The Brotherhood's Mistake: The Islamists In Syria Must Learn The Lesson Of The Brotherhood In Egypt
21 February 2013
By Dr. Hamad Al-Majid
The bloody events over the past three days in Egypt,
coinciding with the second anniversary of the Egyptian
revolution, have proven the truth behind the claim
that the Islamists were wrong to rush and seize power
after the elections. Shortly after the Egyptian
revolution's success in overthrowing Hosni Mubarak's
reign, any new government should have realized that
the task ahead of them was a thankless one. Corrupt
dictatorships are like mites that eat away very deeply
into a state's infrastructure, temporary fillers and
distractions do not work; it takes decades to restore
what has been destroyed.
The people, who had toiled under tyranny, oppression
and theft for decades, were keen to reap the fruits of
their revolution against dictatorship, expecting their
new leaders to keep them safe and hunger-free. Without
these two provisions there can be no stability, even
if the new ruling regime is clean and pure. During the
?era of President Mursi?, prices have risen, Egypt's
currency has fallen to record lows, the tourism
industry has sunk to new depths, capital has fled
abroad, the fragile security situation prevails, and
the president is suffering from a lack of genuine
prestige.
I realize that it is too early to judge President
Mursi, and I understand that Egypt's situation is a
natural and logical outcome following any
post-revolution phase, but it is not an exaggeration
to say that this was always going to be a wretched
period to govern, even if Egypt has the most skilled
and experienced leaders who are very familiar with the
origins of governance.
I have deliberately linked fragile security, rising
prices and Egypt's deteriorating currency during the
?era of President Mursi? not because this is my
personal conviction, but because this is precisely how
the man on the Egyptian street thinks. He leaves the
theorizing to politicians and political analysts, and
is only concerned with his security, development and a
loaf of bread. He will never understand why the
president ? for justified economic reasons ?
deliberately increased the price of essential goods,
even if this was a textbook example of austerity
measures, and even if the president himself had
first-hand experience of life on the Egyptian street.
In reality, President Mursi decided to raise prices
but was then forced to retract his decision the
following day.
The Muslim Brotherhood's initial tactic was to be
patient and not seek to control the majority of seats
in parliament (this was the right decision before the
last parliamentary elections, but then they went back
on their word). Initially the Brotherhood were not
even going to nominate a presidential candidate, at
least in the first presidential elections. Now the
microscope of the entire world is scrutinizing this
first experiment in Islamic democracy in this pivotal
and influential country, where any sort of failure
would be catastrophic. This is precisely what the
Ennahda movement in Tunisia foresaw when it formed an
alliance with rival national forces, and entrusted the
presidential position to Moncef Marzouki, a figure who
is not affiliated to an Islamist faction. In the case
of Egypt, it seems the scene has become divided
between the ruling Islamists and the opposing
liberals, and this division has led the country
towards a dangerous political deadlock, although it is
my strong belief that the liberal parties leading the
opposition do not have universal respect, nor do they
have the man on the Egyptian street.
When it comes to corrupt regimes, it is relatively
easy to overthrow the head but it is not so easy to
pull out the deep roots buried in the depths of the
army, the security services, the media, the judiciary,
and the economy. It would have been wiser if the
Egyptian Islamists had let others perform the role of
the bulldozer and receive the bruises, trauma and
wounds for their efforts, knowing that later periods
will be better to compete with rivals and vie for the
head of state and parliamentary seats, in a more
favorable climate.
Some may ask me here why I used the word ?'if' in my
previous point. For example, the Brotherhood clearly
appealed to the Egyptian street and were elected in
fair elections. Would they have benefited from waiting
any longer? The answer is yes. Syria is now on the
verge of the post-Assad phase, which will be more
severe and complex than the post-Mubarak period, and
so the Islamists in Syria must learn the lesson of the
Brotherhood in Egypt.
Dr. Hamad Al-Majid is a journalist and former member
of the official Saudi National Organization for Human
Rights. Al-Majid is a graduate of Imam Muhammad Bin
Saud Islamic University in Riyadh and holds an M.A.
from California and a Doctorate from the University of
Hull in the United Kingdom.
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