These two short pieces are Frontline mini-documentaries about the situation in Cairo during the Arab Spring, where youth movements used social media to coordinate demonstrations against the government of then-President Hosni Mubarak. The April 6 Youth Movement started in 2008 when it fought for textile workers who were on strike. It’s leaders, all around 30 years old, found the tactics used during the strike would work on the political and social arenas.
They even went to Serbia to learn from the leaders of Otpor! (Resistance!) about how to use nonviolence effectively against police tactics. The Egyptian police showed how out of touch they are when it comes to social media when they tried to get an April 6 organizer to give them the password to his Facebook page. There is no password needed to view a Facebook page, it’s just out there. The events that happened in Egypt (as well as Tunisia, Yemen, and Libya) could be called this generation’s Youthquake, the social and cultural movement from the 1960s.
The second segment, The Brothers, concerns the leaders – especially the young leaders – of the Muslim Brotherhood. The dilemma the Brotherhood faces is what would happen if one of their own was elected president? Many Egyptians fear a situation like in Iran in 1979, where a popular uprising was hijacked by religious extremists.
The head of the youth arm of the Brotherhood does two telling things while before the camera. One, he urges a follower who is brandishing his Koran to put it away. Second, he makes it clear that his group is fundamentally hostile to Israel and does not recognize its right to exist. These shows are short (about 25 minutes each) but interesting and informative.
Revolution in Cairo/The Brothers is available to rent.
Murphy can be reached at: [email protected]
