Much of the media and activists’ attention in revolutionary Egypt has focused on developments in Cairo, Alexandria and Suez. But political activism in Luxor is alive and well. While other parts of Upper Egypt are dominated by tribal competition, the city of Luxor, a tourist center, are pushing for realizing the revolution’s demands in Egypt’s south.
Around 1000 people gathered on Sunday in Luxor’s main Abu al-Hagag square as part of the second conference of the Coalition of the 25 January Revolution in Luxor. The coalition is shaping up to be one of the driving forces for the ongoing revolution in the Upper Egyptian city, which in the past has been largely ignored by the government in Cairo.
“That’s unbelievable. I spoke with people and they are all fully aware of the revolution and its developments. I’m totally convinced that the revolution is not in Cairo or Alexandria only. It is also here in Luxor and all over Upper Egypt,” said Karima al-Hefnawy, a political activist with the National Association for Change who came from Cairo to support the coalition.
Activists in Luxor formed the coalition during the 18 days protests that lead eventually to the removal of Mubarak. “We were around twenty activists in the beginning and we were thinking of ways to support the Egyptian revolution,“ said Abu Baker Fadel, 32, member of the coalition.
“Later Islamists joined the coalition but due to divisions over the idea of civility of the state, they withdrew. Such withdrawal didn’t affect the coalition at all,” added Fadel.
Since the ousting of the former president Hosni Mubarak in February, Luxor has come alive with political activity as major political movements organize events, explaining their political views and inviting people to join their parties.
The Salafi movement organized a conference March, attended by well-known preacher Hazem Shoman. And in July, the Muslim Brotherhood organized their first conference in Upper Egypt, which Brotherhood leader Mohamed Beltagy attended.
Even Jama'a al-Islamiya, a hardline Salafi group responsible for a 1997 massacre of tourists that badly damaged the local economy, organized its own conference in Abu al-Hagag Square in April.
Not to be outdone, secular groups like Justice and Freedom Movement organized its own conference. Their activism led to Luxor residents staging a sit-in in Abu al-Hagag Square from 8 July to 1 August in parallel with the sit-in in Tahrir Square.
“The city is characterized by open mindedness due to its touristic nature. Also elements of tribalism and familial issues are not active in the political scene in Luxor,” Tarek Mahmoud, one of the founder of the Coalition of January 25 Revolution in Luxor told Al-Masry Al-Youm.
Most of Upper Egypt is dominated tribal allegiances, which has always shaped the political and social fabric of the region. Many local activists fear that tribalism could pose a threat to the revolution, as all major tribes in Sohag and Qena, for example, supported the Mubarak regime and his now-dissolved National Democratic Party (NDP) due to patronage networks.
Islamist movements, even the well-organized Muslim Brotherhood, have a limited effect on the political landscape in Luxor, locals say.
“People in Luxor generally have been always adherents of moderate Islam. They are influenced by moderate Sufis, so that extremist ideas have no roots here,” Mahmoud.
“They also know that any extremist thinking would push tourists to leave the city. Tourism is the backbone of the city’s economic life.”
Around a third of the attendants of the Coalition of the 25 January Revolution in Luxor conference were women. “It’s a surprising fact for people from Cairo but women’s activism here in Luxor is reality,” said Shafiya Ahmed, member of the coalition and a well-known activist in the city.
“I’ve toured the city calling for young women to come and join the coalition or any political activity. We don’t have rigid restrictions here as in the [tribe-dominated] Qena. The community also has many needs that should be met. From my experience, you can tell that women in Luxor are eager to work and support the revolution,” said Shafiya.
Currently, female activists in the city are working to help women run in the parliamentary elections that are expected to be held in November.
“So far, six women announced that they would run for parliamentary elections. I’ll run for the local council elections,” said Shafiya. “It’s wonderful to see how women are dealing with the post Mubarak era.”
Discovering new political faces for the future is one of the coalition’s major activities right now. With the help of older political activists, the coalition is trying to cull politicians who reflect the revolution.
“We are fully aware that the revolution hasn’t yet produced its political forces. Instead of preparing for the elections, we are busy, like any revolutionary voices, with the issue of military trials for civilians. But at the same time we are working to develop tools to support voices representing the revolution and women are part of the process of course,” said Mahmoud.
Luxor, which lies 700 km south of Cairo, has not received much attention from Egypt’s central government in the past, with one exception. In the interest of earning tourism revenues, the government in Cairo has worked to develop tourism infrastructure, despite the interests or desires of the people who live in the city on a permanent basis.
Hundreds of houses were demolished last year in an attempt by Mubarak regime’s government to turn the city into the world’s largest open-air museum. Locals say that the government hoped to sell the confiscated land to private investors.
Ammar Kemal Eldin, a university student who attended the coalition’s second conference, feels that this experience may help gather support for the revolution’s demands in Luxor. Residents of the city, he said, are expressing more interest in politics because of their hatred of the old regime.
“The governorate demolished many houses and they didn’t bother to give us compensation,” Kemal Eldin said. “The revolution was in Cairo but it was also in Luxor against this injustice. That’s why people in Luxor are supporting the revolution.”
