Al-Arifi referred to Egypt’s historic, leading role in the Arab region and the world. He urged Egyptians to be patient and stressed the importance of unity while rebuilding the country. The young Saudi preacher also urged rich Arab investors to speed on transferring their deposits to Egypt, which is very important for rebuilding the economy in the fastest way possible. He indicated that Egypt is owed a debt of gratitude from her sister Arab countries because Egypt stood side-by-side with all Arabs in their various times of need over the centuries, from the early days of Islam to the present.
This might be the kind of speech Egyptians need to hear more of in the post-Mubarak period, which began two years ago. Unfortunately, no leaders have fully captured or represented the spirit of the January Revolution. Therefore, citizens who had united around the goal of ending three decades of a corrupt, totalitarian regime, couldn’t find a revolutionary leader to express their ambitions and draw up a national plan for fulfilling the targets of the revolution: bread, dignity, and social justice.
This could explain why President Nasser’s photo has been repeatedly lifted up at Tahrir square. Simple citizens were seeking the emergence of a new, sincere, honest leader who would express their ambitions and unite them around noble goals.
Al-Arifi may have created a golden opportunity to achieve more widespread unity as the country struggles to continue developing. It would be a grave mistake by the opposition leaders to claim that Al-Arifi came to beautify the Islamists ruler’s image because he also praised all political powers in Egypt. However, he urged them to be united for the sake of Egypt.
It would also be a grave mistake to the Presidency and government to waste the climate, which Al-Arifi has created. the presidency should speedily open real communication channels with the opposition and the different revolutionary powers to obtain understanding and reconciliation. Collaborating just to prevent the expected clashes and demonstrations is not enough. As Egypt approaches the second anniversary of the January 25 Revolution, all sides must end the fruitless divisions that only escalate political and economic crisis and threaten national unity.
