Will AUC reflect the society's Islamic affiliations?

Length of the completed project: 14:32 min

The Egyptian society is getting more and more religious oriented and the Islamic movements are taking more power after the 25th of January revolution. But is The American University in Cairo going to be affected? Is the elite’s school, the so called “bubble” going to reflect these affiliations?

Students praying in the plaza, photo by: Mariam Rizk

People interviewed in this documentary:

1.     Sayed Omar

2.     Mohammed Yassin

3.     Saad El Shater

Historical component was gathered from A-U-C’s library archives.

Music tracks used in this documentary are:

1-    “Hassan and Morkos intro” by Yasser Abdel Rahman

2-    “The end of the World” by Robert Kral

3-    “Once in a red moon” by Secret Garden

4-    “Hob wa Ounf” by Omar Khairat

5-    “Heila Heila” by Basata band

Natural sound from Caravan's YouTube channel.
For the full script check this link.

Religion at AUC, Now and Then

LEAD-IN: In the Egyptian society religion plays an important role that is even increasing day after the other, but is the American University in Cairo witnessing the same changes?

AUC Plaza, Captured by: Mariam Rizk

Music Desertology II fades in...

Religion has always been an important dimension in the Egyptian society. Recently in the past few decades, Egyptians are even more concerned with religion. Religious identity is shown with the increased number of veiled girls and bearded men. Dalia El Rasheedi, an A-U-C alumna who graduated 1987 discusses the difference between the way religion was perceived at her days and
nowadays.


Music fades out...

EL RASHEEDI: “I can definitely say that religion was more in the heart, practicing religion was a personal thing, nobody judged anybody else by whether or not they prayed in groups, nobody thought anybody was less or more worthy because of the way they dressed or because they went to pray in a mosque or at a church” (:35)

Music Yanni fades in and plays for 2 seconds...

With the old regime being over- thrown, many groups that were oppressed in the old regime started finding their way to the public and political community. Islamists as the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafists were among these groups. With the Islamists winning 75 percent of the parliament seats in the last elections, growing support for these groups becomes a valid suggestion.

But will these Islamists reflect their affiliations on the American University in Cairo; the University that has always claimed to be liberal but at the same time an active part of the Egyptian society?

Mr. Sayed Omar, Captured by: Mariam rizk

A-U-C’s old constitution banned forming a club on a religious or political basis. According to Mr. Sayed Omar, Student Organization Specialist at the office of Student Development at A-U-C, this policy was the main reason that A-U-C didn’t have announced religious groups in the past.

However, this is not the case within the new constitution that allowed more freedom of speech and allowed inviting rather controversial people as Muslim Brotherhood prominent figure, Khairat el Shater.

Music fades out...

OMAR: “According to the new freedom of speech, there is not any kind of rejection to start this kind of organization…as a student you’ll be responsible for this kind of activities, any group, any students, any staff or faculty can invite any people on campus” (:30)

   

Music Desertology II plays again...

Yet Omar suggests that A-U-C students are still not interested enough in politics or religion to form such groups or to embody a reflection to the rise in Islamists in Egypt.

These will remain speculations until there is evidence of the first public religious group on the liberal   campus.

Mariam Rizk, A-U-C news.

Music plays for 3 seconds and then fades out...

Credits:  
Sound bite from interview with Mr.Sayed Omar
Sound bite from  dar.aucegypt.edu, interview conducted by Lara El Gibaly with Dalia El Rasheedi
Music: 1-Desertology II by Sahara Band
2-Yanni
 

Saad El Shater Speaks Up His Opinions



Saad El Shater
Captured by: Mariam Rizk

Saad El Shater, the son of Khairat El Shater (a prominent Muslim Brotherhood figure) was interviewed to know his opinions about various topics concerning the Muslim Brotherhood and AUC. This is a segment of the interview.

0.00 AUC students are supposed to be the leaders of the future so what happens outside the campus or outside the university should reflect inside or on campus because if you need a role in the future in the community you have to focus on the leaders of the future so it’s clear.

0.25 But the university says or claims that it is a liberal university, there is a policy that says no clubs should be formed on a religious or political basis, what do you think of this policy?
I disagree with the policy, I think they need to rethink of that policy because all the other universities, there are political clubs there, they have a lot of activities there and so on so they should reconsider that policy again here.

1.04 So you think that if there would be a club here for the Muslim Brotherhood it would a political oriented one not a religious oriented one?
Yes of course if there is a party here or a club representing the Muslim Brotherhood it should be based on a political background based on the part not on a religious basis.

 1.29 What about other Muslim brotherhood sons on campus, do you know some of them, do you meet often because you have like similar backgrounds, similar background of oppressive regime, as you were saying, and then of feeling of freedom afterwards so what do you think?
Actually there are no Muslim brotherhood sons here, even there is one or two members of the party here on campus and I rarely see them, my time and their time and there is nothing binding between us to meet like we don’t have regular meetings or so, so I rarely see them but they are my friends.

So there are some members of them Muslim brotherhood that are on campus
Yea there is one or two

Only one or two?
Yea

2.25 Aren’t they thinking of forming a group or aren’t they having already a group?
Actually their low number doesn’t let them do so, they cannot form a group of two so they don’t think of forming any group or anything

2.44 Ok so wasn’t there any other people who would believe in the Muslim Brotherhood but would have no opportunity to show that in the oppressive regime and then they had it now like these two might be the shown ones?

May be but it needs to take some time to think of it or I need some time to talk to them about it. It wasn’t clear the period ago.

3.16 Didn’t your father encourage you to try and form a group here?
Actually he’s so busy I rarely see him so he’s not interested in that detail of forming a group in the American University in Cairo but maybe there are some people who are responsible for universities in Egypt in the Muslim Brotherhood who are responsible for that part may be they are thinking of but none of them talked to me may be they think of it and they didn’t take an action towards it they only thought about it.

3.57 But there are Muslim Brotherhood basis in every university as you were saying that they got their popularity may be from the youth, wasn’t there any thoughts or didn’t they try to implement it?
Again there are no members here so they cannot build a base upon them so there are two members or one I don’t know the other who maybe graduated the last semester or something so they may be need but they don’t have the tools to start.

4.46 Do don’t you think there are other groups maybe clubs who would have the Muslim Brotherhood principals and mentality and they’re working on this basis but they are not saying we’re Muslim Brotherhood?
They say that help club is one of them but I actually I know most of its members and I partially know their vision and their activities and so on but I can’t clearly say that they are far away from being intoconnected or share a vision with the Muslim Brotherhood because Muslim Brotherhood is broader than this club or this club’s vision.