Division Among Egyptian Expats Over Mubarak’s Verdict

The life sentence for Egypt’s former President Hosni Mubarak, which was issued by the New Cairo criminal court Saturday, left Egyptian expatriates in Dubai divided over the degree of punishment and their country’s future, Xinhua learnt.

According to data compiled by the Embassy of Egypt in Abu Dhabi, with 300,000 expatriates from Egypt living in the Gulf state, the Egyptians are the largest Arab foreigners group in the United Arab Emirates, which has a total population of 8.5 million.

Mostafa, a 35-year old Egyptian who has been living in Dubai for more than 10 years, said that a life sentence is better than death penalty, “because the latter would spark violence.”

“I am also sure that this verdict will support the Muslim Brotherhood candidate Morsi, because a life sentence, rather than the death penalty, shows that Egypt is on the way to serious democracy where human rights are respected,” he said.

Kiwan, a Coptic Christian who works in Dubai for a consultancy firm said that the verdict against Egypt’s former president, who ruled the country for over three decades, was good for the safety of the country. “I think it is a fair decision. I respect the court, as the hearings were fair and transparent. Now that Mubarak will be brought to justice, my country can move ahead to a better future, God willing.”

Around 10 percent of the 84 million Egyptians belong to the Coptic Church.

The survey also revealed that supporters of Mubarak do not shy away from expressing their opinion. “The verdict is not just. I am very sad what they did with Mubarak,” said Mohamed, a sales manager in a fashion store in Dubai’s Mall of the Emirates.

Fighting with his tears, he added that “Mubarak took power in 1981, the year when I was born. I pray to God that history will one day tell people the truth, namely that Hosni Mubarak was a human leader who cherished the values of his country and of each family.”

Asked for whom he would vote in the run-off which will kick off on June 16, Mohamed said, “for Ahmed Shafiq, of course! I do not trust these people from the Brotherhood. They have no experience in politics. They have secret relations with other, hostile Middle Eastern states,” he added, without specifying which states he had in mind.

Fatima, on the other hand, said she was disappointed that Judge Ahmed Refaat did not give 84-year old Mubarak a death sentence. ” He killed so many people during the Tahrir revolution. That he will spend his days just in jail is not real justice.”

The 24-old student Fatima added that Egyptians are left divided and that none of the two presidential candidates for the run-off would be good for the country.

“Muhamed Morsi from the Muslim Brotherhood will force us women to wear the headscarf Sheila and we do not want that. We are free! “Ahmed Shafiq added.”The former prime minister was under Mubarak, so for me he is a man of the past. Can he bring us the liberal change which we want? Never!”

Engineer Ahmed, a father in his fifties who raised his four children in Dubai, remained neutral, saying that “we respect the court’s decision. I expect Shafiq to become the next president. Only he can bring safety, security and stability to my country.”

Nermin, a teacher from Alexandria who lives with her family in Dubai’s old town Deira, also said she had expected that Mubarak would be given the capital punishment.

“Nevertheless, I will vote for Ahmed Shafiq. He is the experienced one of the two candidates, and as minister of civil aviation, which he was from 2002 to early 2011, he did nothing bad to the people. The Muslim Brotherhood I do not really trust. I fear they will limit women’s rights.”