The Muslim Brotherhood has never before faced a
backlash as dramatic as it did this week in Egypt, but it has yet to
have the final say on the matter.
Egypt's Islamists have yet
to have their final say
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Photo credit: AP  |
One of the founders of the Muslim Brotherhood
movement, Sayyid Qutb, who is best known for his 1964 book "Milestones
on the Road" ("Ma'alim fi'l-Tariq"), and many of the Islamist
philosophers who followed in his footsteps, have witnessed their share
of political upsets, which began with their movement being favored by
the regime and ended with its members being hanged in city squares.
Still, it seems that the Muslim Brotherhood has never before faced a backlash as dramatic as it did this week in Egypt.
While many of the movement's philosophers
claimed that reality would force the Islamists to compromise their
religious doctrine as part of any political coalition, the Muslim
Brotherhood's "milestones" never included fostering democracy. In its
writings, the Brotherhood cynically states -- perhaps with some
foresight -- that even if it was able to win an election, its rivals
would do everything in their power to see it deposed.
That premise led the Brotherhood to focus on
increasing its influence among the public, by exploiting the people's
plight and employing terrorism and covert activities to that end.
Some Islamist philosophers, however, believed
that the democratic process could be used as a stepping stone to power,
but one that must be razed once the process is complete; much like a
theory expressed by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan who,
when serving as the mayor of Istanbul in the 1990s, once said democracy
was "a train that takes you to your destination, and then you get off."
This theory has proved true for Erdogan so far, despite the public agitation in his country.
Mohammed Morsi's blatant attempt to use his
presidency to change the nature of the Egyptian regime, constitution and
judiciary in one fell swoop failed. The masses, whose economic
situation deteriorated, recognized Morsi's dangerous intentions, and
throughout Morsi's one year in power the public's agitation bubbled in
the street until it finally reached its boiling point this week.
When it comes to the history of the Muslim
Brotherhood in Egypt, and perhaps across the entire Islamic world,
Wednesday's milestone was not a fork in the road so much as a dead end,
which symbolizes a return to tried and true way of promoting Islamist
goals -- violence.
It is interesting that the Egyptian Muslim
Brotherhood, which never really believed in democracy, ended up ruling
the country via democratic elections. Now, its president has been
deposed in a highly undemocratic fashion, and by Gen. Abdel-Fattah
el-Sissi no less -- the man Morsi himself appointed to replace Field
Marshal Mohamed Tantawi as head of the Supreme Military Council.
Sissi has repeatedly stressed that the
military is not interested in ruling Egypt and that it only has the
public's best interest at heart. This was a military coup disguised as a
civilian one, and only time will tell how involved the Egyptian
military will be in the regime.
The tension building up in Egypt was defused
by Sissi's announcement that Morsi had been stripped of his powers. The
Egyptian defense minister delivered his message flanked by political
leaders and top generals, and even had a representative of the radical
Salafi movement's Nour party by his side, as well as the Grand Sheikh of
Al-Azhar Ahmed al-Tayeb, opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei and Coptic
Pope Tawadros, all of whom rallied behind the military's decision to
step in and depose Morsi.
The Supreme Military Council decided that the
head of Egypt's Supreme Constitutional Court Chief Justice Adly Mansour
would serve as the country's interim president. It also suspended the
constitution and stated that a reconciliation council will be formed to
bridge the social gaps in Egypt. New presidential and parliamentary
elections have been called as well.
Sissi delivered his message as massive
military forces poured into the streets, Islamist TV and radio stations
were taken off the air and Morsi was whisked away to a remote location
"for his own safety."
The deposed president was barely able to post a
sad video message on his Facebook page. The image of him sitting in a
low armchair, which was apparently filmed by a camera phone, provided a
grotesque end to Egypt's sad saga of democracy.
The masses were celebrating in the streets and
Sissi was probably taking calls from the Americans. The Islamic world
is gearing up for the month of Ramadan, a time of soul-searching and
reflection.
The rows of Muslims praying in Rabaa Al-Adawiya Mosque
Square were enraged by news of the coup. The Islamists have yet to have
the final say on the matter.
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