 Thousands of Islamist students from across Egypt held a mass rally at Cairo University on Tuesday, calling for greater freedom on campuses and in national politics. In Islamic style, the students marched in separate columns for men and women, holding yellow banners with the names of their universities and demands for change.
| It's a safety measure. The have separate columns so their pee-pees don't smell each other, thereby avoiding spontaneous copulation... |
Police estimated the number of protesters to be about 6,000, while The Associated Press put the number at about 5,000. Both said an almost equal number of riot police cordoned off the university to make sure the demonstrators did not leave the campus. The demonstration came weeks before Egyptians go to the polls to elect a new parliament. Some of the banners declared allegiance to the banned Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's largest Islamic group, which plans to campaign on behalf of nominally independent candidates in the election. A police officer said late Tuesday that seven of the organizers, who are affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, were arrested for holding an illegal demonstration. |