[Foundation-l] Wikimania and the Muhammad pix

[Nathan]

I'm no expert, but wouldn't it be somewhat accurate to predict that any
organized activity/demonstrations planned against Wikimania would require
some political support? Perhaps someone with a depth of knowledge of the
political background in Egypt can describe the likelihood that such
demonstrations would enjoy the support of the Muslim Brotherhood, and thus
come under heavy scrutiny by the (far more secular) Egyptian government?
>From what I remember reading over the last few years as tensions in that
area have risen, demonstrations of a fundamentalist Islamic nature have been
dealt with fairly harshly by the Egyptian military.

At any rate, I think it would be rational for those planning on attending to
contact the embassy of their nation in Egypt, particularly if there is one
in Alexandria, to request information on steps to take in case of a
difficult or emergent situation. I don't think that the Wikimania organizers
can reasonably be expected to ensure the complete safety of attendees, given
restrictions on resources etc, so its incumbent upon those folks to take
appropriate precautions. Of note is the fact that while there has been
Islamic terrorist activity in Egypt between 2004 and 2006, none of it seems
to have occurred in Alexandria.
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For Americans: *

http://cairo.usembassy.gov/ *(Main site of the US Embassy in Cairo)*
http://cairo.usembassy.gov/consular/acs.htm *(Citizen services (including
registration) Cairo embassy)*
http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/registration/registration_1186.html
*(General
tips on registering with embassies)*
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1108.html
http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/emergencies/emergencies_1212.html
http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/emergencies/emergencies_1206.html
http://cairo.usembassy.gov/acalex%5Cindex.htm *(American Center in
Alexandria (consular services))

Citizens of the UK:

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http://www.britishembassy.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1062157948289
*(UK Embassy, travel advice for Egypt)


*Nathan*
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