Tarek Heggy: Announcement & Archives

I have thoroughly enjoyed writing to this wonderful site "WINDS-OF-CHANGE". However, I will not be posting much during the current academic year, as which I will be (most of the time) on the move.

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The Arab Mind & the Denial Phenomenon.

Until recently, I believed the first step in the Arab Mind journey to progress and modernity was the “acceptance of criticism” and the diffusion of a general cultural/intellectual climate which does not adopt a defensive posture towards criticism but welcomes it as a tool of positive feedback, a climate in which self-criticism is practiced without any reservations, constraints or taboos. I believed, and still believe, in Immanuel Kant’s brilliant characterization of criticism as “the most important building tool devised by the human mind.”

But regional developments over the past three years have caused me to revise my priorities, and I now believe that another step should precede the acceptance and practice of criticism, namely, the dismantling of the wall of denial behind which we have sequestered ourselves for the last few decades. For it is clear that we cannot embark on a process of constructive criticism of our mistakes and shortcomings before we overcome our insistence on denying their existence in the first place.

Our denial is sometimes expressed in positive terms, as when we openly deny the existence of this or that problem or the commission of this or that mistake, and sometimes in negative terms, as when we tacitly deny the existence of a specific shortcoming by simply not talking about it.

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The Values of Progress

This long essay comprises the text of three lectures I gave at the Near Eastern Studies Department of Princeton University in February 2001 – However, this text was finalized in this final form a year afterwards.

This essay addresses a subject I believe is better suited than any other to launch a constructive intellectual debate in Egypt today and which can, moreover, serve as a rallying point for all intellectuals, whatever their ideological formation.

The philosophical premise from which the essay proceeds is that there exist three frames of reference operating at different levels: humanity, civilization and culture. Civilizations occupy a higher plane than cultures, while humanity occupies a higher plane than both. As such, it can transcend any clash of civilizations or cultures.

Although all the ideas contained in this essay are concerned with the wider notion of humanity, they can serve at the same time to steer the relationship between civilizations on the road towards dialogue, rather than allow it to be swept by a breakdown of communication between them on to the road of conflict and collision. If, as Sartre said, the future is what we make it in the kitchen of the present, the answer to whether we can expect a dialogue between civilizations or a clash of civilizations in future depends on what we do today. Thus the future pattern of interaction between civilizations can be dialogue if we make an effort in the present to steer matters in that direction.

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WHY THE WORLD IS IN A BIG MESS ?

This is not an article. This is (literary) the answer I gave in an interview with the well-known European Channel R.T.L a week ago. The following text represents what I improvised in answering a question about the quality of political leaderships in the world today. – Tarek Heggy

Our world can not be adequately and efficiently managed by writers,
journalists, professors and well-educated civil servants ...
but by leaders who are VISIONARY + COMPETENT.

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The Anatomy of the Arab Mind.

(Knowledge will not give you a part of
itself unless you give it your whole,
And in giving your whole you are treading a dangerous path).

Abu Hanifa al-No'man
(d. Second Islamic century/early 8th century AD).

In my first three books, I presented what I believe was a
comprehensive critique of socialist thinking and experiences. My
writings during this stage covered the period between 1977 and 1981.
Between 1984 and 1986, I embarked on a second stage in which I tried
to identify and analyze the myriad problems of contemporary Egyptian
life. Starting 1997, I entered a third stage in my writing, which
proceeded from the premise that the underlying cause of all our
problems is cultural in nature and has to do with methods of thinking,
the general cultural climate and educational systems. Between 1997 and
2005, I wrote extensively on what I call defects in the Arab mind-set.

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The Perplexity of the Inflexible Or (The Panic of Those Opposed to Change).

At a recent round table conference that took place at the Center for
Middle Eastern Studies in one of the United State ’s most prestigious
universities, noted for bringing forth some of the world’s most
learned and respected names, a stimulating discussion took place
concerning the so-called clash of civilizations. There were ten of us
attending the meeting, and we were divided into two factions; those
supporting the proposition that a clash of civilizations is an
inexorable fact, as supported by the now-famous assumption put forth
by Mr. Samuel Huntington, and those who opposed this view. The latter
formed a minority of only two persons, one of which was myself. The
general trend of the discussion seemed to be turning in favor of the
former group with its insistence on the existence of this conflict,
until one of the opposition put forth the following question: “ Japan
was in a state of undeniable conflict with the free world until
August, 1945. However, since then and up to the present moment, there
has been no struggle or ‘clash of civilizations’ between Japan and the
West, only a vigorous economic, industrial, commercial and scientific
competition played out according to the rules of the game as laid down
by the free world. Is this not enough to prove two undeniable facts?”
I then proceeded to elucidate:

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The Arabs' Apathy Anatomy

The pattern of behaviour displayed by the victims of poverty differs from one culture to another. In some cultures, it takes the form of a defiant refusal to succumb to the grip of poverty and an openly rebellious expression of that refusal; in others it engenders an attitude of resignation marked by a docile acceptance of what fate has decreed.

Many factors determine which of the two patterns will prevail. Societies which have been subjected for much of their history to tyranny and oppression and with a tradition of venerating their rulers will tend to exhibit the second pattern, accepting their lot philosophically and expressing their disillusionment by using the weapon of sarcasm against public officials, but only in private conversations conducted behind closed doors. In some countries, this mechanism gives rise to political jokes which reflect what people would have wanted to say openly but which, in the absence of available channels, they are forced to express in epigrammatic form. The ability of some of the political jokes thus spawned to encapsulate prevailing opinions and impressions in terse, witty aphorisms is sometimes nothing short of brilliant.

Despots realize only too well that their people’s economic independence and the existence of an economically self-sufficient middle class can have disastrous consequences for them. For it is this which allows a people to move from apathy to action, from a resigned acceptance of whatever the ruler decides at his absolute discretion to active participation in political life. To be answerable to his subjects is the last thing an absolute ruler wants, knowing that his grip on power cannot survive open questions on the source of his legitimacy or on the legitimacy of the privileges he and his cronies enjoy.

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Farceland Or Mahazelstan.

Sir Thomas More was a great thinker born in England in 1477. After glorious years as high official in England and due to his opposition to Henry VIII intention to divorce the Queen, Thomas More was beheaded in 1535. In 1935 the Roman Catholic Church declared him as “Saint”. Thomas More studied Law at Oxford. Though he authored several books, “Utopia” which he wrote in Latin in 1516 is his most famous work. I read “Utopia” (in a superb Arabic translation) in August 1973. During the past thirty years I went back to this fascinating book and read several times .. but I never thought that one day I will receive from a dieing friend a manuscript of a book that was written on a country which has a name that never (such as “Utopia”) existed. But while “Utopia” was an ideal society, “Farceland” was (according to Dante Alighieri terminology) a true “INFERNO”! …

The entire book “Farceland” was written by my friend “M.A.T“, translated into English by myself and apart from the book introduction (which is enclosed herewith), the complete book will not be published before 2011 as per its author’s “will” – yet you might find reading the preface (which I wrote) and the book Introduction (which the author wrote) both “interesting”!

Finally, I wish that you will never be attracted to think that “I am the author of this book” or “that Farceland is Egypt” – as both would be “wrong speculations” – the author is (M.A.T) and the country is a famous one in Asia (and not Egypt).

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To the Palestinians I Say ..

When I contemplate how the Palestinian-Zionist conflict has unfolded over the years, from the time of the Basle Conference in 1897 to the present day, I am filled with a deep sense of depression. For rarely have I seen more mistakes and missed opportunities than those in the actions, decisions and choices of some Palestinians since the beginning of the conflict up to the present. A major contribution to the long list of mistakes and missed opportunities, and possibly the most self-defeating of all, is the way some of the Palestinian factions have been acting in the recent period.

Resistance is not an end in itself; it can only be seen as such by those suffering from infantile disorder or by hooligans with no sense of responsibility and an anarchistic turn of mind. As far as any sane, sensible and responsible person with a conscience is concerned, resistance is only a means to an end.

Rather than place themselves under the umbrella of the Palestinian Authority, some Palestinian factions are trying to retain their autonomous character and set themselves up as parallel leaderships side by side with the legitimate leadership as personified by Mahmoud Abbas. In this they are displaying symptoms of the same aberrations we have mentioned: infantile disorder, irresponsibility, hooliganism and anarchism.

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Thus Spoke My Eccentric Friend (5/5): What's In A Name?

JK: Winds of Change.NET's Cairo correspondent Tarek Heggy (see his Winds article archive) reminds us that intelligence failures have happened before. This segment follows Part 1: "Dreams of the Arabs," Part 2: "A Word in the Palestinian Ear," Part 3: "Rejecting Progress," and Part 4: "MI-6's Intelligence Failure."

Thus Spoke My Eccentric Friend
by Tarek Heggy in Cairo, Egypt

When we were young Leftists in the second half of the Sixties, a peculiar friend of us became, amongst our group, known as "our eccentric friend" – was an exceptionally well-read Marxist. His world changed on June 5th, 1967, however, and he migrated to an adamant denial of all ideologies and a belief in "science and progress." During the past year, I began to put in writing his enthusiastic outpourings during our discussions, and the resulting article contains some of his observations taken down in the course of four meetings that took place within last month (August, 2004).

Part 5: What's In A Name?

This evening, our eccentric friend arrived a bit later... but was not equally late in firing a peculiar remark:

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Thus Spoke My Eccentric Friend (4/5): MI-6's Intelligence Failure

JK: Winds of Change.NET's Cairo correspondent Tarek Heggy (see his Winds article archive) reminds us that intelligence failures have happened before. This segment follows Part 1: "Dreams of the Arabs", Part 2: "A Word in the Palestinian Ear", and Part 3: "Rejecting Progress".

Thus Spoke My Eccentric Friend
by Tarek Heggy in Cairo, Egypt

When we were young Leftists in the second half of the Sixties, a peculiar friend of us became, amongst our group, known as "our eccentric friend" – was an exceptionally well-read Marxist. His world changed on June 5th, 1967, however, and he migrated to an adamant denial of all ideologies and a belief in "science and progress." During the past year, I began to put in writing his enthusiastic outpourings during our discussions, and the resulting article contains some of his observations taken down in the course of four meetings that took place within last month (August, 2004).

Part 4: MI-6's Intelligence Failure

Tonight, my eccentric friend was fond of asking awkward questions and speculating on what would have happened if history had taken a different course.

He started by asking us to envisage the following alternative scenario of events.

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Thus Spoke My Eccentric Friend (3/5): Rejecting Progress

JK: Winds of Change.NET's Cairo correspondent Tarek Heggy (see his Winds article archive) says "This essay shows how an overwhelming number of contemporary Arabs are isolated from reality. This isolation is a function of outdated political, educational & media systems." This segment follows Part 1: "Dreams of the Arabs" and Part 2: "A Word in the Palestinian Ear".

Thus Spoke My Eccentric Friend
by Tarek Heggy in Cairo, Egypt

When we were young Leftists in the second half of the Sixties, a peculiar friend of us became, amongst our group, known as "our eccentric friend" – was an exceptionally well-read Marxist. His world changed on June 5th, 1967, however, and he migrated to an adamant denial of all ideologies and a belief in "science and progress." During the past year, I began to put in writing his enthusiastic outpourings during our discussions, and the resulting article contains some of his observations taken down in the course of four meetings that took place within last month (August, 2004).

Part 3: Rejecting Progress

My eccentric friend joined our circle almost beside himself with anger. Even before he was seated he announced that he would not be holding forth or volunteering his views on the miserable truths that were only too obvious in our region. "All I shall do today," he said, "is raise a few questions that I suggest you go home and think about." He gave us no time to comment on this new method of his, but plunged straight into a volley of queries:

"It has become almost mandatory amongst our intellectuals to begin any discourse by attacking the United States. It is almost as if they wish to appease their audiences by denouncing the US and its policies, and even expressing the hope that the US should fail in whatever it sets out to do. This "playing it safe" or policy of appeasement is a typical attribute of the Arab and Muslim character, where people make a point of saying what they think will mollify others (whether rulers or ordinary people) and thus guarantee their own safety.

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Thus Spoke My Eccentric Friend (2/5): A Word in The Palestinian Ear

JK: Winds of Change.NET's Cairo correspondent Tarek Heggy (see his Winds article archive) says "The Arabic version of this article was posted by the Elaph web-site on 25th May, 2004." It was also published on Winds, and has now been incorporated into this larger series following Part 1/5, "Dreams of the Arabs".

Thus Spoke My Eccentric Friend (Part 2/5)
by Tarek Heggy in Cairo, Egypt

When we were young Leftists in the second half of the Sixties, a peculiar friend of us became, amongst our group, known as "our eccentric friend" – was an exceptionally well-read Marxist. One could not mention a literary or ideological work without discovering that he had already read it. On June 5th, 1967, it seemed as if a knife had pierced him to the heart. On that fateful day, I recall him saying in anguish: "It is the roots of the tree that are rotten, not the branches or the fruit". He disappeared to Europe, where he lived for several years, and returned with an adamant denial of all ideologies. He would often say, "I believe in science and progress"; and at others times, "an ideologist in today's world is a psychiatric case; you can't talk to such people until they've been cured!"

During the past year, I began to put in writing his enthusiastic outpourings during our discussions, and the resulting article contains some of his observations taken down in the course of four meetings that took place within last month (August, 2004).

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Thus Spoke My Eccentric Friend (1/5): Dreams of the Arabs

JK: Winds of Change.NET's Cairo correspondent Tarek Heggy (see his Winds article archive) says "This essay shows how an overwhelming number of contemporary Arabs are isolated from reality. This isolation is a function of outdated political, educational & media systems."

Thus Spoke My Eccentric Friend (Part 1/5)
by Tarek Heggy in Cairo, Egypt

When we were young Leftists in the second half of the Sixties, a peculiar friend of us became, amongst our group, known as "our eccentric friend" – was an exceptionally well-read Marxist. One could not mention a literary or ideological work without discovering that he had already read it. On June 5th, 1967, it seemed as if a knife had pierced him to the heart. On that fateful day, I recall him saying in anguish: "It is the roots of the tree that are rotten, not the branches or the fruit". He disappeared to Europe, where he lived for several years, and returned with an adamant denial of all ideologies. He would often say, "I believe in science and progress"; and at others times, "an ideologist in today's world is a psychiatric case; you can't talk to such people until they've been cured!"

During the past year, I began to put in writing his enthusiastic outpourings during our discussions, and the resulting article contains some of his observations taken down in the course of four meetings that took place within last month (August, 2004).

read the rest! »

Tarek Heggy: The Intelligent American's Guide To Islamism

JK: Winds of Change.NET's Cairo correspondent Tarek Heggy (see his article archive) looks at the "democracy phenomenon" in the Middle East from his vantage point as a liberal in Egypt, and discusses The Muslim Brotherhood. This article was published in Arabic by the Egyptian weekly Rose el Yossef on 13th May, 2005 is also being published today by The Washington Times.

The Intelligent American's Guide To Islamism
By Tarek Heggy

The current winds of change in the Middle East is a welcome whiff of fresh air in the region, but the hasty promotion of democracy could also plunge the region deeper into the "dark side", bringing the Moslem Brotherhood to power in Egypt, Syria, Jordan, and elsewhere. While some in Washington are ready to take on this risk, many (of us) liberals in the region, worry about the dangerous unintended consequences.

The Muslim Brotherhood (MB), established in Egypt in 1928, is the best organized political force in many Arab countries. It is a radical transnational organization which aims to take over the Islamic world in order to establish a Caliphate. Such a Caliphate, a religious militarized state will be the base to wage war against the infidel West.

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Tarek Heggy: The Saudis' Choice

Saudi Arabia and the Inevitable Choice
by Tarek Heggy; Cairo, Egypt [column archive]

Following a lecture I had given at the Department of the Middle Eastern Studies at one of the top world universities, I was told by one of the professors: "In most academic circles here in the US, we take it for granted that the Arabs' hatred of the West is the result of the intrusion of western powers into the lives of Arab peoples, beginning with the colonization of Algeria in 1830, Egypt in 1882, Morocco in 1912, and so on. But it's quite clear that you see things quite differently?"

I replied, "It's not that simple. There are several sides to the issue and what you just said lumps them all together in the same basket, as it were."

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Tarek Heggy: The Absence of the Critical Mind

JK: Another column from our Cairo correspondent Tarek Heggy. As I read his latest article, I couldn't shake my unease at the fact that I can see more than a few parallels right here in the West. As Armed Liberal, Belmont Club and others have pointed out, the "War Against Bad Philosophy" (and for the future of civilization in all of its variants) is a global battlefield.

It is my belief that the "critical mind" is almost non-existent today [in Egypt], largely due to the meager margin of democracy allowed and to the fact that top positions, in many cases, are concentrated in the hands of a few incompetent individuals whose intellectual capacities and management skills are mediocre at best. When we add to this the current proliferation of a reactionary religious culture, it is understandable that there should be a marked decrease in rationality, a lack of participation marked by extreme negativity, and a prevalence of constants and fixed ideas that cannot hope to hold up against the objective criticism that is crucial to true development.

This lack of democracy actively hinders social mobility, resulting in a general state of incompetence that in turn leads to a decline in standards at all levels. Invariably, rational thinking takes a back seat.

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Good News About Egypt

Our Cairo correspondent Tarek Heggy has some good news. If you've been reading his columns here, you'll know he's one of the good guys and that he's working hard to create reform in his part of the world. If you've been reading sources like LGF or MEMRI, who show us the blatant cultivation of hate that is often featured in Egypt's press, you'll especially understand why this report is good news. He writes:

"The first issue of “Al-Masry Al-Youm” is in every journal kiosk in Egypt today (Monday 7th June, 2004). This is the first independent daily political paper to be permitted in Egypt since 1954. This new paper does not have any link with governmental bodies or political parties.

There's more.

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Passover Finale: Drops of Freedom

As the holiday comes to a close, so too must this year's Passover coverage. Like the Seder service itself, it finishes in contemplation - and in hope:

"Ended is the Passover Seder, according to custom, statute and law. As we were worthy to celebrate it this year, so may we perform it in future years. Oh pure one in heaven above, restore the congregation of Israel in your love. Speedily lead your people to Zion in joy. Next year in Jerusalem!"

Cairo columnist Tarek Heggy has been a frequent contributor here at Winds of Change.NET. In the wake of his Passover greetings, we've been having an interesting email exchange around the story of Passover, the role of the Egyptians, and one specific part of the Passover Seder: the spilling of 10 drops of wine, as the plagues visited upon the Egyptians are recited.

Why do we do that? The more I thought about it, the more I wondered if perhaps the standard explanations were missing something - something that goes right to the heart of this holiday of freedom. Here's what Tarek wrote:

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The Future of the Moslem Mind, Final

Winds of Change.NET Cairo correspondent Tarek Heggy (see his article archive, and read his book "Culture, Civilization and Humanity") is back with a new series. I have some issues with his analysis, especially when it comes to his take on American culture. Nevertheless, his articles are always thought provoking and so we're always happy to present them here.

Here's the complete series:

1. The Big Change in Islamic Societies
2. Muslims & The Clash of Civilizations
3. The Mentality of Violence... and the Games Nations Play!
4. A Movement Bred in the Isolation of the Desert
5. The Fall of the Oppressors and the Emergence of the Sword
6. The Crisis Facing Non-Wahabbi Islam

The Future of the Moslem Mind, Part 6:
The Crisis Facing Non-Wahabbi Islam
by Tarek Heggy

There are no permanent social phenomena; they are the result of circumstances and factors. Therefore the fear that non-Wahabbi Islam, which was the main trend among the majority of Muslims for several centuries, is being edged out of its central role is a legitimate one.

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The Future of the Moslem Mind, Part 5

Winds of Change.NET Cairo correspondent Tarek Heggy (see his article archive, and read his book "Culture, Civilization and Humanity") is back with a new series. I have some issues with his analysis, especially when it comes to his take on American culture. Nevertheless, his articles are always thought provoking and so we're always happy to present them here.

The Future of the Moslem Mind, Part 5:
The Fall of the Oppressors and the Emergence of the Sword
by Tarek Heggy

Over the last few decades, many Islamic societies were subjected to various types of despots who ruled their countries with an iron fist in the context of widespread autocracy. This led in many cases to the downward spiral I described previously. Oppression killed social mobility; the absence of social mobility led to a widespread lack of competence; lack of competence resulted in the collapse of all institutions; this engendered feelings of despair and rage out of which was born the ‘mentality of violence’ that came to permeate many of these societies.

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The Future of the Moslem Mind, Part 4

Winds of Change.NET Cairo correspondent Tarek Heggy (see his article archive, and read his book "Culture, Civilization and Humanity") is back with a new series. I have some issues with his analysis, especially when it comes to his take on American culture. Nevertheless, his articles are always thought provoking and so we're always happy to present them here.

The Future of the Moslem Mind, Part 4:
A Movement Bred in the Isolation of the Desert
by Tarek Heggy

The man who founded Wahhabism was not a theologian but a proselyter who was determined to convert the faithful to his harsh brand of Islam. Intellectually close to the dialectical Islamic theologians who asserted the primacy of tradition (naql) over reason (aql), Mohamed ibn-Abdul Wahab was a disciple of ibn-Taymiyah, a strict traditionalist who allowed little scope for reason or independent thinking. He was also a product of his geographical environment, a remote outpost of history.

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The Future of the Moslem Mind, Part 3

Winds of Change.NET Cairo correspondent Tarek Heggy (see his article archive, and read his book "Culture, Civilization and Humanity") is back with a new series. I have some issues with his analysis, especially when it comes to his take on American culture. Nevertheless, his articles are always thought provoking and so we're always happy to present them here.

The Future of the Moslem Mind, Part 3:
The Mentality of Violence... and the Games Nations Play!
by Tarek Heggy

Although I believe the mentality of violence is caused primarily by internal factors, I also believe that an external factor contributed to its spread, namely, the misguided attempts by some to use the forces produced by the mentality of violence for political purposes.

A case in point is the support offered by the India office of MI-6 to a group that was attempting at the beginning of the twentieth century to unify the Arabian Peninsula under a political system deriving its legitimacy from a Wahhabi interpretation of Islam. The Najdi movement, known as the Ikhwan or brotherhood, was a prime example of this trend during the twenties of the last century. King Abdul Aziz ibn-Saud, founder of the third incarnation of the Saudi state, was forced to go to war against them after they accused him of deviating from the tenets of real Islam by accepting such Western abominations as radios, cars, telephones, etc.

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The Future of the Moslem Mind, Part 2

Winds of Change.NET Cairo correspondent Tarek Heggy (see his article archive, and read his book "Culture, Civilization and Humanity") is back with a new series. I have some issues with his analysis, especially when it comes to his take on American culture. Nevertheless, his articles are always thought provoking and so we're always happy to present them here.

The Future of the Moslem Mind, Part 2: Muslims & The Clash of Civilization
by Tarek Heggy

The mentality of violence is the product of internal factors, a variable that has emerged only in the last four decades, and its inclusion as a constant in the ‘clash of civilizations’ paradigm is not only forced but belongs more to the realm of science fiction than political analysis. A case in point is the famous book by Samuel P. Huntington, whose theory is closely linked to the issue of mentality of violence. First published as an article in 1992 under the title “Clash of Civilizations?” it was expanded into a book and published the following year under the same title – but without the question mark. The significance of the omission will not be lost on the reader. The book was a publishing event, selling more copies and provoking more controversy than any other book that year (with the exception of fiction bestsellers). While I cannot pass the same kind of sweeping judgment against the author, his motives, aims and intentions as those passed against him in various parts of the Arab and Islamic world, I will say that I found the book to have three major flaws:

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The Future of the Moslem Mind, Part 1

Winds of Change.NET Cairo correspondent Tarek Heggy (see his article archive, and read his book "Culture, Civilization and Humanity") is back with a new series. I have some issues with his analysis, especially when it comes to his take on American culture. Nevertheless, his articles are always thought provoking and so we're always happy to present them here.

The Future of the Moslem Mind, Part 1:
The Big Change in Islamic Societies
by Tarek Heggy

A comparison between Islamic and Arab societies today and those of a century ago reveals how much more widespread the ‘mentality of violence’ has become in today’s societies. But the real danger lies less in the mentality of violence that has come to permeate many, if not all, sectors of Islamic and Arab societies than in the spread of the culture that is conducive to its growth and development. This culture is what spawns militants who promote the mentality of violence and the general climate that allows it to take hold. I believe five factors are responsible for the phenomenon:

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Women & Progress

Following a tour of Britian to promote his new book, Winds of Change.NET Cairo correspondent Tarek Heggy (see his article archive) is back with a new article. It was originally published in Arabic in Egypt's Al-Ahram on Aug. 15, 2003.

The tour was apparently quite a success, and I heartily endorse his book "Culture, Civilization and Humanity". I was also more than pleased to hook him up with the Oxblog crew, who promptly featured him at a special Oct. 16th Oxford Democracy Forum event. Thanks, Josh!

Women & Progress
by Tarek Heggy
(published in Arabic in Egypt's Al-Ahram, Aug. 15, 2003)

Although my writings have covered a wide range of subjects since my first book was published in 1978, the central theme that links them all together is the issue of progress. The seemingly unrelated topics to which I have devoted numerous articles in various publications and entire chapters in my books, ranging from educational development, to the need to adopt modern management techniques in all fields, to defects in our thought processes, are all tributaries of a single river flowing in the same direction: towards defining the elements of progress and removing the obstacles impeding its achievement.

One of the most important indicators of a society's progress is the status it accords to women and how they are perceived in the prevailing cultural climate...

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Egypt's Tarek Heggy: Why I Write

On the eve of Sept. 11, 2003, Winds of Change.NET Cairo correspondent Tarek Heggy (see his article archive) explains why he writes these articles.

Why Do I Write?
by Tarek Heggy

I have been writing for a quarter of a century in order to instill in the Egyptian mind that we are, first and foremost, Egyptians. Our identity is shaped by our geographical location on the southern shores of the Mediterranean. We have Muslim, Christian, Arab and African ties, but none of them can replace our only identity as Egyptians.

I write in order to instill in the Egyptian mind the fact that although the outside world will harbour animosities towards us at times, and will work to further its own interests most of the time, our problems, in their entirety, originate inside our country and can only be solved internally. We alone are responsible for those problems and for the fact that they remain unsolved. The excessive belief in the conspiracy theory is a confession of our impotence and an admission of the supremacy of others in the face of our ineffectiveness.

I write in order to instill in the Egyptian mind the values of liberalism, democracy, general freedoms and human rights as the most noble, sublime and civilized achievements of mankind...

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Egypt & Democracy

Winds of Change.NET Cairo correspondent Tarek Heggy (A Culture of Compromise | The Institutions of Democracy are More Important Than Democracy | Islam: Between Copying and Thinking | Tolerant and Intolerant Islam | Conspiracy & Response) is back again!

Two Misconceptions Concerning Egyptians
By Tarek Heggy

Two properties falsely, and unfairly, attributed to Egypt and Egyptians by ordinary people and by experts, by foreigners and by the Egyptians themselves have been repeated so often that they have come to be regarded as incontrovertible truths.

The first is that the country and its people are capable of producing only one form of government: a highly centralized political organization dominated by an oligarchy wielding absolute power. The common belief is that throughout its long history, Egypt managed to transform all alternative forms of government into this uniquely Egyptian formula in which centralization attained its most extreme form. The second property that conventional wisdom attributes to Egyptians is that they are not ready for democracy on the grounds that the level of education and culture of a high percentage among them is below the minimum required for such a proactive form of political participation.

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Conspiracy & Response

Winds of Change.NET Cairo correspondent Tarek Heggy is back again!

This time, he takes on a topic we've also written about extensively on Winds of Change.NET: Conspiracy theories (Conspriacy and Truth Week | Conspiracies and Memetic Epidemics | Why Bad Beliefs Won't Die). More to the point, Tarek Heggy writes about Arab and Egyptian culture's fondness for them. He has an... unusual response. I like it.

Let's Assume it's a Conspiracy!
by Tarek Heggy

There are many in our part of the world who subscribe wholeheartedly to the conspiracy theory, firmly convinced that sinister forces are busy hatching plots against them. United in their belief, they differ only as to the motives of the conspirators. Some see them as motivated by an atavistic hatred for Muslims in general and Arabs in particular, others by a fear that an Arab awakening represents a danger that must be averted at all costs. Then are those who attribute the conspiracy to Jewish machinations. Finally, there are those who believe it is part of a grand design for the economic exploitation of the region.

The conspiracy theory has always intrigued me, and I have written frequently, in both Arabic and English, about the theory, those who subscribe to it, their logic and the implications of allowing their worldview to dominate our thinking. The reason I am revisiting the subject here is neither in the aim of supporting those who deny the existence of a conspiracy against us, nor of refuting the arguments of those who are convinced we are the targets of a conspiracy. Rather, it is to try and go beyond the question at the heart of what has become a sterile and demobilizing debate (is there a conspiracy against us?) to another question: assuming we are in fact pawns in a grand design orchestrated by others, is there anything we can do other than lament the fact, which so many seem to think is the only course open to us?

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Tolerant & Intolerant Islam

Cairo correspondent Tarek Heggy is back again!

His latest article builds on his last, continuing the thread begun in our recent Sufi Wisdom features, offering an in-context history of the Saudis and the growth of Wahhabism, and giving his take on the way forward.

Tolerant and Intolerant Islam
(Or "Peaceful Islam" versus "Militant Islam")
by Tarek Heggy

As early as the first century of the Muslim calendar, Islam has known radical sects who demanded blind adherence to their rigid reading of the articles of faith, side by side with mainstream Islam, whose adherents eschew violence and extremism and do not profess to hold a monopoly on Truth. The phenomenon began with the emergence of the Khawarij (Seceders) in 660 AD, (the middle of the first Hejira century), a sect which preached a dogmatic interpretation of Scripture and practiced a version of excommunication by branding those who did not adopt its teachings as heretics.

This was the first such sect but by no means the last, and throughout the history of Islam the quiet of religious life was broken many times by marginal groups who tried to impose their extremist views on the majority by violent means.

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Islam: Between Copying and Thinking

Randall Parker introduced me to Egyptian author Tarek Heggy, a Renaissance Man in the true sense of the term. "A Culture of Compromise" was fascinating reading, not only for its insights into the Arab mind but also for its insight into the Anglosphere. His Canada Day guest blog here, "The Institutions of Democracy are More Important Than Democracy", discussed the 3 key processes democracy depends on for its existence, and insightfully addressed the issue of extremist political groups within it.

The good news is, our Cairo correspondent is back! Not only that, but there are more articles where this one came from. The scholarship is deep, and the topic is hot, and it relates directly to the questions raised in al-Ghazali's Sufi Wisdom story on Saturday. Ladies and gentlemen, we give you Tarek Heggy...

Islam: Between Copying and Thinking
By Tarek Heggy

In the years between 1967 and 1973, when I was studying towards a degree in law and a Masters in comparative law, I acquired a rudimentary knowledge of the principles of Islamic jurisprudence. Later, while teaching at universities abroad, I set out to develop a wider knowledge of the subject. My readings took me beyond the circle of the four Sunni schools of jurisprudence to those of the Shiites (the most important of which is the Ithna’ashariyya or Imammeya), and the four main doctrines of the Khawarij (the most important of which is the Abadeya school prevalent in a small region of Algeria and in most of the Sultanate of Oman), as well as to other schools, such as the eponymous Al-Tabri and Al-Laith interpretations.

Nor did my readings stop there.

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Guest Blog: Institutions > Democracy

We've mentioned Egyptian author Tarek Heggy before, for his excellent articles on this site. He's also the author of the recently-published book "Culture, Civilization & Humanity." We're honoured to have him guest blogging right here this time, and addressing a topic of critical importance to anyone interested in the future of the Middle East. As we count our blessings here on Canada Day, it's also worth going back to first principles and reminding ourselves of the foundations upon which those blessings rest.

The Institutions of Democracy are More Important Than Democracy
ByTarek Heggy

A question that is the subject of intense speculation in Mideast study centres and think tanks throughout the world is whether the implementation of democracy in undemocratic environments could allow extremist political groups to gain a hold on power. Does a commitment to democracy entail submitting to such an eventuality?

Actually, the question betrays a poor understanding of what democracy really means. Democracy is a complex system that depends for its existence on 3 processes...

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Tarek Heggy on "Compromise"

Tarek Heggy on "Compromise" & the Arab Mind See the rest of his articles here on Winds of Change.NET.

Back in November, I noted briefly that Arabic culture has no real word for compromise, and that such words as are used in translation often have overtones of surrender and shame.

The incomparable Randall Parker recently pointed me to Egyptian author Tarek Heggy, a Renaissance Man in the true sense of the term. His "A Culture of Compromise" article is fascinating reading, not only for its insights into the Arab mind but also for this insight into the Anglosphere:

"For nearly twenty years, I had the opportunity to work closely with people drawn from over fifty different nationalities in a global economic establishment which remains, after a long history stretching back to the nineteenth century, one of the five largest establishments in the world. What I noticed over the years is that people with a west European background use the word 'compromise' more often than those coming from an eastern cultural tradition. As the study of cultures is one of my hobbies, particularly when it comes to comparing the Arab, Latin and Anglo-Saxon minds, I could not help noticing that just as those with an Arab mind-set use the word compromise less than those with a Latin mind-set, so too do the latter use it less than those with an Anglo-Saxon mind-set. There is a simple explanation for this. If one’s way of thinking is based on a set of philosophical/religious principles, then it is normal that people raised in an Arab culture should be less inclined to use the word compromise than those whose minds were conditioned in a Latin context, where, although the philosophical dimension looms large, the religious dimension figures less prominently than it does in the Arab mind-set. It is also normal that Latin societies use the word less than societies with an Anglo-Saxon cultural formation. The Anglo-Saxon way of thinking, which has come to dominate the world in a manner unprecedented in history, is based on an altogether different set of rules."