Below is a video of Ibrahim Issa's October 13, 2014 program. Ibrahim's discussion of the danger of the ongoing religious message in Egypt is nothing short of brilliant and incisive. His analysis is most courageous.
The relevant part in the video starts at 33min 50 sec. into the video clip, and end at 1hr 09min 17sec. for a total run time of 35min 27sec. Ibrahim outlines with clarity and precision the roles of government and various institutions in regards their negligence in addressing the threat of the 11 religious parties currently thriving in Egypt.
The relevant part in the video starts at 33min 50 sec. into the video clip, and end at 1hr 09min 17sec. for a total run time of 35min 27sec. Ibrahim outlines with clarity and precision the roles of government and various institutions in regards their negligence in addressing the threat of the 11 religious parties currently thriving in Egypt.
My friend who shared this video with me wrote "This is the most courageous but highly distressing presentation by Ibrahim Issa in his long career as a journalist. He sticks his neck way out by naming names and pointing out the pernicious danger faced by Egypt & the current meek approach by our leadership in handling the religious question."
Another friend who simultaneously shared same video with me wrote "That was a powerful commentary by Ibrahim Issa. The President and Government should not be so complacent and conciliatory to the Azhar, Salafists and all the religious parties and organizations that are presently jockeying for power. Fervent religious believers will not abandon their beliefs simply in the face of evidence that they are wrong or lead to bad outcomes. We have learned the hard way how violent and destructive religious militancy can be. One of the reasons for the strength of political Islam today is that it can speak to issues of identity, religion, and social class simultaneously, and the rise of political Islam in the Middle East is mainly of a form of identity politics than a matter of revived religiosity per se, and as such has become a rallying cry for the mobilization of political outsiders and a powerful tool in the hands of the great powers. I agree with Issa that this issue is much more important than the Suez Canal project."
I say, upon watching/listening to what Ibrahim said and presented, that so long as religion is front and center in life in Egypt, everywhere you go, everywhere you look and everywhere you read, permeating all aspects of life in Egypt, so long as this continues to be the norm, in my learned opinion, no chance, absolutely no chance for Egypt to move forward and upward, to join in a generation or two what we consider advanced nations. With religion as the driving force, in so many ways as we know, with religion the arbiter with absolute power to judge and determine re everything irregardless of history, evidences and facts on the ground, Egypt is doomed to be mired in mediocrity for the duration.
Egypt must become a nation of laws, it must refurbish its set of principles and ethics, you certainly can get some of that from religion, no problem with that.
Your worth must be what you contribute to society, starting with self and own family, not how religious you are, and most certainly not by what religion you subscribe to.
Please see video below.
Hussein
My blog: http://husseinamin45.
