In his lecture, Dr. Ahmed Ghoneim spoke about the severe economic disruption in Egypt since the late eighties, which was one of the main triggers of the 25th of January Revolution. He stated that the previous government depended on loaning from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF), and ignored two basic aspects of any economic system, namely, the social security network, as well as the institutions and regulations that govern the market. In light of the Egyptian economic crisis after the 25th of January Revolution, Ghoneim highlighted one of the most important achievements of the government of Dr. Essam Sharaf, which is focusing on the social dimension of the Egyptian economic system.
In his speech, Father Yohanna Kolta tackled the current religious discourse in Egypt, and criticized its inability to cope up with the changing realities of modernity, which paved the way for sectarian tension. He also criticized politicizing religion and mixing faith with religiosity. However, he stressed the solidarity and unity between Christians and Muslims in Egypt, and described Al-Azhar as the most influential bastion for moderate religious discourse. Dr. Mahmoud Azab addressed the status quo on the religious, cultural and scientific levels, and highlighted the importance of adhering to the core beliefs of Islam; tolerance and respect of the other. He also stressed the role of Al-Azhar in the religious discourse, and spoke about the Al-Azhar-led initiative “Family Home” which gathers Muslim and Coptic religious figures to combat sectarian strife.
Moderated by Dr. Abd El-Fattah Mady, Professor of Political Science at Alexandria University, the lecture tackled post-Revolution challenges and ways to keep the Revolution’s momentum. Moataz Bellah Abd El-Fattah described the 25th of January Revolution as very successful on the political level; however he stressed the need to reflect this success on the economical and social levels. He also highlighted the importance of the culture of dialogue and people’s unity to face the current extremism trends that ignite the fire of sedition which destabilizes the security and stability in Egypt.
Organized by the BA Dialogue Forum in collaboration with “Action” Youth Initiative, the Seminar “Your Dream … Your Life” hosted Belal Fadl to speak about the role of youth on the political scene. Fadl called on Egyptian youth to imagine a newly liberated Egypt and join hands to set a unified national plan of action after the 25th of January Revolution that would help them face different challenges and realize their dreams.