“We don’t want a religious state,” says Muslim Brotherhood member of parliament Ossama Yassin. “We want a modern, civil, democratic state belonging to the people.”

Egypt’s recent parliamentary elections have raised concerns about the imposition of an Islamist agenda by Islamist groups and parties, but Middle East expert Kate Seelye says “the hope is that once in office they will move more to the center and that won’t be the case.”

We discuss the major religion and ethics stories of the past year in the U.S. and abroad with Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne, Religion News Service editor Kevin Eckstrom and Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly managing editor Kim Lawton.

"The idea that it's possible to move from slavery to freedom and from darkness to light and from despair to hope—that is the greatest Jewish story ever told."

"Something is changing," says an Israeli sociologist, "and I don't know, but I think it will come here. It's very difficult to believe the whole Arab world will be in riots and Jerusalem and West Bank are going to be quiet."

Imam Feisal Rauf of New York City was in Washington this week and spoke with us about religion's positive potential in a post-Mubarak Egypt.

As Mideast turmoil spreads, a professor of international affairs says we are witnessing changing interpretations of religion and "a struggle over which interpretations have authority over whom."

"If there is a new state, presumably there will be more religious tolerance," says Middle East author and analyst Geneive Abdo. "We can only hope so."

"Many people are hoping there will be a more pluralistic government that will embrace the Christian Copts," says Qamar-ul Huda, a senior program officer at the US Institute of Peace.

"Any conflicts between Muslims and Copts, in the subway or the market, will always end up being taken in the religious context," says Refat Lakousha, a professor at Alexandria University.