Protests in Egypt

Protestor at Egyptian demonstration

At a political demonstration in Cairo calling for a more open democracy, a group of men chanting its support for Mubarak's ruling party harassed the protestors. In particular, this mob -- thought to have been sent by the government -- groped and beat up the women among the protestors.

Rather than intimidating anyone, the images of the beatings has apparently mobilized the opposition. In fact, the events have brought together fundamentalist Islamic groups and socialists. Kamal Khalil, director of the Center for Socialist Studies, told the New York Times, "At least now there is dialogue and meetings between us as Communists and the Muslim Brotherhood. We share our visions and there is a kind of coordination - of course, the event, assaults of Wednesday the 25th helped; we can't deny this." The event has also sparked the budding Islamic feminist movement in Egypt, fueling their organizational efforts.

The good kind of backlash.