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Al-Ahram Weekly 27 July - 2 August 2000 Issue No. 492 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 27 July - 2 August 2000 Issue No. 492
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters For the revolution
I was never against the Revolution. Critiquing some of its policies is not the same thing as opposing it. What I take against the Revolution is that it did not cater to the question of democracy, which was one of its initial objectives; but I was and remain for the Revolution regarding most of the changes it brought about in Egyptian society. It was a defining moment in the life of the Arab nation, and it initiated an entirely new and different era.
Many of the Revolution's achievements are still evident, while the long-term effects of others remain operative. Where, allow me to ask you, is the monarchy and the class system? It may be that today's rich people are even richer than those who made and inherited their millions under the monarchy, but the class system, and the many injustices it implied, are now done with forever.
Where, too, are the colonial forces that stifled us for 70 years? And how can you ignore the High Dam, that huge project that protected Egypt against flooding and drought alike? Then there are the achievements of the Ministry of Culture over the past decades; the spread of literacy and education from kindergarten to university level; and the fact that this education is free of charge. We may take these achievements for granted today, but they were not universal rights at the time of the Revolution.
Reviewing all the domains of life, one by one, one encounters at least one major achievement in each. So how can one be against all this or not prefer it to the monarchy?
Based on an interview by Mohamed Salmawy.
