At the time, the Muslim Brothers were in a tactical alliance with a liberal party, the Wafd, and had to observe certain constraints imposed by this alliance, while today they are free to pursue their strategic objectives unhampered by any tactical considerations. The time has come for a national dialogue over the fundamentals of the society we seek to establish, a dialogue and not a clash over the future of our cultural values. Top intellectuals who enjoy credibility in the eyes of all the parties concerned should be invited to take part in the dialogue, given that it is only civil society, not the state, that can overcome conflict in this matter. It should be remembered that Israel has every interest in exacerbating clashes, not promoting dialogue, between Egyptians, because an Egypt divided against itself is infinitely preferable to an Egypt speaking with one voice. This issue too should be on the agenda of the debate among Egyptian intellectuals from every trend, as they face the possibility that their internal squabbles will distract them from facing the cultural challenge represented by Israel, especially in the context of regional peace.
Globalisation is Israel's ally.
Isolationism can no longer be invoked to escape the relentless stream of news and views with which we are inundated every day. On the other hand, science itself, and not only media technology, is moving forward at an exponential pace. Concepts are becoming more and more complex, even beyond our human ability to comprehend them.