Al-Azhar (The Glorious) As a Lighthouse to the Ship of the New Egypt

News from the Egyptian Street and Media Translated Without Comment from Arabic into English As a Public Service
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On August 17, Al-Azhar (The Glorious), a more than a thousand year citadel in the heart of Cairo of Islamic faith, and guidance to all Arab and Muslims issued a historic document. The document enunciated by Al-Azhar Rector, Dr. Ahmed El-Tayeb is billed: "Al-Azhar Document on Egypt's Future." It is the  product of a unique consensus among leaders of various fields of faith, politics, laws, art, literature, history, society, psychology, and other areas of academe.

Out of the turbulence of the Revolution of January 25, 211 which swept aside the military rule of 60 years, emerged a consensual document of guidelines for constitutional formulation. All aspirants to the presidency of Egypt, all leaders of all parties and of various fields of thought, all opinion-makers of various stripes sat at El-Tayeb rectangular table to say, "yes" to those guidelines.

Al-Azhar document whose text was made public at a press conference at Al-Azhar on August 17 took into account those inimitable Egyptian perspectives anchored in Islamic jurisprudence; Al-Azhar's history of struggle for freedom and independence; the civilizational depth which merges physical sciences with social sciences and the arts; the political perspectives whereby future decision -makers of Egypt are nurtured; and the linkage between knowledge, renaissance, and cultural resurgence in the Arab homeland and the Islamic world.

The names of great lights of Al-Azhar, especially in the modern era were cited bringing them back from beyond the grave to historic life, such as: Sheikh Al-Islam Hassan El-Attar; his disciple Sheikh Rifaa El-Tahtawi; Sheikh Muhammad Abdo, the great modern reformer, Sheikh Al-Maraghy, together with other Al-Azhar leaders of reform such as Muhammad Abdullah Diraz, Mustapha Abdel-Razik, and last but not least, the venerable Sheikh Shaltout.

The Al-Azhar document frames the principles which will guide the drafters of Egypt's new constitution within eleven such principles. These, in summary, are:

• First: Egypt as a State is based upon a constitutional democracy with separation of powers, of which the legislative power is to be exercised by the people's representatives.  Islam, in its legislation, civilization, and history does not recognize a "religiously-based" State.  The overall arching principles of Islamic law (Sharia) are the primary source of legislation, providing that the adherents of other religions are guaranteed, in their personal status cases, resort to their own religious laws.
• Second: Democratic rule is based on free and direct elections, which encapsulate the modern formulation of the application of the Islamic precepts of Shura (consultation).  Such rule guarantees diversity, the peaceful transfer of powers, a well-defined exercise of authority whose custodians are accountable to the people's representatives with a view to the provision of public service, subject only to the rule of law.  Corruption is punishable under the law, and transparency and the freedom and transmission of information are to be applied.
• Third: Commitment to basic rights and freedoms with regard to both thought and opinion, including full respect of the rights of the individual, of women and children, and of the principle of diversity.  Citizenship is the primary basis from which emanates obligations to society.
• Fourth: Full respect to the view of the other, which implicates the necessity of avoidance of declaring others to be apostates, traitors, or the abuse of religion for the purposes of sowing divisiveness and hatred among the citizens.  Sectarian conflict and racist advocacy are criminally injurious to the homeland.
• Fifth: Commitment to international covenants (treaties) and decisions (declarations), and to civilizational norms and accomplishments in human (friendly) relationships which accord with the Islamic and Arab traditions of tolerance and with the long experience of the Egyptian people throughout its historical periods which produced luminous examples of peaceful co-existence and the striving towards humanity's benefits as a whole.
• Sixth: Full attention to the dignity of the Egyptian nation and its national pride, and to an assured protection of places of worship of all faiths, and of the freedom of expression and artistic and literary expression.
• Seventh: Education, scientific research, and the embarking upon the age of knowledge (information) are to be regarded the locomotive of Egypt's civilizational progress, including the eradication of illiteracy.
• Eighth: Implementation of the ladder (jurisprudence) of priorities with regard to the achievement of development, social justice, confrontation of oppression (hegemony) and of corruption, elimination of unemployment, all within the recognition of veritable and serious health care as a duty of the State towards all citizens.
• Ninth: The establishment of Egypt's solid relationships with its sister Arab States, as well as States within its Islamic, African and other international spheres, along with support of Palestinian rights, of safe-guarding the independence of Egypt's decision-making (will), and of the re-establishment of Egypt's traditional and historical leadership role as the basis of cooperation for the universal good, and of environmental protection and just peace among nations.
• Tenth: Enhancement of the independence of the instituitoin of Al-Azhar, and the resurrection of the "Commission of Great Ulemas (Islamic Scholars)" endowed with responsibility for the appointment through elections of the Rector of Al-Azhar.
• Eleventh: Recognition of Al-Azhar "Al-Shareef" as the source and focus of responsibility to which reference should be made in all matters of Islam, its disciplines, its traditions, and its jurisdictional interpretation (ijtihad) and modern thought patterns.  This is without the elimination of the right of all to the voicing of opinions on the basis of recognizable and acceptable scientific parameters.

From the above, we could see that the Glorious (Al-Azhar) is back, as a beacon, a lighthouse guiding the ship of the Egyptian State towards a safe harbor. 

Said General Sami Anan, Deputy Chairman of the Egyptian Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, in line with the above: "The secularity of the State is a matter of national security which is non-negotiable."