Discuss the Petition

In the name of God, the Most Compassionate the Most Merciful.

In the name of history, of religion, of Arabism, of humanity and of ethics and morality:

We, the undersigned, agree to this statement in spirit and content at a time in which we are in the greatest need for a voice of reason and conscience, and at a time in which we must rise above the pettiness and nonsense. If not in the name of Arabism and the strong ties of language, geography, history and religion, then at least in the name of common interests and the mutual understanding we always try to establish with other nations worldwide – assuming a fellow Arab nation is an “other.”

We are witnessing a time when the cultural elite has failed to take leadership of the public opinion, indeed many have failed the test completely. We are witnessing a time when most of their chants for Arabism and unity were revealed to be a product of hypocrisy. The center stage has been left open to a few insincere and misinformed voices who have utilized this stage to mislead the masses and distract them from the more important issues. It is therefore incumbent on us to take initiative by signing this statement of the following principles:

First: We as Egyptians and Algerians offer a mutual recognition that some people – regardless of the number – from both countries have encroached on their fellow brothers and sisters. This was repeated against the Egyptian residents in Algeria recently, against the Algerian national team and their fans in Egypt and, finally, against the Egyptian fans in Sudan. This recognition comes within the context of a firm belief that such over-generalizations as proclaiming one’s infallibility while defaming others only complicates matters and never solves anything.

Second: We strongly believe, with a firm conviction, that all these violations were committed by none other than some fanatical groups that do not represent the general population of the two nations. We distance ourselves from these despicable acts. Furthermore, because of the lack of any formal judicial investigation in any of the three countries, and because of the incendiary and chaotic media coverage, we can neither confirm the reality nor the size of these violations. Thus, we dissociate ourselves from the finger-pointing and reactionary accusations, and declare ourselves innocent before God from what these fanatical groups have been doing.

Third: We are not concerned with the size of the abuses as much as we are concerned with the mere fact that these abuses have actually taken place. Any transgression upon the rights of individuals from either nation, regardless of how minor, is no less than a betrayal of God and country; indeed, it is a betrayal of the ethics and mission of sportsmanship. For that we apologize. We apologize as Egyptians to Algeria, the country of a million and a half martyrs; and we apologize as Algerians to Egypt, the motherland and elder sister of the Arabs.

Fourth: We do not want to squander the personal rights of those who were physically or financially harmed by hiding behind a mutual apology. At the same time, we do not want the situation to become a source of strain on the relations between the two nations. We believe that anybody who sustained any harm should seek recourse from the courts of the country in which the attacks took place, thereby allowing justice to take its course within the strict confines of legal due process. However, we stress the importance of emphasizing that these are individual cases and that officials in all three countries have denied the occurrence of any deaths on both sides. We trust the integrity and independence of the judiciary in Egypt, Algeria and Sudan.

Fifth: As the political systems have not risen to the occasion of dealing with this situation, contrary to what their responsibilities should entail, we are not relying on the existing regimes in either country to instill calm. And because a formal investigation into this situation is the responsibility of said political systems, we do not expect nor should we wait for that to happen before reconciling with each other. If we rely on the political system we shall lose our rights and our brotherhood just as these regimes have forfeited our dignity and progress for decades. Therefore, we say once more: We must not wait for official investigations – although we demand them – in order to start genuine initiatives of reconciliation between the peoples of both great countries.

Sixth: We condemn, with all that the word implies, the irresponsible behavior of the private media in both countries, especially the Egyptian private satellite channels and the Algerian private press who sacrificed all the ethics and principles of their profession. They have forsaken the honor of journalism for materialistic gains and profiteering at the expense of the truth and at the expense of relations between the two countries. We know and ascertain the extent of exaggerations and falsehoods that were propagated by these media outlets. We implore followers of these outlets not to believe the exaggerations that they espouse, and we demand of all media people to return back to reason, wisdom, and the principles and ethics of the profession they have so disrespected.

Seventh: Egypt and Algeria have been and will continue to be two great nations within their Arab and Islamic spheres who, since their liberation, have cooperated together in construction and production among other things. Thus, it is imperative that the economic and productive partnership between these two nations be sustained and further developed in order to rebuild what has been destroyed and to preserve the national interests of both countries. All Algerian and Egyptian business-people are invited to immediately participate in this initiative.

Eighth: This initiative is a civil initiative started entirely by regular citizens. We are neither waiting for any official support from any authority, nor will we even count on support from the intellectual elite in either country after many of them added their voices to this mutual agitation and were misled by the propagation of lies and exaggerations.

All adherents to this statement pledge with all their strength to stop being part of this devilish scheme, to repress their fury, and to support and encourage their brothers and sisters in both countries to return to reason and amicability, regardless of any slanders they may receive of being unpatriotic. Not everyone who plants a flower is met with a smile. Rather, victory lies in the patience and endurance of an hour.

Last but not least, we call all reasonable Egyptians, Algerians and all Arab brothers and sisters who want to support us in our desire to transcend any offenses that have been thrown our way by some fools from among both countries. We call on them to sign this statement, which will be only the first step and shall be followed by other steps that we will announce shortly, God willing. Let us join our forces towards the advancement of both great nations and their beloved people."!