Egypt has been rocked by its worst civil unrest in recent history. Inspired by the popular uprising that toppled the 23-year regime of Tunisian strongman Zine el Abidine ben Ali this month, ordinary Egyptians have taken to the streets to oppose Hosni Mubarak, who has ruled the country for 30 years. Led by a new generation of youth, protesters have defied Mubarak's extensive security apparatus and massed by the hundreds of thousands in the cities of Cairo, Alexandria and Suez.