Arabic News Service