Is Egypt waiting for a new Moses ? Tunisian Islamists more mature than neighbour ! Tunisia Embracing Democracy: The moment – that is described as historic by UN Secretary General Kofi Anan – of signing the new constitution by outgoing Islamist premier Ali Larayedh, Speaker Mustapha Ben Jafar, and President Moncef Marzouki during a ceremony at the National Constituent Assembly, came before the Tunisian flags were unfurled and assembly deputies embraced and danced celebrating a finally inclusive charter. Parliament deputies (liberals, seculars, Muslim Brotherhood, Conservative Islamists, and Christians) stood together chanting if, one day, a people desire to live, then fate will answer their call. In addition, their night will then begin to fade, and their chains break and fall. What did Tunisia do that Egypt didnt? In Tunisias North African counterpart, however, the scene is far from harmony or unity. What is happening on the ground in Egypt reveals that Egypt is still light years away democracy. Tear gases continue to cover the sky and live ammunition fired at crowds on the third memorial of the 25th January 2011 revolution. Egypts constitution drafts were never approved by consensus. Under the regime of the ousted President Mohamed Morsi, the ruling party attempted to pass a constitution that was opposed by many opposition figures and parties. When the military gripped power from Morsi, the military-backed government passed a constitution by a whopping 98.1% after a two-day referendum on January 14 and 15. The referendum was boycotted by anti-coup activists and Islamists and several activists from the Strong Egypt Party – which includes liberals and moderate Islamists - were arrested for campaigning against the constitution. The action was condemned by Human Rights Watch which said, “Egyptian citizens should be free to vote for or against the new constitution, not fear arrest for simply campaigning for a ‘no’ vote.” The secret in Tunisias success was in the concessions made by the Islamists to overcome any obstacles that can lead to a political deadlock. With the sinking popularity of the Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Recep Erdogan and the crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Tunisia learnt the lesson and pushed ahead towards peaceful reconciliation. The blood bath that started in Egypt was definitely a motivation for Tunisians to overcome their differences for the sake of their country. Yet, it is no secret that the militarys non-intervention in Tunisia saved the country from division resulting in a drama similar to Egypt. While the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt blamed their failure on the immaturity of the opposition, they were also accused of exhibiting extreme stubbornness and showing no flexibility or willingness to negotiate moderate solutions. Failing to comprehend that compromise is part of politics; Morsi offered no concessions and refused to agree to hold early elections. When asked why the Muslim Brotherhood did not come to an agreement with their opponents like Tunisias Islamist ruling party in an interview with Al-Jazeera Mubasher Misr (Egypt Live), Gamal Heshmat –a leader in the Freedom and Justice Party– asserts that the Muslim Brotherhood were not as bad as the media portrayed them but it was rather the opposition who failed the country. Heshamt claims that the Brotherhood offered many positions in the government during Morsis regime to opposition figures but they turned their back on them to create a political crisis. Taking a closer look, it was the media that added fuel to the fire. The media played a drastic role in spreading a state propaganda and campaigning against the Islamists. Egypts well-known, most influential television presenters, and opposition figures worked hard to ciculate rumors and exaggerate the pitfalls of the Brotherhood in an attempt to incite hatred towards the group. Labels such as sheep and humiliating caricature were used extensively by social media to dehumanize the Islamist ruling party. Nonetheless, for many people, it was also the use of radical religious discourse by pro-brotherhood preachers –and attributing loyalty to the group to religious devotion–that turned them against Morsi. Statements about jihad against the idolaters eventually triggered for a wide-scale movement demanding Morsi to go. Is Egypt destined to be Under Military Rule? The mandate coming from the Supreme Council of Armed Forces provoked many activists who criticized the SCAF for continuously intervening in politics. Many social activists tweeted after the news of the mandate, will the SCAF become a political party?’ On January 25th, 2014, pro-Sissy were celebrating the third memorial of the revolution against Mubarak while at the same time the security forces were brutally chasing protesters and shedding the blood of anti-coup protesters. The scene was confusing as pro-Sissy gathered in the streets chanting and cheering for the police and security forces who are regarded today as the guardians of Egypt but were the perpetrators of violence against the peaceful protesters during the revolt against Mubarak. Now the roles have been reversed, as the police became the heroes of the revolution whereas the protesters turned into the villains. The revolution never came any close to achieving its objectives - bread, freedom and social justice and the same problems of unemployment, food and fuel shortage, extreme poverty, and horrible infrastructure remain unsolved. Oddly enough, people instead of complaining about their living conditions and calling for their rights, they blame it all on the Muslim Brotherhood. It is the same old story of Ramses the second (known as the Pharaoh of Moses). Ramses the second tortured and killed the descendants of Israel upon the mandate of his people who saw them as a threat to their nation. Some Political thinkers - who have been banned from any public appearance for embracing anti-coup views - see no sign of any political resolution except perhaps the hope of a new Moses. Courtesy: Todays Zaman March 19 2014
Posted on: Wed, 19 Mar 2014 21:18:34 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015