Yet another civil society group is tackling religious understanding and youth problems, reports Gamal Nkrumah "The personal is political. And, so is the social. This is especially so among the youth, many of whom feel alienated and systematically marginalised from the decision-making processes," Michael Mounir, the spokesman of "Hand-in-Hand for Egypt" told Al-Ahram Weekly. Youth activism in Egypt today is founded on existing social, economic, cultural and religious networks. The church and mosque play a critical role. And, perhaps more poignantly provide youth with varying degrees of autonomy from the state. It is hard to gauge the pain of alienation among Egypt's youth. Indirect evidence of unhappiness is harder to gather. Mounir, head of the US Copts Association, has now established himself as the spokesman of this handy new non- governmental organisation launched on 25 February. The birth pangs of the NGO were by no means easy, and it has attracted much bad publicity. The most controversial aspect is that many suspect it of being a United States-funded and -orchestrated organisation designed to foment trouble. Mounir argues that on the contrary it is an independent organisation that aims at enhancing democracy, human rights and youth participation in contemporary Egypt. While Mounir stresses that he has nothing in principle against the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), he is keen to see all the political parties and ideological stands represented in the new organisation. Among the more contentious aspects of the project, in the eyes of its detractors, is that the new NGO also aims at encouraging the two million Coptic immigrants to be more involved with the development of their country of origin. However, it is precisely those international links that have made it suspect from the start. The coterie of characters behind this new venture is akin to a who's who -- yet another phenomenon that aroused suspicion. The board of directors includes such well-known public figures as Tarek Heggy, the former chairman of Shell International Petroleum Companies and founder-chairman of the British-based Tana Petroleum Middle East; Osama El-Ghazali Harb, the NDP dissident, founder of the Democratic Front, a liberal party and editor of Al-Ahram's monthly Al-Siyasa Al-Dawliya (International Politics); Hala Mustafa, editor of the quarterly Democracy ; and Youssef Sidhom, editor-in-chief of Watani, the national Coptic weekly. The media spotlight, however, was the presence of Naguib Sawiris, head of Orascom Telecom, Egypt's wealthiest man, ranked 62 on the list of the world's richest billionaires in 2007 by Forbes, America's most distinguished business magazine, and Egypt's most influential Copt. The media assumes, therefore, not without some justification, that the new organisation is a Coptic outfit with generous foreign backing. A charge vehemently refuted by the organisers. "We did not even mention the word Copt once during the meeting," Mounir told the Weekly. The meeting he referred to was the launch of Hands-in-Hands for Egypt. Indeed, it is Mounir's contention that the problems faced by Egypt's Coptic community and especially the Coptic youth cannot be separated from the problems facing the populace of the country at large. "Copts and Muslims must understand that they face similar challenges. Yes, Coptic youth might face certain particular problems, but then Muslims too face certain problems. In the final analysis the challenges facing Egyptian Christian and Muslim youth are not dissimilar," Mounir noted. It is always hard to sift rumour from fact. The preponderance of Copts on the board of directors remains a stumbling block for the nascent organisation. This is why Mounir insists that if the project is to prove to be a success, its activities must also incorporate urban rural youth, Muslim and Christian. The controversial reaction in the Egyptian media was partly engendered because of the conspicuous presence of the US Ambassador to Egypt Francis Ricciardoni at the launch of the NGO though only in a personal capacity and not as a representative of the American government, according to Mounir. "Ricciardoni is a personal friend of many of the attendees and founding fathers of the organisation including Naguib Sawiris and myself," Mounir explained. "Besides, there were many experts from Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies and many leading intellectuals and political activists," he added. Unpleasant as things stand for much of Egypt's youth, there is hope that they can always improve their lot. That was the upbeat message at the launch of Hands-in-Hands for Egypt. Mounir, by contrast, though outwardly cheery, has no illusions about how other Egyptians see people like himself. Indeed, the entire controversy surrounding Hand-in-Hand for Egypt has brought into sharp focus the role of civil society organisations in addressing some of the pressing social issues faced by the youth. Human rights activists such as Negad El-Borei are also involved in the project. Mounir seems himself as exceptionally well-positioned to bridge the gap between the Egyptian youth abroad and those back home in Egypt. He wants to convince Church-going Coptic youth whose social activities tend to be exclusively Church- affiliated that it is okay to work with their Muslim compatriots. "There is a reluctance of Muslim and Coptic youth to work together," Mounir lamented. This, he says, is a wake-up call to all the dangers inherent in plastering over youth disgruntlement. Mounir became hooked by youth activism in the US working with immigrant Copts. He insists that some of their experiences are relevant for Egyptian youth. This is a view full of ironies, however. Most of the speakers were Muslim and they welcomed the idea of their co-religionists working with Christian youth to advance the interests and participation of Copts in social and political life of Egypt today. In his own words, "this project focuses on youth and not exclusively Coptic youth."
