Nostalgia for Farouk?

An Egyptian television series about King Farouk has provoked a great deal of comment in Egypt, as Hala Sakr notes in al Ahram. The series attempted to rehabilitate Farouk. The reason can be explained by these comments:

 

"The monarchy has long been dead, but when we had a monarchy it was a constitutional one, and the 1923 constitution is there for everybody to read and marvel at... I do not call for a restoration of the monarchy, but the serial reflects my own understanding of the period." Abu-Gahzai agrees that restoring the monarchy would go against the movement of history. "But," he says, "the serial has succeeded in raising the question of true democracy. It asserts that Egypt once had a significant democratic experience which has been intentionally tarnished since July 1952. Despite its shortcomings, the pre-1952 liberal experience will continue to be of great importance to our history -- a source of inspiration to all Egyptians."

 

Cross posted: Israel News  Middle East Analysis