In spite of the Muslim Brotherhood's call for civil disobedience in schools, the new academic year started peacefully as newspapers noted the failure of the MB's attempts. Al-Shorouk on Monday had ‘Students against disobedience'. Al-Youm Al-Sabei headlined ‘MB fails to delay school year' and Al-Akhbar on Sunday stated ‘New year starts with protests in universities'. Work on drafting the constitution is in full swing. Al-Watan on Sunday said: ‘Differences over the role of minister of defence and president in constitution'. The purge in Sinai also continued this week. Al-Ahram wrote ‘Army attacks terrorist epicentres in Sinai, arrest 10 armed men'. The issue of General Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi running for president has engaged various political powers since the ousting of Mohamed Morsi. Although the army spokesman stated clearly that Al-Sisi would not enter the presidential race or even support a presidential candidate, there are various calls and campaigns for Al-Sisi to join the race. Emadeddin Adib noted a rising popular tune since the success of the 30 June Revolution calling for electing Al-Sisi as Egypt's next president. Adib regarded the rising popularity of Al-Sisi among the people as logical and natural given his charisma and the ability to reach the hearts and minds of people with the simplest of words. However, away from emotions, the writer posed four important questions: will choosing Al-Sisi meet the demands of the 25 January and 30 June revolutions; is it better for the Armed Forces to retain Al-Sisi as its commander and opt for a civilian president; is it better for Al-Sisi as a person to stay in his position, and finally is it better for Egypt and the army that Al-Sisi plays the role of the protector rather than the president? “I believe that the decision to elect Al-Sisi as president was decisively taken by the people to the extent that it makes it difficult for any other candidate to enter in a failed competition before him,” Adib wrote in the independent daily Al-Watan. But, he added, “the more difficult decision is in the hands of Al-Sisi; he is probably considering the matter all the time. He is asking himself whether he should remain as a fighter within the ranks of the armed forces or go for the more difficult option — ruling Egypt”. Karim Abdel-Salam noticed that Egyptians are fond of argument, be it deep or shallow. He brought Al-Sisi's candidacy as an example of shallow argument because he clearly stated that he would not run and called on the people to stop these campaigns that call on him to seek the nomination. “Ever since the response of the army to the will of the people on 30 June,” Abdel-Salam wrote, “the nomination of Al-Sisi was the issue that has engaged all political powers in Egypt. The MB spread this possibility to cast doubt as to his noble aims in responding to the people on 30 June.” Some revolutionary powers, which are against Al-Sisi running, called on army leaders to focus on issues related to security and borders. Other revolutionary powers, Abdel-Salam added, took the initiative to launch a campaign to choose Al-Sisi as president. “They declare every day that they gathered from hundreds of thousands of signatures to millions.” “Al-Sisi clearly said that he would not join the presidential race. Nevertheless, various veteran politicians keep bringing up the subject and call on Al-Sisi to run,” Abdel-Salam wrote in the independent daily Al-Youm Al-Sabei. He concluded his regular column by questioning the stand of the Western states regarding a nomination and whether they would see that it conforms to the democratic process in Egypt. In light of the major challenges facing the county, Amira Malash tried to find a way out for Egypt. She wrote that Egypt is in need of a lover rather than a ruler because the former gives while the latter only takes. The writer confirmed that she does not belong to a Nasserist party. However, she believes that former president Gamal Abdel-Nasser was a lover rather than a ruler of Egypt. But all his successors were rulers. “All what Egypt suffers from at present can be ascribed to its rulers who championed their interest to the interests of their people,” Malash wrote in the independent daily Al-Fagr. President Sadat, she explained, struck a deal with the Muslim Brotherhood and released the members of Gamaat Islamiya from prison in an attempt to confront the Nasserist and communist currents. At the end, they killed him. Mubarak, Malash elaborated, followed Sadat's track and continued to make dirty deals with the MB and other Islamist currents so as to use them as a card to intimidate the West vis-à-vis political Islam. All what Sinai and Upper Egypt suffers from now, she added, could be attributed to Mubarak who deliberately marginalised these areas, leaving room for the current of political Islam to control and occupy them. The ruling military council which followed Mubarak was not better. It also made deals with the MB and paved the way for Morsi to rule. The latter exerted every effort to monopolise power in the hands of his group which is now trying to spread disorder and violence in an attempt to avenge the people who ousted Morsi in the 30 June Revolution. Famed journalist and writer Mohamed Hassanein Heikal celebrated his 90th birthday on Monday. Emadeddin Hussein was one of the writers who wrote about Heikal. Hussein remembered when he briefly saw Heikal in a conference two years after his graduation and another time one year later. On both occasions, he managed to take a picture with him. He also remembered his first visit to Heikal's office three years ago and another visit three weeks ago during which he took a photo that he uploaded on his Facebook page. Between those pictures, he wrote, years passed and many things changed in Egypt, but Heikal remained as he is. “He has an unyielding faith in the role of Egypt in the Arab region, a photographic memory and an unparalleled ability to remember and analyse news and events. “We are lucky to have Heikal among us these days with his books, articles and analyses. Through his interviews with Lamis Al-Hadidi, he presents a prescription to Egypt and probably the Arab region on how to treat its ailments and a compass to stay on course,” Hussein wrote in the independent daily Al-Shorouk.
