After Days of Unrest in Muslim World, a Fragile Calm Takes Hold

Source: NYT

CAIRO — Under intense pressure from Washington, Egyptian security forces arrested hundreds of protesters around the American Embassy in Cairo on Saturday as political leaders struggled to deal with the fallout caused by the week of unrest.

Across the region, the anti-American protests that convulsed cities in many parts of the Islamic world last week subsided at least temporarily, a fragile calm taking hold a day after violent and sometimes deadly demonstrations at American and Western installations spread to more than 20 countries.

In Cairo, where the protests against a crude video denigrating Islam began on Tuesday, security forces expanded the fortifications around the American Embassy. On Friday, despite a new concrete barrier, hundreds of young men battled security officers near the embassy, hurling rocks and homemade bombs as the police fired tear gas.

But by midday Saturday, security forces had cleared the streets around the embassy. Only a faint scent of tear gas remained.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/16/world/middleeast/anti-american-protests-subside-in-middle-east.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20120916