The meaning of the Arab Spring is being discussed at the Rimini Meeting, the annual
gathering organized by the lay movement Communion and Liberation. One concern has
been the prospect of Islamist radicals gaining influence as autocratic regimes are
being overthrown.
There is some difficulty for some Europeans to understand
what is going on in the Arab world…because they start from their fears, not reality,”
said Wael Farouq, President of Tawasul Cultural Centre in Cairo, and Vice President
of the Cairo Meeting.
“What is happening now in Egypt is something that should
make all of us – east and west, Christian world and Muslim world – feel safe because
for the first time in history the power of noble human principles is winning a war
against absolute materialist power. What moved the people in Tahir square, and what
people had in Tahir square, was nothing but their faith” he told Vatican Radio during
the Rimini Meeting.
“This power of faith, and this success of this faith,
to change reality should make all of us feel safe and feel happy, and look in a very
positive way toward the future,” he said.
Listen to the full interview by Luca
Collodi with Wael Farouq: