Ahmed Rehab gives NPR updates from the ground. He’s the executive director of the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. He flew to Cairo to participate in the protests.

An uprising in Egypt intensifies as protesters risk their lives to demand that embattled president Hosni Mubarak step down.

"A Chicagoan is in the thick of the protests. Ahmed Rehab is the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Chicago. He says Egyptians are demanding change after generations of stagnation."

The Egyptian government may have engineered a blackout on Internet and cell phones to keep protestors from communicating, but one call from a Chicagoan in Cairo got through. CBS 2's Mike Parker spoke with Ahmed Rehab, of the local Council on Islamic American Relations.

"I planned it to be here so that I could participate heart and soul, body and mind with the people during these times," Ahmed Rehab said in a phone call.

Egyptians who have long voiced discontent with their government are now taking to the streets in unprecedented numbers demanding change. If Egypt succeeds, analysts agree that a domino effect is likely.

While people continue to protest in the streets of Egypt, hundreds of Chicagoans were rallying outside of the Egyptian consulate in Chicago Saturday afternoon. The pro-democracy rally was one of several protests that took place across the country on Saturday.

Ahmed Rehab has been hit 24 times with an acrid cloud of tear gas -- stopped in his tracks as he and thousands of other protesters march for democracy in Egypt. Unlike other American travelers, the Chicago-based civil rights activist, who heads CAIR-Chicago, went to Egypt in anticipation of the simmering revolution.

Ahmed Rehab of the Council on American Islamic Relations said the atmosphere was tense."It seems that every major square and every small street in Cairo was basically taken over by communities ... people are parading the streets, walking around with baseball bats and knives," he said from Cairo. "We didn't get any sleep all night."

Ahmed Rehab of CAIR-Chicago shares updates from the heart of Cairo where he is taking part in the pro-democracy revolution.

Dubbed “Rage Friday,” Egyptians took to the streets in massive numbers all over Cairo, Alexandria, and several other cities around the country directly calling for a regime change. Until recently, while the government tolerated a certain degree of freedom of speech, criticism of Egypt’s 30-year despot Mubarak was unimaginable; those who tried faced swift retribution by the government in one form or another.

Hundreds of Egyptian-Americans and human rights activists will rally and hold a press conference today outside the Egyptian Consulate in Chicago to support the efforts of pro-democracy activists in Egypt.

Join Egyptian-Americans and human rights activists tomorrow in rallying outside the Egyptian Consulate to support the efforts of pro-democracy activists in Egypt.

Worldview's Jerome McDonnell talks to Ahmed Rehab from Cairo. Rehab flew to Cairo to participate in the protests and has been blogging about his experiences on his blog, Mindful of Dreams. LISTEN HERE

CAIR-Chicago Executive Director Ahmed Rehab delivered the keynote address at the Muslim Education Center’s (MEC) community dinner on Sunday January 16, 2011, which commemorated the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. Rehab discussed the civil rights movement and how it has affected the country today, 50 years later.

M. Cherif Bassiouni, distinguished research professor at DePaul University and CAIR-Chicago's Honorary Chairman, will be speaking at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs about his book "The Institutionalization of Torture by the Bush Administration. Is Anyone Responsible?" Bassiouni will hold a small presentation along with a discussion afterward.

CAIR-Chicago participated in an interfaith press conference held on behalf of the Muslim Education and Cultural Center of America (MECCA), the third mosque denied a permit in DuPage County in the past year.

"How many mosques constitute an oversaturation in unincorporated DuPage County, according to the Zoning Board of Appeals?" asked Ahmed Rehab, director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, at a news conference. "The answer would be one. One would be one too many apparently, and that's very disconcerting to us."

In tough economic times most neighborhoods would welcome development. But in suburban Willowbrook, they’re waving it off for an unusual reason: religious oversaturation.

CAIR-Chicago Bids Farewell to Government Affairs Coordinator Reema Ahmad andcongratulates her on new position at Project Mobilize.

“I am grateful that Reema’s talent, professionalism, and work ethic will remain at the service of the Chicago Muslim community,” said Ahmed Rehab.