Local Egyptian-American, Ahmed Abdelsalam, finally spoke with his family over the weekend.
After the Egyptian Government shut down internet and cell phone connections in rioting cities, Abdelsalam attempted to connect with his family in Alexandria but was unsuccessful, as NewsChannel 15 reported Friday.
His concern stretched to all his family but mostly for the safety of his 80-year-old mother and his brother, a policemanin Alexandria, Egypt .
"I talked to them Sunday." says Abdelsalam. "My mother has a land line that I was able to get through on. They are both safe and doing well."
Proud is how Abdelsalam describes the feeling when watching the ongoing coverage on the television.
"I'm watching Al-Jazeera and I know my brother is in a line of fire. But this historical event is bigger than any one person in Egypt," he says.
"I'm proud of those young men and women who broke out of their fears of the government and are sacrificing their own lives for freedom."
Abdelsalam, who is an American citizen, pointed to one particular situation where he was especially proud to be called an Egyptian.
"Young people are guarding the Egyptian Museum to make sure priceless works of art are safe. This is not a group of fanatics with crazy ideas. These people are trying to make a difference to move the country to a democratic state," said Abdelsalam.
Current President Hosni Mubarak's time in power spreads from when Abdelsalam was in high school to now, when his children are in college.
This 30 year reign, Abdelsalam says, is why corruption infects Mubarak's regime.
"My mother said over her life Egypt has always been going through war. But there was never any war she has seen brutality like this."
