History has seen them come, grow, flourish and disintegrate. States, empires, kingdoms and nations have gone through this cycle, or are still in it. Many of them ended in an unhappy collapse and ceased to exist. Some reached the end more rapidly than others. Religious domination is one of the fiercest cyclones driving countries to national disaster. President Abel Fatah Al Sisi of Egypt has a common theme in all his speeches. He stresses that religion is a God-given freedom, and that no man has the right to impose what he believes on others. The President has also addressed the scholars of Al Azhar, urging them to start a revolution for religious reform. Godly Freedom: Al Sisi has stressed many a time, that in creating humans God gave them the choice to worship Him or not. In the context of Egyptian culture and the like, this is a hard-to-digest statement. Nobody has spoken like this to the Egyptian public in recent history. Religion has been a restricted minefield only to be entered by specialists. This fact adds a lot of significance to these words and makes them influential. We as Egyptians need to look at religion internally, within ourselves only. Other people will get to know all about it through our actions. Therefore, this God-given freedom has to be recognized at the community level and adhered to for social peace. Where are we now? At present God's freedom of worship is seldom advocated. There is an overwhelming tendency in society to inflict religious beliefs on others. It is still considered an achievement among many to do this. The attitude seems to derive from tribal affinities of old. Bold, direct talk, as that in the President's speeches, should shift paradigms and alter standards to some extent. If this does not happen among the elderly, perhaps younger people will grasp it. Where will we go? When the message about the need to enjoy this God-given freedom prevails, then each one will turn his attention to his own religious beliefs and, in doing so, he may discover that the right way to pass your beliefs on to others is by the way you treat them. Others will get to know what is ‘inside' you better, and may, perhaps, eventually adopt your belief. We should then have a more settled, peaceful society, with coexistence as the headline under which all our diversities survive. Religious Revolution for Reform: The core of religious discourse that misleads actually revolves around that God-given freedom. Religious preaching modes have overlooked that fact of late. In many cases it insinuated the opposite. Believers may be asked to talk people into Islam. Forceful means to do so may also be involved. Such beliefs did exist among preachers, and religious leaders. That is where the religious revolution for reform should start as indispensible for the nation to flourish. President Al Sisi has cautioned the nation about rapid disintegration by wisely addressing issues that have historically proved successful. Where are we now? Ancient traits, doctrines and habits have been masters of many in our society in modern times. The idea that all these have had their time, and may need to change seems farfetched to many. When the President of the nation speaks loudly and boldly about a religious revolution he is vigorously stirring this muddy pool. There is no revolution without change, and change is the nightmare of the advocates of the ancient. It is time they lived in the age of the televisions they watch, the cars they use and the means of communication they enjoy. Where will we go? Once the ancient is recognized for what it is, and the present is lived as it should be, then this country can inhale the aroma of the hoped for prosperity that it has longed for; and the dream of all Egyptians may be seen becoming a reality. Abdel Fattah Al Sisi is a leader who has a vision for a nation to flourish, and he knows his mission is to achieve it.
