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Hany Ibrahim is an Egyptian advocate for reform and democracy. Hany holds a Masters degree in public policy from the American University in Cairo. He is leading an anticorruption program implemented by an Egyptian private organization "the Development and Institutionalization Support Center DISC". Before joining DISC, Hany was the program officer of the International Republican Institute- a US based pro democracy organization - for Cairo Office. His core expertise ranges from programs development to policy development in the areas of good governance, political development, and media applications.

It is like a dream. The People of Egypt can express what they like without being jailed or harassed?! The internet has made this a reality. Egypt is a country of almost 80 million peopleand is a very strategic country located on the Mediterranean linking Africa with Asia. It has a more than 6000 years civilization; you can touch the genuineness of the country when you see its pyramids, temple of Luxor, and the modern Bibliotheca of Alexandria.

In the 1960s, it was impossible to say "no" to the regime. Over the past three decades, corruption has overwhelmed the country. It has become a life style. On November 19, 2006, President Mubarak urged the Egyptian parliament to stand against administrative corruption. Unfortunately, very few of the high ranking politicians responded to the President's call. Nevertheless, new players seized the opportunity and decided to uncover corrupt practices and fight for a transparent, responsive and accountable society. These new players are the civil society organizations, or "CSO’s".

The CSOs needed to search for new and unfamiliar tools to fight the deep-rooted corruption within Egyptian society. Of these, the internet has proven the most valuable. The revolutionary tool has provided Egyptians with an unprecedented outlet with which to express their hopes and grievances independent from the oppression and censorship of official apparatuses.

In 2007, a private organization, "the Development and Institutionalization Support Center DISC" which is dedicated to research, good governance, and media development, launched an anticorruption program - a USAID funded activity- utilizing the internet. The program built a website called "Nazaha" which means in Arabic "Transparency and Integrity" Nazaha aims to raise public awareness about corruption and its harmful effects, both in the short and long run. Nazaha provides downloadable tools for journalists, members of elected Local Councils, and NGO's leaders, enabling them to investigate, uncover, and fight corruption. Moreover, the website monitors and documents corruption cases circulated by 23 (party, state-run, and independent) newspapers. The documentation is divided into seven categories: (1) corruption in health sector; (2) corruption in housing; (3) corruption in primary education; (4) corruption in higher education; (5) corruption in transportation; (6) corruption in supplies; and (7) corruption in local administrative units. The documentation is necessary for analysis of the data and interpretation of the causes and effects of corruption on the life of the people, particularly the poor and the marginalized.

Nazaha has grown quickly and has become one of the windows through which people can view and react against corruption. Its readers come not only from Egypt but from Kuwait, Yemen, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and United States of America. According to alexa.com, Nazaha was ranked 87000 in Egypt, in August 2008. Yet, at the beginning of December of 2008, it was ranked 17000. The number of its visitors has increased rapidly and given an indication that people's awareness of corruption is increasing and the battle against this cancer is gaining new soldiers every day.

Why a website for fighting corruption in Egypt?

Corruption has been considered a red line issue for many decades in Egypt. Even now, some politicians still view corruption only as an exploitable political file; something to be touched and opened only when they want to get rid of their rivals.

In 2005, Egypt witnessed a slight opening and the call for reform and democracy got stronger. National and international organizations pushed towards a better Egypt. However, corruption increased and gained more ground. According to the Corruption Perception Index, which is developed and circulated by Transparency International "TI" on an annual basis, Egypt was ranked 70 of 163 countries with a total score 3.3. (CPI Score relates to perceptions of the degree of corruption as seen by business people and country analysts, and ranges between 10 (highly clean) and 0 (highly corrupt). In 2007, the situation became worse as Egypt was ranked 105 of 179 countries with a total score 2.9. Additionally, the situation deteriorated further when Egypt was ranked 115 of 180 countries with a total score of 2.8.

An economic study by the German University Passau indicated that Egypt would be able to attract a 15 % increase in foreign investment if its TI CPI scores increased by one point. This shows how important it is for average citizens to be informed and to join the battle against corruption.

On the other hand, the number of Internet Users in Egypt is increasing rapidly. In 2004, there were almost 500 thousands users; in June 2008, there were more than 8 million users. It is expected that number of internet users will reach more than 11 million by the end of 2009. Moreover, the internet is a youth friendly tool and almost 40 % of the Egyptians are between 15 and 40 years old. This is another perspective for the importance of the internet in Egypt.

Therefore, the internet is the right tool for engaging youth and pro reform people in the battle against corruption.

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