Arab Reform Brief Youth Activism in Egypt Dina Shehata * After nearly a decade of political demobilization, popular support for the Palestinian intifada in 2000 has stimulated the resurgence of youth activism, this time breaking with many of the taboos that characterized Egyptian life for several decades. Like much of the Arab world, Egypt is witnessing a youth bulge or “period in which the proportion of youth in the population increases significantly compared to other age groups” Today, youth constitute approximately one third of the population, a population that has been historically excluded on the political and economic level due to policy failures. While marginalized as a social group, they continue to entertain high expectations due to urban exposure and education, and are therefore amongst the most politically mobilized groups in Egyptian politics. Youth activism is demonstrating unique characteristics that are setting it apart from the earlier waves of youth activism in Egypt. It is occurring largely outside existing parties; it is non- ideological, inclusive and internally diverse, and is largely taking place outside their traditional place of operation, the university campuses. Interestingly, Islamist youths are this time playing a secondary role in the current wave of youth activism. Youths are also making use of a much more extensive array of information and communication technology as a tool to organize, mobilize and to express their views and to challenge the State and the Egyptian political system on issues of political and constitutional reform. While youth has re-created those new channels and spaces of expression and mobilization, their multi-faceted forms of exclusion threatens to radicalize them. * Researcher at the Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies in Cairo. 23 October 2008