The Cornerstones of my Mindset

I know very well the size of the gap between my thinking and the thinking of the majority in Egypt:

~I firmly believe that religion is a personal matter and not a general reference for society.

~I believe in positive laws that change over time.

~I believe in reason, not transmission and intuition.

~I believe in scientific thinking according to its stable definition in the most advanced world since the nineteenth century AD.

~I believe in pluralism, altruism (accepting the other) and coexistence.

~I believe that women are 100% equal to men and that they have all his rights.

~I believe in citizenship as a framework for the relationship of the sons and daughters of society to their country.

~And I believe that non-Muslim Egyptians (primarily the Orthodox Copts) have the same and all the rights of Egyptian Muslims, including the right to occupy any position, including the presidency.

~And I believe that the issues of Egypt are more important to me than the issues of others, including the Palestinian issue.

~I believe in the right of the state to fully supervise all the institutions that the state grants its budgets. This includes state supervision over the education provided by these institutions.

And I know that my belief in these ten things is what makes the gap between my thinking and the thinking of the majority of contemporary Egyptians so great.

But I don't care about that.

My knowledge of history assures me that this is a natural, timeless, and changeable difference. If this difference weakened my resolve, I would have little faith in these ideas. I am sure that “science,” “reason,” “light,” and “progress” stand with me.