The stance taken by Islamists in Egypt in general, and by the Muslim Brotherhood in particular, on Defense Minister Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi is well known and understandable. Indeed, the man has overthrown their rule in the greatest Arab country and destroyed their dreams of bringing their plans to fruition after only one year. Yet the stances taken by secular forces on the events and the situation in Egypt are incomprehensible – not just because they are confused or contradictory, but also because they are surprising. One could almost discover in the end that they have no stance at all. Indeed, the stances of every secular faction or figure, whether Liberal, Leftist, Nasserist or Nationalist, appear upon analysis to have been taken on the basis of personal interests, or of the dictates of their own faction or movement, regardless of the nation's interest! On the whole, there is a question: will some of the prominent figures of Egypt's secular forces rest after Al-Sisi's statements to the Washington Post, and his pledge not to run as candidate in the next presidential elections? I do not think so, as the issue with these people does not concern the presidential seat, for which they consider one of them to be more deserving than any member of the military, or of the Muslim Brotherhood of course. Rather, it concerns anyone who might turn into a popular hero or a leader of the masses without a presidential seat. Indeed, they also believe that any kind of leader can only come from among them! Do not ask about the behavior and the deeds of Egyptian secular forces. And do not be surprised by their lack of influence on the street, and by the fact that they suffice themselves with fighting through microphones and struggling through the screens of satellite television shows. Indeed, this has always been their behavior, reflecting their inability to compete, whether against a political party, an Islamist group, a government institution, or a figure from the military! They are the ones who rode the wave of the January 25 Revolution and won its cake, becoming "broadcasters" on satellite television shows, members of local, regional and international committees and organizations, or experts in the field of politics without having any talent, education, or qualifications for it! They are also the ones who tried once again to ride the wave of the June 30 Revolution, and who fear that it could represent a reason for them to fade away and disappear. It is true that some of those associated with secular forces have struggled and opposed ruling regimes throughout the decades, going in and out of prisons and detention centers. They represented a valuable record which the January 25 Revolution had relied on. But the catastrophe resides in the new Egyptian elite, which has leapt on the scene, seized the cake and is still hoping for more. It is that same elite that allied itself with everyone against everyone according to personal interests, or as a result of either its ignorance of the rules of politics or its denial of the nation's higher interests! Those are the same people who supported the Islamists against the military then turned against them; supported the army then turned against both; then returned to hold a truce with the Islamists; and finally claimed to stand with the people, despite the fact that their actions have only ever served their own interests. To be quite candid, some prominent figures of Egypt's secular forces, who had achieved stardom with the January 25 Revolution or even before it, strongly fear the growth of Al-Sisi's popularity and view him as a potential rival in the next presidential elections. In fact, they realize that it would be nearly impossible for them to compete against him, after the successes the man has achieved and the ever-positive popular reactions to him in the street. They do not believe that he will not run for President, and prefer to smear, obstruct or hinder him, so that he may become unable rather than unwilling to compete! And regardless of Al-Sisi's performance, his success or his failure, or even the reservations voiced by some over the notion of a military candidate, the fact of the matter is that the man really enjoys a great deal of popularity, which has remained unaffected by the campaign waged against him by the Muslim Brotherhood using all possible means, or by the insinuations made by some prominent figures of the country's secular forces concerning him. Yet, on the whole, the issue of whether or not he might run as candidate in the next presidential elections remains one that is not urgent, at a time when Egypt is suffering from aches, ills, and pains that are no secret to anyone. But the problem is that the secular forces opposed to Islamists in general, and to the Muslim Brotherhood in particular, have now begun to exploit these aches and those ills and pains to achieve gains at the expense of the country as well as of ordinary citizens. They are unable to compete and believe that defeating their opponents by abusing them or smearing their image is better than confronting them. And one can only smile sarcastically when one hears them accusing the Muslim Brotherhood of being exclusionist and of smearing their opponents! The stances taken by secular forces have been incomprehensible, whether on the two protests of the Muslim Brotherhood in the Rabia Al-Adawiyya and Al-Nahda public squares, the issue of the new constitution, the roadmap laid out by Al-Sisi, the violent and bloody events in the Sinai, or the marches organized by the Muslim Brotherhood day and night, blocking roads and hindering people's activity. There is no one stance taken by secular forces on any event. Rather, there are always numerous, differing and conflicting stances on every event that cannot bear disagreement, outbidding, or blackmail. Egypt's misfortune did not lie with the National Democratic Party (NDP), the Muslim Brotherhood or the Islamists alone... but with its secular elites as well.
