The conflict between Nile University and Zewail Science City over the rights of each party to the existing campus in Sheikh Zayed has gone far beyond what is expected of two reputable academic and research institutions. Regardless of the legal details with which each side is trying to prove its ownership claim, the series of administrative measures taken by the successive governments of Ahmed Nazif, Ahmed Shafiq and Essam Sharaf are much to blame for the current entangled situation. With all due respect to the two esteemed institutions the nature of the escalating dispute is disappointing to people who hoped that scientific research, which has long been done injustice, would be finally put in a proper perspective after the revolution. The students, teaching staff and administration of the Nile University have remained steadfast in their face of attempts to make them part of the projected Zewail Science City. They have showed persistence and courage in defending their cause by all means including peaceful sit-ins and, even when the police, in fulfillment of a public prosecution order, forcibly evicted them, they returned to protest outside the campus walls. On the other hand, Nobel laureate Ahmed Zewail has turned deaf ears to the plight of Nile University insisting that it could be integrated in his project, regardless of the fact that the Nile University has been functioning for a few years. In this heated quarrel, it was weeks when the government finally decided to intervene; however, the suggested solution was unsatisfactory. Today, President Morsi is being urged to have a final say in this matter, which brings us back to square one where the head of state holds in his hands all the threads. The ongoing clash does not serve national interests, but presents a negative image of the mentality of the cream of society. This country is in need of more than one Zewail city so why not hammer out a solution to allow both projects to function independently especially given that Zewail's institution is still in the making.
