Alaa al-Aswany Interview: All the Arab Regimes Have Expired

“Religion should be a personal, private issue. The state should not have any religion. This is the only way to achieve democracy.” Watch the world-renowned Egyptian novelist Alaa al-Aswany speak straightforwardly about contemporary Egypt and why a great societal change is imminent.
“Your country is your mother, so you will always describe your love for your mother and not your mother herself, because you’re not able to evaluate your mother in an objective way.” Al-Aswany - who no longer resides in Egypt - talks about his country and compares it to a mother who, in spite of problems and faults, will always be the best. Growing up in Egypt, he was the only child in an upper-middle-class family. His father was a writer, and though he told the young al-Aswany that he was talented, he also emphasised that talent is just the beginning, and hard work and discipline the way forward. It was also his father who encouraged him to have another profession so that he could write freely and be financially independent. Hence, al-Aswany became a dentist.
Al-Aswany feels that Egyptian society today is torn between two opposing sides: “Accordingly we have been losing as Egyptians. Losing our identity, our civilised vision of the world, our cosmopolitan vision of the world, our history - the arts…” This, he continues, is because The Wahhabi (Muslim group opposed to all practices not sanctioned by the Koran) believe that everything in the arts is against God: “… and of course, no wonder, because they never produced any art whatsoever. When it comes to Egypt and Iraq and Syria … all those old civilisations produced art. So, we have this problem, and it’s one struggle - it’s not two struggles - against Wahhabis, against military dictators.” For democracy to thrive, religion should be a personal issue, and when you “go out of your house, you become a citizen.” Egypt used to be like this, he continues, and political Islam presents a fake history. To al-Aswany, politics and religion in combination equal fascism. He does, however, feel that the young people in Egypt promise change, as they won’t stand for the oppression and current state of things, which the Arab Spring (2010-2011) was evident of: “I believe that all the Arab regimes are expired. They will fall one after another. Today, tomorrow, the next week … they are done.” Finally, al-Aswany - who himself was part of the demonstrations in Cairo’s Tahrir Square in 2011 - argues that literature teaches us that “we are all human beings and that we don’t have to make barriers. Literature is overcoming the barriers.”
Alaa al-Aswany (b. 1957) is an award-winning Egyptian writer, who is considered one of the Middle East’s foremost novelists. His second novel ‘The Yacoubian Building’ was published in 2002 and quickly gained national as well as international recognition, selling over a million copies. In 2011, he was ranked by the Foreign Policy magazine as one of the world’s most influential thinkers. Al-Aswany published his third novel ‘The Automobile Club of Egypt’ in 2013, and in 2018 he published ‘I Ran to the Nile’. He lives in New York City (2019).
Alaa al-Aswany was interviewed by Marc-Christoph Wagner at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Humlebæk, Denmark in November 2019.
Camera: Klaus Elmer
Edited by Klaus Elmer
Produced by Marc-Christoph Wagner
Copyright: Louisiana Channel, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, 2019
Supported by Nordea-fonden
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[@hasannashat108]

أحد المثقفين المصريين المحترمين ، يجيد لغتين الفرنسية و الإنجليزية، شهادة في طب الأسنان ، كاتب وروائي عالمي 👍👍👍.

[@Montreal98]

د. الاسواني فعلا مفكر ومثقف محترم جدا بس لا يجيد اللغة الإنجليزية صراحة انصدمت في مستواه😲 مما جعلني اتسأل عن مصدر مؤلفاته بالإنجليزية🤔🤔

[@fsabouni]

I’m Hunter لغته ممتازة ربما تقصدين لهجته وهذا امر مختلف عن قدرته اللغوية.

[@Montreal98]

fsabouni اقصد اللغة وليس اللهجة انا درست في بريطانيا واعرف لغتهم جيدا.. تحياتي

[@ezzoawad8793]

I’m Hunter تعبانه جدا

[@user-bd9lo5ho7c]

Ya today I read your book lmarat yaqubian what a wonderful story I ever read before thak you.

[@ibrahemankawi2751]

He is a great writer I'm like it him

[@marie-anneawadalla731]

All respect to Dr. Alaa Al-Aswany

[@mourdackmourdack5147]

I'm so proud by Alaa al-Aswany ......most greatest egyption alive writers

[@ConservativeArabNet]

One of the few Egyptian intellectuals over past 40 years . Egypt unlike Levantine intellectuals did not give the space and tools of knowledge as the state stifle life around any thinking -person - the world is blinded with Egyptian past ! From the plight of the present

[@fsabouni]

Wafik Moustafa Unlike Levantine intellectuals? Not sure Syria gives the space and tools of knowledge.

[@evil_duck6405]

You consider Alaa to be an intellectual?! His portrayal of homosexuality in Yaqoobiyan is a sign that he is more of a pseudo-intellectual. I remember he used to defend the muslim brotherhood as well! I think he is more naïve than Dr Elbaradei.

[@mahmoudradwan393]

مكان شغلي بعيد عن بيتي ساعة مشي بختار اني ارجعها مشي علشان استمتع بمحاضراته وندواته علاء الاسواني شمعة وطاقة نور بتنور طريقنا محاسب مصري - عمان الاردن

[@ashrafelsarki4994]

ستظل علاء الاسواني في الصعيد في القاهرة في امريكا أو فرنسا أو بريطانيا انت ذخيرة لمستقبلنا فلتستمر فيما خلقت له

[@islamahmed148]

He is the best writer for me

[@AhmedSayed-ki3fm]

Alaa el Aswany is a great Egyptian writer

[@mohamedadelamien677]

علاء الاسوانى المفكر والكاتب العظيم

[@Violinist265]

Truly inspiring interview thank you

[@MrLoaded2012]

Brilliant author.

[@user-pj5me3pj1l]

Egyptian legend

[@daliaelnazer11]

And it will continue ....✊

[@mohamedshalaby1979]

❤❤

[@hogryasin2516]

please someone tell me. is The republic of false truths written in English or in Arabic?

[@ezzeldinmaher1590]

in arabic Alaa always write in arabic

[@mahmoud-elgamel]

ايوه يا عم علاء

[@Essammansour3]

نصيحة والد د. علاء الأسواني له: " لمصلحتك الشخصية لا تقرأ دوستويفسكي قبل سن العشرين، هذا لأنه الأفضل ". د. علاء لتلامذته في الكتابة الإبداعية: "هناك نوعان من البشر الآن: ناس قرأوا لدوستويفسكي، وناس لم يقرأوا لدوستويفسكي"

[@mohdkarem6941]

See the humanity in ala’a alaswany and similars

[@muhammadyahyatanha4925]

I'm want check hand you 😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@user-gr3os4xe1p]

كفته فكة تلاجه والثورة مستمرة وحسبنا الله ونعم الوكيل

[@r240j]

Not only gov to blame, Also big part of the Nations across the Arab region, It’s like ignorant rule ignorance, You can’t change someone who doesn’t want to change. It doesn’t work like that.

[@abeiradam2223]

I appreciate you as a writer but you should not talk about Islamique like this way ..why because We shouldn’t be against our religion specially you are talked to the international media

[@minniehabs4421]

I support you

[@OmarYoussef11]

I think you misunderstood what he said. He did not speak against Islam or any other religion. All he said is that there is a certain vision of Islam (wahabism) that is wrong and extremely agressive and that this version of Islam has been promoted by Gulf countries for various reasons, one being to ensure dictatorships in their countries as well as other Arab countries. We must stop associating any critique of anything related to Islam as an attack on the religion itself. Islam is like any other religion, people interpreted in many wrong ways and we must strive to practice it moderate way and not connect with politics or states affairs.

[@abeiradam2223]

@@OmarYoussef11 I disagree

[@omomamin7503]

الدبله الاسواني

[@essammostafa5611]

twitter.com/i/status/1210522022675128320 Engessam Abdelnaby 30 mins · Eng.Essam Abdelnaby [e-mail]/engessammoustafa/videos/1196019833930399/?t=100201207477658(35)-للتواصل المقر الرئيسى)35( العبور سيتى سنتر العبور القاهرة مصر facebook.com/profile.php?id=163285124373542. Engessam Abdelnaby Morocco بعثة تجارية تضم قطاع الأثاث تزور «المغرب» الشهر المقبل بقيادة «إكسبولينك» كشف عن أن جمعية المصدرين المصريين تنظم بعثة تجارية إلى المغرب خلال الشهر المقبل لاستكشاف سوق الأثاث المغربي، وحال التأكد من جاذبية السوق المغربية تنظم معرض فيرنكس للأثاث بالمغرب. أشار إلى أن الجمعية تنتهى من إعداد استراتيجيتها للعام المقبل منتصف الشهر الجاري، التى تتضمن خطة المعارض والبعثات التجارية لها على مدار العام الجديد.. Engessam Abdelnaby [e-mail]-00201207477658(35)-للتواصل المقر الرئيسى)35( العبور سيتى سنتر العبور القاهرة مصر facebook.com/profile.php?id=163285124373542.

[@user-sd6wr6xg3f]

والله لما سمعت اللكنه واللباقه وبلاغة الانجليزية عند دكتور علاء اتذكرت واتئكدت اد ايه اللي بيحكم مصر حتة قزم جربوع والجزمة بتفهم عنه عن الصهيوني السيسي اتحدث وهو يقول هذا الجهل زين زين اي ونت شيك هاند يو زين ربنا يرفع عننا الغمة عن قريب بأذن الله

[@timbradley3228]

لكنة 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@hosamkamal6060]

He is a writer by accident and he is an agent and recruited by the CiA and his rank for cultural matters

[@ConservativeArabNet]

Hosam Kamal Nothing called writer by accident!! Writing is a talent

[@zizozain]

@@ConservativeArabNet Alaa al-Aswany is part of the dictatorship and corruption...he is a liar and extremist living in an ivory tower.

[@nbarky123]

انت انسان غير شريف لأنك تتحدث بما يضر بلدك وانت في الخارج.