“The Factory- Revolution Through Arab Eyes” describes the incident at the Mahalla textiles factory that sparked the revolution. These workers have fought for better working conditions continually through protest. This was one of the first signs of unity against Mubarak in the struggle against inadequate living conditions.
“Government, Brotherhood fail to attract Egyptian youth” analyzes the failure of Egyptian authorities and the Muslim Brotherhood to gain support of the youth. Mubarak’s administration still underlies the Egyptian government structure, and the revolution cannot be completed until that is purified. Many politicians and political groups are trying to find ways to persuade the youth to side with their cause in order to gain a popular vote.
The mobilizers of the Egyptian revolution were mostly the youth. However, the laborers of the Mahalla factory played a big part in mobilizing the protests. Egyptian politicians trying to win over majority vote are strategically looking at who they need to groom. The Egyptian youth is an obvious population because of their control over social media and their ability to gather and influence large crowds. However, the laborers at Mahalla are important because they also represent the struggles of the Egyptian people. Both the Egyptian youth and the Mahalla laborers were fighting for better living conditions, better wages, and better working conditions. As representative groups for society, the Mahalla laborers and youth will attract many politicians looking to gain a popular base. However, both groups did not achieve much change since the revolution besides Mubarak leaving office. On a positive note, women had a much higher turnout and higher rate of voting. In this way, the youth represents political liberals. They view the economy as in desperate need of revival. However, they are also largely concerned with social justice, which stems from the repression they had formerly faced. The direction of the new Egypt as either an international power player or an isolationist nation can be decided by the Egyptian youth and laborers. As representatives of Egyptian society as a whole, the Mahalla workers and the Egyptian youth have an opportunity to persuade voters on what political path they should take. However, it seems as though the youth cannot seem to reach their own consensus on a solid plan. If the youth embraces the idea of political liberalism, they should encourage economic growth that seeks globalized investment and trade. However, the multilateralism and human rights issues at their core should be incorporated into their plan and influence how Egypt sees other foreign powers. Mahalla factory strike, April 2011