A young Czech named Vik Jedlicka invited global citizens on April 13 to become citizens of a new state called Liberland, which he founded on an area of 7 square kilometers (2.7 square miles) situated between Croatia and Serbia on the banks of the Danube River. This initiative has caused a stir in Egypt. Liberland exists only on the Internet, and no state or international organization has so far recognized it. But what is strange is that many Egyptian youths have filled out the online immigration form available on the website set up by Liberland’s founder. Out of 50,000 immigration applications submitted, 20,000, or 40%, were submitted by Egyptians, according to Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper. Social media has paid much attention to Liberland and how to immigrate to it.
Mohammed Hashim Bahri, the head of the psychology department at Al-Azhar University, told Al-Monitor: “From Liberland’s official website, we found that the slogan of the alleged state is ‘live life and let others live it with you.’ This slogan has attracted Egyptian youth, who dream of immigrating amid a fiery political conflict and political divisions. Rejecting the other has become indicative of the current situation. Every party believes that it is right and wants to eliminate the other side. Young people have become frustrated and now dream of a place where they can freely exchange views.”
Bahri said that Jedlicka has placed conditions on obtaining citizenship. They include respecting other people’s freedom irrespective of race or religion; respecting other people’s property and not infringing on it; holding no extremist views; and having no criminal record. These conditions make Liberland the utopia that young people have been looking for; Liberland's citizens will be not be subjected to extremist ideologies and will live in a tranquil and safe environment on the Danube.
According to the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics, 61% of Egyptian youth want to emigrate in any way possible, even if it's illegal, because of unemployment. The quest for a livelihood is a major concern for most young people, with the unemployment rate approaching 25%, according to the World Bank. The Egyptian government estimated unemployment at nearly 13% in January 2015.
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