Faisal J. Abbas Al Arabiya Until this week, many observers may still have been wondering what kind of rulers the Muslim Brotherhood are in Egypt. Since assuming office last June, questions have been raised about the dubious power-consolidation strategy carried out by President Mohamed Morsi, the democratically elected Brotherhood candidate who came into power with the demise of the Mubarak regime in 2011. ?However, there was very little room left for uncertainty recently, when a highly disturbing video of Egyptian police brutality went viral. The footage shows police officers stripping middle-aged protester Hamada Saber naked, and beating him senseless in front of the presidential palace. Egyptians have been back in the streets since Jan. 25, to mark the second anniversary of the revolution that ended the 30-year rule of President Hosni Mubarak. However, it was quickly evident that the crowds were not gathering to celebrate; this was another angry protest. With a tarnished economy, worsening living conditions, the re-establishment of the state of emergency, and a government that seems only keen to serve the interests of the ruling party (the Brotherhood in this case), Egyptians were back to square one. Eight months into its rule, the Brotherhood has very little to show in terms of achievements (apart from Cairo's first "halal" coffee shop, where gender-segregation is imposed and playing music is forbidden!). The only brilliance the Brotherhood has shown is in waste management: They “managed“ to “waste“ a real and valuable opportunity when the whole world was ready to support the resurgence of Egypt. Unsurprisingly, many global players are now reluctant to lend the country the money it so badly needs to get back on its feet. Egypt has just received a loan offer from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but this is not necessarily a good thing. In today's world, any offers of "assistance" from Iran can only mean one thing: That you must have messed up very badly with everyone else. This is not to say that Egyptians were wrong to go down the democratic route, and this is certainly not to say that we should not accept the choice of the now-democratic Republic of Egypt. ?However, let us not shy away from the truth: It was not the Brotherhood that ignited or led the 2011 revolution, and since there was no clear opposition figure that claimed responsibility for it, the path was clear for the Brotherhood to reap the rewards. ?In addition, due to some questionable inner-workings of local politics, when the time to vote arrived in 2012, Egyptians were caught between a rock and a hard place. The only two choices left were the Brotherhood's candidate, and one associated with the former regime. While much can be said to criticize the Brotherhood, one cannot but admire how well-organized and structured it is. Indeed, it was evident that it was going to be the de-facto beneficiary of the Egyptian revolution. The country's liberal opposition must unite behind a strong and savvy politician, and this must happen now. Without a healthy, solid and powerful opposition that can impose a system of checks and balances, it will not just be a protester dragged naked onto the streets, but the whole country. — Faisal J. Abbas is the Editor-in-Chief of Al Arabiya English. Follow him on Twitter: @FaisalJAbbas
