Abstract
The attitude of the so-called Islamists towards the Egyptian Noble Laureate is often represented as one of tension and resentment. However, the current study argues, this monolithic representation of the attitude the Islamists presumably have always had towards Mahfouz is oversimplified and misleading because it conceals an extremely complex and multifaceted reality. More precisely, the researchers show that although the Islamists have had their disagreements with the writer, and although they repeatedly objected to some of his works on religious grounds, they have also played an important role in discovering the talented writer and introducing him to the public; creating and renewing (whether intentionally or unintentionally) curiosity and interest in his works; and providing approbation of (that sometimes amounts to religious legitimization to) some of his most controversial works. Quite often the over-dramatization, and at times fabrication, of the conflict between the Islamists and Mahfouz is carried out in order to serve political and ideological ends.
Highlights
The researchers show that the Islamists have had their disagreements with the writer, and they repeatedly objected to some of his works on religious grounds, they have played an important role in discovering the talented writer and introducing him to the public; creating and renewing curiosity and interest in his works; and providing approbation of some of his most controversial works
Less than a month after the attempt was made on the life of Naguib Mahfouz, he was asked about the reason he was targeted
Fear intensified when the society of the Muslim Brotherhood announced in March 2012 that they will field a presidential contender though they had repeatedly vowed to the contrary, and when a few “Islamists,” especially from Al Nour Salafist party, made a number of controversial statements over issues pertaining to women’s dress code, the banking system in Egypt, democracy, the Pharaonic civilization, and the works of Mahfouz
Summary
Less than a month after the attempt was made on the life of Naguib Mahfouz, he was asked about the reason he was targeted. Fear intensified when the society of the Muslim Brotherhood announced in March 2012 that they will field a presidential contender though they had repeatedly vowed to the contrary, and when a few “Islamists,” especially from Al Nour Salafist party, made a number of controversial statements over issues pertaining to women’s dress code, the banking system in Egypt, democracy, the Pharaonic civilization, and the works of Mahfouz. Such statements generated heated debates especially among the so-called artists and elites, and resulted in the creation of “The Egyptian Creativity Front.”. In almost all of these, the “Islamists” were projected as uniformly hostile to the writer and his work
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