Revolution

Noman Benotman

A former leader of the Libyan Islamic Fighting group which tried to overthrow the Gaddafi regime in the 1990s. He was also close to Osama Bin Laden and other senior Al Qaeda leaders but has since become a critic of jihadist and Islamist violence. He is now an analyst with the London-based Quilliam think tank and believes the international community must support the Libyan people without imposing a Western agenda.

Rabab Al Mahdi

A Professor of Political Science at the American University of Cairo. Throughout the uprising in Egypt, she protested everyday in Tahrir Square calling for freedom, change and social justice. She describes the experience as a rollercoaster of fear, sadness and euphoria.

Peter Khalil

An Australian Egyptian who worked for former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd as his foreign policy and national security adviser. He says it’s too early to declare that there has been regime change in Egypt. The first step will be to remove Mubarak’s party members from positions of power, then stage free and fair elections in September.

Dr Bob Bowker

A former Australian Ambassador to Jordan and Egypt. He now lectures at the Centre for Arabic and Islamic studies at the Australian National University. He says Mubarak improved education, brought in birth control and opened universities. But he says Mubarak's mistake was in thinking that his own voice was the only one that mattered. 

Akmal Saleh

Akmal Saleh is an Australian comedian who left Egypt at the age of eleven. He once made a joke about former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak at an Egyptian conference in Australia. As a result, family and friends said he would be blacklisted in Egypt and should never return there. He says he's ecstatic about Mubarak standing down and believes the Egyptian people showed enormous bravery.

Suzy Hanna

Suzy Hanna is a 29 year old Australian Egyptian who believes people have forgotten all the good things former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak achieved. She wrote to him at age 15 and still has the autographed photo he sent to her mounted on her wall.

Andre Magar

Andre Magar a 23-year-old Australian Egyptian who took part in the protests that lead to the ouster of President Mubarak. He came to Australia to study and work because he was fed up with the conditions and lack of opportunity in Egypt.

Bishop Suriel

Bishop Suriel heads the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Melbourne. Australia is home to 80,000 Coptic Egyptians, many of whom who fled persecution in Egypt. Bishop Suriel says Coptic Egyptians suffered greatly under Mubarak and he supported the revolution. But now, after several attack on Coptic Churches, he is concerned about the future.