ABSTRACT
In previous chapters, we reviewed the evolution of the demand to impose the Shari‘a, to establish an Islamic state, to replace the rule of man with the rule of God and to designate a caliph who will under-take this mission. A great many individuals and organizations were willing to risk their lives, to imperil themselves and to suffer starvation and imprisonment for the sake of founding an Islamic state. Liberal Egyptian intellectuals responded to these demands, warning of the dangers they posed to the future of Egypt as a liberal state based on a system of law and order for all its citizens. Their responses will be presented in the following chapters under the themes, the rule of God, an Islamic state and the rule of Shari‘a; the caliphate; jihad; attitudes toward Jews and Christians. But before reviewing the counterclaims of the intellectuals, it is necessary to provide profiles of and pertinent information about the intellectuals themselves.
