New Year’s 2012 in Tahrir Square, Egypt

Juan Cole 01/01/2012

The leftist crowd begins by singing the national anthem. Then a woman revolutionary calls out, “Bread, Freedom and social justice!”

“A civil state, civil state!”

“May the military government fall!” she chants, and the crowd repeats.

“Treatment for injured [protesters]!”

“Free Egypt, with God’s permission!”

Happy New Year, Egypt.

Juan Cole is the founder and chief editor of Informed Comment. He is Richard P. Mitchell Professor of History at the University of Michigan He is author of, among many other books, Muhammad: Prophet of Peace amid the Clash of Empires and The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. Follow him on Twitter at @jricole or the Informed Comment Facebook Page