He's back

Is Saadeddin Ibrahim looking for retribution? In an exclusive interview with Jailan Halawi, the embattled sociologist says he's more committed to both his teaching and his civil society work

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Saadeddin Ibrahim's saga is an extremely familiar one. Arrested on 30 June 2000, the 64- year-old Egyptian-American human rights activist was tried and convicted twice by a state security court, which sentenced him to seven years in jail on charges that included defaming the country's image. Then, in a sudden reversal earlier this year, the Court of Cassation (Egypt's highest appeals court) ended up finding him innocent of all the charges that had been pressed against him.

Ibrahim's case might have been just another miscarriage of justice, if it hadn't been for the tremendous international attention it garnered, even straining -- at one point -- relations between Egypt and the United States. His trial was one of the highest profile cases in recent years, not only because of the unprecedented attention it received in the West, and especially the US (whose diplomats in Cairo did not miss a single court session), but also as a result of its impact on the future of civil society in Egypt and the Arab world in general. In fact, the case sparked worldwide criticism from both international and local human rights organisations, which described it as "politically motivated", and aimed at "muzzling" Egypt's human rights groups.

During his imprisonment, the American University in Cairo (AUC) sociology professor experienced neurological problems that prevented oxygen from reaching deeper parts of his brain; following his acquittal, he sought treatment in the US, where he underwent spinal surgery on his neck at the Johns Hopkins Medical Center in Baltimore.

In an exclusive interview with Al-Ahram Weekly shortly after his return to Egypt, Ibrahim discussed both his future plans, as well as the upcoming reopening of the Ibn Khaldun Centre for Developmental Studies (ICDS), the controversial think tank he owns and directs, which has been closed since his arrest three years ago. Ibrahim was also candid about the lessons he learned from his ordeal. He refuted claims made by the Arabic press about having plans to confront the government now that it is clear how much support he has from the US -- a factor which several analysts believe had a major impact on his acquittal.

"I've been out of work for the past three years," Ibrahim said, "and my main concern now is to resume my work as a social researcher advocating human rights, democracy, peace and development -- not challenging the government. I am not responsible for what the press or analysts claim."

The fact that Ibrahim plans on reopening the ICDS on 30 June -- three years to the day after his arrest -- has inspired some analysts to argue that the move is a symbolic attempt to get back at the government. Ibrahim's explanation, however, is that, "I've simply decided to have a soft opening of the centre that coincidentally marks not only its closure, but the 15th anniversary of its establishment, as well as the beginning of a new fiscal year."

An article by Ibrahim entitled "Broaden the Roadmap" -- which was published in The Washington Post while he was in the US -- also generated claims by media pundits that he was actively engaged in attacking the regime. Ibrahim, who said his article was taken out of context, denied the accusation. "I did not criticise Egypt, I criticised all Arab regimes and did not single Egypt out. My stand on this issue [democracy] is very well known, even while I was on trial; I am not going to change my convictions because of a trial. I am critical of non-democratic regimes, and that is why I am reopening the centre and struggling for more democracy and more respect for human rights. My article addressed the entire region, urging [the adoption] of a roadmap to democratise and develop."

Although he was offered "all kinds of jobs" while in the US, Ibrahim turned them down because "I preferred to be back home at this critical time in the region. Now that I am back, I am committed to resuming my lifelong agenda, as well as teaching at the AUC."

Preparations for the ICDS's reopening, meanwhile, are underway. Two days after his acquittal, the security forces that had been guarding the centre since his arrest left the premises. When he retook possession, however, Ibrahim said he found the centre "looted like the national museum in Baghdad. Everything was either destroyed or damaged, even sinks, telephones, and furniture. We tried to get the police to come and investigate but they refused, so we hired our own guards and started repairing."

Suddenly, on 12 June, some two months into the refurbishing process, a new contingent of security forces arrived, kicked the guards out, and "re- occupied" the centre, forbidding anyone from entering without permission. Ibrahim said the ICDS' board of trustees is currently negotiating "with whomever we can negotiate with" to find out why the security presence was reinstated, and when it would leave. Ibrahim said he was officially given access to the centre by State Security prosecutors, and that he "believes [the current situation] is part of the ongoing drama" that he thought was over; "but obviously somebody in the establishment does not see it that way".

Later, however, Ibrahim regained possession of his ICDS and the reopening will go as scheduled by the end of this month.

As for the effect the harrowing experiences of the past three years may have on his future civic activities, Ibrahim was forthright. "I will resume my agenda in terms of advocacy for democracy, human rights, and minority rights," he said, "and of course the experience of the last three years will definitely have an impact on the style, scope and the quality of the work I am going to do, if I can do it." Ibrahim explained that although the centre used to be involved in as many as 10 projects at the same time, "I don't think I have the energy or youthfulness to do that much work in the future, nor do I intend to have as many researchers in the centre as we used to have." He said he plans on focussing on three or four projects, and being more selective when it comes to his staff, upon whom he hopes to rely on to "carry more of the burden and relieve me of the fund raising and managerial day to day activities. My health will continue to be a factor determining how far I will involve myself in public life, so I hope as things improve, my involvement in public life will also improve."

According to Ibrahim, finding the right staff for the ICDS is another lesson to be learned from his ordeal. While a great many applicants from Egypt and abroad want to be interns at the centre, "we have to be far more selective." Ibrahim said that previously, "we gave everybody who wanted to learn a chance. Although this was a very good philosophy that lasted for 12 years, the price we paid was that some of our staff was not up to the standard, both morally and intellectually."

Ibrahim said that during his trial, some of the staff was loyal, while others succumbed to pressure, and were willing to do anything interrogators asked them to do in order to clear themselves. Ibrahim was probably referring to Khaled Fayyad -- one of the 26 ICDS employees who were charged along with him -- who ended up collaborating with the prosecution and providing testimony that harmed Ibrahim's position in the case. Fayyad later sent Ibrahim a formal letter of apology in which he defended himself by alleging that the testimony he provided the prosecution had been extracted from him under duress.

Ibrahim said the experience served to show that "not everyone is capable of dealing with the dangers of public work," and that part of the future ICDS screening process will include an extremely extensive briefing about the risks of civil work. The entire ICDS staff, he said, would also be provided with the complete details of the case against Ibrahim, as a way of avoiding the pitfalls of the past. "The experience was very rich," he said. "Just as there was much suffering, there were also several things we learned. Some of these lessons have already been discussed and written about, and this material will all be at the disposal of the centre's new staff."

Although the centre has employed over 1000 people in its decade or more of existence, Ibrahim said, "if you get a few cases of bad apples it can poison the whole atmosphere." By being more careful, he hopes to reduce the "bad apple" rate to zero.

Ibrahim said his case represented "one of the rare successes" that civil society and human rights practitioners around the globe "could be happy and proud about". Considering how up in arms European and American organisations were during the case, and how infrequently such mobilisation actually succeeds, "they felt a minor victory when I was acquitted." Prior to his neck operation, Ibrahim was asked by many of these organisations to speak about his experience, and the lessons that could be drawn from it. These groups were curious to discover whether Ibrahim thought his acquittal would inject new life into civil society in Egypt and the Arab world. " My feeling is yes," he said. "It may take some time, but it will definitely revive it."

Meanwhile Ibrahim will be keeping himself busy by trying to complete the manuscripts he began writing while in prison, one of which is a prison memoir, and the other a tome entitled The Culture of Denial.

In a previous interview with the Weekly, Ibrahim had described himself as being "colour blind" when it came to knowing where the "red lines" were that if crossed, would incur official wrath. Now, he said, "I remain colour blind and don't have a magical ability to determine where the red lines are, when it comes to my advocacy for democracy, freedom and peace. Nevertheless, I will do my best not to cross them if someone were to tell me what they were."

C a p t i o n :
Saadeddin Ibrahim

Al-Ahram Weekly Online : 26 June - 2 July 2003 (Issue No. 644)
Located at: http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2003/644/eg6.htm