People in Egypt celebrated the changes happening in their country.
Since early 2011, protests in the Middle East have been in the news. The Middle East is a region made up of countries in southwestern Asia and North Africa. The protests in these countries have started for different reasons. Some of the reasons have been high food prices, lack of jobs, and the unequal treatment of people of certain religions.
News reporters have called the wave of protests “Arab Spring” because the main language in the countries is Arabic. Also, many of the protests started in February and went on through the spring season. Spring is the time of year that makes many people think of new beginnings.
A new beginning is what many protesters want. Many nations in the Middle East are controlled by a few wealthy people or families. Protesters want more people to have opportunities to succeed. They are demanding more civil rights. They want a chance to vote. They want freedom to say and write what they think. They also want jobs.
Some protests have been successful. The leader of Tunisia stepped down in January, and elections were planned for July. Hosni Mubarak, the president of Egypt, left office in February. A temporary government has been put in charge of creating a democracy in Egypt.
The world is waiting to find out the results of protests in other nations. In Jordan, the king promised to allow citizens to vote for some government leaders. However, he has not done this yet. President Assad of Syria promised talks with protesters, but he has used violence against them. In Libya, protests have led to a civil war.
Loading...
