Ayoon Wa Azan (Between slogans and the truth)

The fastest way to gain immediate popularity in the Arab or Islamic street is to attack Israel. To be sure, the nation does not agree on anything except on hating the State of occupation, murder, and destruction. I said the fastest way, but not the easiest way. For this reason, I propose to the new rulers of Egypt, both civilian and military, to threaten to suspend the peace treaty with Israel. I hope that the reader will notice that I did not say abolish the treaty, or even suspend it, but to threaten to suspend it (King Abdullah II would also stand to benefit if he follows in Egypt’s footsteps, for the same reasons that I will detail below). The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and the ayatollahs in Iran have made the Palestinian cause the cornerstone of their foreign policy, and always called for the liberation of Palestine. However, the Iranian regime used the religious and pro-Palestinian slogans to conceal ancient Persian ambitions. As regards the Muslim Brotherhood, Mohamed Morsi’s year in power saw the flooding and demolition of the tunnels with the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, Morsi’s administration’s only good foreign ties were with Israel and the country that funds it, arms it, and enables its crimes, that is, the United States. Today, President Mohamed Morsi faces the same accusations he once made against Hosni Mubarak, specifically, conspiring to kill protesters. If Egypt’s rulers were to implement my suggestions against Israel, they would gain immediate popularity, and would gain the backing of many of the supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood, who were fooled by its slogans and lived to see the results with the Brotherhood in power. Religious parties in every country, with the exception perhaps of the very successful Justice and Development Party, place religious zeal ahead of national allegiance, and go on to serve their own interests not those of the whole country. These parties also place loyalty ahead of competence. The Muslim Brotherhood supporters are protesting today in public squares and the streets of Egypt, but their only concern is to sabotage the new administration instead of working for the good of the country. Meanwhile, the new Egyptian government will face increasing terrorism. Indeed, since Mohamed Morsi’s ouster, terrorist attacks have plagued the country. While I do not say that the Muslim Brotherhood is behind these, I say that all terrorists have a background in the Brotherhood. I pause here to say that the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt is a major political force whose popularity in the street exceeds that of any other political force. If the new rulers of Egypt were brought in by a second popular revolution, perhaps bigger than that of 2011, and if they truly want to correct the course of Egyptian democracy or establish true democratic rule, then democracy requires for the Muslim Brotherhood to be an integral part of it, in a way that reflects its popularity among the people. The new administration in Egypt can amend the constitution, and call for snap presidential and parliamentary elections. But it must guarantee a role for the Brotherhood in a civilian democratic regime that the Islamist group did not put to good use when it had the opportunity of a lifetime after piggybacking the youth revolution. Perhaps the difference between me and a Muslim Brotherhood member is that I love all of the people of Egypt and want the best for them, while the Brotherhood member only loves the members of the group and places them ahead of others, and cannot love others or treat them with some equality unless they become Brothers like him. For this reason, we find that member protesting today instead of working, while denying that his group failed in government and blames everyone but himself. One-party rule is another name for communism. Everyone remembers that after the Brotherhood won the parliamentary elections, it said that it would not put up any member of the group as a presidential candidate, but ended up nominating not one, but two candidates. If this is still not enough, everyone can also remember how the Brotherhood sought to take control of the judiciary, but was resisted by senior judges. In other words, the Muslim Brotherhood, in its first year in power, sought to gain control of both the legislative and executive branches, along with the judiciary. If the group had succeeded in this, it would have gone on to establish a regime that is only different in name to the communist regimes that blighted once-prosperous countries, and impoverished their peoples in the now –fortunately– defunct socialist camp. In the previous paragraphs, I gave the readers confirmed information to which the witnesses are still breathing, and of the type admissible by any independent court. For this reason, I refuse to debate correct information, and leave the readers room to express their opinions. In conclusion, I go back to what I started my article with: The United States has threatened to cut off its meager aid to Egypt or made hints in this direction. But in truth, this aid is meant for Israel, insofar as it is designed to keep Egypt committed to the peace treaty. Recently, the Gulf countries dealt a slap in the face to their American ally, by offering $12 billion in aid to Egypt. So I salute Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Kuwait, and say to the Egyptians not to worry, whether they are at home or abroad, as they are a major regional power than we want it to be a force for good. The views expressed by the author do not necessarily represent or reflect the editorial policy of Arabstoday.