Two faces of Ramadan

By Naguib Mahfouz

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This year the holy month of Ramadan greets a populace trapped between a historical vision of the month as a time of scented beauty, Sufi chanting and staying up at Fishawi till suhour on the one hand, and the painful reality of political, economic and administrative problems. But Ramadan is equally the month of contemplation so let us hope that it leads us to think about our conditions and sort out our problems. Only then will we be able to confront the catastrophes that are constantly besetting us.

Economic crises assume different dimensions when the world order no longer allows local economies to operate in isolation from the international market. Inflation rages, hard currency becomes even more expensive and there is a marked drop in the purchasing power of our own currency. In Egypt, unlike the rest of the world living expenses have increased without a corresponding rise in incomes -- a development that requires new policies.

Political crises have increased throughout the Arab world. Palestine is no longer our only hurt: now there is also Iraq and in no time there will be other wounds to boot. How do we deal with all this when we have stayed the same for many years, without the slightest change in our order of life.

* Based on an interview by Mohamed Salmawy.