Arab West Report Egyptian press summaries and media research for dialogue

The author discusses the dominance of Islam in the school curriculum in Egypt, considering this a “cultural purification” against people of other religions that contradicts international human rights resolutions. He has prepared a study of the Arabic language curriculum in elementary and preparatory schools and supports his argument with abstracts and examples from the book.

A background on monasticism in Islam, Christianity, and Egypt.

Muhammad Zuhdī discusses the meaning of jihād according to the Qur’ān.

The Egyptian Shūrá Council approved the suggested draft law about children’s right in Egypt. The law stimulated heated discussions in and outside the council. The new law prohibits female genital mutilation and gives children the right to file claims against their parents if subjected to physical violence. The law also gave the children born outside marriage the right to be registered and given a surname. Opponents of the new law claim that the law is against the social and religious values of the Egyptian society and that it is another form of the increasing Western influence in Egypt.

Drs. Hulsman and Dr. Burslem provide a detailed report on Muslim-Christian relations based on a review of Dr. Hugh Goddard’s book, commenting on a number of issues including Western perceptions, mis-interpretations, and examples of recent incidents involving Muslims and Christians.

Geert Wilders’ film ’Fitná is a nuclear bomb that creates fear of Islam, but in a civilized way.

In an interview with Mahmūd ‘Īsá, Muslim thinker Jamāl al-Bannā elaborates on many of his controversial stances and honors the Qur’ān as the only authentic point of reference for Muslims. He also declares that the divine influence of the Qur’ān is not in the human interpretation of the Qur’ānic verses, but in the influence that the word of God itself has on the listener.

Dr. Zaynab Radwān has stated that most Qur’ānic references to witnesses do not make any reference to gender. Some references fully equate the testimony of males and females.

The author responds to a controversial statement from the prominent Shaykh Yūsuf al-Qaradāwī in which he claimed that Christians are kāfirs.

Dr. Zaynab Radwān, the deputy speaker of the Egyptian People’s Assembly’s controversial argument about women issues under Sharī‘ah is still creating heated discussions in the lay and religious milieus in Egypt. The following lines shed light on the different arguments.