Heba Naguib

Even though the government has switched hands, have there been any real political changes?

There have been real political changes in Egypt. For the first time, Egyptians have chosen their president in a fair election (even though actually there is no election that is one hundred percent fair). The winner, President Mohamed Morsi, comes from the Muslim Brotherhood, a party that was barred from politics under the former regime of Hosni Mubarak. Morsi’s arrest by the former regime police on the morning of the Friday of Anger, Jan 28,2011, was actually the spark of the revolution. So, even though a large sector of revolutionaries do not like Morsi, they believe there is real political change is taking place. For example, no one can deny the importance of getting rid of the military rule, which lasted 60 years.

Do young people have confidence in the future of their government?

These revolutionaries have a confidence in themselves, not in the government. This is a good thing, from my perspective. When people do not trust the government, they always keep their eyes open to judge the government’s actions, while on the other side, the government does its best to assure them that they are doing what is right for the people. Because of this, the confidence that young have in themselves is the security to Egypt’s future. The government needs a deterrence, and these young people believe they can overthrow any government that would not fulfill its promises.

Heba Naguib is a third-year Sarah Lawrence Student. She is from Cairo, Egypt.