Media Discourse and Historical Responsibility
The historical circumstance in which we live now holds the Egyptian media the most difficult and dangerous responsibility in our modern history in facing groups of interests that cooperated with former regimes for 50 years. Those groups are like cancer cells spreading in the Egyptian body with all its economic, scientific, educational, social and cultural institutions. Yet, they only agree on trading on religious slogans to deceive the simple.
I agree with President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi when saying that Egypt is waging a war of existence against such dark forces. Indeed, in our previous wars, we had to face the enemy in the field, but today our enemy is hiding and targeting the Egyptian identity. In the end, our identity remains a sign of stability in our historical, human, cultural presence on this great land.
In his article published more than 85 years ago in "Kawkab Al Sharq" newspaper, Dr. Taha Hussein, the Dean of Arabic Literature, referred to the dialogue that took place between him and a French employee working in the department responsible for the residence of foreigners in France on the issue of identity. Our late writer was an envoy from the Ahlia University to complete his studies In the Sorbonne, France in 1914, this employee asked him about his nationality when Taha Hussein answered: I am Egyptian! However, the French employee returns to him the question again: I ask you about your nationality, not about the country in which you were born, as Egypt has no nationality, because it is not an independent state, but rather a state affiliated with the Ottoman Sultanate. Taha Hussein insisted: I am an Egyptian.
Now, Egypt, our dear homeland, is free and independent country, but the Muslim Brotherhood thinker and leader Sayyid Qutb stated in the book "Milestones on the Way" described the homeland as nothing but a handful of rotten dirt . The former general guide of the MB said that during an interview with the journalist “Saeed Shuaib” that he doesn t care about Egypt at all.
The leader who defected from the Brotherhood, Tariq Abu Al-Saad, said that the Brotherhood does not believe in any of the principles of patriotism, land, sovereignty and national independence.
Therefore, I invite our religious institutions to do their best to renew the religious discourse, and all media, cultural and enlightenment institutions have to unite to support the state in its war of existence.