Arab West Report Egyptian press summaries and media research for dialogue

Three Egyptians fled Egypt after a series of crises that hit their lives and. The first is Sa‘d al-Dīn Ibrāhīm, who left   after a series of confrontations with the regime. The second is Dr. Ahmad Subhī Mansūr, the Azhari shaykh who turned against the Azhar because of his ideas; and the third is ‘Umar ‘Afīfī, the colonel who left the police force and joined the opposition.

 

Sa‘d al-Dīn Ibrāhīm who decided to live in exile in the United States, said he was forced to leave Egypt and noted that he will return with his wife next June to start monitoring the coming elections.

 

Ibrahīm is quite offensive to those who are against his thoughts. He usually accuses them of belonging to Egyptian security agencies.

 

This famous intellectual, who once was asked by President Mubārak to prepare a study on the gradual democratic transformation in Egypt, accused Egypt’s intelligence of harming his reputation.

 

 Dr. Ahmad Subhī Mansūr, the Egyptian refugee who now lives in Virginia after having escaped from Egypt. Mansūr’s troubles started with his PhD which tackled the social and political life of Sūfīs in which he unveiled some unknown information on Islamic history.

And after a period of disputes and claims, the man was accused of contempt over Islamic issues.

 

He now lives in a country where there is a religious diversity, but still keeps in contact with his students in Egypt, some of whom were arrested for the same accusation of religious contempt.

 

He did not deny Dr. Sa‘d al-Dīn Ibrāhīm’s role in his crisis, and considered him the only man who could help him solve his dilemma.

The intellectual has worked as a professor at Harvard University in addition to some other research centers.

The two intellectuals share the same political vision regarding the separation of religion and state.

 

Mansūr has recently joined the Egyptian Society for Change in Washington. He underlined that Dr. Mohammad al-Barād‘ī’s campaign will end soon if he continues his travels far from the Egypt.

 

The third man is ‘Umar ‘Afīfī, who received refugee status in the United States because of the oppression he suffered in Egypt, according to his accounts.

The former police colonel   published a book which saw huge sales in two weeks.

He served in the Egyptian police force for a long time and published 23 books on the role of police in protecting citizens. He turned out to be a wanted man by the same ministry where he had spent most of his life.

 

He decided to escape to the United States after a failed murder attempt on his life in Cairo.