Hilal said that the way to combat the erosion of local values was to teach "the history of the nation, its civilization, its religion, and pride in affiliation to this nation." Speaking in the Arab Research Center in Cairo, he said that people who were not proud of their heritage could not be creative.

He said that previous attempts at Arab unity were not wrong, "but the mistake was that we didn't think through the practical steps needed to achieve unity." He said the battle between Islamism and Arabism was "a sham, and luckily one waged by the intellectuals only."

Hilal said that "strengthening religious immunity comes from the mosque first, then school and the media," stressing the need for strong family ties.

The minister predicted that globalization "will not cancel our identity and religion," pointing to the fact that the Soviet Union tried to eradicate heavenly religion and national identities for 70 years in vain. "The same goes for Turkey after Kamal Ataturk," who tried to de-Islamize Turkey, Hilal said.

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