Subject: EGYPTIAN INTELLECTUALS (OR, DON'T BLAME THE JEWS AND ISRAEL FOR ALL OFOUR POVERTY; ILLITERACY; ETC > > >Please visit our website at http://www.rb.org.il <http://www.rb.org.il> >Egypt/Commentary: EGYPTIAN INTELLECTUALS ON THE ADVENTURES OF AHMED IN >FALAFEL LAND (OR, DON'T BLAME THE JEWS AND ISRAEL FOR ALL OF OUR POVERTY; >ILLITERACY; CHILD LABOR; DICTATORSHIPS; "HONOR" KILLINGS OF WIVES, SISTERS >AND FEMALE RELATIVES; TRIBAL BLOOD FEUDS; FEMALE CIRCUMCISION, INABILITY TO >PRODUCE ENOUGH FOOD TO FEED OUR OWN PEOPLES, ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION AND >DESTRUCTION... > >Contact: Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) > 1815 H Street, NW Suite 404 Washington, DC 20006 >Phone: 202-955-9070 >Fax: 202-955-9077 >E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Website: http://www.memri.org <http://www.memri.org> > > >Special Dispatch/Egypt/May 5, 2000/No. 91 > >CAIRO, Yom Sheini (Second Day-"Monday"), 30 Sivan, 5760 (Gregorian Date: >July 3, 2000) (Hijri Date: 1 Rabi Thani, 1421), Root & Branch: Making a >public statement seldom heard in the Arab world, two Egyptian >intellectuals in both government and opposition papers strongly criticize >the common misperception among the Egyptian cultural and political elite >that events are driven by conspiracies. In no uncertain terms, they >describe the tendency to blame Israel for Arab failures as an "evasion of >reality", and the creation and endorsement of conspiracy theories to >explain every event as "leading to helplessness, passivity, surrender and >suicide". > > >CONSPIRACY THEORIES ARE A FORM OF HELPLESSNESS >In a November 18, 1999 article in the Egyptian weekly, Al-Ahram Al-Arabi, >which is affiliated with the government, the Head of the Al-Ahram Research >Centre, Dr. Abd Al-Mun'im Sa'id writes: >"Egypt Air flight 990 was explained by many conspiracy theories, all >blaming the crash on the US and Israel..." > >"We thought that by the end of the 20th century, the Arab mind would be >open enough not to explain everything with a 'conspiracy theory'. [It is >true that] those who reject the conspiracy theory do not totally exclude >the possibility that a conspiracy could occur. A secret conspiracy to >achieve political goals is plausible in international relations. It does >not mean, however, that every historical event is a plot or that history is >one big 'conspiracy...'". > >"For example, the Sykes-Picot agreement [1916] was indeed a conspiracy, >because it was signed secretly by Britain and France, while violating the >promises made to the Arabs...The 1956 trilateral attack on Egypt, by >France, the U.K. and Israel, was also a conspiracy". > >"On the other hand, the wars of 1948 and 1967 were not conspiracies...We all >know that the closure of Tiran Straits [by Egypt in May 1967] meant war. >The Egyptian leadership knew it and that is why Abd Al-Nasser gave the >Egyptian military command an early warning [that war may erupt] after >closing the straits". >"The term 'conspiracy' must not be overused, lest confusion prevail. >...The Gulf War was not a conspiracy. The international and regional >decisions were made on the basis of the need to liberate Kuwait. For seven >months the Arab states implored Iraq to withdraw, and the Western states >threatened it. The war came [only] after all other efforts failed. Where >is the conspiracy here?" >"All those 'conspiracies' exhaust the Arab mind and prevent it from seeing >the truth and exploring it seriously. All the conspiracy theories about >Egypt Air flight 990 involving missiles and bombs just do not hold..." >"But the biggest problem with conspiracy theories is that they keep us not >only from the truth but also from confronting our faults and >problems....This way of thinking relates any given problem to external >elements, and thus does not [lead] to a rational policy to confront the >problem. He who speaks of ghosts [as the reason behind any given problem] >can do nothing to solve it." >"Anyone, who adopts the conspiracy theory becomes so helpless that he ends >up surrendering or committing suicide. The thinking of conspiracy theorists >shifts between surrender and suicide, between helplessness and passivity, >between negligence and failure". > >STOP BLAMING ISRAEL >In the nationalist secular opposition daily, Al-Wafd, February 26, 2000, >columnist Hassan Hafez criticizes another aspect of the public Arab debate: >blaming Israel for all Arab faults and failures. In an article entitled, >"Let us Excel in our Writing and Stop Blaming all our Problems on Israel" >he writes: > >"We must excel in our writing...and stop blaming all our problems on >Israel. I wonder why we blame Israel for every fault in [Arab] society. >This is the logic of the weak, who seek a peg on which to hang all their >mistakes in order to evade a true confrontation with reality". > >"An Egyptian plane crashed last November [and they say]: 'This is an >operation by the Israeli 'Mossad'". > >"[Egyptian Muslims clash with Christian Copts in] Al-Kushekh [in Southern >Egypt] ...and everyone blames the Israeli 'Mossad'." >"Then, something even stranger happens: the price for a tank of gas rises >up to 15 Egyptian Pounds, and one newspaper claims that the reason for it >is the export of gas to Israel! ...We blame Israel for failures in >marketing or for the rise of prices. This is illogical and >unacceptable...I wouldn't be surprised if they say that the 'Mossad' is >responsible for the social security problems in Egypt too..." > >"Slow down, you who get into fits when you talk about Israel! Let us first >undertake our own soul-searching. We have to grab those responsible for >our failures by the collar instead of blaming Israel for all our problems >like cowards... [Blaming Israel] causes us to look ridiculous before the >world and it makes the small Israeli state look great. We have to be >honest with ourselves before we blame others! When we blame others we are >being untrue, we mock common sense and we scorn our people..." > >NOTE: >1. For some examples of this tendency see: MEMRI Special Dispatch, No. >62, "Egyptian Reactions to the EgyptAir Crash Investigation," (December 6, >1999); and MEMRI Special Dispatch, No. 79, "Anti-Semitism in the Egyptian >Media Part III: 'International Jewish Conspiracies'", (March 20, 2000). > >The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) is an independent, >non-profit organization providing translations of the Arab media and >original analysis and research on developments in the Middle East. Copies >of articles and documents cited, as well as background information, are >available upon request. > <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html">Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
