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At Egyptian Mosque, People Try to Speak Out

(AP/Daily Times-Pakistan) As the turbaned sheik finished his sermon and walked from the prayer hall, other speakers stepped in to speak. But the 1,000-year-old Al-Azhar mosque at Al-Azhar University, a revered seat of Islamic learning, is no sanctuary of free speech. Helmeted riot police ringed the mosque, while inside was the more subtle presence of plainclothes state security officers. One man spoke of Egyptians' struggle for freedom under what he called an oppressive government. Suddenly, the security agents materialized from the crowd, checking IDs and questioning the people crowded around the political speaker.
2004-10-26 00:00:00
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