A copy of the hand-written statement of protest

By Hossam El-Sayed, IOL Staff

CAIRO, March 21 (IslamOnline.net) – A group of  prominent Egyptian intellectuals issued a statement protesting Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s televised address in which he heaped blame on Iraq for the current American military aggression on the Arab country.

This is the first time that members of the Egyptian intelligentsia issue a statement protesting a specific position of President Mubarak since he assumed the helm of power in the country  22 years ago.

The signatories vocalized disagreement with President Mubarak’s judgment, which he announced in a televised address to the nation on March 19, that the Iraqi regime was to blame for the Anglo-American military aggression for not heeding his and other leaders’ advice to get rid of weapons of mass destruction, which the United States claims in Iraq’s possession.

The war on Iraq is a colonial aggression waged by the United States not only on the Arab country but also the entire Arab nation to control and exploit its riches and colonize its peoples, charged the signatories who features intellectuals, journalists, writers and legal experts.

In their hand-written statement of protest, a copy of which was faxed to IslamOnline.net, the intellectuals reiterated support to resistance against the American aggression and backed all forms of official and popular resistance in defense of the Egyptian and Arab national security.

The signatories are:

1. Yehia el-Refaei (legal expert)

2. Tareq el-Bishri (legal expert)

3. Mohammad Salim al-Awa (legal expert)

4. Fahmi Howeidi (journalist)

5. Mohammad Sayed Ahmed (journalist)

6. Salama Ahmed Salama (journalist)

7. Mohammad Ouda (journalist)

8. Youssef el-Sherif (journalist)

9. Radwa Ashour (writer)

10. Bahaa Taher (writer)

11. Abdul Wahab el-Messiri (intellectual)

12. Galal Amin (intellectual)

13. Salah Abdul Motaal (intellectual)

14. Abdul Azim Anis (intellectual)

15. Hassan Nafa’a (intellectual)

16. Laila Othman (intellectual)

17. Ahmed el-Assal (intellectual)

18. Ibrahim Darwish (intellectual)

19. Abdul Ghafar Shokr (political activist)

20. Gamal Assad Mallak (political activist)

21. Rafiq Habib (political activist)

22. Mohammad Omara (intellectual)

23. Helmi Shaarawi (political activist)

24. Abu el-Ila Madi (political activist)

25. Sayed Dosogi (intellectual)

26. Sallah Ezz (intellectual)  

27. George Ishaq (political activist)

28. Ambassador Ibrahim Youssri