CAIRO, Aug. 30 (UPI) -- As the holy month of Ramadan came to an end Tuesday, dozens of protesters in Tahrir Square in Cairo called for a civilian government.
Activists also denounced the killing of five Egyptian security officers by the Israeli military, al-Masry al-Youm reported.
The Egyptian newspaper put the number of people in the square at dozens. The Egyptian news agency Bikya Masr said thousands of people came to the square for prayers for Eid al-Fitr, the holiday at the end of Ramadan.
Supporters of two presidential candidates, Mohamed ElBaradei, former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and Mohamed Selim al-Awa, handed out leaflets in the square. A third, Ayman Nour, came in person and talked to demonstrators, al-Masry al-Youm said.
Members of the April 6 Youth Movement pulled down a billboard that read: "The Egyptian army gave a pledge and honored it." It was replaced with a sign calling for a firm line on Israel: "The people demand the rights of the martyrs in Sinai."
Mazhar Shaheen, imam of Omar Makram Mosque, celebrated political upheaval in Egypt and other Arab countries in his sermon, beginning with a chant: "God is great! [Egyptian President Hosni] Mubarak has fallen, [Tunisian President Zine el-Abidine] Ben Ali has fallen, [Libyan leader Moammar] Gadhafi has fallen."
He also predicted the success of protesters in Yemen and Syria: "God is great! We have liberated ourselves. [Yemeni President Ali Abdullah] Saleh, [Syrian President Assad] Bashar and all the arrogant titans will fall."
