El Mahalla El Kubra
El-Mahalla El-Kubra | |
|---|---|
| File:El-Mehalla El-Kopra (Misr Company).jpg | |
| Nickname: Textiles Stronghold | |
| Country |  Egypt |
| Governorate | Gharbia |
| Elevation | 26 m (85 ft) |
| Population (2012) | |
| • Total | 465,278 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EST) |
| Area code | (+20) 40 |
.jpg){kind=link}
El-Mahalla El-Kubra (Arabic: المحلة الكبرى al-maḥallah al-kubrā , Egyptian Arabic: [elmæˈħællæ lˈkobɾɑ]; commonly shortened to el-Maḥalla ) is a large industrial and agricultural city in Egypt, located in the middle of the Nile Delta on the western bank of the Damietta branch. It is known for its dominant textile industry. It is the largest city of the Gharbia Governorate and the second largest in the Nile Delta, with a population of approximately 442,000 inhabitants (2001 statistics).
El-Mahalla el-Kubra is home to the largest public sector Egyptian textile company, the Misr Spinning and Weaving Company (Arabic: شركة مصر للغزل والنسيج), employing 27,000 workers.
2006–11 protests
Over 15,000 protesters clashed with police in Mahalla in 2006, following the publication of a cartoon mocking Islam in Denmark.[1]
Later in 2006 textile workers struck to protest market reforms, demanding better living conditions.[2]
Beginning in April 2008 the city held mass demonstrations protesting the election results of President Hosni Mubarak, claiming election fraud and demanding better wages. Security forces were ordered to crackdown on the dissidents, and in May they killed two or three in the city and injured dozens.[3][4] Images of protestors in Mahalla overturning billboards of Mubarak were viewed by some Egyptians as a turning point in Egyptian politics, according to The Washington Post.[3] The Observer has written that protests in El-Mahalla from 2006 to 2011 spearheaded larger political changes throughout Egypt.[4] A Facebook group established by 28-year old engineer Ahmad Maher to support striking textile workers in El-Mahalla gained 70,000 followers and helped organize support for the strikers nationally.[5]
In 2011, protests in Mahalla contributed to the collapse of the Mubarak dictatorship.[2]
2012 protests and declaration of autonomy
On 15 July 2012, 25,000 workers from El-Mahalla El-Kubra's Misr Spinning and Weaving Company went on strike, demanding increased profit sharing, better retirement benefits and a replacement of the management.[6] The Misr workers were joined by workers from seven other textile factories in the region, and strikes also broke out among doctors and health workers, university workers, and ceramics workers in other parts of Egypt.[6]
Clashes between protestors supporting or opposing the Muslim Brotherhood on November 28 left over 100 people injured.[7] On December 7, the city declared itself autonomous from Egypt,[8] as workers and students, declaring themselves independent from the "Muslim Brotherhood State," cut rail lines and blocked entrances to the city.[2] Protestors stormed the city council and announced their intentions to replace it with a revolutionary council.[2]
Soccer teams
The city is also famous for its two football teams: Ghazl Al-Mehalla and Baladeyet Al-Mahalla.
See also
30°58′01″N 31°10′01″E / 30.967°N 31.167°E
References
- ^ Bilesfky, Dan (11 February 2006). "Danish Cartoon Editor on Indefinite Leave". The New York Times.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ a b c d Stern, Johannes (8 December 2012). "Protests spread throughout Egypt against Islamist dictatorship". World Socialist Web Site. Retrieved 8 December 2012.
- ^ a b Ellen (18 May 2008). "Fledgling Rebellion on Facebook Is Struck Down by Force in Egypt". Washington Post.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ a b Shenker, Jack (23 January 2011). "Egypt's frustrated young wait for their lives to begin, and dream of revolution". The Observer (England).
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ Verma, Sonia (27 January 2011). "How Egypt got here: A brutal beating and a penchant for Facebook has protesters eager to brave the streets". The Globe and Mail.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ a b Stern, Johannes (18 July 2012). "Egyptian workers mount mass strikes against US-backed junta". World Socialist Web Site. Retrieved 8 December 2012.
- ^ "Clashes Spread Beyond Cairo". Washington Post. 28 November 2012. Retrieved 8 December 2012.
- ^ Bakr, Sara (7 December 2012). "Mahalla announces autonomy". Daily News Egypt. Retrieved 8 December 2012.