As they did two years ago, Egyptians in their thousands poured out onto the streets on Friday to commemorate the second anniversary of their revolution. But this time they were divided. One section was celebrating the political gains it has made. The other believes things have gotten worse since the stepping down of Hosni Mubarak as president. One thing is for sure: Two years on and Egypt continues in its struggle to find stability, security and harmony.

The Egyptian revolution started off as a mass movement, composed mainly of a burgeoning population of young people hungry for jobs and opportunity and seeking change. There was unity in thought and goal, but then things degenerated into a tumultuous transition under the interim leadership of military generals which lasted until the election last June of Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood. Morsi’s first six months in office have been marked by political tension, an unprecedented number of strikes and sit-ins, deadly street clashes, and an economic crunch that has sapped the country, as well as his popularity.

Morsi has become a target for some who say he hasn’t been inclusive or true to the revolution’s goals and has tried, along with the Islamists, to monopolize power. But in truth Morsi was elected fair and square as president. The Brotherhood has also used the ballot box to make huge gains in parliament and in passing the constitution. These victories, however, are brushed aside by critics who describe the Brotherhood’s power at the polls as emanating from the poor, ignorant and disenfranchised who know no better. The belief that the ballot box was the panacea for all Egypt’s ills has been shaken drastically. Egyptians have learned, and are still learning, that democratic practice is a process and is not just elections.

The situation is not confined to Egypt, but is visible in all countries of the Arab Spring, where Islamists are now in power, national dialogue is deadlocked, and tolerance is a thing of the past. Hardliners on both sides of the political divide have developed an unhealthy tendency to denigrate their opponents, marginalize them, and then pretend they don’t exist. Should this tendency continue, Egypt and the region will descend into an abyss of sectarianism.

Indeed, people in this region in general have a tendency to view "the other" as a rival or an enemy. This is not a healthy way to view other cultures. The attitude must be examined in depth, its causes discovered, and ways to reverse it applied if bigotry is not to dominate our world view.

The dip in the Egyptian graph is clear. On the first anniversary there was almost no violence. On the second, nine people were killed and hundreds more injured in clashes between forces for and against the government and not just in Tahrir Square where it all began, but across the board.
The end result two years after the uprising: At least half the country is asking what went wrong, while the other half believes Egypt is on the right track. It is this tug of war which has created Egypt’s deep polarization and fissures.