Interview with Gamal al-Ghitany: "The Fanatics Dampen the Enthusiasm"
The intellectuals were and still
are the target of religious zealots, who have a fundamental problem with
critical, free thought. They operate on the streets and recruit supporters
primarily from the ranks of the uneducated people whom they can manipulate with
their doctrine. Writers and artists have long been a thorn in their eye – just
think of Nagib Mahfuz, one of the greatest intellectuals of the Arab
world.
When several
excerpts from his work "The Children of Our Alley" appeared in the newspaper
"al-Ahram" in 1959, it was the ultraconservative groups that prevented the
preprint of the book. Mahfuz was repeatedly confronted with the accusation of
blasphemy and violation of Islam. As a consequence, this book was only published
in Arabic in Egypt a few years ago. In 1994, Mahfuz was attacked with a knife in
broad daylight by a supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood. He survived but he was
badly injured. You see how long this conflict has already been smouldering in
Egypt. I'm just another link in this chain of hostilities. -- Gamal
al-Ghitany
Gamal al-Ghitany is one of the
most influential Arab authors of our time. His latest edition of the collection
of medieval tales "Thousand and One Nights" brought him to the attention of
puritanical critics. In concrete terms, they are calling for all the erotic
passages of the work to be censored. Magda Luthay spoke to Gamal
al-Ghitany.
A group
of self-appointed defenders of morality, who describe themselves as "Lawyers
without Restrictions", has again brought charges against you. They accuse you of
portraying Islam in a highly negative light in your latest publication, and say
you have thoroughly besmirched the faith. What really lies behind these
charges?
Gamal al-Ghitany: The actions of
these lawyers reflect a profound conflict within Egyptian society. This long
ceased to be against me personally, or the contents of "Thousand and One
Nights", it is merely a cover to manipulate the public and enforce a quite
fundamental agenda. Egyptian society is deeply divided. There are advocates of
progress, liberals, artists, intellectuals – the educated class. Then there are
the conservative religious members of society. These are narrow-minded people
who support a religious regime. In short, a political Islam, or rather how they
themselves interpret that concept. They see themselves in permanent competition
with the government, and everything revolves around the central question: Who is
more religious?
The intellectuals were and still
are the target of religious zealots, who have a fundamental problem with
critical, free thought. They operate on the streets and recruit supporters
primarily from the ranks of the uneducated people whom they can manipulate with
their doctrine. Writers and artists have long been a thorn in their eye – just
think of Nagib Mahfuz, one of the greatest intellectuals of the Arab
world.
When several excerpts from his
work "The Children of Our Alley" appeared in the newspaper "al-Ahram" in 1959,
it was the ultraconservative groups that prevented the preprint of the book.
Mahfuz was repeatedly confronted with the accusation of blasphemy and violation
of Islam. As a consequence, this book was only published in Arabic in Egypt a
few years ago. In 1994, Mahfuz was attacked with a knife in broad daylight by a
supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood. He survived but he was badly injured. You
see how long this conflict has already been smouldering in Egypt. I'm just
another link in this chain of hostilities.
How do
you explain the radicalisation, indeed the increasing fanaticism of these social
groups?
Gamal al-Ghitany: There is a
huge chasm between rich and poor in Egyptian society. Many people have a meagre
livelihood, and can neither read nor write. This results in a high rate of
unemployment. Then there is a very wealthy upper class, and a small middle
class.
This makes it easy for the
radicals to construct supposed bogeymen. In addition, many Egyptians are
travelling to Saudi Arabia for religious instruction, and return with fanatical
views. They then fight for their take on religion in their
homeland.
What role
does the Egyptian government play in this protracted
conflict?
(Arabic edition of "Thousand and One Nights":
Back in 1985, religious fanatics complained of pornographic content in an
illustrated edition of the book, and brought the case to
court)
Gamal al-Ghitany: The last few
years have seen highly positive developments in the areas of freedom of speech
and media freedom. There are a great many newspapers reporting critically and
controversially on a huge spectrum of issues. Journalism here is very dynamic,
and even reports that criticise the government are the norm.
There is no censorship, on the
contrary: reports that criticise political and social structures are part of
Egypt's journalistic culture, in fact they are even welcome. But nevertheless, I
would warn against only airing criticism, that fails to convince after a while.
If the discussion is to be moved on, you must always offer constructive ideas
for a solution.
Meanwhile the Internet also
plays a significant role, particularly with the young generation. No, the
government does not hamper the work of artists, the problems come from society
itself. These are indoctrinated people who are pursuing quite specific goals.
They hinder progress. The most dangerous thing about it is that these fanatics
are not able to demonstrate a well-founded appreciation of the many issues in
question here, just as in the case of "Thousand and One Nights". A few
catchphrases are enough to encourage these people to follow each other blindly,
an approach that unfortunately often has very negative
consequences.
Do you
think that a vibrant political life could root out these
fanatics?
Gamal al-Ghitany: Absolutely,
the key to change also lies in an active political exchange. A vigorous
political life also makes a significant contribution to creating an open,
well-informed society.
How are
writers and intellectuals reacting to these latest charges against you? Do
creative people feel intimidated by the actions of the
conservatives?
Gamal al-Ghitany: The Egyptian
writers' association has announced its full solidarity with me and my work.
There are a great many very talented young writers in Egypt, and the young
upcoming literature scene in Saudi Arabia is also a real hot tip. It's very
important to foster this talent and offer these writers long-term
perspectives.
It is very gratifying that a
real surge in the popularity of reading has developed in Egypt over the last two
years. This is a great incentive to new writers. The Egyptian cultural scene
pulsates with life at the moment; a handful of fanatics can't stop this wave of
success, but they do dampen the enthusiasm.
Several
court actions were brought against an illustrated edition of "Thousand and One
Nights" in the year 1985. Are you confident that the charge will be rejected?
After all, the latest edition is being subsidised by the Egyptian Ministry of
Culture.
Gamal al-Ghitany: The initiators
at the time were religious zealots complaining that the work's content was
pornographic. The judges ruled in three instances that you can't simply rip
individual words from their context to denigrate an entire book in this
way.
So no, I'm not afraid. That may
sound very audacious, but this latest accusation has blessed the current edition
of "Thousand and One Nights" with an unimaginable circulation. We have sold more
than 10,000 copies in just a few months. The book is in the news, everyone's
talking about it and it's never been so popular.
In this respect, the radicals
have achieved the opposite of what they intended: They have given "Thousand and
One Nights" publicity and ensured that this wonderful book gets the attention it
deserves. It's a very positive side-effect, a victory for the multiplicity of
views in today's Egypt.
Gamal al-Ghitany has published
numerous novels and short stories, and is also a presenter of various programmes
broadcast on private Egyptian television channels. He was arts editor for the
newspaper "al-Akhbar" and is publisher and editor-in-chief of Egypt's only
literary magazine, "Akhbar al-Adab". In March 2009 he received the "Sheikh Zayed
Award for Literature" – an internationally renowned book prize awarded annually
in Abu Dhabi to an outstanding Arab creative.
Translated from the German by
Nina Coon
Source:
Qantara.de
10:39 PM
Sultan Shahin
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