CAIRO: If a group of academics, journalists and activists had been sitting together on November 28, 2010, and the question of the country's future had been breached, hardly one would have said that one year from then, millions of Egyptians would be heading to the polls in what has for the most part, been a pretty open election, in a post-Hosni Mubarak Egypt. That's the reality of how important today, November 28, 2011, has been. It would not have been done without the hundreds of thousands pouring into Tahrir Square in January, February, July and last week for protests. Without them, an election would have never happened. Too often on Monday we have heard, as journalists focus on the Islamists, the Salafist al-Nour Party and the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) that Tahrir is not representative of the country. That may be true, but there is a caveat that seems to have been forgotten. It's a two-fold story that begins on January 25. On that day, thousands of Egyptians, predominantly young people, poured into the center of Cairo to protest against police brutality and President Hosni Mubarak. We all know what transpired after that. 18 days of massive, and largely widespread protests erupted, in Cairo and elsewhere, leading to the end of the Mubarak era and hearkening in what has become a turbulent period of uncertainty. But out of all that uncertainty, there was one continued constant: elections would happen. And they have begun. The second part of what made today possible, at least on the fairness side, was what began on November 18, when hundreds of thousands of Islamists gathered in Tahrir Square, where between the few anti-military chants, they pushed their Islamic state message to the masses. In response, a few hundred liberal activists chose to remain in the square, pitching tents and staying the night. Then the police came, attacked them and set in motion a chain reaction that saw clashes unprecendented on neighboring Mohamed Mahmoud street. Over 100 people were killed in the 6 days of violence, medical sources told Bikyamasr.com. It was the galvanizing that the left needed ahead of today's vote in order to ensure their voices would be heard. Whether that translates into votes we will have to wait. As we look back on the past 11 months, from the first moments of revolution building on January 25, to the violence that seemed ready to tarnish that very uprising, to the military's stranglehold on power and to last week's tear gas fiasco that left more “martrys” to the Egyptian cause, we must not forget the very truth about those who protest in Tahrir, in January and today: they are the Egyptian revolution. Most likely, the Muslim Brotherhood's political wing, the FJP Party, will be the likely victors in this first democratic vote in the post-Mubarak era, but it was them specifically who chose to sit on the sidelines in January and again in July and again in November, when Egyptians took to the streets, mobilizing the masses for the betterment of Egypt. Earlier this month, I sat down with unabashingly liberal candidate Shaheer Ishak in their Qasr el-Aini party headquarters, where he talked about the importance of voting and creating a model for Egypt to follow for years to come. Was he a leader in the protest movement ahead of January 25? No, in fact he felt the political activists and the movements that sprung up left and right over the past decade were ill-advised and gave no foundation for a future Egypt. Instead of buckling in the post-uprising atmosphere, Ishak did what dozens of youth across the country did: they joined political parties and were participating in the system. Ishak, a 26-year-old Coptic Christian, was one of thousands who took to Tahrir in January. His voice would not be silenced. Through his effort, the hundreds who gave their lives, the revolution continues. “I am for participation and for people going to vote and expressing themselves. It is democracy and the liberal way,” he told me at the time. Dalia Ziada, a prominent blogger and human rights activist, also felt it was her duty to enter politics. She told me she believed she could do more as a member of Parliament as opposed to an activist. Maybe she wins, maybe she doesn't. That is not the point today. The point is that millions of Egyptians are voting, and had it not been for the efforts of the Dalia's and Shaheer's in Egypt, we would be waiting for an elderly dictator to die, his son take office and lament how Egypt has no chance of change. Instead, on November 28, we are seeing the fruits of the revolution. Are people going to be angry at the results? Most certainly. But this happens everywhere. The key to Egypt's revolution is not dependent on the liberals at this very moment in time winning a majority rule and implementing the values that would arguably be best for Egypt. No, the important thing to remember as Egyptians cast ballots is that they are casting ballots. Will the Islamists and the Muslim Brotherhood win large? Probably. So be it. The true test of Egypt's revolution, which continues today, tomorrow and most likely one year from now, is that everyone, left or right, has the chance to be a part of a country where elections are commonplace and reliable. Without those in Tahrir, in January, last week and today, an election would never have been possible. It is time they get the credit they deserve instead of focusing on the likely winners of their efforts. In time, better education and a more knowledgeable population where state television does not spout propoganda, Egypt will see that these activists were the only true heroes. The Brotherhood may win today, but it is the “Tahririans” and Egypt who win tomorrow and in the future. History will be on their side. BM
