Doaa El-Bey looks at the outcome of protests in Egypt and other Arab states On their front pages newspapers noted with relief that the army had started rebuilding the church in the village of Sol, Atfeeh, that was torched. The army's decision, they said, will help put an end to the eight-day sit-in in front of the television building. Al-Ahram on Monday bannered, "Army starts work on Atfeeh Church". Al-Akhbar had, "Atfeeh Church rebuilt by the hands of army". Al-Shorouk wrote that youth took part in rebuilding the Sol Church. Al-Wafd bannered, "Priests perform evening prayers in Atfeeh Church after reconciliation" and Al-Masry Al-Yom had, "Copts demand release of 11 detainees before ending protests". Khaled Montasser wrote the Sol incident broke our hearts, souls and conscience because it could have led to inter-Egyptian conflict and taken the country into an endless dark tunnel of sectarian strife. The incident also shed light on our ability to judge matters, besides raising a few questions including whether demolishing the church was an act against the law that needs decisive punishment or a fight between two families that need to be reconciled within the village. The other questions, Montasser added in the independent daily Al-Masry Al-Yom were: should a religious Muslim man call for postponing the decision to rebuild the church until he reaches the right religious decision, or call for a quick rebuilding of the church to avoid further escalation of the problem and ignite more sectarian strife? And is it appropriate that some satellite channels discuss issues like alcohol and other matters inside the church when we are trying to bridge differences and heal wounds? "Sectarian strife cannot be resolved by handshakes, meetings of reconciliation or protests in Maspero. It needs a radical solution through religious discourse, laws and school education. We want to remove the tumour of sectarian strife rather than sedate it," Montasser wrote. The post-revolution media was subject to harsh criticism ever since 25 January. This week was not an exception. The editorial of the official daily Al-Ahram read that the media need to be cleansed from the legacy of corruption not only by the stepping down of old faces but by disbanding the corrupt structure that controlled the media as well. The media, the editorial added, went through a deliberate and organised impoverishment of media men and journalists by lowering salaries and professional standards. At a time when the government media was serving the interests of the ruling party, the independent media served the agenda and interests of the owner of the newspaper or the TV station. "The official and independent media tried to claim transparency and objectivity while the arena was full of corruption. Thus it was not strange that the revolution erupted. Restructuring the media and drawing up new rules for transparency is a genuine demand," the edit concluded. Mohamed El-Shabba expressed his confusion over the way the release of Aboud El-Zomor was welcomed on official television, as if he were a political detainee and not a culprit in the assassination of former president Anwar El-Sadat which led to the most dangerous phase of terrorism in Egypt and took the life of many innocent people including tourists and children. El-Shabba noted in the independent political daily Nahdet Masr that those who are worried about any remaining influence of the National Democratic Party and that of the previous minister of interior Habib El-Adli or the influence of those who monopolised authority and wealth before the 25 January Revolution, should also be concerned over the remnants of terrorism which is coming back to improve its image. While there are a few days left before the referendum on the constitutional amendments, writers differed on which way to vote. Hazem El-Hadidi wrote that we should celebrate 19 March, the day of the vote, every year, not as the day of the referendum but as the day that witnessed the first opportunity for the Egyptian to freely take part in political life by either accepting or rejecting the amendments. "19 March is the birth of the first child that carries the genes of the people and not the rulers," El-Hadidi explained in the official daily Al-Akhbar. Emad El-Ghazali affirmed that he will vote "yes" in the referendum for various reasons: it limits the presidential term to four years with the possibility for one more term; it opens the door for dozens of eligible people to run for president; it gives judges the full authority to supervise the elections; it gives the judicial authority the full right to resolve any disputes as to the membership in the People's Assembly; and it makes it incumbent on the newly elected president to form a committee to write a new constitution six months after the election of the parliament. For all these reasons, El-Ghazali wrote in the independent daily Al-Shorouk that he would vote "yes" to the referendum. "The referendum is the first step towards a new Egypt. It is the first time for the people to practise their constitutional rights without these rights being encroached upon," he concluded. Hussein Mansour called for cancelling the 19 March referendum on the amended constitution because it contradicted with the right of the people to determine their future and because procedural measures like preparing voting lists are not clear. Mansour wrote in the daily Al-Wafd, the mouthpiece of the opposition Wafd Party, that it was inappropriate to talk about the 1971 constitution which was voided by the 25 January Revolution. "None of the Egyptian people want that constitution. Why do some insist on amending it?" he asked. He called for electing a committee to issue a new constitution that contributes to establishing a new democratic state and an independent institution -- much like the Indian institution that succeeded in managing the billion- person democracy in India. Our institution could be responsible for preparing voting lists and dividing the constituencies. It could also administer and monitor the election and sort votes. Mansour added that the majority of the people prefer holding presidential elections before parliamentary elections to allow more time for the formation of new political parties and to prepare the ground for the discussion of the political programmes of these parties. All these procedures require at least six months. The incomprehensible rush in taking these key procedures is unacceptable, Mansour concluded.
