‘Our man in Cairo’

The unrest rocking Egypt’s government is huge news. The fiery situation is loaded with implications for U.S. foreign policy and the price of oil. At The Herald, it’s also a st

ory with a personal connection.

Ahmed Fawzi wasn’t at this newspaper long. While studying at Everett Community College, he was an intern here in the spring and summer of 2010. He made friends in The Herald newsroom and helped some of us learn about his homeland — Egypt.

On Friday, as Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak resisted pressure to resign and protests raged, I tried without success to reach Fawzi.

The 27-year-old had answered a Facebook message from me Thursday. He also sent e-mail Thursday and called me briefly — the connection wasn’t clear enough to talk. By Friday, the Egyptian government had disrupted the Internet and cell phone service.

Those of us who knew Fawzi in Everett were left to wonder and worry.

He returned last July to his native Cairo. He works as a journalist for Eldabil, which he described via e-mail Thursday as “one of the biggest opposition newspapers.”

“Our editor-in-chief is Khaled Elbalashy, one of the most famous opposition writers,” he said. Fawzi’s message said his paper’s staff members “feel that we are (in) danger now or after this revolution,” and that if Mubarak’s government prevails the journalists may face arrest.

Phebe Shen, an EvCC English instructor, is the college’s coordinator of the scholarship program that brought Fawzi here to study for a year. He was one of seven students, three from Egypt, at EvCC last year with the Community College Initiative Program. It’s a U.S. State Department scholarship, administered by the Fulbright Scholar Program. The aim is to build leadership, English language and professional skills in students from Egypt and 14 other countries.

“Most of us have been following his Facebook updates,” Shen said Friday. “I sent him a message a few days ago to encourage him and make sure he knows we are thinking of him.” Shen said she is concerned about Fawzi’s safety, but has mixed feelings.

“The situation is exciting and frightening at the same time,” she said. “Part of the goal of the scholarship is that they can really affect change in their country. I’m excited that there is so much passion.”

The growing push for government reforms and economic fairness in Egypt, fueled by Facebook and Twitter, exploded into street demonstrations in Cairo and other cities earlier last week. Herald reporter Debra Smith posted a blog entry Tuesday about Fawzi witnessing the protests.

Shen recalled Fawzi as a friendly and involved student. “He had a lot of friends, and did a lot of community service,” she said. “We really learned a lot about Egypt from him. He helped out in the Islamic Social Club, creating more bridges for understanding on campus.”

Fawzi wrote Thursday that at EvCC he earned certificates in journalism and leadership. When he walked the stage at his EvCC graduation ceremony, cheers filled Comcast Arena, with many people shouting “Ahmed! Ahmed!”

He has graduated from Al-Azhar University in Cairo and is working on a master’s degree.

While looking at Fawzi’s Facebook page, I saw a comment from Rhonda Hillabush, of Monroe. When I contacted her, Hillabush said she met Fawzi through her 22-year-old daughter, Ali Hillabush.

Rhonda Hillabush said Ali met Fawzi when they both volunteered at Christmas House, an Everett charity that provides gifts for low-income families. Fawzi spent holidays with the Monroe family and helped at a YMCA teen night in Monroe.

“He had a wonderful servant heart,” Rhonda Hillabush said. “He was just very open, and we loved getting to know his culture.”

Her remarks reminded me of a long conversation I had with Fawzi when he was here. I asked him many questions about Egypt — some possibly offensive questions — about his life there, about Muslims in his country, about getting through airport security in New York and Seattle, and about how much freedom Egyptian women have to live independent lives.

What I remember is how patiently and completely he tried to answer. It was a gift, for an American woman to sit down and talk freely and frankly with a young man from Egypt.

Along with being a journalist, Fawzi is a calligrapher. Tacked to a wall at my desk is a sheet of paper with my name beautifully penned in Arabic script by Ahmed Fawzi.

In his e-mail Thursday, he said that although he feels the Seattle area is his “second home,” Egypt “is my home.” Wracked by strife, Egypt needs “my help and all people’s help,” he said.

Rhonda Hillabush understands why Fawzi is there and not here.

“He cares about issues in the world, and he wants freedom in the world,” she said.

I’m anxious — very anxious — to hear from him.

Julie Muhlstein: 425-339-3460, muhlstein@heraldnet.com.