In the Army We Trust

Just returned from Midan Tahrir, where the people's trust in the army remains generally unshaken despite last night's events. Although a couple of the protesters we talked to expressed reservations about the depth of the army's commitment to the revolutionary cause, most were quick to shunt the blame for this most recent altercation elsewhere. One protester told us that the men who cleared the square were State Security officers dressed as soldiers, their faces hidden by masks to conceal their identities, who were sent by the Ministry of the Interior to sow discord between the people and the army. He showed us his heavily bandaged arm, telling us he had suffered broken bones after being flung forcibly from the square; a six-year-old boy, he said, had been trampled to death in the melee. Another eyewitness acknowledged that those responsible had indeed been soldiers, but insisted that they had been acting on orders from the Interior Ministry. Yet another claimed the assailants were common thugs sporting stolen fatigues. "Does this change your opinion of the army?" we asked people again and again. Nearly always, the answer was no.

I'd like to coin a word for "blind love for your army" that would accurately convey what I've seen here.