| Nazly Hussein is compiling evidence of human rights violations committed during the uprising By Nadine El SayedFor Nazly Hussein, Tahrir was a utopia. “It was the first time people treated me like a human being and not a woman. To me, that was a perfect world,” says Hussein, an educational psychologist who camped in Tahrir from January 28 until former President Hosni Mubarak resigned on February 11. During that time, she says, Tahrir was not her second home, but her main one. She even had her family with her: While Hussein slept at the square, she was joined in the mornings by her mother and brothers. To get some quiet time and ensure a place in one of the three tents where 20 of her friends were living, Hussein would stay up at night and then sleep through the morning. “At night there was an amazing energy, and it was quieter,” she says. “I had conversations with people I would have never had the chance to meet.” Hussein recalls a conversation with three 19-year-olds from Fayoum. “Arrogantly, I thought people in general didn’t have much awareness, but I was amazed talking to everyone, especially these guys. They had such [a] high awareness of general issues, it made me see things differently.” The spirit in Tahrir, Hussein recounts passionately, was unifying and humbling. “Your neighbor, whoever he is, will always invite you to eat whatever he has.” She describes an experience she had on January 25. As she was running from police forces, a man she had never met stopped to make sure she was able to jump a fence. “He risked getting caught just to make sure I jumped safely. I didn’t even know this guy and never saw him again.” The daily life in Tahrir was a model for an organized civil society. In the morning, Hussein explains, “you would find people playing sports and running around the square chanting slogans for the revolution.” As the days passed, protestors found themselves holding impromptu workshops and debates. Hussein explains that 10 of her friends were meeting to discuss what is happening and by the end of the meeting, around 100 other protestors had joined in the debates. Running their own media center,a number of protestors — Hussein among them — compiled footage gathered from various protestors to create videos campaigning for the revolution. The videos were then published on several television channels and posted online. “I have a huge database of all the brutalities and human rights violations because we thought, if one person had one video, he won’t bother to present it when trials begin. We wanted to ensure we have records of what happened.” What Hussein loved most about Tahrir is how stereotypes were broken, as people from all walks of life learned to accept each other. “I, an unveiled girl who smokes, have had conversations with members of the Muslim Brotherhood and women wearing face veils, and we just agree to disagree,” she says. During her final days in Tahrir, Hussein overheard one guy telling another: “Those smoker girls, they turned out to be gamdeen [tough or awesome].” “Finally people were starting to look at women they formerly may have harassed as tough girls who are fighting for their rights, sleeping in the freezing cold and sweeping the streets.” Although Hussein was once planning to leave the country and live abroad, her plans have changed. “I will be here to rebuild this country. When you have a sense of worth and feel you own this country and can make a change, you won’t have the need to leave.” |
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