CAIRO - Before January 25, every Egyptian was only concerned about his own affairs. Many young people were unhappy about unemployment, the high cost of housing and food, and the low salaries of those who actually have jobs. While the youth revolution broke out, the Egyptian people showed their mettle by forming vigilante groups, comprising young men who heroically defended their fellow citizens, and public and private property. Since January 25, we've heard nothing of incidents of sectarianism or harassment. Meanwhile, women played an essential role in the vigilante groups, as well as distributing food and drinks to the young people camping in Al Tahrir Square. Some women even joined the vigilantes, arming themselves with sticks to protect themselves, their families, their neighbours and their properties from escaped convicts. A number of children also swelled the ranks of the vigilantes. Citizens in the Cairo working-class area of Boulaq Abul Ella managed to retrieve things that had been stolen from Arkadia Mall on the Corniche. These stolen goods are being temporarily stored in a nearby mosque, before being returned to the owners of the shops in the mall. It was a similar story in el-Zawia el-Hamra, northern Cairo, where residents, in collaboration with the imams and priests of the district, returned property that had been stolen from the local police station and municipal offices. In Ain Shams, northeastern Cairo, vigilantes carted off all the garbage that had started accumulating in the streets and burnt it. As for the vigilantes in Al-Moqattam, eastern Cairo, they managed to catch the bullies and outlaws who had been terrorising innocent people and handed them over to the army. Such groups also protected water and electricity stations nationwide, safeguarding these vital utilities. It was also heartwarming to see young people tidying up Al Tahrir Square, sweeping the ground and clearing away the rubbish, while some of them, in the absence of police, did sterling work directing the traffic in the streets of the capital. Although the curfew meant that the streets were virtually empty at night and the Tube ground to a halt, one restaurant in downtown Cairo remained open, in order, as the owner said, to feed the vigilantes who worked so hard to protect us all. Vigilante groups in Ashmoun, el-Menoufia Governorate, about 50 miles north of Cairo, caught eleven men who'd escaped from the local prison and handed them over to the Army.
