What do we want for Egypt's new order? Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayyib, the Sheikh of al-Azhar, spoke on behalf of the majority of the people when he endorsed the establishment of a democratic non-theocratic state, and called for “the bolstering of the modern national democratic state, which adopts a constitution accepted by the nation, separating the branches of power and its governing legal bodies. Such a constitution would foster the rights and duties for the entire nations on an equal footing, and would give legislative powers to representatives of the people in accordance with the true nature of Islam, which has never known throughout its laws, civilization or history what is known in other cultures as the clerical theocratic state.” What does Israel want, meanwhile? Ever since the revolution succeeded, Israel, the lobby and the Likudnik gangs of mischief in the United States and beyond, have been warning against a takeover of power in Egypt by the Muslim Brotherhood. Hence, this cabal has asked the Obama administration to put pressure on the ruling Military Council in Egypt to curb the influence of the Brotherhood, while attacking said administration for declaring its intent to engage the Islamist group's leaders in Egypt on a limited basis (This all took place in conjunction with their ongoing campaign against Islam and Muslims). The Muslim Brotherhood, as I said many times in the past, are my brothers. There is no reason whatsoever to be apprehensive of them. In particular, I have always maintained the same position on Israel as theirs. However, I limit myself today to my views in support of those of the Sheikh of al-Azhar. I had taken my information, ideas and questions to Dr. Essam El-Erian, Vice President of the Freedom and Justice Party, which emerged out of the Muslim Brotherhood. The following is some of what I heard from him in response to my questions that I asked throughout a lengthy phone conversation. He said: There is a shift that has taken place, and Egypt will never be the same again. The country is on the correct path and is on its way to elections. No particular faction will emerge with a majority, and instead, the burden of building a democratic Egypt will be shouldered by us all. The competition among the parties will lead to a democratic state, the rule of law and an independent judiciary, which will help build a strong economy and restore Egypt's pioneering role in the region and the world. The Salafists have been around for a long time. Before the July Revolution, they were known as Ansar [Partisans] as-Sunnah, and have always maintained ties with the Salafists in Saudi Arabia. There was no problem until the security services started using them to intimidate people, giving them mosques and allowing them to establish television networks. Then the new young Salafist group focused on targeting Sufism and shrines, while maintaining that the ruler in place must be obeyed unless he commits blasphemy. They were also against entering parliament which they considered a sin or heresy, because legislation therein was not based on God's ordinances. But there is a very sudden shift in the Salafist movement, and it's not known whether it is because pressure on them has been eased, or whether once again they are being used by the security services to intimidate people. The Salafist movement has grown in a strange manner. Many wealthy and educated people have joined them, and they enjoy substantial funding. I have always had friends amongst them, and I advised them to change some of their old infamous ideas. They have books that proclaim that democracy is not only haram [prohibited by religion], but is blasphemy. They need to reconsider such books, and I believe that they will. At any rate, they are newcomers to the political scene, and they need training and experience, and this will not be a simple matter. There is no dispute over the democratic state. There are 26 parties which issued a declaration on a democratic coalition. Today (last Monday), there was a meeting that brought together more of these parties after having started with fifteen. The new group includes ten major political parties that may enter into an electoral alliance. The Muslim Brotherhood is against postponing the legislative elections, because the country will never be stable without them. What is needed is for the people to discuss issues from within the institutions, and not in the street. As regards the presidential elections, this is a problem, because the people do not know what the essence of the new constitution is, and to what extent the powers of the president will be reduced, and also whether the form of government will become a parliamentary system, where there would be no problem because the powers of the parliament are known to all. I content myself with this much from the conversation with Dr. Essam El-Erian, and conclude with a subject on which we exchanged opinions, namely the announcement by the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that limited contacts have begun with the Muslim Brotherhood. Dr. Essam told me that no official contact or request for meetings has so far taken place. He also said that he met with a U.S. Congressman who visited [Egypt] last week, and that he habitually meets with European ambassadors. I told Dr. Essam that the U.S. Ambassador in Cairo Margaret Scobey is well-informed, objective and that one can trust her intentions. However, I warned him that the majority of U.S. Congressmen who visit are advocates of Israel, and come to our countries to look for “ammunition” that they can use against us. Having run out of space, I want to say that if the Muslim Brotherhood intimidates Israel, the lobby and the Likudnik gang of mischief, then this is one additional reason for me to support them. [email protected]
