It took many Egyptians by surprise that, while Mohamed Mursi was being sworn in as Egypt’s president on 30 June, a ceremony of an entirely different nature was taking place, also in
It took many Egyptians by surprise that, while Mohamed Mursi was being sworn in as Egypt’s president on 30 June, a ceremony of an entirely different nature was taking place, also in Cairo. The Supreme Council of Culture (SCC) announced that this year’s Nile awards, the highest cultural honour in Egypt, would go to the late Egyptian novelist Ibrahim Aslan (1935-2012), the screenplay writer Waheed Hamed, and to social scientist Mohamed al-Gohary. All three winners are famous for their liberal views. Aslan is a poetic novelist famous for chronicling the world of the downtrodden; among his novels are Malek al-Hazeen (1981; The Heron), which also became a film The Kit Kat (1991), a landmark in Egyptian cinema. Hamed wrote the scripts for several films and TV works that scathingly criticised Islamists and, according to some, depicted religion irreverently.
Anyone who doubted the awards or the timing were meant to send a certain message need have lost no time wondering. Renowned writer Gamal al-Ghitany said this year’s awards come at a time when the rise of Islamists to power brought real threats to freedom of expression and creativity, and warned that they may seek to change the structure of Egypt’s cultural institutions, replacing the current members of the SCC with Islamists. Many of the audience agreed with Ghitany, and vowed to fight any “attempt to change the cultural identity of Egypt.”
If history is anything to go by, the Egyptian literary scene is not immune to political change. It has gone through an era of enlightenment when thought was free to roam unfettered, as well as times when religion was exploited to shut out ideas.
Watani International today reminds of instances when freedom of thought was chained under the pretext that it insulted Islam, as well as those other instances when enlightenment reigned. We also print a story on Yehia Haqqi (1905 – 1992) who died 20 years ago this year, a man who was a legend of enlightened thought and who, together with other 20th century enlightenment figures, spearheaded Egypt’s renaissance. In addition, we would like to present to our readers a review of a book that analyses Salafi thought and refutes the notion that those who self-appoint themselves as “guards of religious propriety” have no such right. There is also a story by Maged Samir on how petty giving in to superficial thought may become.
WATANI International
15 July 2012