Dear friends,
I came across this fine article "Egypt will go to hell" by Mohamed El Tanani, written after the 19 March referendum on amendments to the 1971 constitution and published in a Cairo paper. I liked it so much that I translated it for your enjoyment. What I liked about it is that it is simple, clear, witty and honest; it underscores the key issues democracy faces in a religious state as opposed to a secular one. El Tanani's analysis is spot on.
I came across this fine article "Egypt will go to hell" by Mohamed El Tanani, written after the 19 March referendum on amendments to the 1971 constitution and published in a Cairo paper. I liked it so much that I translated it for your enjoyment. What I liked about it is that it is simple, clear, witty and honest; it underscores the key issues democracy faces in a religious state as opposed to a secular one. El Tanani's analysis is spot on.
I have added a followup commentary of mine at the end.
In summary, El Tanani outlines the hypocrisy and various tactics of the Muslim Brothers and other ultraconservative Islamists in Egypt today.
El Tanani "Democracy is a set of principles and practices that protect freedom and human rights. Any grown up, mature and sane person knows that a state is a legal entity. What does that mean? it means a state is not a physical entity you can touch like you would a person. Egypt does not take a bath, or eat or goes to the gym. You would think this is self-evident that my Egyptian brother who is insisting that Egypt is Islamic would easily grasp!
A country my friend is not a human being, a country has no religion, God judges people and not countries. On Judgement Day, the Day of Resurrection, we will not be seeing Saudi Arabia go to heaven, and Malta with not one minaret to its name going to hell. Qualifying for heaven is not like World Cup qualifications!
You will ask why am I upset, most Egyptians are Muslims and that is why Egypt is Islamic. I will tell you that if most Egyptians are Muslims then it goes to reason that all Egyptians are Egyptians, and that this should be the only preferable and acceptable identification of an Egyptian.
Then someone tells me: do not upset yourself, I will prove to you that Egypt is Islamic and in a way to your liking. Are you not one of the freedom and democracy lovers, OK then, we will have an Islamic Egypt via the ballot box, or are you going to object to that as well? is that not your democracy?
Have you not heard such sentence from many Islamists! All of them without exception, from your friendly moderate Islamists, to the deadly terrorists with blood-stained hands, to the ultraconservative Salafist school of Islam and their Sheikhs, to the Brotherhood, as well as the Al Wassat (Centrist) Party, and others, all unanimously declared that Egypt is to become Islamic via our democracy, and ask us why do we object!
In summary, El Tanani outlines the hypocrisy and various tactics of the Muslim Brothers and other ultraconservative Islamists in Egypt today.
El Tanani "Democracy is a set of principles and practices that protect freedom and human rights. Any grown up, mature and sane person knows that a state is a legal entity. What does that mean? it means a state is not a physical entity you can touch like you would a person. Egypt does not take a bath, or eat or goes to the gym. You would think this is self-evident that my Egyptian brother who is insisting that Egypt is Islamic would easily grasp!
A country my friend is not a human being, a country has no religion, God judges people and not countries. On Judgement Day, the Day of Resurrection, we will not be seeing Saudi Arabia go to heaven, and Malta with not one minaret to its name going to hell. Qualifying for heaven is not like World Cup qualifications!
You will ask why am I upset, most Egyptians are Muslims and that is why Egypt is Islamic. I will tell you that if most Egyptians are Muslims then it goes to reason that all Egyptians are Egyptians, and that this should be the only preferable and acceptable identification of an Egyptian.
Then someone tells me: do not upset yourself, I will prove to you that Egypt is Islamic and in a way to your liking. Are you not one of the freedom and democracy lovers, OK then, we will have an Islamic Egypt via the ballot box, or are you going to object to that as well? is that not your democracy?
Have you not heard such sentence from many Islamists! All of them without exception, from your friendly moderate Islamists, to the deadly terrorists with blood-stained hands, to the ultraconservative Salafist school of Islam and their Sheikhs, to the Brotherhood, as well as the Al Wassat (Centrist) Party, and others, all unanimously declared that Egypt is to become Islamic via our democracy, and ask us why do we object!
In fact, I do have an objection... because they all are making a mockery of democracy, their actions belie their words, I will prove it to you, starting with the basic premise that democracy is the ballot box, that has never been the meaning or understanding of the concept of democracy. Elections are not democracy, elections are the last station on democracy road. To reach that station, the elections, you need to have passed many other stations our Islamic friends never pass on their train. These stations include human rights, freedom of opinion and belief, individual and social freedoms, and other stations that must precede any elections.
If democratic elections were to take place now, and the Islamists won, you Sir will no longer smell the aroma of democracy. Let me remind you that there has not been any political Islamic movement that has proved capable of a democratic system. Remember Hammas, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Somalia, the Taliban, etc., etc. And please do not tell me Turkey, Turkey is a secular state and even the ruling party that you think is Islamic, please be my guest and go see their secular programs for yourself.
You will say these are failed examples, what stops Egypt from establishing a model of a successful Islamic democracy? I write below why if democratic elections were to take place now, and the Islamists won, you Sir will no longer smell the aroma of democracy.
The basis of democratic systems is the protection of fundamental human rights:
- freedom of opinion and expression,
- freedom of belief, and
- equality before the law.
This kind of talk is entirely absent with the Islamists, I will outline below.
1. Freedom of Opinion and Expression
The lack of ability of Islamists to take freedom of opinion and expression as a basic human right is a serious question. Be honest, how many times have you heard of problems between the Islamists and people of other walks of life. Movies Islamists ask not to be shown because they are not to their liking, thousands of them demonstrating, burning flags, spewing condemnations and threats over an article or a caricature, or even a verse of a poem written not to their fancy, books and novels censored, and authors' lives threatened. How many thinkers received death threats because he/she expressed opinions contrary to the beliefs of the Islamists. Whatever the opinion, even if it is wrong, even if it is a mistake, in the end it is a point of view expressed by the author in a legitimate and peaceful way, it certainly does not warrant the violence and blood-letting routinely unleashed by the Islamists against such authors. How many thinkers and authors have been mentally drained, physically harmed or separated from their wives, have you heard of Farag Foda, Nasr Hamid Abu Zaid, Sayed El Qimni, Nawal El Saadawi, Khaled Montasser and Fatima Naaot. Do you know that any of us young people is subjected to the worst of portrayal, humiliation, defamation of character, and threats for simply writing an article in Facebook, freely expressing an opinion. Now, do you honestly believe that after all this you will get to sniff freedom of expression if the Islamists were to govern and rule. They are doing this to us while out of power, imagine what would they do to us when in power.
2. Freedom of Belief
An Islamist considers Copts as part of the estate bequeathed to him by his father. He, the Islamist, believes that he has taken a pledge to protect them and save their rights, together with the rights of his cattle. That is how Copts are regarded by Islamists. If you were to ask an Islamist about Copts, he will tell you they are on my conscious, my responsibility and the Lord will hold me accountable if I mistreat or abuse them, just as he would be talking about his cattle and not human beings! The Islamist will have tears in his eyes as he is telling all of this, as he recounts to you the story of the Prophet Mohamed with his Jewish neighbor, and as he tells you how our religion of Islam is a religion of tolerance and will have you deep in tales that have nothing to do with the rights of Copts.
Then, when it comes to the need to build a church, that same Islamist will tell you that it is not appropriate to build a church or a synagogue in the land of Islam. So you say, never mind praying, would it be agreeable to you if we Copts be candidates in any of the various elections, the Islamist's answer would be that according to the Sharia law it is not acceptable for a non-Muslim to govern over a Muslim.
An Islamist does not recognize a non-Muslim Egyptian a citizen of Egypt. He considers him an alien from outer space, an illusion of a person who does not really exist. He works to have you believe that he is tolerant of Copts, accepting of their rights, etc. But in reality, as indicated above, the Islamist believes that Copts are infidels and thus have no rights. An Islamist does not recognize that humanity includes all people, religious people of other faiths and non-religious people.
An Islamist does not know about freedom of belief. He will engage as regards the details of others' beliefs only to convince them of its corrupted doctrine. He will tell you we never hail other religions, they are wrong faiths with bad people, and that only Islam is great and all of that. He will further tell you to relax and that there is no need to understand other religions or that other religions are not wrong, you only have to convince yourself that they have the right to believe in their wrong faiths. Can you believe the extent of the temerity of Islamists!
Then, when it comes to the need to build a church, that same Islamist will tell you that it is not appropriate to build a church or a synagogue in the land of Islam. So you say, never mind praying, would it be agreeable to you if we Copts be candidates in any of the various elections, the Islamist's answer would be that according to the Sharia law it is not acceptable for a non-Muslim to govern over a Muslim.
An Islamist does not recognize a non-Muslim Egyptian a citizen of Egypt. He considers him an alien from outer space, an illusion of a person who does not really exist. He works to have you believe that he is tolerant of Copts, accepting of their rights, etc. But in reality, as indicated above, the Islamist believes that Copts are infidels and thus have no rights. An Islamist does not recognize that humanity includes all people, religious people of other faiths and non-religious people.
An Islamist does not know about freedom of belief. He will engage as regards the details of others' beliefs only to convince them of its corrupted doctrine. He will tell you we never hail other religions, they are wrong faiths with bad people, and that only Islam is great and all of that. He will further tell you to relax and that there is no need to understand other religions or that other religions are not wrong, you only have to convince yourself that they have the right to believe in their wrong faiths. Can you believe the extent of the temerity of Islamists!
An Islamist does not know about freedom of belief. Tell me where is this freedom of belief when a Muslim is killed for leaving Islam and choosing another faith with his own free will! Is there freedom in being killed, the Islamist here is saying you are free to practice your chosen belief but we will have to kill you first.
Pursuant to the above discussion, is there anyone amongst you who still says that the Islamist respects freedom of belief and that I am the only one who is not paying attention.
3. Equality before the law
A simple equation: in a modern civilized state, a citizen = a citizen; in an Islamic state, a Muslim citizen is superior and without an equal among all other citizens of the state.
Muslims can build a mosque, freely worship their God and practice their faith, a Christian or a Jew cannot build a church or a temple, in fact his faith is basically not recognized. A Muslim is entitled to look down on the faiths of others, and the Sheikh in his lessons can say that their books are altered, that they glorify sex, that their Gods are weak and incapable, making fun of other Gods and other faiths on the air, and when you think you can logically and respectfully criticize Islam, you are slapped with a contempt of religions suit.
A Christian is not entitled to become President of the Republic like you Mr. super Muslim. A woman, even if she is Muslim, does not have the right to become President.
A Christian citizen has the right to freely believe and choose to leave the darkness of Christianity for the enlightenment of Islam, he will have joy and mercy bestowed on him; a Muslim citizen freely believing and choosing Christianity will be chastised, demonized and cursed.
All above simple examples show you that equality before the law for an Islamist is a myth, and those of us who do not see the injustice, discrimination and differentiation in these examples need to seriously look into their conscience and their humanity.
One last point, my belief that there is no such thing as an Islamic democracy does not mean there is no democratic Muslim. There are millions of Muslims who believe in democracy and who condemn crimes committed by the Islamists against democracy and human rights, yes crimes. And with this article, I believe you can be assured with a completely clear conscience that democracy with the Islamists is a big myth; and if someone were not to believe you, you can point to the specific examples in this article that prove that Islamists are against democracy and ask him to prove the contrary and may God be with him.
And believe me, Egypt will not go to hell if it is no longer a Muslim state, on the contrary it will go to hell if you deliver it to the Islamists!
For smart people only
The Islamists and the National Party are the only ones in favor of keeping the corrupt 1971 constitution, they have thus far cost Egypt the opportunity to formulate a new civilian constitution, coincidence? of course not, their interests converge. A constitution against democracy and freedoms, a constitution with amendments granting the next President of Egypt the same absolute, divine powers like the ones Mubarak ruled with and which conform with the Islamists' idea of governing is a constitution of anti-democratic principles.
My followup commentary
If I were king of the world, I would gently, politely and respectfully ask all religious people of all faiths that if they cannot understand the concept of separation of church and state and more importantly if they believe that their religion is above other religions and that it gives them rights over people of other faiths or of no faith at all, I would ask such people to please for the sake of their well-being and that of humanity to check themselves into the closest mental institution, and let the rest of us enjoy a life of freedom, peace, lots of arguments and compromises and yes democracy! I will not force them though because I would still respect their freedom of choice of being crazy, I would instead work hard to convince them to head straight to the institutions and if I fail I will spare no effort or resource to contain and limit the damage such people inflict on the world entire.
Religious people across the globe are good people, they are of strong principles and high morals, they are spiritual and wonderful community members. Unfortunately, they represent a fertile ground for the production of extremists, zealots, terrorists and in general violent, destructive and uncompromising people. That is why I always maintained that danger always lurks in the midst of religious people.
Religion always is a powerful political force, it invariably clashes with secular ideals and in the process religious groups thwart fundamental changes. Michael Slackman's article "Islamist Group is Rising Force in a New Egypt" in the New York Times, March 24, captures the risks Egypt must negotiate if it were to cross the great divide between a lost state and a modern state. Slackman describes how the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist group once banned by the state, is now a tacit partner with the military government, a partnership that could very well thwart fundamental changes. See link http://www.nytimes.com/
A study conducted by scholars from the University of Arizona and Northwestern University, and presented at a meeting of the American Physical Society suggests that religion may be dying in nine countries. The study projects the extinction of religion in Australia, Austria, the Czech Republic, Canada, Finland, Ireland, New Zealand, the Netherlands and Switzerland. The study found a steady rise in those claiming no religious affiliation. In a large number of modern secular democracies, there's been a trend that folks are identifying themselves as non-affiliated with religion; in the Netherlands the number was 40%, and the highest was in the Czech Republic, where the number was 60%. However, Brad Hirschfield writes in the Washington Post, March 24, that while such trends forecast the eventual extinction of the current array of religious options, they do not forecast the extinction of what might be termed a religious sensibility, which already exists for many people independent of typical religious categories, including God. Hirschfield adds that the trend may upset those of us who are attached to particular traditions and institutions, but that they should take heart in the fact that none of our faiths has been here forever, and according to most of them, each is an improvement over what preceded them, so it’s likely that if these traditions should actually die out, they too will be replaced by potentially superior alternatives. See link http://www.
3. Equality before the law
A simple equation: in a modern civilized state, a citizen = a citizen; in an Islamic state, a Muslim citizen is superior and without an equal among all other citizens of the state.
Muslims can build a mosque, freely worship their God and practice their faith, a Christian or a Jew cannot build a church or a temple, in fact his faith is basically not recognized. A Muslim is entitled to look down on the faiths of others, and the Sheikh in his lessons can say that their books are altered, that they glorify sex, that their Gods are weak and incapable, making fun of other Gods and other faiths on the air, and when you think you can logically and respectfully criticize Islam, you are slapped with a contempt of religions suit.
A Christian is not entitled to become President of the Republic like you Mr. super Muslim. A woman, even if she is Muslim, does not have the right to become President.
A Christian citizen has the right to freely believe and choose to leave the darkness of Christianity for the enlightenment of Islam, he will have joy and mercy bestowed on him; a Muslim citizen freely believing and choosing Christianity will be chastised, demonized and cursed.
All above simple examples show you that equality before the law for an Islamist is a myth, and those of us who do not see the injustice, discrimination and differentiation in these examples need to seriously look into their conscience and their humanity.
One last point, my belief that there is no such thing as an Islamic democracy does not mean there is no democratic Muslim. There are millions of Muslims who believe in democracy and who condemn crimes committed by the Islamists against democracy and human rights, yes crimes. And with this article, I believe you can be assured with a completely clear conscience that democracy with the Islamists is a big myth; and if someone were not to believe you, you can point to the specific examples in this article that prove that Islamists are against democracy and ask him to prove the contrary and may God be with him.
And believe me, Egypt will not go to hell if it is no longer a Muslim state, on the contrary it will go to hell if you deliver it to the Islamists!
For smart people only
The Islamists and the National Party are the only ones in favor of keeping the corrupt 1971 constitution, they have thus far cost Egypt the opportunity to formulate a new civilian constitution, coincidence? of course not, their interests converge. A constitution against democracy and freedoms, a constitution with amendments granting the next President of Egypt the same absolute, divine powers like the ones Mubarak ruled with and which conform with the Islamists' idea of governing is a constitution of anti-democratic principles.
My followup commentary
If I were king of the world, I would gently, politely and respectfully ask all religious people of all faiths that if they cannot understand the concept of separation of church and state and more importantly if they believe that their religion is above other religions and that it gives them rights over people of other faiths or of no faith at all, I would ask such people to please for the sake of their well-being and that of humanity to check themselves into the closest mental institution, and let the rest of us enjoy a life of freedom, peace, lots of arguments and compromises and yes democracy! I will not force them though because I would still respect their freedom of choice of being crazy, I would instead work hard to convince them to head straight to the institutions and if I fail I will spare no effort or resource to contain and limit the damage such people inflict on the world entire.
Religious people across the globe are good people, they are of strong principles and high morals, they are spiritual and wonderful community members. Unfortunately, they represent a fertile ground for the production of extremists, zealots, terrorists and in general violent, destructive and uncompromising people. That is why I always maintained that danger always lurks in the midst of religious people.
Religion always is a powerful political force, it invariably clashes with secular ideals and in the process religious groups thwart fundamental changes. Michael Slackman's article "Islamist Group is Rising Force in a New Egypt" in the New York Times, March 24, captures the risks Egypt must negotiate if it were to cross the great divide between a lost state and a modern state. Slackman describes how the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist group once banned by the state, is now a tacit partner with the military government, a partnership that could very well thwart fundamental changes. See link http://www.nytimes.com/
A study conducted by scholars from the University of Arizona and Northwestern University, and presented at a meeting of the American Physical Society suggests that religion may be dying in nine countries. The study projects the extinction of religion in Australia, Austria, the Czech Republic, Canada, Finland, Ireland, New Zealand, the Netherlands and Switzerland. The study found a steady rise in those claiming no religious affiliation. In a large number of modern secular democracies, there's been a trend that folks are identifying themselves as non-affiliated with religion; in the Netherlands the number was 40%, and the highest was in the Czech Republic, where the number was 60%. However, Brad Hirschfield writes in the Washington Post, March 24, that while such trends forecast the eventual extinction of the current array of religious options, they do not forecast the extinction of what might be termed a religious sensibility, which already exists for many people independent of typical religious categories, including God. Hirschfield adds that the trend may upset those of us who are attached to particular traditions and institutions, but that they should take heart in the fact that none of our faiths has been here forever, and according to most of them, each is an improvement over what preceded them, so it’s likely that if these traditions should actually die out, they too will be replaced by potentially superior alternatives. See link http://www.
Hussein
© Dr Hussein A Amin 2011
