Al-Ahram Weekly Issue No. 245 2 - 8 November 1995
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875

The organiser

Rifaat El-Said, 63, is secretary-general of Tagammu. A holder of two doctorate degrees in modern history, he is a part-time lecturer at the American University in Cairo and makes regular contributions to Al-Ahali and, occasionally, Al-Ahram.

He has written dozens of books, including Pages from the History of the Muslim Brotherhood, History of the Socialist Movement in Egypt, Egyptian Socialist Organisations, History of the Communist Movement in Egypt and This Is How Communists Talk. He has written one book in English: The Communist Movement in Egypt 1920-1988 and another in French: Contre L'Integrisme Islamiste.

El-Said's scholarly interests have far from overshadowed his involvement in daily party activity, however. Deriving from the largest Egyptian communist organisation in the '40s and '50s, widely known as Hadeto, El-Said is said to have inherited the organisational skills of Hadeto's founder, Henri Curiel.

His critics accuse him of being dictatorial and manipulative, an accusation which he vehemently denies. "Tagammu is based on solid democratic foundations. No party member reaches a senior position unless he is elected to it," El-Said said.

His influence within Tagammu is comparable only to that of party leader Khaled Mohieddin, however. First as organisational secretary and more recently as secretary general, he has successfully maintained his power within the party - often against fierce attacks from opponents - since its founding to the present.

More than anyone, El-Said is accused of engineering the shift in party policy towards a rapprochement with the Mubarak regime. But few of his opponents would charge this was want for personal courage. His scathing attacks against the Islamist movement have earned him a high place on the death-lists of Islamist militants.

El-Said has been noted also for his defence of the rights of Copts, devoting a considerable number of his articles in the party's mouthpiece, Al-Ahali, to attacks against instances of anti-Coptic discrimination. He takes pride in that "Tagammu is contesting the coming elections with a high degree of devotion to national unity" between Muslims and Copts.

But he vehemently denies the charge that, in the coming elections, Tagammu is making united cause with the government against the Islamists. "We believe that the policies of the ruling party are wrong and dangerous for the country, while Islamist groups are more wrong and more dangerous. And while some may argue that it would be better for us to fight just one antagonist, we are not ready to forsake our principles to win one or two seats in parliament."

ARCHIVES Letter from the Editor Editorial Board Subscription

WEEKLY ONLINE: www.ahram.org.eg/weekly Updated every Saturday at 11.00 GMT, 2pm local time weeklyweb@ahram.org.eg

Al-Ahram Organisation