Rifts in the Muslim Brotherhood Amid Growing Anarchy in Egypt
May 30, 2011 3 Comments
The economic, social, and political situation in Egypt is getting worse. Due to the security situation, civilians are buying weapons and hiring militias to protect themselves. Confrontations between Islamists and Copts, as well as Islamists and seculars, are increasing. The ruling Military Council is not coping with the many challenges, and there are voices claiming that Egypt is on the verge of a civil war.
During the first quarter of the year, the Egyptian economy shrunk by 7 percent. Mohamed ElBaradei, the former director of the International Atomic Energy Agency and candidate for the Egyptian presidency, recently told CNN that “Egypt is disintegrating socially; economically we are not in the best state. Politically it’s like a black hole. We do not know where we are heading.”
The International Monetary Fund (IMF), Saudi Arabia, and the United States have all promised financial support for Egypt. However, this assistance won’t be able to solve the structural problems of the Egyptian economy, which is based on agriculture and tourism, and lacks any serious industrial or high-tech component. Under current circumstances, further deterioration of the socio-economic situation can be expected, which no doubt will benefit the extremist elements, primarily the Muslim Brotherhood.
The leaders of the demonstrators and the secular opposition parties believe that the Military Council is not very keen on executing radical reforms, and purposely acts slowly. Consequently, on May 27, a second Friday of Anger was held across Egypt in order to pressure the Council, and especially its leader, General Mohamed Tantawi. The Muslim Brotherhood announced that it would not take part in the demonstrations, thus reinforcing the growing gap with the secular opposition. But to their great surprise, the young guard of their movement decided to participate, against the will of the supreme leader. This is the first sign of a rift within the Muslim Brotherhood, which is known for its intransigent hierarchy and for unquestioned obedience to its leaders since its establishment 83 years ago.
It seems like the new, revolutionary Egypt will experience many years of confrontations before a new, democratic regime will evolve, based on freedom of speech, human rights, liberation of women, and religious tolerance towards the Copts.
The writer, a Fellow of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, served as Israel’s Ambassador to Egypt and Sweden.
Unfortunately, Zvi Mazel is wrong in every respect. He must be wrong for the simple reason that nothing he writes matches the “visions” of that great thinker, Hussein Obama, the current incumbent of the White House in Washington. And as we all know, having opinions not in line with Hussein Obama is tantamount to blasphemy and requires the perpetrator to be sacrificed on the international altar of expediency known as the UN.
The UN’s foremost human rights institutions are represented by renowned liberal societies such as Syria, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iran, Libya, China, Cuba. Zvi Mazel obviously needs to get his act in order and step into line behind great thinkers who lead their nations without the unnecessary efficiency-sapping medium of democracy.
We have it on Hussein Obama’s authority that Mubarak had to be removed because it was on Mubarak’s watch that a small number of Egyptian protesters died while demonstrating in favour of democracy. Obama applied tough diplomatic pressure on Mubarak to force his ouster. And he was right to back the despot Mubarak’s political demise.
We also have it on Hussein Obama’s authority that Gaddafi has to be removed because it is on his watch that a much larger number of Libyan protesters are dying while demonstrating in favour of democracy. Obama is applying tough diplomatic, economic and military pressure on Gaddafi to force his ouster. And he is right to back the despot Gaddafi’s political demise.
At the same time, we have it on Hussein Obama’s authority that Bashar “Butcher” Assad must under no circumstances be removed from power even though it is on his watch that an even larger number of Syrian protesters are dying every single day while demonstrating in favour of democracy. Obama is applying tough diplomatic pressure against any country voicing support for harsh measures against Assad designed to force his ouster. Obama is under no circumstances willing to countenance the despot Assad’s political demise.
Go figure.
In case the irony of my opening comments sailed over anyone’s head – Zvi Mazel is absolutely spot-on in his analysis of Egypt. As time passes and he expands his analysis to encompass events in Libya, Syria and Lebanon, among others, perhaps a broader picture will emerge of a US, EU and UN foreign policy that is in absolute tatters, headless and reckless. A policy relying as always on diverting much-needed funds from law-abiding citizens of non-Arab countries to bribe Arab countries to contain their endemic violence within their own borders.
It is a policy doomed to failure. Appeasement has always failed in the long term, simply causing untold human tragedy in the short term.
But don’t tell Hussein Obama that – he is utterly convinced that the flood-gates of Islamic expansionism he has opened in Egypt is a good move, at the same time as the forced ouster of a vicious despot in Libya is not to be parallelled by the forced ouster of an even more vicious despot in Syria because the latter is backed by fundamentalist Shia theocrats in Iran.
Egypt can apply little pressure on Israel in the short term, while Libya can apply no pressure on Israel at any time. But Syria is in a position to do considerable existential harm to the Jewish state. Therefore, hands off Syria even as the wholesale slaughter of Syrian civilians continues..
Anarchy in Egypt aside, the real anarchy is in the foreign policy vacuum of the US, EU and UN.
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