However, questions are being raised about who were the key players behind the popular revolution in the Arab world's most populous state.OnIslam.net gives its readers a glimpse into the main groups that have played a major role in instigating the youth-led upheaval in Egypt.
April 6 Movement
The Facebook group is named after a day that saw a general strike in Egypt in 2008 in protest at low wages and rising food costs. The group, which has over 92,000 members, started in the spring of 2008 to support the workers of El-Mahalla El-Kubra, an industrial town where the strike call first appeared.
Growing in popularity since its formation, the group drew thousands of young Egyptians who had not been politically active before.
The group is using the left-wing symbol of the raising fist, similar to that adopted by Serbia's Otpor movement which helped bring down the regime of Slobodan Milosevic. Yet, the symbol prompted pro-government figures to accuse the group of encouraging violence and unrest.Last year, the founders of the April 6 Movement were arrested while the page itself was subjected to attacks, suspected to have been orchestrated by the government.
Ahead of January 25, the day when the anti-Mubarak protests started, the group called for Egyptians in millions on the streets of Cairo to demand the ouster of President Mubarak, who has been in power since 1981.One of the leading members, Asmaa Mahfouz, was also seen as one of those spearheading the protests.
"We Are All Khaled Said"
It's an anti-torture Facebook group that has over 484,500 registered users.The group was named after a young Egyptian, who was killed by police in the northern coastal city of Alexandria.
Run by Google's executive Wael Ghonim, the page started with posts about Said's case developments. Yet, it quickly developed into an all-out campaign against police brutality and rights abuses in Egypt, publishing information, posting graphic photos and videos, and divulging the names of abusive cops.
The group then moved to adopt a much bigger cause – uprising against Mubarak's rule, which the page creators accused of fomenting the torture phenomenon at police stations.The group called on its members to take to the streets on January 25, the day when the Egyptian Police are honored, to protest against police brutality.
Ahead of the January 25 protests, the Facebook group spread the word of a large-scale demonstration in Cairo, with demands ranging from ending police abuses to dissolving parliament.Thousands of the page users positively responded to the call, posting plans to take to the streets to avenge Said's murder as well as to restore their perceived infringed rights.
National Coalition for Change
It's a bloc spearheaded by former chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Mohamed ElBaradei.The coalition features a host of Egypt's opposition groups, which are campaigning for democratic reforms in Egypt.
ElBaradei has emerged as the most prominent opponent to Mubarak's regime and a possible presidential candidate. His Facebook page attracted over 314,600 users.The coalition supporters have collected about a million signatures in support of his campaign for reforms.ElBaradei's petition lists seven demands, including allowing independents to run for president, judicial supervision of elections and lifting three-decade-old emergency laws that critics say are used to stifle dissent.
Two days after massive protests against Mubarak's regime, ElBaradei returned to Cairo saying he would be willing to lead a transitional government if the public asked him to. He later joined the protests.
Egyptian Movement for Change (Kefaya)
Working under its trademark banner of Kefaya (Enough), the Egyptian Movement for Change has been active in opposing Mubarak's regime and a government-orchestrated scenario to transfer power to his son Gamal.
The group first came to public attention in summer 2004, mobilizing spectrum of political activists who have been calling for major changes in Egypt's political system and for more steps towards democracy.Kefaya's first rally, held on December 12, 2004, was an unusual event in Cairo, given the fact that it was the first occasion a protest had been organized solely to demand that Mubarak steps down.
Outnumbered by police forces, hundreds of protestors gathered on the steps of the High Court in Cairo, remained mostly silent and taped their mouths up with a yellow sticker emblazoned with one word; Kefaya.
The group gained more ground in 2005, a year which saw two major events in Egyptian politics; a referendum to approve constitutional amendments that allowed the first-ever direct, multi-candidate presidency elections and the presidential vote itself.
During the run-up to the referendum, scheduled for May 25, Kefaya held regular protests, calling for the cancellation of the state of emergency and all special laws that restrict freedoms.On the day of the referendum, Kefaya organized two demonstrations in Cairo, which were attacked by plain-clothes policemen.
Maintaining the pressure on the government ahead of the presidential poll on September 7, Kefaya staged a protest on July 30 against Mubarak's intention to seek a fifth term. As usual, the activists were attacked by uniformed and plain-clothed police wielding truncheons.
Despite emerging as a promising opposition power in the country where no political party enjoys popularity on the streets, the group was shaken by internal disagreements and frequent leadership shake-ups.
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