No matter how quickly the years pass, Egypt's 1973 War Victory takes on greater significance and importance with time. The surprise attack and the ensuing military gains were extraordinary, especially since only six years before the entire Arab world had been humiliated by Israel's aggression in 1967. The abiding victory of 1973, though, was to smash the myth of Israeli invincibility. Neither in 1973 nor in 2012 does Israel have the right to get her own way in the region. Imagine how ordinary Egyptians must have felt on the 10th Ramadan (6th October) 1973. One third of the way into the holy month of Ramadan, they had been fasting since dawn and were probably hot and thirsty, looking forward to breaking their fast with iftar in a few hours' time. Turning on their radios at two in the afternoon, when the sun was at its height, they could hardly have believed what they were hearing. In a surprise military attack that had been planned meticulously for months, Egyptian soldiers had crossed the Suez Canal. Muslim and Christian, one hand together, they had crossed the Canal together with cries of Allahu Akhbar, "God is the Most Great". President Sadat's genius in fooling the country's enemies by sending the General Staff to perform Ummrah, the Lesser Pilgrimage, and the way he manipulated student protests against himself for not acting against Israel, were both clever ways of preparing the ground for Egypt's surprise attack. The purchase of German water hoses to blast the sand wall of the Bar Lev Line was another masterstroke. Let there be no mistake. War is a terrible thing. In wars, young men, sons and husbands, go off to fight and do not return. In the October War of 1973, many Egyptians died, including President Sadat's own brother, Atef, fighting to restore the country's dignity that had been lost six years earlier. War is always a last resort and there is nothing glamorous about it. Sometimes, though, war is the only resort. Created out of war and terror only twenty-five years before on Palestinian land, the State of Israel had already fought three wars with its Arab neighbours. Even last week, its Prime Minister boasted openly at the United Nations of the possibility of attacking another country in the region. With strong backing from abroad it had seemed in 1973 that this Israel was to have its own way for ever, ignoring the aspirations of the Palestinian people to return to their rightful homeland. Egypt's 1973 War Victory put an end to such thoughts. In recent years, Egypt allowed itself to be taken out of the picture. For many years, Israel was allowed to get away with murder, most spectacularly at the end of 2008 when she attacked Gaza and slaughtered its people. But that was not the only time. A blind eye was turned on its attacks on Lebanon and its targeted assassinations of Arab leaders. 6th October reminds us that this was not always the case and that this will no longer be the case in the future. How Egypt needs the spirit of 6th October 1973 right now. Since last year's revolution, when the jailed former President was ousted from power, there have been forces at work trying continually to destroy the gains of that revolution, setting one Egyptian against another and sowing seeds of suspicion and doubt in the nation. Earlier this year, we even saw some of yesterday's men in a bid to return to power. There are people, both within and outside Egypt, who do not wish to see Egypt return to her former role as the leader of the aspirations of the Arab world. Easier for them, as they make their dishonest millions, to have Egypt divided and weak, with no voice on the world stage. Israel is the very last one that wants to see a strong and united Egypt. However, the march of progress continues. With its first democratically elected civilian president, Egypt has already begun to make her voice heard in the region and in the world. The presidential initiative, for example, of calling together Turkey, Iran and Saudi Arabia to join Egypt in a quartet to solve the Syrian problem has shown the whole world that things are going to change. Having listened to the voices of foreign governments for too long, Egypt is now charting her own course and showing that her priorities no longer necessarily lie with pleasing others across the Atlantic. In his first speech to the United Nations General Assembly, Dr Morsi set the Palestinian issue as the first foreign policy priority of his government. There will be no more keeping silent so as not to offend the United States or its friends. In a bold reference to how the world has changed since the Second World War, he talked about the obsolete makeup of the United Nations Security Council, which reflects where power lay in 1945, but bears no relation to today's world. The goals of the revolution of providing freedom, dignity and social justice for all will take time. Rome was not built in a day. The legacy of years of stagnation and corruption has left the country with problems that will take years to solve. In the last eighteen months, too, when the transfer to civilian rule still hung in the balance, the Armed Forces were not wholly blameless in many of the things that happened. With a return to civilian rule it is now time to celebrate the role of the Armed Forces once more. Those who did things wrong will face justice in the courts. It is now time for Egypt's military to do what it does best and what it excelled at in 1973: defending the nation and securing its borders. So as Egyptians celebrate with pride once more the sacrifices made in 1973 to win back the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt needs that same spirit to bring her through this present phase. In celebrating this national holiday, Egyptians can take time off from worrying about the problems facing the country. What Egypt needs now is that same spirit that saw Christian and Muslim standing side by side against a common enemy. She needs that selfless spirit whereby Egyptians thought of their country and their fellow citizens before their own needs. Inshallah, as a new Egypt begins to be formed from the dust of past decades, its people will go from strength to strength as their nation rises once more as the leader of the Arab world. British Muslim writer, Idris Tawfiq, teaches at Al-Azhar University. The author of nine books about Islam, he divides his time between Egypt and the UK as a speaker, writer and broadcaster. You can visit his website at www.idristawfiq.com and join him on Facebook at Idris Tawfiq Page. British Muslim writer, Idris Tawfiq, teaches at Al-Azhar University. The author of nine books about Islam, he divides his time between Egypt and the UK as a speaker, writer and broadcaster. You can visit his website at www.idristawfiq.com and join him on Facebook at Idris Tawfiq Page
