The following is research published today from the Special Dispatch Series and the MEMRI TV Project on Democratization and Reform in the Arab and Muslim World. To view the page for this subject, visit http://www.memri.org/subject/en/804.htm. Special Dispatch No. 3068–Egypt Coptic Liberal Writer: Egypt's Copts Are a Buffer against the Islamization of the Country In an address to the Middle East Forum, a think tank headed by American Orientalist Dr. Daniel Pipes, Coptic liberal writer Magdi Khalil, head of the Middle East Freedom Forum, claimed that Egyptian President Mubarak's regime is perpetrating state terror against Egypt's Copt community and is trying to deflect the Egyptian people's anger towards the regime by directing it toward Israel, the U.S., and the Copts. He said that it is in the West's interest to support the Copts in their struggle for rights, since they are trying to prevent Egypt from becoming a jihadist Islamist state hostile to Israel and the West. In response to Khalil's statements, Egyptian writer Hanan Suleiman penned a critical article in the daily Roz Al-Yousef. She stated that the Coptic issue should not be resolved by eliciting outside help but through internal dialogue, and that, by requesting the help of the U.S. and Israel, the Copts would only strain their relations with the Muslims in Egypt. Special Dispatch No. 3069—Syria Liberal Syrian Author Nidhal Naisa: The Arabs' Only Contribution to Civilization Was the Invention of the Zero; They Care Only about Hummus, Pickles, and Baba Ghanoush The following excerpts are from a TV debate with liberal Syrian author Nidhal Naisa, and Mauritanian intellectual Hamaullah Ould Salem, which aired on Al-Jazeera TV on March 29, 2010. Nidhal Naisa: "Dr. Faysal, nobody bothers to kick a dead cat. Unfortunately, the [Arabs], to some extent, are 'dead cats.' Who would even bother to give these dead cats a kick? They are good for nothing. [...] "You cannot rely on them. They turn their backs on one another. They fight one another. Yesterday, an Arab summit was held, but eight leaders did not show up. They officially boycotted the summit. Some people say that the Arabs have contributed in some way to civilization, but their only contribution was the invention of the zero. Unfortunately, they remain at the zero phase and have not moved on. In fact, they remain below zero, and have not made any significant contribution to human civilization. [...] Special Dispatch No. 3070—Egypt/Saudi Arabia Article in Egyptian Weekly: 'Wahhabi Ideas Oppose Art, Literature, Science, Beauty, Women, Minorities, Life Itself... Imagine [That] One of Those Hate-Mongers Has Invented a Death Machine... He Will Start by Eliminating the Jews, Then the Christians, Then the Shiites, Then the Sunnis Who Oppose Him' In an op-ed titled "J'accuse!" in the June 3-9, 2010 edition of the Al-Ahram Weekly, Galal Amer mounted attack on Wahhabism, writing that the "Wahhabi Campaign" is "powered by formidable dinars" and "trying to superimpose a bleak topography of drought on a society that lives by the river." He says that currently in Egypt, "[f]rom a hundred thousand pulpits, calls issue for violence and for the combat of America and Israel" and that as a result "colleague turns against colleague, neighbor against neighbor..." He adds that "Wahhabi ideas oppose art, literature, science, beauty, women, minorities, life itself." ![]() ![Tree image]() Please remember the environment before printing.
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