During the first months of the revolution, the Writers’ Union in Egypt was at the level of national and revolutionary responsibility, and united with the masses aspiring to a bright future in which freedoms prevail and the people enjoy rights and dignity. It reminds us of the same dream that the writers dreamed of in the early seventies, that the mouthpiece of the union would express the orientations of the writers and blend with the aspirations of the people. This is what was stated in Statement No. (3), which came under the title “Towards a Civilian System of Government,” the day after Hosni Mubarak stepped down and the Military Council assumed power, in which the writers demanded civil rule, intending democracy and human rights. We will quote the full text of the statement, so that we can realize what the statement said: “On this bright morning in Egypt’s history, the morning of February 12, 2011, Egyptian writers and writers congratulate the members of the Writers Union; the People.” The Egyptian people achieved their hopes that were sparked by the youth in Tahrir Square on January 25, and all segments of the Egyptian people, without exception, joined them in a true popular revolution. The popular revolution of January 25 demonstrated the maturity of this ancient people, which in the past established one of the greatest human civilizations, and now it presents to the world a new example of its sophistication and competence in everything that achieves freedom and human dignity. As Egyptian writers congratulate the Egyptian people and the entire Arab nation on the success of the Egyptian revolution of January 25, 2011, they We salute the youth of Egypt who led that unique, peaceful revolution, which entered history by presenting to the entire world an unprecedented model of popular revolutions, as it renounced violence and chose peace, rejected bloodshed and chose dialogue, and went beyond emotional outbursts to conscious determination based on a correct understanding of the givens of the era, and possessing the tools provided by scientific and technological progress. Writers and writers stand in reverence for the righteous martyrs who sacrificed their pure souls in sacrifice for the principles and goals that all individuals demanded. The people over the years, which Egyptian writers and intellectuals have called for, enduring exile, displacement, persecution, arrest, and marginalization. Egyptian writers and writers also congratulate the valiant Egyptian army, which set the most wonderful examples of how to unite with the people and defend their right to a free and dignified life. It was victorious in one of its greatest battles, sparing the country the seas of blood that revolutions had known in various stages of human history. The goals of the revolution were summed up in achieving the democracy that we had longed for. This is the great title and the first foundation upon which construction can be built in the next stage. Writers and writers believe that this highest goal for which the revolution was established can only be achieved through existing civil political life On the principle of citizenship that equalizes all people, which is now within reach, after the revolutionaries of January 25 raised its banner and sacrificed their lives and blood for it. Moreover, it has become possible to achieve after the great Egyptian army announced its pledge to ensure the completion of the reforms leading to it, most notably the immediate abolition of the emergency law, the freedom to form parties, and the liberalization of the media. The Egyptian Writers Union believes that the transition to a civil government system is the greatest challenge facing us in the coming transitional period, and looks forward to the army ensuring this qualitative transformation in Egyptian political life, in commemoration of the souls of the martyrs who fell during the revolution, and over the past long decades of the history of this glorious people, with an ancient civilization and always renewed youth.”([1]The statement added a reminder of the union’s early position on the revolution, which came unitedly in keeping with its events. He recalled what he had done, saying: Believing in the gravity of the event that erupted on January 25, the Egyptian Writers Union considered its council to be in permanent session, to follow up on the situation and interact with its developments. Only days passed until the council led Egypt’s writers and writers to Tahrir Square itself, and it was met with a great welcome from the youth and all segments of the Egyptian people, who chanted: “Hello, welcome.” “Welcome, welcome, writers.”[2]We will notice that the previous statement focused on pivotal points, and was formulated in an optimistic revolutionary spirit. It emphasized that the Egyptian revolution is a true, popular revolution, in which the sects and segments of the people were united. That is, the change was not from the top, as Abdel Nasser and his companions did, and all the military coups that afflicted the peoples of the nation, but rather the change came from the popular base, which now has ownership of its future, rejecting tyranny. He also praised the peacefulness of the revolution, and the sacrifices it made. The martyrs, and how it won the admiration of the world, while thanking the Egyptian army for its patriotic stances, and calling for the establishment of a sound democratic life, the abolition of the state of emergency, and allowing the formation of parties. The statement also stressed the position of loyal writers who faced campaigns: exile, displacement, persecution, arrest, and marginalization, which is a new matter in the position of the Union, which had often resorted to silence in the face of the authorities’ arrest of writers or intellectuals before the days of Mubarak and Sadat, which earned the Union the respect of everyone. The Union was not satisfied with this, but rather became involved in supporting what was happening in the Arab arena, as it issued many statements in support of the Syrian and Yemeni revolutions, and before them the Libyan revolution, which broke out parallel to the Egyptian revolution. Among these statements was the statement issued on 11/2/2011 AD, which stated: “In eliminating the authoritarian regimes that have perched on their chests and hindered their natural development for many years… to follow with all interest and awareness the revolutions of the Arab peoples and to summarize Mentioning Syria and Yemen and their tireless efforts to get rid of oppressive tyrannical rule and a free transition towards achieving freedom, justice, equality, and preserving the national dignity of all individuals and sects of the people. The Egyptian Writers Union strongly condemns the practices of the Syrian and Yemeni regimes, which use the ugliest methods of repression and brutality to silence the voice of peaceful demonstrations that express the aspirations and hopes of the people. The Secretary-General of the Arab League and the League Council demand that the membership of the Syrian and Yemeni regimes be frozen, similar to what was done with the Libyan regime. The Egyptian Writers Union also warns of its categorical rejection of all forms of foreign interference in the internal affairs of Arab countries under the pretext of protecting the peoples and the necessity of preserving the unity, integrity, and independence of the national territory as a sure guarantee for the Arab revolutions to achieve their noble goals. The Egyptian Writers Union also congratulates the Palestinian people for obtaining full membership in UNESCO, considering this an important step on the path to achieving national independence and full recognition by The international community recognizes the State of Palestine as a free and independent state with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.”[3]). The Union continues to follow the political movement in the country, issuing a statement on 7/9/2011 AD, addressed to the Council of Ministers and the Military Council, stressing the importance of following up on the achievements of the revolution, including: “The Egyptian Writers Union believes that the necessity of achieving these legitimate demands will complete the civilized face of Egypt, which dazzled the world and gained its respect with the success of the peaceful, civilized revolution of January 25, in which the people and the army joined hands. The Egyptian Writers Union calls on both the Council The ministers and the military council quickly implement the legitimate demands of the revolution so that Egypt’s youth and all its people can devote themselves to the great development battle, so that Egypt can advance to the ranks of major democratic countries.”[4]). The tone of the statement went beyond the framework that had monopolized the Union in its subordination to the Ministry of Culture, and began to address the government directly, along with the Military Council, adopting the point of view of the masses of intellectuals and writers, who were tired of the military’s procrastination and failure to enable the government to perform its duties. The military monopolized: legislation, leadership, finance, and politics. This is a qualitative development in the Union’s position, and its sense of independence is added to its position during the Egyptian revolution, and we realize from the date of issuing the statement that more than eight months after the revolution, when revolutionary souls were at their peak, and everyone was living in an atmosphere of freedoms that affected all aspects of life, especially with the change of the ministry, Essam Sharaf assuming its duties, making a constitutional amendment, and allowing the establishment of various parties, even if they had an Islamic reference, and symbols of the previous regime became condemned, and were being tried in public courts, on charges. Corruption and money smuggling, and the Egyptians felt that the army was united with them, and that the government was about to uproot corruption and the corrupt. We will notice that the previous statement praises the revolutions in Syria and Yemen, and refers to the Libyan revolution and the tragic end of Gaddafi, and also praises the Palestinian cause, and the Palestinian National Authority’s assumption of a position in UNESCO, as if it is telling everyone that Egyptian writers are mixed with the nation’s issues, and are not immersed in the events of the Egyptian country. We also monitor the Union’s rejection of what is happening in Syria, in terms of massacres against the people, knowing that the Syrian regime was still clinging to Arab nationalism and socialism and that it represented the Front of Resilience and Resistance against the Zionist occupier, and that it did not fire a single bullet against the Zionists and did not seek to recover the Golan, under the pretext of military inequality, and that it was a battle for existence. When the Syrian revolution broke out, weapons came out of their stores against the defenseless people. Then a conference was held in the Writers’ Union on July 16-18, 2011 AD, and it resulted in a declared document that emphasized the constants of the vision adopted by the masses of intellectuals and writers. This was in keeping with the successive documents issued by many forces, including the Al-Azhar document that was issued in June 2011 AD, which affirmed the Islamic authority for Egyptian culture and its Islamic civilizational aspect, and called for the democratic system, preserving freedoms and human rights, and striving for the renaissance of the homeland. Within the jurisprudence of priorities, and embracing all the creative talents of the people of Egypt)[5]As was later issued in November 2011, Ali Al-Salami’s document refers to the so-called supra-constitutional principles, which give a distinct status to the army, its budget, and its plans, and give the army the upper hand in deciding the future of Egypt, declaring war, and drafting the constitution ([6]). This is what led to the ignition of the Muhammad Mahmoud events, and the resulting martyrs and wounded, at the hands of the army. The Writers Union mentioned in its document several items related to the future of the nation, including: the inevitability of the establishment of a civil Egyptian state as the pillar of the free democratic system, which guarantees the rights of all citizens, far from circumventing this goal in any form. He also pointed out the inevitability of the Egyptian citizen’s right to a free and dignified life, which can only be achieved through social justice as a pillar of all societies. He stressed the need for the Egyptian constitution to express the goals and aspirations of the Egyptian people, which requires the broadest community participation in its drafting, in which the Egyptian intellectual fulfills his historical responsibility through the representation of the various trade unions and federations in its drafting committee, and adhered to Egypt’s Arab identity and adherence to the Arab and African depths as the most important axes of Egyptian national security in confronting its historical enemies, most notably the Zionist entity, and the necessity of rallying around a civilized national project in the form of an integrated system that accommodates All fields and energies, especially education. It is necessary for the intellectual to fulfill his role in building his society, for the state’s position on the intellectual and his positive role to be clear, and for the texts of the constitution to include explicit articles that define the effectiveness of this role and also define the concept of the intellectual, his duties and his rights.[7]). We will find in this document affirmations of national constants such as democracy and freedoms, but it referred to the Arab identity in a national vision, and also to the issue of social justice, which is a term widely used in socialist literature, and it stressed the African dimension with the Arab within the requirements of Egyptian security, against the Zionist entity. Regardless of what was stated in the document, what was new was the creation of a special voice for writers through their union, especially since many writers and intellectuals were involved in the revolutionary parties and groups that appeared on the scene, so the literary voice mixed with the revolutionary and political, so the Writers Union document came to add the voice of writers to the scene. It can be said that at this stage, the Union appeared united with the revolutionary street, and it is not surprising that many writers with leftist and nationalist tendencies recalled in their poems and articles the momentum of the fifties and sixties, when the intellectual proposal was based on revolution and comprehensive radical change, despite the fact that the ruling regimes brought about military coups, as is the case in Egypt, Syria, Iraq, and Libya, and change by peaceful means was not on the agenda of the revolutionaries in the past. Rather, they see that change It must be paralleled by a military force, led by a revolutionary, taking Abdel Nasser as a model. Here, lies the problem for writers and intellectuals. The January Revolution brought back long-standing dreams of revolution and change for them, but it was a revolution tinged with a totalitarian character, which views the masses of people as a monolithic ideological bloc, with no differences between them, raising slogans about social justice, equality and freedoms, that is, in a rebellious nationalist leftist spirit. This goes back to the leftist backgrounds that take the revolution as a path to social and political change, and they forget that the bomber of the revolution is a generation of young people dreaming of freedoms. And human rights, development, and renaissance, and that this generation saw that the old revolutionary option brought military dictatorships, which controlled the country and the people, grazed the nations’ wealth, and wasted its capabilities.
[1]) Writers Union website (old), access date 20/ 5/ 2019, http://egwriters.com/ar/?pg=pressReleases&item_id=193&page_id=8
[2]) Egyptian Writers Union website (old), access date 20/ 5/ 2019, http://egwriters.com/ar/?pg=pressReleases&item_id=193&page_id=8
[3]) Egyptian Writers Union website (old), access date 20/ 5/ 2019, http://egwriters.com/ar/?pg=pressReleases&item_id=199&page_id=7
[4]) Writers Union website (old), access date 20/ 5/ 2019 http://egwriters.com/ar/?pg=pressReleases&item_id=195&page_id=7
[5]) See the text of the Al-Azhar document published in PDF format on the website https://www.bibalex.org/Attachments/Publications/Files/2016102611221477698_arabicalazharfinal.pdf
[6]) Amendments to the full text of the “Salma Document” in its final form, Youm7 newspaper, Cairo, 11/16/2011 AD.
[7]) Writers Union website (old), access date 20/ 5/ 2019, http://egwriters.com/ar/?pg=pressReleases&item_id=196&page_id=7
