اقرأ باللغة العربية The Washington Post was the first to publish the statement signed by a number of Egyptian public figures in support of Ismail Serageldin, the former director of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina who was recently sentenced by an Alexandria preliminary court to three and a half years in prison. With the publication of that letter, the case — as could only be expected — shifted from the courthouse in Alexandria's Orabi Square to the global domain to stain Egypt's international image and reputation. It is as though Egypt has not come in for enough criticism for negative points, which are blown out of proportion, so we also have to destroy all the indisputably positive aspects. One of the brightest of these is the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, that international civilisational edifice that has inspired worldwide awe and admiration for the past 15 years. It was impossible for this case, which triggered outrage in Egyptian society, to remain confined within Egypt's political borders. Egypt has other borders. They span the globe and are defined by Egypt's standing and prestige. A shocking event such as this would naturally rivet international attention at many levels. Just as hundreds of Egyptian public figures signed a statement that appeared in the local and international press during the past few days, so too did quite a few highly reputed international figures follow suit. In fact, their letter of support contains over 200 signatories so far and these include some of the most eminent intellectuals in the world, among those are around 20 Nobel Prize laureates. These statements were preceded by a statement from the Bibliotheca's Board of Trustees addressed to President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi in his capacity as chairman of the board and in which the board members offered their testimony on behalf of the library's founder who had directed it for its first 15 years. The members of the board, among whom are many former presidents, prime ministers, ministers and prominent international intellectuals, scientists and cultural figures, expressed their dismay over that unjust verdict handed down by the preliminary criminal court. The ruling, they said, caused unacceptable harm to the members of the board themselves, since they are responsible for approving all decisions taken by the Bibliotheca's director, whether the decisions have to do with leasing out the management of the cafeteria, insurance for staff members, engaging consultants or any number of other matters. In my article on this subject last week, I related the substance of a telephone conversation with a well-known French writer who specialises in ancient Egyptian history and who told me that he along with a group of internationally reputed figures who were personally acquainted with Ismail Serageldin were ready to come to Egypt to testify on his behalf before the court. I also received calls from some Arab figures who objected that the petition released in Egypt in support of Serageldin only contained Egyptian signatories and none from elsewhere in the Arab world. Some Egyptian figures complained that they had not been given the opportunity to sign the petition. Among these are former Minister of Culture Gaber Asfour, political scientist and researcher Osama Al-Ghazali Harb, the poet Fatma Naoot and the Islamist politician Abdel-Moneim Abul-Fotouh. In addition, quite a few legal professionals, such as former legal adviser to Al-Ahram Ahmed Al-Sayed Awadein and counsellor Essam Al-Islambouli, kindly confirmed my contention in last week's article that there is nothing sacred about court verdicts and that the widely held notion that rulings handed down by the courts were beyond question or criticism has no basis in law. Indeed, the judicial process in Egypt as elsewhere gives people the right to appeal verdicts against them to have them overturned. So, however did immunity to criticism ever crop up? The idea is totally unprecedented, apart from in that “constitutional declaration” pronounced by the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated president Mohamed Morsi in November 2012 and which conferred upon his decisions an inviolable and unquestionable sanctity. I also received a phone call from a leader of the Wafd Party who relayed the desire of his party to support Serageldin starting with a petition of support and solidarity. I told my interlocutor that he should contact Serageldin, himself, since this was his case. Serageldin's view, as I would learn, was that, as much as he appreciated the Wafd Party's position, he preferred to fight this battle himself and not to politicise it. Yet, the fact is that in cases such as this the person concerned cannot control everything. As we have seen, this case immediately became a public opinion issue and quickly spread from the Alexandrian courtroom to the international domain. In fact, the case was essentially global from the outset. The Bibliotheca Alexandrina is different from the Anfoushi Cultural Palace Library, which is not that far away. The former is an international institution founded by an elite from the international community. Kings, presidents and prime ministers attended its inaugural ceremony. Some renowned and celebrated international figures are sitting on its board of directors. Therefore, everything that concerns the library is inevitably an international matter and if it is a matter of concern it is impossible not to draw the attention of the world at all political, cultural and media levels. This international dimension has been very useful for us in our battle to elevate Egypt's name and to defend it against the negative image that some have been trying to market abroad. The Bibliotheca stands as proof that Egypt is, indeed, a country of culture, intellectual enlightenment and human civilisation and not the land of backwardness, terrorism and human rights abuses as some claim. Since its establishment 15 years ago, the library has attracted the most distinguished minds to its conferences and seminars and these activities were covered in the international media during all these years. How could our vision be so narrow as to lead us to the illusion that the world would simply look the other way when the names of the Bibliotheca and its founding director for 15 years are being tarnished? How could anyone imagine that this is purely domestic matter that concerns no one abroad?
