Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Cairo (Agenzia Fides) - “The crisis involving all Arab Countries has various motives, among which economics weighs heavily, considering even just the unemployment which above all affects youth,” Fides was told by Father Giuseppe Scattolin, Comboni missionary and scholar of Islamic mysticism who lives in Cairo, capital of Egypt, where there are continuing protests against the Government. “Added to this is the tension that has lasted for years in the Middle East between extremists and non-extremists. There is also a cultural crisis that has lasted almost two centuries, stemming from the confrontation between Islamic tradition and the modern world. Finally, local conflicts, which contribute to inflaming people's souls. Without going into the details of individual events and those who have encouraged them, in my view, these are the main problems.”
We asked Father Scattolin how the Arab world may be able to welcome democracy. “The journey towards democracy requires time, also because cultural preparation is needed. In Egypt there is already a certain number of expressions in the press. Even in terms of Islamic thought I know that Al-Azhar is open to collaboration with various cultural institutions. This, in my opinion, should help form the basic fabric for the growth of a democratic culture.”
Even in Egypt recently there have been some attacks on Christians. In this regard, the missionary says: “Fanaticism remains a problem, which has also gained momentum by some Western policies which provide arguments to the extremists and that certainly has not helped solve the problem. In this context, the Christian minorities, as well as other minority groups, are easy targets for those who want to destabilize society. But not everything can be tarred with the same brush, because in the Muslim world, there are quite a few people who seek peace.” (LM) (Agenzia Fides 26/1/2011)
