Kifaya
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Kifaya" or the Egyptian Movement for Change is a grassroots movement that seeks to establish democratic reform in Egypt. It opposes the regime of Hosni Mubarak (who has been in power since 1981), the largely rubber-stamp parliament, and the practices of his ruling party and his government in general. It is mostly composed of leftist activists, although the movement has earned the support of some Islamists, liberals and nationalists too. Its first public protest was on 12 December 2004 in front of the High Court in Downtown Cairo.
Kifaya in Egyptian Arabic (كفاية) is a word meaning "enough". The term is used to indicate that the user has "had enough" or idiomatically can't bear or can't take it any more. The political idiom began in Egypt when the Egyptian National Movement for Change made Kifaya its motto, and the movement has since become more commonly known as such. Other Egyptian groups not necessarily affiliated with the National Movement for Change have also embraced Kifaya as a slogan. The term seems to have been adopted by some people seeking change in Lebanon as well.
Kifaya's main activities began as a protest against a fifth term for President Hosni Mubarak in the country's first multi-candidate presidential elections in 2005. Although Mubarak was re-elected, Kifaya continues to protest his rule and the possible inheritance of power by Gamal Mubarak, the president's second son and Policy Secretary of the ruling National Democratic Party. Kifaya also opposes the state of emergency declared nationwide in Egypt after the assassination of Mubarak's predecessor, Anwar Sadat, in 1981. The state of emergency has continued in Egypt ever since, which Kifaya opposes, saying that the Egyptians' freedoms have been severely repressed as a result.
[edit] See also
- Ayman Nour: an Egyptian opposition leader, head of the Tomorrow Party
- Cedar Revolution in Lebanon
- Nonviolent resistance
[edit] External links
- Kifaya's web site
- Editorial on 'kifaya' in the Washington Post
- Op-ed discussing 'kifaya' in the Washington Post
- Egypt's next vote: How different? from the Christian Science Monitor
- A long way to go from The Economist
- Blog post discussing the history, current status of Kifaya
- Al Ahram Article by Jailan Halawi about recent Kifaya demonstrations in Egypt.
