CAIRO: A number of young activists, mainly members of the opposition party Al-Ghad, launched an online radio station last Wednesday called "Al-Mahrousa. The official launch of the channel is scheduled for Oct. 6 to coincide with celebrations of the 1973 October war victory in which Egypt defeated Israel and retrieved Sinai. Meanwhile, another group of Al-Ghad youth are preparing to launch another online radio station called "Bokra (Tomorrow) after "Al-Ghad online radio channel was shut down when the party's leader Ayman Nour was sentenced to three years in prison over bribery charges. Many believe the charges were trumped up and politically motivated. Nour was released last February on health grounds, just a few months before his term was supposed to end. On "Al-Mahrousa, Nour will host his own show titled "Taqet Nour (Nour's Energy) in which he will discuss political, social and economic problems Egypt is facing and will offer solutions for the current conditions. The program will also be aired on "Bokra upon its launch. Hossam El-Din Ali, chairman of "Al-Mahrousa, founded the Egyptian Democratic Institute, a rights organization that will be tasked with funding the channel. Meanwhile, "Bokra will be directly funded through donations from businessmen affiliated with Al-Ghad. "I have finished recording three episodes of my program 'Taqet Nour' in which I plan to discuss current problems and offer solutions, Nour told Daily News Egypt. "Through the program, I will try to offer practical solutions to existing problems in order to refute the government's claims that the opposition only criticizes and is not able to offer alternatives. Both channels maintain a liberal content agenda. But while "Bokra is an extension of "Al-Ghad channel, a direct presentation of the party's views, "Al-Mahrousa is an independent institution. "Electronic media has become the most important tool of communication among youth, said Nour. According to activist Israa Abdel Fatah, the administrative director of "Al-Mahrousa who was detained over a year ago for calling for a general strike on April 6 last year on Facebook, "the channel offers a wide range of new programs, the most important of which is 'Taqet Nour' presented by Ayman Nour, 'Al-Mowagaha' (The Confrontation), 'Abbar.com' (Express.com) which will focus on blogs as well as Facebook, and 'Tareekh Al-Mahrousa' (The History of Egypt) which will recount the history of the nation from the time of the Pharaohs in the form of stories. "The radio station sheds light on the current social, political and economic situation in Egypt and will offer solutions that stem from a human rights perspective, she added. Facebook, and Tareekh Al-Mahrousa (The History of Egypt) which will recount the history of the nation from the time of the Pharaohs in the form of stories. The radio station sheds light on the current social, political and economic situation in Egypt and will offer solutions that stem from a human rights perspective, she added.
