THE YOUTH TOPPLES MUBARAK

An important chapter on the world’s history was written last Friday. Something that many deemed as impossible, as a utopia, took place on January 11, a date that will never be forgotten by the Egyptians. Against all odds, an autocratic regime was toppled pacifically by the will of the people. In Naguib Mahfouz’s Palace Walk, Fahmy, a young idealist and nationalist, demonstrated against the British occupation of Egypt in defence of his people. He passionately encompassed youth, idealism and the desire for change. It now seems as if his thousands of Fahmys had flooded into Tahrir Square to follow his steps and achieve something he would have never dreamt of.

The fall of Tunisia’s regime was surprising but the small significance of the country downplayed its importance. However, the resignation of the rais Hosni Mubarak, who held power in Egypt for nearly 30 years, is one of the major events of the present century. It’s not the fact that a dictator was overthrown, but that it was the people, namely the youth, who kicked the ruler out while refraining from any violence, which was only used by the demonstrators to protect themselves from the thugs sent by Mubarak.

People from different backgrounds, ideologies and religious believes united in Cairo’s now famous Tahrir Square to force the resignation of Mubarak. Eighteen days and more than 300 deaths after, the demonstrators were victorious and joy followed in Liberation Square. The revolution had succeeded. If asked three weeks ago if he believed that Mubarak could be overthrown, any Egyptian would laugh at you or would answer with a gloomy ‘no.’ How could a President that has been in power 30 years, with close ties with the military and total control of the security forces fall just because of the will of his oppressed people? Most analysts were very sceptical that Mubarak would share Tunisian Ben Ali’s fate, it was a utopian dream. Egypt is way different than Tunisia, they said, Mubarak’s grip on power can’t be compared to that of Ben Ali. But what started as nothing more than a dream came true.

It was the youth of Egypt that made all this happen. Thanks to Twitter and Facebook they overcame all the hurdles imposed by the regime. Groups such as the April 6 Youth Movement, which started as a Facebook group, brought students and other young people together. They had had enough corruption, enough lack of liberties, enough misery.They were mobilized in an orderly fashion and their pacific protest was what brought down Mubarak. It was them who started the struggle for freedom and democracy that ended with the regime. Mohamed ElBaradei’s National Association for Change and other political organizations, including the Muslim Brotherhood, just followed them.

Now, on the aftermath of Mubarak’s departure, although he’s still in Egypt, in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, the work has to continue. The army has dissolved parliament and will run the country until September, when elections should take place. At the same time as they clean Tahrir Square, the demonstrators will have to be aware in order to avoid the return of a dictatorship. However, I have no doubt that they will be, and they will return to the streets if their demands are not met.

The future ahead is nonetheless difficult. A transition has to take place from autocracy to democracy. Political parties and organizations from the Egyptian political spectrum have to unite to achieve the so much desired democracy. Youth organizations, liberal, right and left wing parties should all be present. Even the Muslim Brotherhood shouldn’t be alienated. Free elections are the ultimate goal that should be achieved. It is the military who now have the power, but this should be a temporary measure until a new constitution is drafted and elections take place.


Westerners are afraid of the turn out of this revolution. Many of them remember when the Shah’s regime was toppled and how Ayatollah Khomeini established a terrifying Islamist regime that curbed far more liberties than that of the Shah. However, the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s Islamists, was not behind this revolution. It was a spontaneous movement to which they joined after its popularity soared. If they stick to democratic principles, there is not reason why they shouldn’t be part of the transition. Even if people are still afraid of the ‘Islamist bogeyman,’ it seems that the maximum number of votes the Muslim Brotherhood would get in an election would be around 20%. Nonetheless, if they don’t comply with democratic principles they should not decide the future of the country.

As many others who gave their lives, Fahmy wasn’t able to see the independence of his country. However, he contributed in Mahfouz’s novel to achieve something previous generations thought that couldn’t be done. Just as many people thought it was impossible to overthrow Mubarak. But the youth prevailed and the revolution succeeded. It is a shame that neither Fahmy nor Mahfouz can witness the transformation their beloved Egypt is going through but I’m sure they would be proud of it.

THE EGYPTIAN REGIME TEETERS, WILL IT FALL?

Tunisia was the first country in the Arab world that overthrew a dictator through pure and utter popular will. What started in a relatively unimportant country in Northern Africa as extended has far as Yemen in the Arabian Peninsula. However, the most surprising and striking events are taking place right now in Egypt.

The country ruled by Hosni Mubarak is a major player in the region and a firm U.S. ally in the Arab world. It is the first time the Egyptian dictator sees such an extreme opposition to his regime. Thousands of people have taken the streets to protest against the dictator. They don’t respect the curfew imposed by the government, they fight the police, and they tear apart banners of Mubarak. Rage has come to the Nile, and it seems it may be there to stay.

Thousands of unemployed youngsters have taken the streets in Cairo, protesting against Mubarak’s authoritarian regime and the lack of democracy in the country. This is added to the bad economic situation of the average Egyptian citizen and the corruption that reigns in the country, specially among the ruling elite. All these factors are quite similar to the ones that caused the uprising in Tunisia, which ended up with the depostion of Ben Ali.

In spite of these similarities, the Egyptian government has learned somewhat of what happened in Tunisia, as it has denied Internet and mobile phone access to its citizens, thus reducing the impact of the social networks in the revolution and stablishing a North Korean style censorship. Also, it seems that Mubarak has the support of the army, something that Ben Ali didn’t have as in the last years he decided to favor the national security forces instead of the militaries. This will obviously difficult the impact of the demonstrators, but we have seen in the last days that the will of the people should not be underestimated, and even less when wrath and opression are involved.

Some minutes ago President Mubarak announced the formation of a new cabinet but left clear that he would hold on to power. It is to be seen if the Egyptians will be convinced by this smoke curtain, which is nothing more than an attempt to calm the protestors. Nevertheless, no comments where made about the introduction of democratic reforms in the country or of a possible resignation.

The great question is the role the army will play in the demonstrations. Should they stand loyal to Mubarak, a bloodbath could follow. The militaries control around 30% of the Egyptian economy and that is why it wouldn’t be surprising if they support the President. However, if they take a neutral stand and abstain to act against the Egyptian people, Mubarak could have his days numbered.

Egypt is on the edge of a dramatic political change. For the first time in modern history, the Egyptian government fears its citizens and not the other way around. The Jasmine Revolution succeeded in Tunisia. Will this uprising have the same result in Egypt?