Students heckled former presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabbahi when he spoke at a seminar hosted by the Shubra Faculty of Engineering on Monday.
One of the organizers of the seminar, called “A national view for solving Egypt’s problems,” introduced Sabbahi to the students, calling him “the real popular president of Egypt. When Hamdeen talks, we see hope.”
Some students in the audience then raised banners critical of Sabbahi and the National Salvation Front, the opposition coalition of which he is a member. One banner read, “Where is the revolution, Hamdeen?”
Other students began chanting “liar,” and demanded that Sabbahi leave the campus.
Sabbahi replied to his attackers, “You invited me and I was honored to respond to your invitation, and I say welcome to those with me and against me. What would be the problem if we listened to each other? If this is our approach how would we be able to solve problems? Now we have two solutions, either I leave or go on.”
Students in support of Sabbahi and against him began chanting opposing slogans, until they were silenced by another student reciting the Qu’ran. Sabbahi was then able to continue giving his talk.
“Egypt will be built through dialogue,” Sabbahi said, refusing to allow the seminar’s organizers to kick out the students who were heckling him. “I won’t leave, neither will they. This is our country. Shame on you,” he said.
Sabbahi’s talk referenced the Muslim Brotherhood’s plots to destroy the judiciary, and he urged the judiciary to cleanse itself of corruption.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
