The nation is preoccupied with the education conundrum, political intrigue, social discontent and Barack Obama. Gamal Nkrumah and Mohamed El-Sayed try to keep up A thought-provoking piece by veteran columnist Murad Wahba, "God does not play politics", encapsulated the general mood of contempt with regards to political Islam among a certain class of intellectuals and increasing among the public at large. Wahba, with a meticulously thorough and systematic manner and from a historical perspective, denounced those who attempt to play politics under the dubious cover of religion. It is not for us to portend to extrapolate how God conducts the affairs of his creation. Wahba concluded that we ought to keep religion out of the realm of politics in this region and in the entire world. He concluded that God should not be dragged into conflicts with either regards to politics or even religion, which is a private matter. In an entirely different context, veteran lawyer and Islamist advocate Montasser El-Zayat wrote, "I don't claim to know the notable writer Fahmi Howeidi intimately, for I have met him en passant at various meetings, and so I cannot ascertain what goes on in his heart and mind." It is indeed a rare occurrence for one writer to focus on another and to pay tribute, which are usually reserved for obituaries. El-Zayat confessed that he was especially touched when Howeidi inquired in a most concerned manner about Egyptian nationals incarcerated in Guantanamo Bay. Howeidi, El-Zayat contends, did not inquire as a journalist but as a concerned citizen. That, El-Zayat wrote in Al-Masry Al-Yom, was a most moving gesture. The celebrated writer himself was busy writing about the horrors of climate change. Writing in the official daily Al-Ahram, Howeidi reflected on the government's failure to pay due attention to the issue of climate change and its possible impact on Egypt. "It's surprising that all the talk around the world about the dangers of climate change does not resonate with Egypt, despite the fact that we do not have the luxury of taking no action." He added, "It's very important that we keep the file of climate change open and take prompt action before it's too late, since we are facing a crisis that cannot be solved by last-minute decisions." The question of the quality and standards of education also came to the fore. The leaking of secondary school examination papers in the governorate of Minya hit the headlines. Hamed Ammar, a veteran education expert, was quoted as saying in the popular daily Al-Masry Al-Yom that the crumbling educational system reflects the general degeneration of society at large. "The leaking of the secondary school examination papers is a reflection of corruption prevailing in Egyptian society," Ammar explained. He added, "this phenomenon is also a reflection of the fake political discourse in Egypt." He argued, "influential people and those in power played a key role in leaking the examination papers." Minister of Education Yousri El-Gamal came under intense fire from the pundits for the leak and for the general deterioration of educational standards in Egypt today. The daily opposition Al-Ahrar ran a headline: "Members of parliament call for the unseating of the minister of education" for failing to properly supervise the examination process. The question of a successor to President Hosni Mubarak did not escape the attention of the editors of certain opposition and independent papers. Speculation cropped up in a most predictable manner. In an interview with the daily opposition Al-Dostour, Jason Brownlee, a Texas University professor who authored Authoritarianism in an Age of Democratisation, was quoted as saying: "President Mubarak intends to bequeath the presidency to his son Gamal, and I don't see any sign of a revolution in Egypt anytime soon." He added, "the political opening up at the beginning of Mubarak's reign did not change the nature of his regime as the ruling elite didn't change." Writing in Al-Masry Al-Yom, Sabri El-Shabrawi tried to provide an analysis of the steady increase in population. "When we started addressing the issue of population, we concentrated on the steady increase in their numbers... but the diagnosis is wrong. The reasons behind the population problem is mainly an education problem and lack of awareness." El-Shabrawi criticised the Egyptian media for not being able to address the problem properly. "Media attention rises when the president or first lady are interested in a certain subject. The media then focus on the issue for a limited time without adopting an in-depth, serious approach towards it." El-Shabrawi was referring to the national conference on population held last week under the auspices of President Mubarak. Foreign political developments, especially American politics, interested the pundits. Writing in Al-Ahram, Makram Mohamed Ahmed criticised the media campaign against the Democratic Party's nominee for the presidential elections, Senator Barack Obama, which has tried to prove that he embraced Islam in his childhood. "Though the success of Obama's campaign helped in improving the image of the US as a vibrant democracy that gives the opportunity to distinguished people -- be they black, white, Muslim or Jewish -- this strange campaign has come to cast doubt on the role of the American media, which capitalises on the ignorance of the simple American people. This campaign will have a negative effect on American society since it incites hatred against Islam and discrimination against religions." However, Ahmed continued, "Obama does not represent a symbol of the Muslims, even if his father's name is Hussein, simply because he is completely bias towards Israel." On the same subject, but from a totally different perspective, Saadeddin Ibrahim wrote a particularly perceptive piece provocatively entitled "The social revolution engulfing the United States". Ibrahim noted that it is no coincidence that Obama's buzzword during his Democratic presidential nominee campaign was "change". He went on to point out that one of the aspects of change in America is that the two generations born after World War II had overcome many of the complexes and racial discrimination, religious bigotry and sectarianism that characterised pre-war America. Indeed, changes are afoot in the US, Ibrahim forecast, and who better to represent these changes than Obama himself. Indeed, he personifies the changing face of America. "He was born into a multi-racial and multi- religious family. Moreover, his private and professional life took him to three continents: America, Africa and Asia. He is the very embodiment of how fast American society is changing."
