Egyptian opposition, pro-government groups battle on Facebook

By Muhammad Mahmoud in Cairo
For Al-Shorfa.com
2010-05-25

[JOSEPH FADDOUL/Al-Shorfa] Mohammed El-Baradei's Facebook page has over 240,000 members.

In the meeting room of the campaign for Mohammed ElBaradei's bid for the Egyptian presidency in 2011, one activist proposed a "new policy to safeguard the privacy of signatories" on a statement El-Baradei had issued calling for a constitutional amendment.

The meeting, which lasted three hours, ended with an agreement by 20 activists that "the names of the signatories on the web statement should not appear in order to guarantee privacy and encourage more Egyptians to join."

The campaign holds regular daily meetings but not at its Cairo headquarters. Instead the meetings occur on the Mohamed ElBaradei for President 2011 Facebook page.

Over the past two years, several political movements in Egypt started their political activities through Facebook. Groups that gained momentum through the social-networking site include the April 6 movement, the independent campaign for ElBaradei for President 2011, and the National Assembly for Change.

The return of Mohamed ElBaradei, the former director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency to Cairo last February, ignited political debate between the opposition and the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) on Facebook.

A government-funded study published in May by the cabinet's centre for information and decision-making support said that Egypt ranks the first in the Arab world in the use of Facebook and 23rd worldwide.

The April 6 movement is considered the most active with an estimated membership of 78,000. The movement uses the site to call for protests, constitutional amendments, increased salaries, and the annulment of the emergency law.

The movement was formed in 2008 through a Facebook group calling for a general strike to improve living conditions.

"Facebook is the most important tool used by the group to promote its activities and co-ordinate with other opposition groups," said Ahmed Maher, the general co-ordinator of the April 6 movement.

Maher said that most of the participants in peaceful protests recently organized by the group came through invitations sent by volunteers to their friends on Facebook.

The ElBaradei for President Facebook group has 240,000 members and is increasing at a daily rate of around 5,000. The campaign recruits volunteers at home and abroad to collect signatures on a petition by National Assembly for Change that calls for constitutional amendments.

Last February, a group of Egyptian opposition leaders formed the Elbaredei-led National Assembly for Change.

The campaign's Facebook page contains instructions for volunteers on how to collect signatures as well as names and addresses of campaign officials.

Abdelrahman Youssef, the co-ordinator of the campaign, said that what makes his group distinct is that most of its members are regular citizens and ambitious youths. They seek a better future through the expression of their opinions and the discussions about a variety of political, social and economic issues, he said.

In order to draw large numbers from several socio-economic classes in Egypt, the group's supervisors set "strict editorial conditions" that calls on participants to "refrain from using insults and expletives against any person regardless of the position" and to keep the discussion about the different issues civilized.

The campaign's page carries comments by leaders of the campaign and sometimes by ElBaradei himself on current affairs. The page always witnesses sharp disagreements between campaign members and supporters of the NDP on hot political issues – such as the recent extension of the emergency law until May 2012.

Ahmed Nassar, co-ordinator of the National Assembly for Change in Alexandria, told Al-Shorfa that most of the volunteers in Egyptian provinces joined the movement through Facebook.

"Facebook helps us reach out to many youths," he said.

Ahmed Fathi, a journalist specialising in public information affairs, said Facebook creates an opportunity for movements to become active in the street despite lacking an official license as a political party or a non-governmental organisation. He said Facebook is a safe method of assembly without direct contact with the security forces.

The Egyptian emergency law bans the assembly of more than four persons without permission from the interior ministry.

"Virtual political activities have fewer problems than the real ones," he said.

Fathi said that social networks have significant influence on politics and the media. All newspapers and news websites assign journalists to cover politics on Facebook, such as Al-Shorouq, Al-Masri al-Yawm and Al-Yawm al-Sabi'.

At the other end of the political spectrum, young members of the NDP have also established groups on Facebook.

The most prominent is the "I want Gamal Mubarak" page, with 10,000 members. The page features an almost daily discussion between its members on NDP activities and the potential candidacy of Gamal Mubarak for president in 2011. Gamal Mubarak is the son of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and assistant secretary general of the NDP.

Opposition activists and NDP members engage in a daily war of words on the party's policies in addition to continuous comparisons between Gamal Mubarak and El-Baradei as possible presidential candidates.

Karim Samir, one of the page's supervisors, said that people have the right to learn about Gamal and El-Baradei. The internet is the best tool for that purpose.

"The group works to garner support for Gamal Mubarak on Facebook because he has experience in politics, and we have the right to choose who safeguards our future and national security," he said.

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