Since journalists are the equivalent of spies who submit reports to a tyrant, that is to say, the reader, I shall note some of what I heard in Cairo, which is currently the scene of unprecedented discussions about the present and the future. But I will not mention any names because I did not take permission to publish them. I am not worried about the Muslim Brotherhood in office. This was the outcome of the elections, and we must respect their results. Being in power will force the Islamist group to deal with facts and realities, be they economical, political or societal in nature. Most probably, they will adopt realistic policies. No, what worries me is the emergence of Salafis in Egypt in such numbers. Most Egyptians did not expect this. I believe that those represent a real problem to the administration of President Mohamed Mursi. Pressure from the hard-line Islamists that the Salafis represent will force the Muslim Brotherhood to consider very difficult choices. What also surprised me is the Muslim Brotherhood's lack of programs to rule the country, despite their long sojourn in the opposition camp. I was also struck by the fact that the Brotherhood did not present the Egyptian people with competent officials who convincingly appear to have the ability to manage the affairs of the state. So no doubt, we are at the beginning of years of soul-searching or upheaval, in parallel with many a heated debate. Nevertheless, I believe that the critical mass in Egypt will become cohesive at a later time. - The ongoing battle regarding the drafting of the constitution is a crucial battle for the future of Egypt. True, it is the right of any ruling party to place its supporters in key posts in the state to implement its program and the promises it made to the voters. This happens in America, France and many other places. Yet it does not mean that this party has the right to manipulate core principles, the pillars of the state and the separation of powers. Indeed, appointing members of the Muslim Brotherhood in government positions is one thing, and molding the state in accordance with the Muslim Brotherhood ideology is another, in the sense of serving the group's agenda and ensuring its continued hold over power in the country. Changing policies is natural, but manipulating the components of the Egyptian national identity would be very dangerous if it occurs. In truth, Egypt's national identity consists of three dimensions: The Egyptian, Arab and Islamic dimensions. No one has the mandate to alter the components of this identity and the size of each dimension, because the identity in question is the result of a long history that led to the creation of the Egyptian character. There are no qualms about Mursi's electoral legitimacy. The question instead is whether the Islamists, after taking office, will respect the principle of the rotation of power? Only their actions will answer this question. If the Muslim Brotherhood attempts to impose their party's influence on the state's apparatus and take control of the judiciary and the media, then we will no doubt see another revolution in a few years, especially since Egypt's economic troubles are colossal, and are beyond the Brotherhood's ability to resolve them. We will not be complacent when it comes to the major issues. We will not accept, for example, for women to lose the basic rights they have. We will not accept for creativity in Egypt to be stifled, or for the imaginations of writers, poets and artists to be stymied. It goes to the credit of the Egyptian army that it did not attempt to break the will of the Egyptians who rose up to topple the regime of Hosni Mubarak. Visitors to Egypt these days hear many questions. The battle on the screens and on the streets is an open-ended one. As one disenfranchised youth returning from Tahrir Square puts it, perhaps exaggeratingly, “If darkness reigns, Egypt will not be able to beget another Taha Hussein or Naguib Mahfouz. It will not even be able to give birth to a Shadia or Rushdi Abaza." To be sure, Egypt is in the beginning of a prolonged test.
