Interviews with Ahmed Samih

Religion is something being created by the Egyptians. We are a 7,000 years civilization. One of the starting and focal point of our civilization was about religion. When you follow the Pharaonic history, you will find religion playing a very important role in our history. When you create a new democracy, you cannot put religion away from your political choices.

And when I´m saying secular Egypt, I´m saying that´s mean I´m talking about a constitution respect everybody believe. And constitution give the freedom of religion to every Egyptian. The freedom of having them own house worship. The freedom of having them own point of view saying publicly. The freedom of having them own political groups. The freedom to organize themself peacefully. We want to create a constitution respect everyone. Not– and this is not against religion. This is totally with religion.

The only thing we don´t want to magle is– mingle, I´m sorry. The only thing we don´t want to mangle is politics and religion. We want to keep the politicians in the parliament in the presidential house away from people who pray for God. The people who are praying for God– cannot decisions– cannot make decisions to people who– who are not praying for God. People who– it´s very complicated to explain the situation in Egypt. But the most important thing we need to figure out here, or to stress here, is we want to have a government we can judge. We want to have a government we can accuse of failure.

We want to have a government that parliament can supervision. And ask or even fire this government. If we mingle this with religion it would be very hard to have a system make this kind of regulation. If we mingle between religion and politics– we will– this will– will mean that we didn´t learn an his– an historical, international rule– happened almost everywhere in the world. When you mingle religion with politics, you do a very dangerous thing. Not only to you or to your people. Maybe also to the world.

Ahmed has extensive experience as an organizer and trainer in international programs for human rights education. He has served as a media adviser and director of media observation in a national campaign for monitoring elections in Egypt sponsored by USAID. He has also been a trainer for projects sponsored by the Norwegian Human Rights Fund, such as Supporting NGOs and Right to Freedom of Thought, Conscience and Religion and Combating Propaganda for War. He is the founder of various organizations: Liberal Youth Seminar sponsored by New Civic Forum, Knowledge Club, and Free Youth Association sponsored by Al JEEL Center for Youth and Social Studies. Currently, Ahmed is the Director of the Andalus Institute for Tolerance and Anti-Violence Studies and the director of EGYPT 1st online internet radio.