Perhaps ancient Egyptian history is the first witness to the importance of intellectuals and their role in supporting the ruling authority and justifying its actions and decisions. In that era, the priests of the temple and, subsequently, magicians were significant cultural figures upon whom the ruling powers or the upper class depended to validate their decisions and reinforce their will.

Intellectuals in Europe

The importance of intellectuals emerged in past centuries, especially in Europe, where philosophers, thinkers, writers, educators, clergy, and artists played a crucial and significant role in directing prevailing beliefs and ideas into the realm of debate, discussion, and dialogue. New theories, values, and ideas emerged that served the common interest of Western states, facilitated colonial activities, exploited weaker nations, and imposed Western culture upon the colonies in its superficial and marginal aspect.

Arab Intellectuals and the 1948 Catastrophe

Undoubtedly, most Arab intellectuals were products of this aspect of Western culture, which enabled them to play a counter role to that of Western intellectuals. This counter role became evident following the catastrophe of 1948, as many Arab ruling systems changed, and the movement of Arab societies shifted from a gradual development based on some tolerance, consultation, and implicit understanding to rough transformations that swept away public freedoms. This transformation relied on propaganda and media expressions, including radio, television, cinema, theater, and mass conferences where the new rulers delivered speeches.

Suppression of Islamists

Arab entities of violence realized that Islamists were the backbone of Islamic culture, and they sought to rid themselves of them. All these means were prepared by a group of intellectuals close to the authorities, who had no time to review what was happening or to express opinions and offer advice, as the heavy-handed approach prevented them from assuming a genuinely effective role in enlightening the dark paths and preparing the necessary opportunities for transitioning from poor conditions to vast horizons where production, agriculture, industry, trade, urban development, and defensive strength thrive, in addition to education and social and health services.

The Suppression of the Islamic Movement

When the Arab entities of violence, the occupation in Palestine, and certain Western countries realized that the Islamic movement, being the cornerstone of Islamic culture, could threaten their existence and expel them from positions of control and dominance in Palestine after the disaster of 1948, they unleashed their sinister thoughts to eliminate active intellectuals within the Islamic movement, what we might call latent resistance elements. They worked to establish different regimes characterized by a brutal approach and a use of violence that showed no mercy to any element that could cause them trouble in the field or society.

Intellectuals in Arab Monarchies

The monarchies or quasi-democratic systems in the countries surrounding occupied Palestine displayed some flexibility toward political movements within their societies, allowing parties some space to operate and express their opinions. Serious intellectuals became active in Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Sudan, Yemen, and some Gulf countries from the late 19th century, playing an important role in knowledge, culture, politics, and economic and commercial development.

Prominent Arab Figures

Prominent figures in thought, literature, history, medicine, chemistry, physics, engineering, and translation shone brightly, alongside religious scholars who led society toward achieving its demands, denouncing its injustices and grievances. The voices of intellectuals in countries with relative freedom rose to address the Nazi Jewish occupation of Palestine and the Western occupation of some Arab countries such as Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, and Iraq, calling for liberation, independence, and the expulsion of invaders!

Military Regimes and Heavy-Handed Tactics

This was not a comfortable situation for the Nazi Jewish invaders; thus, plans were laid to completely dismantle existing systems, whether monarchical or quasi-democratic, to replace them with entirely military regimes that used heavy-handed tactics against their own people, rather than against the Nazi Jewish enemy in Palestine. The communists seized control of the press, education, culture, and various arts with the approval of the military regimes.

Coups in Syria and Egypt

In Syria, a coup took place on March 30, 1949, led by Hosni al-Zaim, the army commander, who overthrew President Shukri al-Quwatli and Prime Minister Khaled al-Azem. The second significant coup was in July 1952, led by a man named Muhammad Naguib, who was the oldest and highest-ranking officer among the coup leaders. However, the younger officers underestimated him and imprisoned him in a jail on the outskirts of Cairo. Major General Gamal Abdel Nasser continued to press forward until he took full power, making his word supreme. He captivated people with slogans of Arab unity, Arab nationalism, followed by socialism, bread, freedom, the nationalization of major companies and factories, stabilizing rents between farmers and landowners, and between property tenants and owners. He also raised the banner of Palestine, for which he did nothing and did not prioritize, as his colleague Khaled Mohieddin mentions in his memoirs "Now I Speak." Islam or Islamic culture no longer had a presence in politics, legislation, society, or education.

Trials and Punishments

It is notable that following the end of the war in 1948 and the return of volunteers, as well as the consolidation of military coups, trials began for non-military participants in the battles who displayed great heroism. They were sentenced to harsh punishments, including death sentences. The Muslim Brotherhood became victims of these political rulings since they were the influential cultural force in the Muslim community. The question arose: For whose benefit was the extermination of this powerful force that astonished the murderous Jews?

The Rise of Communist Parties

The ideas promoted by the communists attracted disillusioned young Egyptians who were frustrated with corruption, injustice, and the British colonialism that occupied the country, especially the Suez Canal, without realizing the nature of the party or its goals aimed at eradicating Islam and Judaizing Palestine. What happened in Egypt also occurred in Sudan, Iraq, and Palestine itself.

Communist Leadership

Egyptian or Arab youth did not realize that the founder of the communist parties was a treacherous Jew who was expelled from Egypt by Fouad Serag el-Din when he was Minister of Interior in 1950 and that the leadership of communist parties, especially in Egypt, consisted of Jews.

Communist Control

The communists' real gains lay in leading both secretive and public organizations through a single party. It is notable that, although some communists faced arrests and military trials and spent some time in Nasserite, Syrian, Sudanese, and Iraqi prisons, they left to strike deals with the regimes and take over sensitive institutions related to shaping minds and thoughts, wanting to eradicate Islam and denigrate heritage.

Suppression of Other Opinions

Thus, with the approval of military regimes, they controlled the institutions of the press, education, culture, media, and various arts such as theater, cinema, and practical formations. Controlling these institutions meant suppressing all other opinions and thoughts except what aligned with the communist ideology!

Communist Gains

However, the communists' true gains were embodied in leading the secret and public organizations created by Nasser and the Ba'athists through a single party. They became leaders of the single party in Egypt, which was the National Union, and through it, the so-called "Vanguard Organization." They were also members of the secret cells that reported directly to the higher leadership.

Intellectual Influence

The communist nucleus became the foundation for those who came after them, becoming the intellectuals consulted on matters of nations and societies, echoing what the regimes desired in terms of opinions and ideas, supporting them with false evidence and misleading arguments.