Cairo: Farouk Hosni, the Egyptian Minister of Culture, said that the Salafists fundamentalists who adhere to a very strict interpretation of Islam, are responsible for the state of degradation and underdevelopment in Egypt, and that they try to influence the religious sentiments of the people for their own interests. These comments came after a meeting organized by the Minister of Culture with a number of Egyptian intellectuals including Dr. Emad Abou Ghazi, Dr. Mostafa Fekki and Dr. Fawzy Fahmi, in preparation for a conference of intellectuals that will be held next May. Farouk Hosni stressed that the conference, organized by the Supreme Council for Culture, will invite intellectuals, including those of Islamic thought, because Islamic ideologies are not confined to the Muslim Brotherhood. Hosni commented on the wide gap between culture and the lifestyle of the majority of Egyptian people, saying, “despite the presence of an infrastructure for culture, it did not reach the people because of the absence of the media.” He also said that the conference was postponed from February to next May due to its importance. “It must be prepared for because its recommendations and discussions will be taken as a basis for plans for the Ministry of Culture in the future. **reporting by Mohamed Abdel Salam BM
