Egypt's nuclear programme and the return of pilgrims from Mecca vied for space. Gamal Nkrumah reviews the two fronts Press pundits and policy analysts concurred that it was high time all realised that Egypt has absolutely no intention of developing nuclear weapons as the American media appears to insinuate. As such, the prickly issue grabbed the headlines of the papers this week. In turn, why does Washington turn a blind eye to Israel's nuclear programme? The question generated much ink slinging. The focus of many papers was in Egypt's commitment to creating a nuclear-free zone in the Middle East. "[Foreign Minister Ahmed] Abul- Gheit at a press conference: Egypt's position on the nuclear programme is 100 per cent correct and sound," read the front-page banner of Al- Gumhuriya on Tuesday. The paper quoted Abul-Gheit as saying Egypt is cooperating closely with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The insinuation that Egypt was involved in some nefarious nuclear activity drew a chorus of boos. "Egypt was accused of conducting secret nuclear experiments that could be used in a weapons programme. The timing of this accusation renders its motives suspect," wrote Galal Dweidar, the editor-in-chief of the national daily Al- Akhbar. "In the midst of this commotion over Egypt, Israel's nuclear programme is systematically overlooked. It produces nuclear weapons and refuses to sign the Nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty," Dweidar wrote. "It is also hard to separate this accusation from the fierce campaign directed against Egyptian scientist and Director of the IAEA Ahmed El- Baradei," Dweidar added. "America's neo-cons are punishing El-Baradei for not supporting their actions against Iran. They resent him for supporting European efforts to settle the Iranian nuclear crisis peacefully." Tackling head-on the question of why religion has become the new politics of our time was another sensitive subject. Even as the country's Muslims celebrated Eid Al-Adha, (the Feast of the Sacrifice), there was much debate about the future of the Islamist movement as it fine-tunes the political expression of Islam. The independent weekly Al-Qahira quoted celebrated Sheikh Youssef El-Qaradawi as saying, "There is no battle between Islam and Judaism." In a thought-provoking front-page piece, El-Qaradawi noted that Islam was a religion of open-mindedness and tolerance. A Muslim is not entitled to judge others or to wage war against those who uphold different beliefs and faiths. "Muslims are against Zionism, not Jews," El-Qaradawi explained. In much the same vein, a full page spread by Ammar Ali Hassan in Al-Qahira warned that Egyptian Islamists must accept criticism. He stressed that even the highest religious institutions of the land are not above criticism. "The past few years have witnessed a radical elaboration in its political discourse," Hassan acknowledged. "But there is still much prevarication over the issue," he warned, stressing that legitimacy must be derived from popular consensus, not based on Sharia law alone. He said this view was corroborated by the reform initiative of the Muslim Brothers. Hassan ended his article with a word of warning to the Muslim Brotherhood: the movement must act in step with the times, he stressed, and recommended the "infusion of new blood" to reinvigorate it. In another thought-provoking article, "Scientists or spies?" Lebanese writer Mohamed Al- Sammak reflected on the noticeable reduction in the number of foreign students studying at America's 2,700 universities and institutions of higher learning in the wake of 9/11. "Some return to their countries of origin," Al-Sammak noted and others, like "[former US Secretary of State] Colin Powell noted recently, end up being American citizens and a great asset to the United States." The writer said that not only do these students contribute to the intellectual enrichment of America but also boost the US economy. "For the first time since 1971, the number of foreign students studying in the US shrunk by 2.5 per cent. The importance of this figure is reflected in the fact that they bring in no less than $13 billion into the US economy. These students not only contribute to the scientific and intellectual life of America but also invigorate the American economy." In "Impressions of a meeting with the president," Ragab El-Banna, editor-in-chief of the weekly magazine October wrote, "the debate between President Hosni Mubarak and the intellectuals was an inspiring example of democratic discourse." He stressed that for once the discussion was free of formalities and ceremonious conventionality. "The president was open, clear and concise," El-Banna noted. "We [the intellectuals] face problems... we have ambitions and demands. We need this, that and the other. But we know that we have Mubarak who listens to us and tries his best to accommodate us, address our concerns and resolve our problems." The debate, which took place just before Eid Al- Adha, touched upon many issues of public concern including education, development and the independence of the judiciary. Intellectuals, according to El-Banna, enjoyed the meeting with Mubarak. They wait patiently for the annual event but, they add, it's worth the wait. The return of pilgrims from Mecca was another topic that grabbed the headlines this week. The papers focussed on the safe return of the Egyptian pilgrims in spite of the torrential rains that enveloped Mecca and its environs. Comparisons were inevitably made with last year's Mecca cataclysm where hundreds of pilgrims were trampled to death in a stampede around the stoning area at Jamarat Bridge, Mina. Many papers paid tribute to the infrastructure improvements made by the Saudi authorities. "No accidents occurred during this year's hajj," ran a banner in Al-Akhbar. But the independent daily Al-Ahrar focussed instead on claims that exorbitant fees were being charged for Saudi entry visas issued to Egyptian pilgrims. "The Saudi authorities are looking into the scandal," the paper noted on the front page of its edition yesterday. "Riyadh demands an immediate and comprehensive report on the matter," Al-Ahrar revealed. Alongside was another scandal story, this one on the import of Ethiopian beef. Not to be outdone, Al-Wafd highlighted the results of the recently-released Transparency International report on corruption in which it claims that Egypt slid seven places on the corruption scale in 2004 to become the 77th most corrupt nation among 181 countries. Egypt was 70th in 2003. "The government bars the media from monitoring its performance and fails to stop bribery and embezzlement of public funds," ran the front-page banner of Al-Wafd.
