Number One in Egypt?

Dr. Bahaa Helmy Writes:

Who is (Number One) in Egypt?... To find the answer we must ask some questions, such as: what are the pillars of the state and what is the definition of the term people? What is meant by society? What is the role of the family in society? And what are the constitutional, legal, moral and social controls for entrenching the values of Egyptian families?

First, any state rests on three basic pillars: “the people, the territory/homeland, the political authority”.

In sociology and political science, the people are defined as: (a number of individuals brought together by a single living framework of culture and customs within one society on a known piece of land).

And society is: (a group of people bound by clear ties such as language, history, race or religious values, who have common interests, live on a land and are subject to a particular political system).

As for the family, it is the first nucleus for building society; it is the family that instils good values, morals and virtues and shapes the conscience and awareness of the individual, realizes social values and preserves lineages, develops skills and cultural and behavioural abilities, and develops the spirit of belonging among the young and the youth, the generation of the future.

The Egyptian Constitution came to protect the morals of the family and society by providing that the family is the foundation of society, its pillars are religion, morality and patriotism, and the state is keen on its cohesion and stability and on entrenching its values.

Hence (Number One) is the family and Egyptian society, and the responsibility of every member of the people lies in protecting the family and its values, since the people are one of the pillars of the state.

However, a newspaper published a news item entitled: (Ramadan is preparing a new film called “Number One”), and he is expected to follow his approach, steps and scenes that he previously presented, whether in the song carrying the same name or in the look in which he appeared in his films and series, which are characterized by showing off the use of weapons

and swords whose possession is legally prohibited, wearing inappropriate clothes and appearing without them in events and scenes that constitute direct incitement to violence, thuggery and drugs, and represent a flagrant and public departure from social morals and values in violation of the provisions of the Constitution, which established legal punishment for incitement to violence.

We all know the extent of the influence of art, music, films and television series on the consciences of the children and youth of the family and society as a whole; we therefore attribute the increase in violent behaviour in society to such songs, films and series, which incite in a direction contrary to the Constitution, custom, habits, traditions and morals and affect the cohesion of the family and society.

We have seen the effect of this in the commission of many incidents of violence and thuggery in the street, including the beheading incident in the city of Ismailia, where the perpetrator appeared carrying the same weapons and following the same style of showing off and terrifying people, in imitation of the scenes previously shown in those films.

We believe in and support freedom of thought, opinion and artistic and literary creativity, and we call on everyone to abide by constitutional principles and the rule of law, which means that everyone is subject to the law, whether individuals, institutions, bodies, syndicates or the state itself.

Consequently, the Cinema Professions Syndicate must bear its responsibility by abiding by the provisions of the Constitution and the law and not authorizing any films that violate constitutional principles or that seek to impose models of behaviour contrary to the social morals and values that must be entrenched.

It is unacceptable for some to consider incitement to violence art, creativity or freedom of opinion, or “that’s what the audience wants”, or to consider that we support imposing censorship on these works or on freedoms, because these works involve acts of and incitement to violence and to tearing down the role of the family and society, and not freedom or creativity.

Freedom of thought, opinion and artistic and literary creativity must be disciplined and refined, and must not violate the Constitution, the law, morals or culture, or the shaping of awareness, or touch any aspect of national security; and the cinematic work must carry a message against violence and against thuggery, and not promote its use for individuals to obtain their rights from others by methods outside the law and the spread of crime in the Egyptian street.

We all remember how popular the series Raafat El-Haggan or Layali El-Helmiya were and how the Egyptian family gathered around those works, so that the streets emptied of people at the time out of love and eagerness to watch them.. And there is a great difference between this and that.