Yes, I've heard these things before. Time will tell how this shakes out. This president scares me. He is either incredibly stupid or naive, or he has a plan... and that's the part that concerns me.

>>I think I saw some women with their heads uncovered too. I wonder if that means they really will have a more democratic government?
>
>I saw a few since the demonstrations began. There have always been some women in Egypt without their heads covered - christians don't. Most who do, do so because they are following their religious beliefs. However, it's still the culture (I'm told) to cover exposed skin. I have a friend who goes to see the tombs every couple of years and she always covered all exposed skin (with loose clothing) and wore a scarf to cover her head due to the extreme heat and pollution. It also kept local men outside of Cairo from whistling and hissing at her (and being rude in shops and raising the prices - she generally was treated better than most tourists) - which they do I'm told if women expose too much skin (especially the shoulders or stomach or hips) or walk around without covering their hair and they have blond hair. She also told me if you don't cover your hair and you are a blond, people will still feel free to touch your hair. She also told me (this is all from her, I cannot vouch for any of it) that by law women cannot expose their arms or legs in a mosque in Cairo but any place else it is the culture or religious choice, not the law. We'll see if any of that changes. Even many Muslim women in this country follow that same dress code and they have the freedom to choose as well.