The myriad of youthful awakenings in Egypt

An unprecedented eruption of public unrest and dissent swept through the streets of Cariene in February 1968. It was a student uprising that would be the most vocal expression of public opposition after the defeat of the Israeli war. -Arab of 1967. A series of organized student strikes, demonstrations and sit-ins that year put increasing pressure on the weakened regime of Gamal Abdel Nasser.

Student movements began to evolve rapidly and became at the forefront of “challenging the state’s monopoly over public space” throughout Egypt’s contemporary political history.

Following the accession to power of Egyptian President Anouar El Sadat, a new form of student activism is developing. Sadat’s policy of supporting the establishment of Islamic student organizations on university campuses had created a new layer of young activists. These groups of Islamic students, known as al-Gama’a al-Islamiyya (the Islamic community), immediately gained ground and were extremely influential political organizations in Egyptian universities.

According to John Esposito, a prominent Middle Eastern and religious studies scholar at Georgetown University, Sadat first promoted Islamic student organizations as a way to “bolster his image as a ‘believing president’ and challenge the influence secular Arab nationalist ideology”. by his predecessor the late Gamal Abdel Nasser.

A surging wave of Islamic activism was cultivated in the courtyards and hallways of universities across the country, and opposition to Sadat’s policies grew increasingly fervent.

Sadat’s pro-Western economic policies and decision to sign a peace deal with Israel have angered these powerful Islamic groups. He has been accused of selling out both Egypt and its Islamic values ​​to become a puppet of Western allies.

Price hikes and crushing austerity measures resulting from Sadat’s liberal economic policies have strained the Egyptian working classes and added fuel to the fire. In 1979, public outrage led to a series of protests that culminated in Intifadat Al-Khobz – or the Bread Intifada.

The growth of vocal and active Islamic groups had shaken the political core of Sadat’s regime. A crackdown on Islamic student groups was soon to begin, along with arrests in several sectors of society seen as a threat to political stability. Esposito confirms that “the process culminated in 1981, when Sadat imprisoned more than 1,500 people from a cross-section of Egyptian society: Islamic militants, lawyers, doctors, journalists, university professors, political opponents and elders. government ministers.

The mass imprisonments led to increased radicalization and the rise of underground militant cells that plotted to overthrow Sadat’s regime.

On October 6, 1981, Islamic militants assassinated Sadat during a military parade, bringing civil unrest to a crescendo.

However, despite increased government control over labor unions and student movements, political unrest and discontent continued to emanate from the universities.

President Hosni Mubarak would not fall victim to the evils of his predecessor and has taken a proactive role in suppressing overt political activity in Egyptian universities. Student protests have become increasingly sporadic and often subject to a series of violent oppressions. The Mubarak regime responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and mass arrests, especially when the protests escalated into violent riots.

The advent of social media, however, has allowed young people to spread messages of resistance beyond college campuses. It also created a safe space where activists could cohesively plan, organize and carry out protests.

In January 2011, social media helped pave the way for student groups to lead the January 25 Revolution. Tens of thousands would join the youth movement calling for Mubarak’s removal.

He resigned after just 18 days of protest.

Today, Egypt is once again subject to political repression on university campuses which are now, after five decades, considered notorious centers of civil disobedience and unrest. However, the question remains whether the regime of Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi will continue to marginalize the youth or embrace the student activism that has become an integral part of Egypt’s changing political environment.

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