Born in 1923, Mohammed Hassanien Heikel is 88 years old now as he watched another major shift in the modern history of the Arab world, "the Arab awakening". In his 66-year long career as a journalist and a writer, he covered the first Arab-Israeli war of 1948, and the Egyptian revolution of the "Free officers" in 1952. He accompanied the late Egyptian leader Jamal Abdul Nasser in the 1950s and 1960s, and the Egyptian-led of Arab struggle against the colonial powers of that time. He was a witness of Suez Crisis in 1956, the six days war of 1967, and the Ramadan war of 1973. He was the first to write a book on the Iranian revolution of 1979 (The return of Ayatollah), and he watched with an eagle-eye the rest of the controversial events of the middle east. And between then and now, he earned the "leading Arab journalist" title, and became a highly respected commentator on Arab affairs.
As the new Egypt is turning the page of Mubarak's era, youth's eyes are in search-mode for any useful advice to write the new one. And it is sure that they will find reliable thoughts by listening to the old man.
In a recent episode of the talk show "Egypt Talks", Heikel gave an interview (Watch it/in Arabic), in which he started by saying: "I will speak very bluntly, because the moment that we live in forces me to". In this interview, Heikel sounded as if he is giving an advice, not to the new Egypt alone, but to the whole Arab world.
CONSTITUTION, IDENTITY OF THE NATION, AND ISLAM
When asked about the heated debate in Egypt about Article 2 (which says Islam is the religion of the state and Islamic jurisprudence the main source of legislation) and which survived the recent amendments of the constitution. Heikel stressed that any constitution must be written in a form that represent the nation as one solid body. He explained "in any constitution, there are no majority and minorities, there is only one nation and the constitution is a document to define it; if the document define it as one unit, it is an important step toward national unity. If not, then the constitution is an obstacle to undermine such unity". He suggested that "Arabic-Islamic culture" (Arabic culture and not ethnicity) is acceptable to be stated in the constitution, as it formed the modern intelligence of the Arab mind. But he stressed that the phrase "Islamic jurisprudence the main source of legislation" concerns only the Muslim majority and singled out the 10% Coptic-Christians away from the Nation identity.
Heikel pointed out that many linked Islam to the adjective "uncivilized", in which, according to Heikel, is a false linkage; "Islam is rich of civilized values and principles if it is to be dealt with as a culture, but these values will by severely undermined if Islam is to be dealt with in a "narrow scope". "Narrow Scope" is the term he usually use to replace "religious doctrine".
BUILDING NEW EGYPT
In Egypt, there are too far important secrets that are necessary to be revealed, other than "a scandal of property confiscation here, or corruption of few previous officials there", said Heikel. The latter are "important too", but it shouldn't "haunt" the nation.
"Strategic facts and realities in Egypt were, and still are, hidden from the public. Realities of the economic situation, the nature of the previous regime engagements and commitments, both regionally and internationally, and the extent of the intelligence coordination between Mubarak's regime and other powers in the region, all these realities, had been put in a box that nobody dares to open"
Heikel stressed that if these realities kept hidden, building new Egypt will be a very hard task. "Realities must be faced no matter how scary they are" .. Because "it is necessary to fully realize where you stand, to know where you are heading toward".
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