At my age it is unseemly to be pessimistic.

We are like a woman with a difficult pregnancy. We have to rebuild the social classes in Egypt, and we must change the way things were.

As the tension eases, we must look in the direction of agriculture, industry and education as our final goals, and toward democracy under Mr Mubarak.

I defend both the freedom of expression and society's right to counter it. I must pay the price for differing. It is the natural way of things.

God did not intend religion to be an exercise club.