01 April 2012 By Tariq Alhomayed The "national covenant" document presented by the
Muslim Brotherhood in Syria, which calls for a civil
state after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad, the rights
of minorities and women, and a guarantee that
democracy in Syria is not exploited by the majority
over the minority, is not only a major event in Syria,
but it is also evidence of a revolution inside the
Brotherhood itself, where a large rock has now been
thrown into stagnant Brotherhood water across the
region. The Syrian Brotherhood proved that they have
changed, just like it is said that Syria has changed,
but they also sent a clear message to their mother
organization, specifically in Egypt, as well as to the
rest of the Arab world, and the overt and covert
Brotherhood organizations in the Gulf. What the Syrian
Brotherhood presented in their document was a message
of reassurance for all segments of Syrian society, and
likewise the international community, but they also
killed two birds with one stone, because they
destroyed many of the concepts that lead to the
Brotherhood being criticized elsewhere. The Syrian Muslim Brotherhood document means that
the state will be motherland, rather than pursuing a
concept of abolishing the state, or "to hell with
Egypt" as the General Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood
in Egypt once said. Therefore the state will not be
sold, or so we assume, to the General Guide, but
rather there will be a social contract between the
state and the people, as prescribed by the
constitution. The Syrian Muslim Brotherhood document
also means that the religion of God and the homeland
are for all, there are no exclusions and no
prejudices. Whoever comes to power will have to offer
a project that benefits the state and its citizens;
the slogan "Islam is the solution" will not help to
pay mobile phone bills and it will not open schools,
but instead there must be hard work and dedication,
according to a clear vision, through the concepts of
peaceful coexistence and communication with the
international community. This is how a state is build,
and Syria can no longer be an international outcast
and an ally of those who live in the basements and
caves, such as Hassan Nasrallah and those like him.
The Syrian Muslim Brotherhood document is an
important message for the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt,
who are walking in the same footsteps as the Mubarak
regime by excluding parties and monopolizing
everything. Even if they came to power via the ballot
box, the issue here is building a homeland, rather
than exploiting the moment. Homelands are not built by
exploiting moments; this only leads to conflict. As
for building the state and drafting the constitution,
this is not a battle but rather a vision for the
future, as constitutions are written with the future
in mind, not the past. Hence, the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood document is
important, and a message of reassurance for the
Syrians in all their walks of life, religions and
sects. Likewise it is reassuring for Syria's
neighbors, specifically Lebanon and Jordan. As for
Iraq, it needs to reassure the Syrians, and not vice
versa. When I say that the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood
document is reassuring and progressive- at least on
paper- this is because it serves to advance the
visions of all Brotherhood organizations in the
region. It is clearly a step towards the vision of the
Muslim Brotherhood in Turkey, which the Syrian branch
is moving closer to. The national covenant also serves
to reassure the international community, and acts as a
restraint upon any other Islamic trend in Syria, as
whoever deviates will ultimately stand out. The
document also provides a breakthrough for Yemen, Libya
and Tunisia, and sends a message to embarrass the
Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, because their vision
seems the most backwards. Meanwhile, in the Gulf, the
document will serve as an alarm bell for the
Brotherhood organizations there, because here is the
Syrian Brotherhood, after decades of conflict with the
al-Assad regime, recognizing the concept of the state
and the rights of women and minorities, so what is the
agenda of the Brotherhood organizations in the stable
Gulf who want to overturn the concepts of the state
and citizenship there? In truth this is a major event. Tariq Alhomayed is the Editor-in-Chief of Asharq
Al-Awsat, the youngest person to be appointed that
position. He holds a BA degree in Media studies from
King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah, and has also
completed his Introductory courses towards a Master's
degree from George Washington University in Washington
D.C. He is based in London.
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