A time for reflection

Al-Ahram Weekly, perhaps the foremost Arab civic platform addressing and interacting with the non- Arab world, stands at a crossroads. The loss of our editor-in-chief is a great tragedy. But Hosny Guindy's passing is also an opportunity to reflect on his legacy. It is a time for serious retrospection.

His attributes included genuine humility, fortitude in the face of difficulties and perseverance. These are attributes Egypt and the Arab world, no less than the Weekly, desperately need as we face a host of challenges, economic, political and social.

The Arab world's problematic relations with the United States in particular, and the West more generally, over the issue of terrorism face further complications if the Arab media doesn't handle the matter properly. In all humility we can claim that the Weekly has effectively put the Arab point of view across to a Western readership. In this context the Weekly serves as a bridge between cultures and between peoples of different religious backgrounds.

There is no single Egyptian or Arab perspective, and the Weekly has emerged as a platform where markedly different opinions find expression. The paper has come to reflect the richness, diversity and complexity that characterise Egyptian and Arab social, cultural and political arenas.

The Weekly has also become a forum in which Westerners who wish to address the Arab world are given a platform. A cursory glance at the Letters to the Editor page will attest to the fact that the paper has succeeded in this respect. Letters from India, Africa, Israel, Europe, Canada, and especially the US, show the extent of interest generated by the Weekly.