A year ago, I wrote a blog called “An Unknown Egypt.” At the beginning of the revolution, no one had any idea what to expect, and while there was great hope for change, there was also great uncertainty about how and if it would come about.
The revolution was deemed successful on February 11, 2011, when Mubarak stepped down and the military took temporary control. Elections were promised and planned, and steps to begin rebuilding, from the convening of a committee on the constitution to a referendum on electoral laws, were implemented. In many aspects, the people felt their voices had been heard and their futures were guaranteed to be better in the months and years ahead.
What I heard and saw was the opposite: women’s voices, which led the revolutions across the region, including in Egypt, were largely silenced after the revolutions. An International Women’s Day march in Tahrir one month after Egypt was “liberated” revealed that the same men who were happy to stand alongside women in protest, to accept their assistance when wounded, their food when hungry, and their leadership when organizing demonstrations, refused to support women in their parallel quest for advancement, equality, and safety. Women were reportedly harassed—physically and verbally–as a result of their peaceful assembly. Following the revolution, the committee that was appointed to discuss and develop a new constitution completely excluded female representation. Reports of sexual violence and harassment against women were shared by national and international media, including accusations regarding “virginity tests” conducted by the military on innocent women, an act more degrading and indecent than the impurities these women were wrongfully accused of and for which many were punished.
In November, the first of three phases of parliamentary elections were held. At their conclusion in January, only 8 women—4 of whom are from Islamist parties—were chosen out of 498 representatives, meaning women make up less than two percent of those elected. Furthermore, in line with the results seen in Tunis and Morocco, Islamist parties won the majority of seats, with the Muslim Brotherhood leading the elections at 47 percent. In total, Islamist parties won just over 70 percent of parliamentary seats, ensuring that they will have a pivotal role in the drafting of the new constitution. In the weeks leading up to the elections, comments made by representatives from these parties shared alarming perspectives on women’s inclusion, spreading concern that not only will women be excluded as leaders, but they stand to lose progress won under the previous regime.
The revolution promised so much to so many different groups of people. Images shared from the streets were of equality, dignity, support, and freedom. Together, men, women, and children of all classes and religious backgrounds came together against a common issue and were victorious. They stood together, chanted in unison, and knelt by each other’s sides in prayer every day and night until Mubarak stepped down. A year later, the same questions remain: who will make it through this year and how? The Egyptian people have asked for the most basic of needs to be met: for education, security, and freedom, for jobs that support their families, and laws that protect them from harm. While these needs remain unmet, we have seen other expectations satisfied. The Muslim Brotherhood and Salafis gained the majority of the votes and claimed a power that they’ve long been waiting to hold. They will be a major part of determining the next phase of Egypt, and in this way, their revolutions are progressing as planned.
However, it is not all darkness. The revolution ultimately provides proof of the power and will of the people. More than ever before, women’s organizations and activists are seeking linkage and organizing campaigns to enshrine women’s rights, peace, and security into the new Egypt. New constituencies are joining the movement, including youth, who were at the helm of the regional uprisings and now are involved in high-level meetings and discussions, offering strategic recommendations and analysis of on-the-ground issues. Meanwhile, there has been greater emphasis on the need to include our opponents in open dialogue to find areas of common ground upon which we can build partnership and agreement.
Today in Tahrir, it was this conviction and will that was on display. The Egyptian people—young and old, rich and poor, educated and not, in designer clothing and in ordinary garb—were together again, hugging and kissing as they recognized their neighbors and friends from nights of camping out in protest a year ago. From a single family, an entire generation was on display, from grandmothers, to mothers, to their daughters and sons. Together in peaceful marches and demonstrations, Egyptians chanted, using the same words that they used at the very beginning of their revolution: anyone who thought we would leave, we are here. We are coming back to Tahrir to demand dignity and freedom. We are the youth of 25 of December.
Egyptians are among the most unique people in the world because they love their country and there is nothing that they wouldn’t do for it. People do not want to flee, but they want to make it here and have realized their part. And every time they see their revolution has been derailed, they will return to Tahrir and voice their demands again. Again and again, until they are not only heard, but listened to.
In Tahrir Square tonight, I was standing next to a friend from Bahrain, both of us outsiders looking in. We both thought of our own countries and of the people before us, moved by their conviction and their energy, by their resilience and relentlessness. We thought of how lucky Egyptians are to have the opportunity to chant and to hope for the future.
Some much remains unknown and unrealized in Egypt’s revolution, but one thing is for certain, Egypt’s most powerful resource is not oil or gold, but the pride, dignity, and commitment of its people. They have incredible, unshakeable hope for the future. They are fearless and powerful joined together. They believe in freedom and are optimistic, but they also share their anger over how they’ve been wronged. They seek change, because they love Egypt and are willing to fight to bring peace, freedom, and prosperity to their everyday lives.
The national treasure of Egypt is Egyptians. They will make sure that the revolution doesn’t end here. It has just begun.

