Ideological orientation, religion and the economy vied with the real-life drama of murder, mystery and suspense for the readers' attention It is not easy to be a successful businessman in Egypt, as attested by tycoon Hisham Talaat, who along with his alleged accomplice, policeman Mohsen El-Sukkari, are accused of murdering the Lebanese pop star Suzanne Tamim. Talaat and El-Sukkari deny the charge, and this week after pleading not guilty, the trial was postponed until 15 November. All Egypt awaits the commencement of the litigation with baited breath. The papers, understandably, were preoccupied with the gruesome details. "Talaat smoked non-stop during the hearing," the independent daily Al-Dostour noted. "And, El-Sukkari laughed aloud at the end of it all." The impression conveyed by the papers was that the defendants, unperturbed, scoffed at the prosecution. On a more serious, but no less controversial note, the maltreatment of Egyptians by the staff of Western embassies attracted the attention of furious newspapermen. The commentators stressed that they were hardly jingoistic, but that they cannot stomach injustice. Indeed, many of them expressed outrage and indignation at the audacity of sadistic officials who seem to derive deviant pleasure from refusing visa entries to Egyptians and making life miserable for those unfortunate Egyptians contemplating a trip abroad. Incensed Egyptian pundits marvelled at the manner in which Egyptians go out of their way to facilitate the comfortable stay of Western tourists in Egypt. Writing in the daily Al-Ahram, Farouk Goweida criticised the ill-treatment of Egyptian citizens seeking visas at foreign embassies. "An Egyptian citizen stands in front of these embassies while feeling humiliated," he argued. "It has become a must that we take a decisive stand against embassies in Egypt in front of which Egyptian citizens stand humiliated by a series of inquiries and [expensive] visas which might or might not be granted." He noted that Western diplomatic missions were the main culprits. "The treatment Egyptian citizens receive at embassies, especially European and North American ones, does not conform with international conventions and traditions." Goweida recommended a tit-for-tat retaliatory solution to this ugly phenomenon. Closer to home, many writers commented on the growing ideological gulf and rivalry between the two main strands of Islam -- Sunni and Shia. Writing in the popular daily Al-Masry Al-Yom, Islamic scholar Gamal El-Banna reflected on the Sunni-Shia schism caused by renowned Islamic scholar Youssef El-Qaradawi's comments about the rising tide of the Shia doctrine in the Sunni world. "The threat [posed by the Shia doctrine] perceived by El-Qaradawi is almost an illusionary one. The real threat does not come from Iran or Saudi Arabia. Rather, it's coming from the West, Israel and America which started invading the region intellectually by establishing missionary schools and institutions in which Arab aristocrats learn." So perhaps it is not surprising that the rising tide of anti- Americanism sweeping the region is unstoppable. "People do not adopt a certain [Islamic] doctrine as a result of plans propagated by a certain country, presumably Iran." El-Banna hinted that the new wave of anti-Shia sentiment in countries such as Egypt which had no anti-Shia tradition might be influenced by the hardline Wahabi sect prevalent in Saudi Arabia. He noted that "thousands of Egyptian workers and professionals emigrated to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries in the 1970s and stayed there for years. They were influenced by the Wahabi doctrine and started preaching it upon their return back home," he explained. El-Banna hoped that the chief ideologues of the Wahabi sect would become more moderate and less militant. He called for temperance and forbearance. "A witty, distinguished and highly appreciated Islamic scholar like El-Qaradawi ought to be an imam calling for Islamic unity, not schism, a pioneer of progress, not backwardness," El-Banna concluded. Commentators engaged in retrospection and reviewed the prevalent ideologies. Writing in Al-Masry Al-Yom, philosopher Murad Wahba argued that Egyptians should reflect on their modern history and learn the pertinent lessons it provides. "With the return of America and its aid to Egypt and the expelling of Soviet [military] experts [during President Anwar El-Sadat], two new trends began to emerge at the same time as a result of this return: religious radicalism and opportunist capitalism. The first phenomenon refused to use the intellect in interpreting religious texts and was content with the superficial meaning, while the second was preoccupied with all that is illegal and rejected all that is based on production. One could contradict the two trends yet their end is one: undermining the post-industrial and industrial society so that we go back to the agricultural society at least, or to the tribal society at maximum." Wahba's conclusion was succinct. "It is impossible to establish a sound capitalist society [in Egypt] unless it is based on an enlightened cultural atmosphere that is based on the use of intellect and scientific methods." Religion and culture catch the readers' attention, but bread and butter issues and especially the state of the economy also preoccupy people and pundits alike. The weekly magazine Al-Musawwar ran an interview with Minister of Economic Development Osman Mohamed Osman, focussing on the negative impact of the global financial crisis on Egypt. "Egypt will suffer a $4 billion decline in its [hard currency] resources this year", ran the headline of the interview. "The challenge we face is keeping the gross domestic product growth rate at six per cent," Osman was quoted as saying. "The decline in the prices of commodities and inflation rate are the two most important benefits of the global financial crisis," he added. "The crisis will persist a couple of years, but it does not mean the collapse of the capitalist system," he added. The fear that the international financial crisis would create mayhem and havoc in Egypt busied the pundits. Al-Musawwar, like other papers and magazines, devoted much space to the ramifications of the world financial crisis. It is against this grim backdrop that the magazine also ran an article about the expected decline in the revenues of the Suez Canal. "Four per cent expected decline in the revenues of the Suez Canal, and $2.2 billion expected decrease in the amount of Egyptian exports", ran the headline. "$600 million decline in remittances sent by Egyptians working abroad", read another ominous headline. Writing in the daily liberal-leaning Nahdet Masr, Nabil Rashwan argued that "it is silly to hear an Egyptian official stressing that Egypt will not be affected by the global financial crisis, that it's a purely American or international issue, and that Egypt will not sustain any kind of loss. People will never believe this argument as they see the American economy collapsing. How then will Egypt's economy withstand the crisis?" Writing in the same newspaper, Mohamed El-Shabba argued that amidst the debates between the advocates of capitalism and those calling for the return of socialism, "no clear-cut government agenda was announced to deal with the deteriorating economic conditions which experts say will remain for four years at least." How the government will face the coming recession is still not clear, according to El-Shabba. Nostalgia for the days of the state-run economy was voiced by several commentators. They argued that even the most right-wing, neo-con American administration resorted to virtually nationalising some financial institutions. Egyptian investors and businessmen, however, were worried that the Egyptian government could follow suit. "The return of the nationalisation era is impossible, and a stronger state monitoring [on financial markets] is the solution," the daily business-oriented Al-Alam Al-Yom quoted many an economist and businessman as saying. "No way back to socialism days," the paper quoted a businessman as saying. The paper was obviously used as a forum to denigrate socialism. Writing in the pro-business newspaper, economist Moatassem Rashed argued that "despite the achievements of socialism in its old times in Egypt, the socialist option has passed away and there is no national interest in raising it from the ashes." However, the writer continued, "the advocates of the free market economy are in dire need for a pause to reflect and contemplate its future."
