Experts: Mubarak, Muslim Brotherhood aren’t Egypt’s only choice

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By Cathy Lynn Grossman

Will the next government that emerges from the tumult in Egypt be Islamic or Islamist? There’s a critical difference, say experts, who caution against knee-jerk fears that Mubarak might be replaced by Islamists — Muslim political extremists.

Inevitably, the government — Hosni Mubarak or anyone else — will be Muslim, as it is now, because Egypt is one of the largest Muslim-majority nations in the world.

The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life’s just-released study, The Future of the Global Muslim Population, finds Egypt, home to roughly one-in-four Muslims in the region with 80 million Muslims today, is projected to have 105 million in 2030.

However, that’s doesn’t make the current protests an Islamic revolution comparable to Iran in 1979, says Haroon Moghul, executive director of Maydan, a Muslim business and government public affairs communications group.

Writing today at Religion Dispatches, Moghul says.

The political Islamism that ended up triumphing in Iran was a much more authoritarian interpretation of Islam… Most Islamists learned from this brutal experience and grew from it; Egypt’s most powerful Muslim group, the Muslim Brotherhood, was one such group. It’s probably safe to say that Iran was the only victory for this style of Islamism, and now, some 30-plus years later, its moment has largely passed. The geopolitical, economic and social reasons for its emergence have disappeared.

Moghul points out in greater detail how Islam in Iran was a monolithic Shiite form led by a politically powerful clergy while Egypt has multiple branches of Islam including the “quietist Salafism, which seeks a rigorous but non-political personal morality, and the Muslim Brotherhood,” (founded in 1928 and the Arab world’s first political Islamic movement.)

The Brotherhood, suppressed for decades in Egypt, is still “incredibly large and powerful” but they’ve steered clear so far of street protests. Currently, Moghul says, the Brotherhood …

… does not pursue an explicitly political agenda. Rather, it believes that an ideal politics will be achieved once society is Islamized — in other words, enough introduction of Muslim values into popular culture, and society will simply reform itself — and that includes the state. So while they have political ideals, they certainly don’t have an explicit political program.

Egypt’s revolution doesn’t have to be Islamic because Islam isn’t at the heart of the problem on the ground. In fact, the non-political Egyptian Islam of the last few decades has succeeded in deeply Islamizing Egyptian culture, making Muslim piety interwoven with the everyday rhythms of Egyptian life…. Egypt’s society is a deeply Muslim one, and the very success of this non-political religious project has negated the need for a confrontational Islam.

Earlier this week, The New York Times called the Muslim Brotherhood a “wildcard” in the demonstrations in Alexandria, Egypt’s second largest city, but…

Islam is hardly homogeneous, and many religious leaders here said Thursday that they would not support the protests, for reasons including scriptural prohibitions on defying rulers and a belief that democratic change would not benefit them.

“We Salafists are not going to participate in any of the demonstrations tomorrow,” said Sheik Yasir Burhami, a leading figure among the fundamentalist Salafists in Alexandria.

…Sheik Gaber Kassem, leader of the mystic Sufi community here, said the Sufis were discouraging their followers from taking part in the demonstrations, which the government has deemed illegal

The Christian Science Monitor, covering last December’s parliamentary elections, reported a “dismal showing for the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood” parliamentary elections.

At their peak, in 2005, the Brotherhood held 20% of the representation in parliament, now they’re down to a handful in elections that their leader, Mohamed El Biltagy, called rampant with fraud.

According to the Monitor:

The Brotherhood, which for decades focused on building networks of social services and religious instruction, made political participation a focal point of its strategy in 2005, and startled many by winning 20 percent of the seats in Parliament.

For this election, the first parliamentary election since a 2007 constitutional amendment rescinded judicial supervision of elections, the regime made it clear ahead of time that the Brotherhood would not be free to make similar gains. More than 1,000 of its members were arrested in the months and weeks before the vote, and the government also cracked down on independent media.

The Monitor also covered the Brotherhood’s own inner turmoil in a December 2009 story.

The goal of the group, which has never been allowed to form a political party, is to make Islam “the sole reference point for ordering the life of the Muslim family, individual, community … and state.”

But within the Brotherhood there are sharp differences over how to oppose President Hosni Mubarak’s autocratic regime, what rights should be accorded to women, and how strictly Islam should be interpreted.

Many of these differences play out along a generational fault line between younger reformists, who seek a more active political role for the banned organization, and older conservatives whose influence is rising.

USA Today

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54 responses to “Experts: Mubarak, Muslim Brotherhood aren’t Egypt’s only choice”

  1. The “revolution” most often goes like this:

    -groundswell for “democracy” erupts, driven by several different sources with different political ends (please note that very few of these people understand or have experienced democracy, so what results from initial proposals has no real resemblance)

    -after much bloodshed, dictator government is ousted

    -struggle to aim and control government ensues between these different sources

    -after two or three botched elections, an extremist religious group takes over

    -back to square one, with a much weaker country and opposition

    Too bad religion plays such a large part in the politics of the region.

    Terrorists and their supporting organizations like the Muslim Brotherhood and their outside backers like Hamas and Iran would love for this to turn totally chaotic. Make it easier to subvert any attempts at organized democracy and turn it into another Iranian type situation. Look for Mullahs and Clerics to start speaking for the “revolutionaries”.

    We’ll see if the educated westernized Egyptians can pull this together, or the religious extremists will take over.

    1. I think the result is going to be bad. God save us all if they end up with a sunni version of Iran.

    2. I think the result is going to be bad. God save us all if they end up with a sunni version of Iran.

  2. The “revolution” most often goes like this:

    -groundswell for “democracy” erupts, driven by several different sources with different political ends (please note that very few of these people understand or have experienced democracy, so what results from initial proposals has no real resemblance)

    -after much bloodshed, dictator government is ousted

    -struggle to aim and control government ensues between these different sources

    -after two or three botched elections, an extremist religious group takes over

    -back to square one, with a much weaker country and opposition

    Too bad religion plays such a large part in the politics of the region.

    Terrorists and their supporting organizations like the Muslim Brotherhood and their outside backers like Hamas and Iran would love for this to turn totally chaotic. Make it easier to subvert any attempts at organized democracy and turn it into another Iranian type situation. Look for Mullahs and Clerics to start speaking for the “revolutionaries”.

    We’ll see if the educated westernized Egyptians can pull this together, or the religious extremists will take over.

    1. I think the result is going to be bad. God save us all if they end up with a sunni version of Iran.

  3. The Egyptians are fed up with being dirt poor and treated like crap. Egypt has oil reserves, signifigant exports, US support and made $3.5 Billion off of canal fees last year, (no locks on the Suez btw) and yet these people live in squalor. The biggest surprise is that it took this long for the citizens to wake up.

  4. The Egyptians are fed up with being dirt poor and treated like crap. Egypt has oil reserves, signifigant exports, US support and made $3.5 Billion off of canal fees last year, (no locks on the Suez btw) and yet these people live in squalor. The biggest surprise is that it took this long for the citizens to wake up.

  5. The Egyptians are fed up with being dirt poor and treated like crap. Egypt has oil reserves, signifigant exports, US support and made $3.5 Billion off of canal fees last year, (no locks on the Suez btw) and yet these people live in squalor. The biggest surprise is that it took this long for the citizens to wake up.

  6. The “fear” that Egypt will be taken over by “Islamic Extremists” is probably inevitable given that muslims lack the imagination for any kind of government other than dictatorship or theocracy and have proven themselves incapable of self-government. (By all means, show me a single example and prove me wrong)

    1. leb_expatriate Avatar
      leb_expatriate

      There are a lot of Muslim democracies. In fact the majority of the worlds Muslims live under democracies e.g. Indonesia, Turkey, Pakistan, Bangladesh. It is mostly Arabs that are forced to endure dictatorships for the benefit and protection of Israel. Why isn’t the US championing true democracy in Egypt and Jordan and why are they initiating dialogue with Syria. Why does the US deal with dictatorial regimes why doesn’t the US just shun them. You see all of US foreign policy in the Middle East is about protecting Israel’s very existence.

      Have a look at how the West treated the Iranian elections and how they are treating the events in Egypt. At least Iran holds elections and has the support of the government has the support of the majority of its people even though marginally. Iran has also killed fewer protesters. So you see my friend the US’s call for more democracy in the Middle East has turned out to be absolute farce but the tides are turning nothing further will stand in the way of the progress of the Arab nation.

  7. Ask yourself this: If we moved 80 Million Americans or Europeans or Japanese into Egypt would they all live in poverty or would they work their way out of it? Would they tolerate dictatorships, secret police, people disappearing in the night?

  8. The “fear” that Egypt will be taken over by “Islamic Extremists” is probably inevitable given that muslims lack the imagination for any kind of government other than dictatorship or theocracy and have proven themselves incapable of self-government. (By all means, show me a single example and prove me wrong)

    1.  Avatar

      There are a lot of Muslim democracies. In fact the majority of the worlds Muslims live under democracies e.g. Indonesia, Turkey, Pakistan, Bangladesh. It is mostly Arabs that are forced to endure dictatorships for the benefit and protection of Israel. Why isn’t the US championing true democracy in Egypt and Jordan and why are they initiating dialogue with Syria. Why does the US deal with dictatorial regimes why doesn’t the US just shun them. You see all of US foreign policy in the Middle East is about protecting Israel’s very existence.

      Have a look at how the West treated the Iranian elections and how they are treating the events in Egypt. At least Iran holds elections and has the support of the government has the support of the majority of its people even though marginally. Iran has also killed fewer protesters. So you see my friend the US’s call for more democracy in the Middle East has turned out to be absolute farce but the tides are turning nothing further will stand in the way of the progress of the Arab nation.

  9. Ask yourself this: If we moved 80 Million Americans into Egypt would we all live in poverty or would we work our way out of it? Would we tolerate dictatorships, secret police, people disappearing in the night? Iran is a joke.

  10. It’s funny if America interferes with any other issue in the Muslim world people scream that they’re manipulating the government, but now the people that spread hate of America are mad that America is not taking sides on an internal conflict in a country thousands of miles away.Poor arabs they apparently lack the brain power to conduct any semblance of life, since they all think the big-bad israel is to blame for everything.

  11. It’s funny if America interferes with any other issue in the Muslim world people scream that they’re manipulating the government, but now the people that spread hate of America are mad that America is not taking sides on an internal conflict in a country thousands of miles away.Poor arabs they apparently lack the brain power to conduct any semblance of life, since they all think the big-bad israel is to blame for everything.

  12. Freedom in muslim vocabulary means bombs exploding in churches, on the streets or mosques of rival sects

    1. leb_expatriate Avatar
      leb_expatriate

      Dear Joe,

      A few Muslims today might follow a deviant ideology fueled by US Policy in the region but Islam has not produced anything like what the non Muslim world has produced. Hitler, Stalin, The Crusades, Early European settlers of the new world who wiped out the native population, Serbian extermination of Muslims in Bosnia …

      What is funny is how Muslims are always expected to cede land to non Muslims through referendums and UN pressure e.g. East Timor, South Sudan, Palestine, Bosnia but historically independent Muslim nations like Chechnya, Kashmir and East Turkistan are not given the same opportunity.

      What is even funnier is Joe Biden claiming that Hosni Moubarak is not a dictator. It would have been better if he was a bit more honest about Moubarak as Rosevalt was about Somoza… Moubarak maybe a son of a bitch but he’s our son of a bitch.

      So go back to the library and read some history books you might understand better what is driving some Muslims today to follow this deviant ideology of bombing the other. Besides the US just does it from the sky and calls it enforcing UN sanctions. If only they equally enforced UN sanctions on Israel in the same way.

      1. The US and europeans are hypocrites, we are always casting judgement on others when germany committed the holocaust and the US used nuclear weapons and had slaves, so we have no room to talk I agree with you on that. But to say that we are fueling this behavior is assigning no responsinblity to some of the perpertators. Who was at the gates of Vienna in the 1600’s – Muslim Turks who were trying to over run europe… what about the massacres of christians in lebanon and damascus circa 1840-1860 – those incidents had anything to do with US Policy?

        1. leb_expatriate Avatar
          leb_expatriate

          Well how is US foreign policy not fueling this behavior? When the US prods up a dictator to rule his people for over 30 years with an iron fist and gives them no other way to express themselves other then to join violent groups. The US has come out a big Hypocrite in the last few days when commenting about events in Egypt. It has betrayed its own cause to protect the interests of a few million Jews forcefully placed in our midst and against our will. I have no guilt what so ever about what happened to the Jews during world war two. My ancestors did not partake in the holocaust if anything in the past the Jews were welcomed with open arms when Catholic Spain drove them out.

          The way I see it Germany had one solution for European Jews and Britain had another. Britain opted to expel them to Palestine.

          I think had we not been under colonial rule during world war two we would have welcomed the Jews with open arms again so they can escape their persecutors in Europe. But welcoming them of our own free will is one thing and them being forced upon us and driving us of the land we’ve inhabited for thousands of years is another.

          A new Middle East is inevitable but it’s not going to be how the US wants it to be.

          The people are sick and tired of things being decided for them and will now start deciding for themselves. If an anti western government rises up in Egypt don’t blame anything else other than western foreign policy for fueling this hatred.

      2. The US and europeans are hypocrites, we are always casting judgement on others when germany committed the holocaust and the US used nuclear weapons and had slaves, so we have no room to talk I agree with you on that. But to say that we are fueling this behavior is assigning no responsinblity to some of the perpertators. Who was at the gates of Vienna in the 1600’s – Muslim Turks who were trying to over run europe… what about the massacres of christians in lebanon and damascus circa 1840-1860 – those incidents had anything to do with US Policy?

      3. Almost no one abides by UN resolutions. The UN voted to create Israel and Israel declared independence on 14 May 1948. The very next day all of hers neighbors invaded with the intention of destroying the state of Israel. They also launched an unprovoked attack in 1973 also to annhilate.

      4. Almost no one abides by UN resolutions. The UN voted to create Israel and Israel declared independence on 14 May 1948. The very next day all of hers neighbors invaded with the intention of destroying the state of Israel. They also launched an unprovoked attack in 1973 also to annhilate.

      5. Leborigine Avatar
        Leborigine

        How could they?? Israel is the 53rd US state, you do not enforce US sanctions on your own people. Its like asking the US to enforce US sanctions on Wisconsin or Texas.

        I do disagree though with the above statement claiming that the muslims are always expected to cede land to non muslims. Serbia ceded land to the Albanians (kosovo), India ceded land to muslims (Pakistan), Armenia and Georgia ceded land to muslims (Turkey), etc, etc.

        There is one thing that I would like to put on record as well, is that modern day terrorism was not started by muslims or arabs, it was actually by jews who commited crimes of terror against British subjects before occupying Palestine in 1947. That is a fact that 98% of the western society does not know and will never know. If I am wrong, then please correct me.

        1. its true the irgun and hagana would be considered jewish terrorists groups by todays standard, they bombed the brits and palestinians before israel was created.

        2. 53rd US state?? What are the 51st and 52nd?

        3. Leborigine Avatar
          Leborigine

          syria and iran

        4. Oh I see:) Israel I agree, but not Syria and Iran.

      6. Leborigine Avatar
        Leborigine

        How could they?? Israel is the 53rd US state, you do not enforce US sanctions on your own people. Its like asking the US to enforce US sanctions on Wisconsin or Texas.

        I do disagree though with the above statement claiming that the muslims are always expected to cede land to non muslims. Serbia ceded land to the Albanians (kosovo), India ceded land to muslims (Pakistan), Armenia and Georgia ceded land to muslims (Turkey), etc, etc.

        There is one thing that I would like to put on record as well, is that modern day terrorism was not started by muslims or arabs, it was actually by jews who commited crimes of terror against British subjects before occupying Palestine in 1947. That is a fact that 98% of the western society does not know and will never know. If I am wrong, then please correct me.

  13. Freedom in muslim vocabulary means bombs exploding in churches, on the streets or mosques of rival sects

  14. Freedom in muslim vocabulary means bombs exploding in churches, on the streets or mosques of rival sects

    1.  Avatar

      Dear Joe,

      A few Muslims today might follow a deviant ideology fueled by US Policy in the region but Islam has not produced anything like what the non Muslim world has produced. Hitler, Stalin, The Crusades, Early European settlers of the new world who wiped out the native population, Serbian extermination of Muslims in Bosnia …

      What is funny is how Muslims are always expected to cede land to non Muslims through referendums and UN pressure e.g. East Timor, South Sudan, Palestine, Bosnia but historically independent Muslim nations like Chechnya, Kashmir and East Turkistan are not given the same opportunity.

      What is even funnier is Joe Biden claiming that Hosni Moubarak is not a dictator. It would have been better if he was a bit more honest about Moubarak as Rosevalt was about Somoza… Moubarak maybe a son of a bitch but he’s our son of a bitch.

      So go back to the library and read some history books you might understand better what is driving some Muslims today to follow this deviant ideology of bombing the other. Besides the US just does it from the sky and calls it enforcing UN sanctions. If only they equally enforced UN sanctions on Israel in the same way.

      1. The US and europeans are hypocrites, we are always casting judgement on others when germany committed the holocaust and the US used nuclear weapons and had slaves, so we have no room to talk I agree with you on that. But to say that we are fueling this behavior is assigning no responsinblity to some of the perpertators. Who was at the gates of Vienna in the 1600’s – Muslim Turks who were trying to over run europe… what about the massacres of christians in lebanon and damascus circa 1840-1860 – those incidents had anything to do with US Policy?

        1.  Avatar

          Well how is US foreign policy not fueling this behavior? When the US prods up a dictator to rule his people for over 30 years with an iron fist and gives them no other way to express themselves other then to join violent groups. The US has come out a big Hypocrite in the last few days when commenting about events in Egypt. It has betrayed its own cause to protect the interests of a few million Jews forcefully placed in our midst and against our will. I have no guilt what so ever about what happened to the Jews during world war two. My ancestors did not partake in the holocaust if anything in the past the Jews were welcomed with open arms when Catholic Spain drove them out.

          The way I see it Germany had one solution for European Jews and Britain had another. Britain opted to expel them to Palestine.

          I think had we not been under colonial rule during world war two we would have welcomed the Jews with open arms again so they can escape their persecutors in Europe. But welcoming them of our own free will is one thing and them being forced upon us and driving us of the land we’ve inhabited for thousands of years is another.

          A new Middle East is inevitable but it’s not going to be how the US wants it to be.

          The people are sick and tired of things being decided for them and will now start deciding for themselves. If an anti western government rises up in Egypt don’t blame anything else other than western foreign policy for fueling this hatred.

      2. Almost no one abides by UN resolutions. The UN voted to create Israel and Israel declared independence on 14 May 1948. The very next day all of hers neighbors invaded with the intention of destroying the state of Israel. They also launched an unprovoked attack in 1973 also to annhilate.

      3. Almost no one abides by UN resolutions. The UN voted to create Israel and Israel declared independence on 14 May 1948. The very next day all of hers neighbors invaded with the intention of destroying the state of Israel. They also launched an unprovoked attack in 1973 also to annhilate.

      4.  Avatar

        How could they?? Israel is the 53rd US state, you do not enforce US sanctions on your own people. Its like asking the US to enforce US sanctions on Wisconsin or Texas.

        I do disagree though with the above statement claiming that the muslims are always expected to cede land to non muslims. Serbia ceded land to the Albanians (kosovo), India ceded land to muslims (Pakistan), Armenia and Georgia ceded land to muslims (Turkey), etc, etc.

        There is one thing that I would like to put on record as well, is that modern day terrorism was not started by muslims or arabs, it was actually by jews who commited crimes of terror against British subjects before occupying Palestine in 1947. That is a fact that 98% of the western society does not know and will never know. If I am wrong, then please correct me.

        1. its true the irgun and hagana would be considered jewish terrorists groups by todays standard, they bombed the brits and palestinians before israel was created.

        2.  Avatar

          53rd US state?? What are the 51st and 52nd?

        3.  Avatar

          syria and iran

        4.  Avatar

          Oh I see:) Israel I agree, but not Syria and Iran.

  15. mfalconer Avatar

    It is for the best that the movement in Egypt does not have the same religious fervor as the Iranian revolution. I would certainly hope though that, if not the Muslim Brotherhood, someone will propose a political program to follow. What are the parties involved? There is a coalition that the Muslim Brotherhood is apart of, but I do not see an active role on behalf of the protesters to organize their demands. Mubarak is still terrible and managed to push 40% of his population into poverty, and I hope he steps down. If he does, it would be a shame to see no tangible alternative proposed.

  16. mfalconer Avatar

    It is for the best that the movement in Egypt does not have the same religious fervor as the Iranian revolution. I would certainly hope though that, if not the Muslim Brotherhood, someone will propose a political program to follow. What are the parties involved? There is a coalition that the Muslim Brotherhood is apart of, but I do not see an active role on behalf of the protesters to organize their demands. Mubarak is still terrible and managed to push 40% of his population into poverty, and I hope he steps down. If he does, it would be a shame to see no tangible alternative proposed.

  17.  Avatar

    It is for the best that the movement in Egypt does not have the same religious fervor as the Iranian revolution. I would certainly hope though that, if not the Muslim Brotherhood, someone will propose a political program to follow. What are the parties involved? There is a coalition that the Muslim Brotherhood is apart of, but I do not see an active role on behalf of the protesters to organize their demands. Mubarak is still terrible and managed to push 40% of his population into poverty, and I hope he steps down. If he does, it would be a shame to see no tangible alternative proposed.

  18. PROPHET.T Avatar

    All Muslim countries should study turkey’s experience with democracy.It’s the best form of Muslim democracy.people can be religious, practice their faith,enjoy freedom ,democracy, and prosperity.Those who are not religious, can enjoy their secularism under the law ,which protects everyone’s right.everyone is below the law.

    1. leb_expatriate Avatar
      leb_expatriate

      I think Egypt and Tunisia will be Turkenised. The army has/is allowing the protesters to overthrow the government. Next a new constitution will be written with a strong secular Emphasis. The Muslim Brother Hood and the Enahda will reform to operate within the set up secular framework. The army will take its place as the van guard of secularism. Indonesia follows a similar model.

      The problem with Egypt is that foreign powers will definitely interfere to safeguard the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. This could be a destabilizing factor in forming a new government. With democracy comes the responsibility to speak out against atrocities, having said that, Egypt should reserve the right to speak out and when required take action against Israeli inequities in occupied Palestine.

  19. PROPHET.T Avatar

    All Muslim countries should study turkey’s experience with democracy.It’s the best form of Muslim democracy.people can be religious, practice their faith,enjoy freedom ,democracy, and prosperity.Those who are not religious, can enjoy their secularism under the law ,which protects everyone’s right.everyone is below the law.

    1.  Avatar

      I think Egypt and Tunisia will be Turkenised. The army has/is allowing the protesters to overthrow the government. Next a new constitution will be written with a strong secular Emphasis. The Muslim Brother Hood and the Enahda will reform to operate within the set up secular framework. The army will take its place as the van guard of secularism. Indonesia follows a similar model.

      The problem with Egypt is that foreign powers will definitely interfere to safeguard the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. This could be a destabilizing factor in forming a new government. With democracy comes the responsibility to speak out against atrocities, having said that, Egypt should reserve the right to speak out and when required take action against Israeli inequities in occupied Palestine.

  20. bobbyjoe49 Avatar
    bobbyjoe49

    i dont trust the muslim brotherhood which can lead them to fool the people with a trick to take over egypt thats why all americans are leaving egypt because they already know something is about to happen that scares them away and closing of embassies in egypt and americans are still leaving to get out.. before islamic goverment takes power and put america and israel in dangerous risk no choice but to take all americans out of there and defend israel who is our friend.

  21. bobbyjoe49 Avatar
    bobbyjoe49

    i dont trust the muslim brotherhood which can lead them to fool the people with a trick to take over egypt thats why all americans are leaving egypt because they already know something is about to happen that scares them away and closing of embassies in egypt and americans are still leaving to get out.. before islamic goverment takes power and put america and israel in dangerous risk no choice but to take all americans out of there and defend israel who is our friend.

  22.  Avatar

    i dont trust the muslim brotherhood which can lead them to fool the people with a trick to take over egypt thats why all americans are leaving egypt because they already know something is about to happen that scares them away and closing of embassies in egypt and americans are still leaving to get out.. before islamic goverment takes power and put america and israel in dangerous risk no choice but to take all americans out of there and defend israel who is our friend.

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