Egyptian battlers go back to basics

Inside a small flat tucked away in a middle-class Cairo neighbourhood, a trainer teaches a dozen volunteers of a budding opposition movement the basics of political organisation - communication, recruiting, gathering signatures.

The instructors draw inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King and American scholar Gene Sharp, whose tactics of civil disobedience influenced public uprisings against authoritarian regimes in Serbia, Ukraine, Georgia, Iran and elsewhere.

In the past six months, about 15,000 of these volunteers have formed a burgeoning youth opposition movement in Egypt who are pinning their hopes for leadership on Mohamed ElBaradei, the Nobel peace laureate and former chief of UN's nuclear watchdog agency.

ElBaradei's return to his homeland Egypt in February infused opponents of President Hosni Mubarak's nearly three-decade rule with a new energy. They hoped that with his calls for democratic reform, he could compete for the presidency in elections expected in 2011.

But they have come up against a hard reality. Egypt's opposition is fractious and not even a respected figure like ElBaradei stands much chance of uniting it into a real force for change. So ElBaradei's followers are trying something new: harnessing people power.

"We need an overarching dream to make us feel part of something," said 18-year-old Abdul-Rahman Salah, who was among volunteers receiving training in political organisation. "People are starting to change."

Next year's vote is heavy with uncertainty. It is unclear whether the ailing 82-year-old Mubarak will run again, or push forward his son, Gamal, 46. Intelligence chief, Mubarak aide Omar Suleiman, is also cited as a possibility.

ElBaradei has said he won't run unless conditions are made fairer. Hampering the creation of any popular movement is a pervasive security apparatus that keeps close tabs on dissent, often dispersing protests by force.

Also, change is locked out by the political process. No party can be created without government permission. Parties can field candidates for president, but independents - like ElBaradei - can run only after an approval process that effectively gives the ruling party a veto.

Another 9,000 volunteers are to be trained or have applied to join the ElBaradei campaign. After operating mainly online, volunteers have started going door-to-door to gather signatures and reach out to people directly, following the ideas of Sharp.

In his writings, Sharp offers nearly 200 methods for protesters to pressure authoritarian regimes, from adopting symbolic colours to staging mass strikes.

Egypt's new movement has not implemented his more dramatic steps yet. But ElBaradei says he will not hesitate to call for civil disobedience if the government remains intransigent.

"So long as we appear weak, the security agencies will leave us alone," said Ahmed Ezz, the lead trainer."We just want a space to breathe, to be free."