Al-Shater to Azhar Students: Renaissance for Egypt Project Requires Youth’s Energies

Al-Shater to Azhar Students: Renaissance for Egypt Project Requires Youth’s Energies

Khairat Al-Shater, the Freedom and Justice Party and Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate for Egypt’s presidency, said that the project "Renaissance .. the will of the nation" depends on Egypt’s youth, especially students of Al-Azhar University.


Further, Al-Shater added that Azhar sheikhs, professors and students are the cornerstones of the comprehensive rejuvenations for Egypt project – essential for its success on the ground.

On Tuesday, Al-Shater started his presidential campaign from Al-Azhar University. He held his first public conference after the announcement of his candidacy for Egypt’s forthcoming presidential elections, at the Faculty of Commerce – Azhar University.

The conference was attended by large numbers of university deans, professors and students. Al-Shater mentioned that the Renaissance Project in his electoral platform is based on Islam as a reference, built up on the idea of moderation, on which Al-Azhar itself is firmly established. He stressed that Azhar is the first field for real renaissance in Egypt and the nation as a whole.

Moreover, Al-Shater explained that the Renaissance Project needs youths specializing in all scientific and Islamic studies, which makes Azhar students the best candidates. He added that Al-Azhar is a beacon of moderate Islam, the hope for the future, the bearer of wisdom of rejuvenation and construction, and the primary fuel and activating power for the renaissance.

Furthermore, Al-Shater stressed that the renaissance project needs youths, because they are the energy and the power that will push forth the revitalization efforts, adding that indeed Azhar youths, elders and professors will drive the renaissance project.

Al-Shater explained that he was determined to start his campaign from Al-Azhar, because of its great importance.

He stated that “the former regime locked me up and persecuted me with calumny and injustice, and while normal judiciary acquitted me of all charges, the corrupt regime tried me before military courts under the pretext of so-called ‘Al-Azhar Militia’, totally fabricated by the former regime”.

Al-Shater said that starting his popular conferences from Azhar University is “a sign for those who bundled us in detention centers with gross injustice, out of vindictiveness, and is also a confirmation of the importance of the role of Al-Azhar in achieving the Renaissance Project”. He expressed his thanks to all teachers and students for their support during his unjust trial by court-martial.

He stressed that completing the Renaissance Project successfully is the personal responsibility of every citizen, “Planning and developing sub-projects should be shared by all components of society. We lived through an era where everything was wrong, where an autocratic president and his government did everything, which allowed them to abuse and corrupt all aspects of administration of the country. This resulted in a culture of failure and indifference, ignorance, of illiteracy and inaction, until Egypt became weak, and poverty, unemployment and ignorance prevailed everywhere.

Whilst Al-Shater agreed that Egypt has a lot of problems, and needs a real will to work and challenge, he said that young people are the foundation of the required rejuvenation, explaining that Egypt and all Egyptians have the right to a decent life where all their rights are safeguarded, adding that every citizen must realize his role is vital for the achievement of the Renaissance


 Al-Shater highlighted that he seeks to build modern post-revolution Egypt, together with everyone, and give the homeland a promising future to honor its long and glorious history. He added that the principle of the renaissance, revitalization of the nation is the dream of his life and his main goal since he was a young man in the Socialist Union and even after he joined the Muslim Brotherhood, impressed by its approach which represents a great vision for Egypt’s real renaissance.

He stressed that the decision of the Muslim Brotherhood to field a candidate for the presidency came after many serious developments and circumstances changed on the scene, “The Brotherhood’s political arm has a relative majority in parliament which obliges them to be an active element in the executive branch in Egypt.

“The Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) should have been allowed to form a broad-coalition government that embraces all political currents, as a substitute for the current government which is squandering the country’s resources, causing a total collapse of the economy and damaging the relations between Egypt and other countries. This, it turns out, is a deliberate attempt to bequeath for the next government as many crises as possible, at home and abroad.”

Explaining that his nomination by the Muslim Brotherhood was in fact a decision made by the group’s Shura Council, Al-Shater said: “Decisions of the Brotherhood’s Shura Council are binding on all members. So, I accepted the decision, despite my conviction that I should retire any administrative position at the age of 60, to give young people more opportunities”, stressing that he believes that work to bring about the renaissance requires young people.

Moreover, Al-Shater explained that the Muslim Brotherhood’s nomination of Dr. Mohamed Morsi, FJP Chairman, as a back-up candidate, came in response to nomination of General Omar Suleiman, Vice President of deposed Mubarak, and concerns raised that his candidacy is illegal.

Meanwhile, Al-Shater pointed that both he and Dr. Mohamed Morsi are main candidates and back-up candidates, at the same time, “Whoever continues the presidential race, the other will support him strongly. Dr. Morsi has a solid and substantial history in political life, which more than fully qualifies him to be a candidate for the FJP”.

Refuting claims that the Brotherhood threatened to assassinate Omar Suleiman, as alleged in the media, Al-Shater pointed out that the Brotherhood was severely and brutally and relentlessly persecuted in the era of former presidents and dictators, including frequent arrests and killings in prisons and State Security cells and dungeons, with Brothers’ money and valuables confiscated too often; but no-one of them came out seeking revenge.

“Candidature for Suleiman is an immeasurable insult to the revolution and dishonor to the blood of its martyrs. So, it is not logical or natural that someone should try and restore the remnants of the former regime in power, seeking to re-produce the old corrupt system, in the shade of the great revolution in which the people erupted to destroy all corruption and tyranny”, Al-Shater added.

Furthermore, Al-Shater said that the Egyptians are sick and tired of tyranny, injustice, corruption and systematic looting of the homeland’s wealth and plundering of its resources, “How can the people who revolted in order to build modern Egypt accept for head of state someone who was an icon and a symbol of the old corrupt regime who threatened people with murder?”

In conclusion, Al-Shater asserted that he wants to rebuild his country with Islam as its reference in all areas, fields and aspects, “The renaissance project will have a number of main axes, the most important of which is completing the construction of state institutions, and then completing the construction of the security system. This should be followed by building up an economic renaissance that will double national income within 5 years and make Egypt a world-class economy in 15 years. We should also develop an essential educational renaissance, and take a keen interest in supporting the Egyptian citizen in all areas relating to services, followed by achieving a kind of social peace and security in society at large.