Incitement to hatred must become a criminal, and not just moral, offence, argues Emad Gad All references to "bi-ethnicity" in an Egyptian context must be reconsidered. The Egyptian people are one people, and Egypt is for all Egyptians. Yet some writers, and some Egyptian newspapers, appear determined to play the sectarian card. They pounce on isolated incidents, blow them out of all proportion and then draw ready-made conclusions designed to fuel sectarian resentment. Independent and party papers sometimes compete to dig up incidents and news in which the sectarian division -- real or imagined -- can be highlighted, thus cementing and increasing resentment. Some writers, have become obsessed with the issue. They continue to write about situations that have already been addressed, going on at length about the mistakes they believe were made by the Egyptian authorities. In so doing they embellish both the supposed mistakes and the incidents themselves with elements of a conspiracy theory. Hardly a day goes by without an Egyptian party or paper giving us a new bit of news used to inflame sectarian sentiment even further, making Egyptians more preoccupied with sectarian events and raising the level of readiness to champion one religion or sect. This represents a danger to us all. Such news items and articles have become the stock in trade of those who seek to create strife, at home and abroad. To further their own objectives they exaggerate the issue. And no one should be foolish enough to believe that their objectives include Egypt's security, stability or internal cohesion. These extremist elements, working day and night, have polarised some groups formerly known for their patriotism and their privileging of the national over the sectarian. More rational figures have chosen to withdraw from the field, leaving it open to those who seek to spread strife or seek celebrity at the expense of national security. Urgent untraditional measures are required to stop ongoing campaigns of incitement that are deterred by neither conscience nor national sentiment. In looking for a way out of this spiral several steps must be taken to help mollify the resentment. We must find pragmatic ways of dealing with the root causes, from a purely Egyptian national standpoint. The burden must fall on those state agencies that can move quickly to prevent those who would spread strife from throwing more oil on the fire. Recently the Higher Press Council approved a press advertisement covenant that will ban the publication of any advertisement the content of which violates social values, public morals or national unity. The covenant prohibits newspaper advertisements for alcohol and cigarettes. It seems to me that Egypt, and Egyptians, are no less important than cigarettes and alcohol. Does not Egypt's security deserve the attention of the Higher Press Council as well? The same covenant could be used to ban articles that incite hatred, with the objective of preserving the security of us all. This however, should not be used to impose restrictions on freedom of opinion and expression, but rather to respond to those who would spread strife. We must say clearly that those who publish articles inciting hatred, or which inflame sectarian sentiment, are acting to destroy the nation. We should stop using stop-gap measures and the tactic of simply closing a case while leaving the resentments intact, and instead begin to use another strategy to protect the security and stability of our nation. This strategy must build firm foundations based on the principle of citizenship, not religion or sect. This will require intensive effort. It is a job that can be undertaken by a committee composed of rational Egyptians, a civil committee that has no clerics of any religion. This committee would examine pressing issues, approaching them from the perspective of the national interest, and would draft recommendations to resolve such issues within a reasonable time frame. Such a committee could address, openly and transparently, those issues that cause sectarian resentment and draft recommendations for treating problems without favouritism or bias but solely on the grounds of the higher national interest. Such a committee could have no place for clerics or sectarian figures; we want a committee of Egyptians, not a committee representing sectarian communities or composed on a quota basis. It should not attempt to mollify the religious leadership of any community. We want a committee that operates according to constitutional principles of equality and non-discrimination, a committee whose members would meet first and foremost as Egyptians. It is of the utmost importance that Egyptian national figures come forth to make an appeal for the creation of such a committee. The committee could include representatives from legal and civil organisations, such as the Egyptian Association for National Unity, the Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights, the National Human Rights Council, and Arabs Against Discrimination. Any one of these organisations could take the initiative and announce its readiness to host committee members and their meetings. The first step, however, must be taken by the Higher Press Council and the Egyptian Journalists' Syndicate, which must act to ban articles that incite communal hatred. They should not stop with advertisements, for incitement to sectarian strife appears in articles, not ads. This is where rational Egyptians step in, meeting on common ground to consider ways to protect Egypt and Egyptians. Their work should include reviewing those laws that discriminate between Egyptians on religious grounds, examining educational curricula that are filled with discriminatory material and dealing with a media in which national concerns take a back seat to sectarian ones. * The writer is director of Arabs Against Discrimination, a Cairo-based NGO.
