25/4/2012

One of the sources of Egypt’s greatness throughout history has been its legislative codes, one of the first in the world. Our modern civil code has been a source of law and inspiration for numerous Middle Eastern countries and our legal scholars have educated generations of Arab minds.

Let us not forget such legal giants as Judge Abdel Hamid Badawi Pasha who served at the International Court of Justice, and Dr. Fouad Riad, judge at the International Criminal Court. Nor should we forget that Dr. Mahmoud Azmi was among those who wrote the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the UN in 1948; or that Abd el-Razzak el-Sanhuri, who created the Egyptian Civil Code in 1948 along the lines of the French civil law model, drafted similar codes for several other Arab countries.

Those who challenge the application of Egyptian law in the name of the revolution are a destructive force damaging the interests of the nation. The only beneficiaries are those who resort to violence and slander to achieve their aims.

The responsibility of Egypt’s rulers today is to arrest the criminals. People have completely lost patience and are calling for protection from those who continue to defy the law. On the day when our economy collapses, those in charge of the country who appear to be completely lacking in awareness, courage, and decision-making abilities will shoulder all the blame. Before that happens, I am confident that the majority of Egyptians would support decisive action to end the chaos.

translated from Al-Akhbar