Rotary Club le Caire – Champollion – Cairo 15 December 2008 First of all, I want to give you some details about my relationship with la francophonie. When I first went to France, to study in Grenoble, I didn’t know a word of French. So when I went to a coffee shop to order my...
Category: Speeches
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Love, the Language of Dialogue between Men and Women
Symposium on contemporary Egyptian WomenBook Fair – Porte de Versailles, France15 March 2009 Man and woman are the roots of life that ensure the continuity of existence. The first man and the first woman on earth knew neither letters nor words, they only had one language for communicating – that of love. All my life...
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The Role of the Media in Family Empowerment
General Federation of NGOs – Cairo14 February 2010 Speech by Dr. Aly El SammanMedia Advisor of the General Federation of NGOs Ladies and gentlemen, family empowerment, domestic peace, tolerance and family affection are not just lofty values. They are essential to the cohesion and welfare of every family. These values do not just belong to...
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How the media can stimulate innovation
Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics – Cairo29 June 2010 First, allow me to speak about the relation between the media and stimulating innovation. I would like begin with an introduction to the nature of professional media work. Media by its very nature is the means by which one conveys to readers, viewers and...
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Use & Abuse of Religion for Conflict-Dialogue-Alliance
Yale Divinity School Conference – New Haven, Connecticut21-23 February 2010 Throughout history religion has been used in both valuable and destructive ways, as a powerful force for good and as a tool of abuse by its followers. When we examine the sacred text of any religion there is no doubt that it is a real...
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Building Bridges of Dialogue through Culture
Supreme Council of Antiquities – Cairo13 December 2010 After many years of practicing interfaith dialogue and attending international conferences from New York to Vienna to Madrid, I feel that the dialogue between cultures is growing in importance. My conviction that interfaith dialogue should not be separated from intercultural dialogue is such that in 2010 I...
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Arab Media’s Role in Developing Public Awareness of the Law
Together to Develop Awareness of the Law WorkshopArab League – Cairo16 March 2011 When we speak about developing awareness of the law, the role of the Arab media is bound to come first in our minds. Real cultural evolution requires the kind of education that comes from disseminating information that increases awareness of the law....
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Revolution, Stability and Development in Egypt
Club de Monaco – Doha, Qatar23-26 February 2012 The Revolution To understand the causes of the Egyptian Revolution of January 25, 2011 we must review a bit of history: In 2005, the constitution was modified to stipulate that the president would be elected, not by referendum, while imposing such stringent conditions on eligibility that it...
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Linking Intercultural and Interfaith Dialogue
East-West: The Art of DialogueShafik Gabr Foundation and Humanity in Action – Cairo2-16 June 2013 It has become clear in recent years that points of contention have arisen between Islam and the West. This is mainly because some Western media outlets exceeded the limits of decency by infringing on the sanctity of Islamic symbols. In...
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Sunni-Shia Dialogue
Rhodes Forum 2013World Public Forum Dialogue of Civilizations – Rhodes, Greece2-6 October 2013 Ladies and gentlemen, allow me first to thank Mr. Vladimir Yakunin, the Founding President of the World Public Forum (WPF); Mr. Walter Schwimmer, Head WPF Int. Coordinating Committee; Mr. Fred Dallmayr, Co-Chairman WPF; and Mr. Vladimir Kulikov, Acting Director WPF for inviting me to participate in...