Dear readers, what my pen will line up now is not new, I have already written about the two subjects which I will re-write some excerpts from them:
The first theme: an article titled "Thoughts," and "Call of the revolution in response to the thoughts of Mr Anthony Wilson," and "to the front of the Union of Middle East Communities."
* The article of "Thoughts" was published in the Lebanese newspaper "An-Nahar (the day)", which is published in Australia, on 10/08/1995.
* And the article "Call of the revolution in response to the thoughts of Mr Anthony Wilson" was published in the Lebanese newspaper "An-Nahar" on 09/11/1995.
* My response was published in an article entitled "to the front of the Union of Middle East Communities" in the Lebanese newspaper "An-Nahar" on 14/12/1995.
These articles are documented within the other articles in the second part of the book series "Al-Mughtarib (the expatriate)" published in 1997.
The second theme: an article titled "Dr Ayman Nour a strange and rare phenomenon and worth to stop at."
* The article has been published in each of the Lebanese newspaper "Al-Mustaqbal (the future)", which is published in Australia, and the Egyptian newspaper "Al-Masri (the Egyptian)" which is published in Australia on 31/03/2005.
This article is documented within the other articles in Part VI of the book series "Al-Mughtarib" published in 2006.
The motive for the carriage of these extracts and republishing is what was referred to by the media consummate Ms. Amani Khayat, the presenter of the program "Sabah (Morning)" in a channel on TV "and her dialogue with her guest in an episode on Tuesday, 1/4/2014, and her referral by saying "what does a Muslim doctor mean!; also her talking about Dr Ayman Nour the fugitive in Lebanon.
I begin with the section particular to Al-Azhar University from the article "Thoughts” which I referred to.
* ... From the Arabic program, which was broadcast from Melbourne on "last Thursday". I listened to an interview conducted by fellow Hossam Shabo with Dr. Jamal Badawi, visiting from Canada.
Dr Badawi’s conversation raised my worries as an Egyptian who believes that light should be shed on all aspects of life experienced by Egypt and the Arab world.
If Dr Badawi, in his lectures and television programs in Canada and the United States is trying to show the bright and beautiful side of the religion of Islam, and rejects the Islamised thought that makes of Islam a means to an end which is in fact a far cry from the tolerant Islamic religion. I say to Dr Badawi with all my heart, I congratulate you on your efforts and wish you and each guide and religious reformer conciliation. And I also say that it is the right of all heavenly religions and none heavenly beliefs to work on clarifying their identities and missions in a beautiful literary and scientific style.
Here, too, I ask, if a Christian comes from any Arab country, and tried to talk about what ails Christianity in our Arab countries of the problems and denied rights in some countries; will he be allowed to speak so at all levels of the media? The answer may be yes, or may be no.
I go back and ask a question of Dr. Jamal Badawi that I made before, and it is “is it equality for the people of one nation for the existence of a governmental educational body that has faculties of medicine, engineering, chemistry etc, to accept the sons and daughters of one part of the people of the country and does not accept the children of the other part, however small their number is, because of religion? Will he himself accept that his children be deprived in Canada of scientific studies at universities in Canada because they are Muslims?
I do not think that he or anyone else would be satisfied, and this is what is happening in the Al-Azhar University in Egypt.
* Call of the revolution in response to the thoughts of Mr Anthony Wilson.
You, Mr Anthony Wilson, asked for the opening of Al-Azhar University in Egypt for all students, including Christians?
Is this a request to unite the lot or to sow discord among them? Of course, Muslims and Christians are brothers and sons of the one people, no one of them is entitled to something denied to the other, but the demand is very strange coming from an educated and cultured author who is supposed to know and understand the limits of religious practices and belief and prohibitions and allowances in them.
We, Mr Anthony Wilson, have to think about the achievement of the possible and stay away from the improbable or even impossible so that our words would not become askew, deviant and fire splinters and shrapnel and shells thrown unconsciously to demolish and destroy the temple on us all.
And if you may have accompanied with your strange request, a similar request to open Christian theological colleges’ doors for Muslims, the aim of this proposal, would have been clear and innocent, unification willingly.
And finally, I wish on behalf of all Muslim and Christian brothers, members of the front of the Union of Middle East Communities and outside it of the sons of our Arab nation to stop creating discord among brothers. We are against any intolerance or discrimination or sectarianism, seeking and striving for national unity and nationalism, union of conscience, thought and public and common interest as much as possible and capable to, in order to return the Arab human rights to exist and remain free, generous and enjoying life, progress and comfort, in light of their wealth and the riches and potential, provided by God to him on their land.
God help a nation sold by her children and abdicated its rights and so everyone in it and whoever is from it hurried to hold the pick to dig her grave before the promised time, to escape from and banish the torment of conscience, which died and ended with treason and treachery and meanness and surrender.
Dear readers, I have quoted to you some of what was responded by the front of the Union of Middle East Communities, by Mohamed Abdel Halim.
Here’s my response to them:
*To the front of the Union of Middle East Communities.
Mr. Mohamed Abdel Halim for the front of the Union of Middle East Communities and all the members of the front in Australia and beyond, I thank you for your response to what I wrote in the corner of "Al-Mughtarib (expatriate)" under the title "Thoughts."
My thanks to you are based on the literary style that you came forward with and wrote your response to me without threat or menace.
Let me start with the second paragraph where you say I asked that Al-Azhar University in Egypt to become open to all, including Christians.
In that article and in that part of it in particular, I had listened to an interview with Dr. Jamal Badawi, and I was impressed with him and wrote, "... I go back and ask Dr. Jamal Badawi, a question that I made before, and it is “is it equality for the people of one nation for the existence of a governmental educational body that has faculties of medicine, engineering, chemistry etc, to accept the sons and daughters of one part of the people of the country and does not accept the children of the other part, however small their number is, because of religion? Will he himself accept that his children be deprived in Canada of scientific studies at universities in Canada because they are Muslims? I do not think that he or anyone else would be satisfied, and this is what is happening in the Al-Azhar University in Egypt.”
Gentlemen, I think you did not read what I wrote quietly enough, for if you did that, you wouldn’t have written what you wrote!
Dear Gentlemen, what I asked for is the cancellation of the attachment of secular colleges (medicine, engineering, etc.) to the University of Al-Azhar, and to keep the university of Al-Azhar as a university to teach religious doctrine and the Islamic religious sciences that are so many. Of course, I cannot call on the sons of Christians to attend or to allow them to attend this university, where there is no place for them in it. Whoever among them, who wants to study the Islamic religion and Islamic jurisprudence, can do so by enrolling at colleges of Arts, sections of the Arabic language and literature and Islamic jurisprudence.
If the Christian son is prevented from entering the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Al-Azhar for he is a Christian, and maybe he would have obtained the top marks in the HSC higher than the son of a Muslim who is eligible to enrol at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Al-Azhar, even if his total is less than the Christian. I see in that a clear discrimination that does not accept any argument or debate, because the University of Al-Azhar is a government university funded by the taxes from the people of one nation living on its land, are supposed to have common duties and equal rights. That was the reason for my questioning of Dr. Jamal Badawi, if he would accept that the Canadian government close the doors of one of the universities in the face of his sons because they are Muslims. If it is a private university with private sections spending on it, this is different.
As for the Christian theology colleges, they are private colleges to teach all aspects of the Christian religion whose graduates later work in the religious sphere only. You might find a doctor monk, an engineer priest, etc. This means that the monk was a doctor and graduated from one of the colleges of medicine, but he chose religious work, or what we say "The Lord has chosen him for the glory of his name." So he leaves this world, including his career as a doctor or engineer or any other profession, even if he was a professor at the university to answer the divine call.
Of course, a Muslim would not accept to specialize in the study of Christian theology, but a Christian hopes to study medicine in a college or public university, the same as a Muslim.
So why does not AL-Azhar Al-Sharif return to its former reign and teach language and Sharia and the origins of Islamic religion and its vast and deep seas, and the secular colleges, medicine etc. would turn to the normal position like any other colleges and universities?
But in what I talked about, does it fall under the request for achieving the possible, or does it fall under the improbable or impossible? And thus will my words, as you said, "... become askew, deviant and fire splinters and shrapnel and shells thrown unconsciously to demolish and destroy the temple on us all…”.
Here, I challenge you, if you actually believe in freedom, socialism, equality and unity, that the situation in Egypt does not continue like this, nor in any other country, and that the state is the faithful sponsor for all of its children, regardless of gender and religion, as long as they are all sons of one homeland.
I conclude this section on the Al-Azhar University and add to what I wrote at the time about what is happening at the University of Al-Azhar these days by saying this:
Has the idea of graduation of a Muslim doctor, for example, been successful? Is Al-Azhar University, which was the light that guided every Muslim in any country in the world as it was happening before the integration of the secular section with the religious part, working with the same power and ability? Will we wake up to what the Brotherhood group wants to do to Al-Azhar and its true and moderate teachings and replace it with its own Islam that it wants to spread by force? I leave the answer to you, dear readers.
As for what I wrote about Dr Ayman Nour, and which was referred to by Ms. Amani Khayat, the media consummate and distinctive in her love for Egypt and the Egyptian people, I promise her and you, dear readers, to re-publish it very soon.
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