Following are excerpts from an interview with Egyptian film director Khaled Youssef, which aired on Mehwar TV on April 1, 2012.
Khaled Youssef: "In the writings of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafis, there has never been any mention of social justice or of the fact that every individual should enjoy part of the wealth of this country. My goal is that the constitution that follows the revolution - a revolution that raised the slogan of social justice - will include the right of every citizen to work, the right to proper housing provided by the state..."
Interviewer: "But this may be included in..."
Khaled Youssef: I challenge you to show that they included this. They don't care about these things.
Interviewer: "What do they care about?"
Khaled Youssef: "They care about ensuring their rule for as long as possible. That's it. [...]
"Women constitute half of society. If women do not take part in the development, it is tantamount to dividing the country's body into two, and saying to half of it: 'Wait on the sidelines and don't take part.'
"Given the beliefs of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafis with regard to the role of women, will the constitution guarantee additional achievements for women, or will it eclipse the achievements of the past?
"They placed a rose instead of a woman's image in an elections ad, and said women must not be heard in public, and so on. For these people, a woman is merely a vessel for childbearing, for pleasure, and that's it. For them, a woman cannot participate [in politics], or be a president, a prime minister, or a minister.
"They are living in the past, and haven't made it to 2012. We keep saying to them: Come to 2012, but they don't want to. They are still living over there."
Interviewer: "By 'over there,' you mean in the past?"
Khaled Youssef: "Yes, they live in the past. They use the logic of 1,400 years ago. [...]
"Averroes' interpretation of Aristotle's writings brought progress to Europe in its entirety. The Renaissance that made the West lead the entire world was based on Averroes' interpretation of Aristotle. We failed to adopt this, and we have remained backward, whereas they are leaders of the world and have reached Mars.
"In the meantime, we debate whether to enter the mosque with our right or left foot, and whether it is a disaster to place a hand above the chest or below the bellybutton.
"We are talking about these unimportant religious details, while they are in another place entirely. They want to colonize the moon. How come? Their value system is different. They strive for knowledge, not to interpret the shari'a." [...]
Khaled Youssef: "In the writings of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafis, there has never been any mention of social justice or of the fact that every individual should enjoy part of the wealth of this country. My goal is that the constitution that follows the revolution - a revolution that raised the slogan of social justice - will include the right of every citizen to work, the right to proper housing provided by the state..."
Interviewer: "But this may be included in..."
Khaled Youssef: I challenge you to show that they included this. They don't care about these things.
Interviewer: "What do they care about?"
Khaled Youssef: "They care about ensuring their rule for as long as possible. That's it. [...]
"Women constitute half of society. If women do not take part in the development, it is tantamount to dividing the country's body into two, and saying to half of it: 'Wait on the sidelines and don't take part.'
"Given the beliefs of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafis with regard to the role of women, will the constitution guarantee additional achievements for women, or will it eclipse the achievements of the past?
"They placed a rose instead of a woman's image in an elections ad, and said women must not be heard in public, and so on. For these people, a woman is merely a vessel for childbearing, for pleasure, and that's it. For them, a woman cannot participate [in politics], or be a president, a prime minister, or a minister.
"They are living in the past, and haven't made it to 2012. We keep saying to them: Come to 2012, but they don't want to. They are still living over there."
Interviewer: "By 'over there,' you mean in the past?"
Khaled Youssef: "Yes, they live in the past. They use the logic of 1,400 years ago. [...]
"Averroes' interpretation of Aristotle's writings brought progress to Europe in its entirety. The Renaissance that made the West lead the entire world was based on Averroes' interpretation of Aristotle. We failed to adopt this, and we have remained backward, whereas they are leaders of the world and have reached Mars.
"In the meantime, we debate whether to enter the mosque with our right or left foot, and whether it is a disaster to place a hand above the chest or below the bellybutton.
"We are talking about these unimportant religious details, while they are in another place entirely. They want to colonize the moon. How come? Their value system is different. They strive for knowledge, not to interpret the shari'a." [...]
Khaled Youssef: "In the writings of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafis, there has never been any mention of social justice or of the fact that every individual should enjoy part of the wealth of this country. My goal is that the constitution that follows the revolution - a revolution that raised the slogan of social justice - will include the right of every citizen to work, the right to proper housing provided by the state..."
Interviewer: "But this may be included in..."
Khaled Youssef: I challenge you to show that they included this. They don't care about these things.
Interviewer: "What do they care about?"
Khaled Youssef: "They care about ensuring their rule for as long as possible. That's it. [...]
"Women constitute half of society. If women do not take part in the development, it is tantamount to dividing the country's body into two, and saying to half of it: 'Wait on the sidelines and don't take part.'
"Given the beliefs of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafis with regard to the role of women, will the constitution guarantee additional achievements for women, or will it eclipse the achievements of the past?
"They placed a rose instead of a woman's image in an elections ad, and said women must not be heard in public, and so on. For these people, a woman is merely a vessel for childbearing, for pleasure, and that's it. For them, a woman cannot participate [in politics], or be a president, a prime minister, or a minister.
"They are living in the past, and haven't made it to 2012. We keep saying to them: Come to 2012, but they don't want to. They are still living over there."
Interviewer: "By 'over there,' you mean in the past?"
Khaled Youssef: "Yes, they live in the past. They use the logic of 1,400 years ago. [...]
"Averroes' interpretation of Aristotle's writings brought progress to Europe in its entirety. The Renaissance that made the West lead the entire world was based on Averroes' interpretation of Aristotle. We failed to adopt this, and we have remained backward, whereas they are leaders of the world and have reached Mars.
"In the meantime, we debate whether to enter the mosque with our right or left foot, and whether it is a disaster to place a hand above the chest or below the bellybutton.
"We are talking about these unimportant religious details, while they are in another place entirely. They want to colonize the moon. How come? Their value system is different. They strive for knowledge, not to interpret the shari'a." [...]
