By Mohamed Khater / Special to The Post-Standard
The Arab Spring refers to the current wave of pro-democracy revolutions and uprisings that have been taking place in several Arab countries since last December.
These uprisings were not started by religious groups or religious doctrines; rather they were started because of basic political and economic reasons. In all of these countries there was suppression of political participation and freedom of speech, uncontrolled corruption, privileged ruling class controlling all aspects of the society, state of emergency laws, police brutality, lack of free elections, social inequities, a wide gap between the rich and the poor, high unemployment, rising food prices, low minimum wage and little hope for a bright future for the youth. When all of these problems are combined in any country, a reaction — peaceful or violent — is sure to take place.
The success of the Tunisian uprising, and the flight of President Ben Ali to Saudi Arabia, encouraged the Egyptian youth to take their own brutally squashed demonstrations to a new level. Using old-fashioned word of mouth and a variety of electronic media resources, the youth were able to reach and embolden a — previously scared — large cross-section of the population, to revolt against the ruling establishment. At the end of the uprising, the Hosni Mubarak regime completely collapsed and the people were triumphant. The Tahrir (Liberation) Square revolution mesmerized the world for 18 days and became an example and an inspiration for other nations. The revolution spread to other countries in the region (Yemen, Libya, Bahrain Syria, Jordan, Morocco, Oman and others) with mixed degrees of success.
When the elation of the revolution began to subside, Egyptians started to discuss the future and the shape of their newly liberated country. They had the first-ever free referendum on constitutional changes aimed at lessening the restrictions on citizens running for president and at limiting the president’s terms. Seventy-seven percent approved a presidential system similar to that of the United States. New parties were formed and older ones were reorganized to get ready for the anticipated parliamentary elections later this year. Most of the debate in Egypt (and in the U.S. media) was centered on the role of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) in the Egyptian politics, including what they would do if they came to power and whether they would enforce the “Sharia” law.
The MB was formed in 1928 as a religious social organization, preaching Islam, teaching the illiterate, setting up hospitals and helping the disadvantaged. Its goals evolved to call for political, social and economic reforms to build a stronger country. The founder, Hassan Al-Banna, stressed the raising of youth based on Islamic teachings, the conformity of state laws to the Sharia and, at the same time, the unity and the respect for all citizens regardless of religion, with the hope of creating a better society. The organization attracted a large number of followers in Egypt and its ideas spread in many other Muslim countries. The MB went through different periods of ideological changes and struggled against regimes that saw it as a threat to their power. The organization was banned and many of its members were imprisoned, tortured and even killed by consecutive Egyptian regimes since it inception. The organization went through a period of violent resistance (especially at the time of Gamel Abdel Nasser), which they finally renounced in the late 1960s.
The MB formed the “Freedom and Justice” party after the ban was lifted on political participation following the overthrow of the Mubarak regime. The party platform calls for building civil society, for reforming all aspects of the society and for equality of all citizens without distinction of religion, gender or race. The party leaders declared publicly several times that they are not looking to form a “theocratic state” but rather they seek a “civil state” with an Islamic point of reference. The platform looks like any modern Western political party that is concerned about the welfare of a nation’s citizenry. The only difference is that it states that the Islamic Sharia is the main source of legislation, which is a clause that has already been included in the Egyptian constitution for the past 40 years.
So what is the much discussed Islamic Sharia? Some people think of the Sharia as a few laws that inflict “severe” punishment for certain crimes. This is a naive, reductionist approach to the subject. In a few words, Sharia is God’s teachings and laws that guide and govern the relationship between human beings and God and between individuals and others in their families, societies or other societies. The basis of the Sharia is equality, justice, mercy and forgiveness and its aim is to establish a just, moral and peaceful society. Islam requires Muslims to work to apply Sharia rules in Muslim majority countries and also to adhere to the laws of any country they live in.
The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt has announced that they will only contest less than half of the parliament seats and they will not offer a candidate for presidency. They are expected to win around 30 percent of the seats. They will work with other parties to improve the deteriorating conditions in the country. As for applying the Sharia laws, this will be left to the new parliament to debate and to put it to the people for vote. The United States can help the transition to democracy by not interfering in the country’s internal affairs and by supporting the will of the Egyptian people which may lead to creating a model for other countries in the region.
Mohamed Khater, a software consultant, is a native of Egypt and a longtime Syracuse resident. He is the former president of the Islamic Society of Central New York and is studying for a doctorate in Islamic Studies. This essay is adapted from a presentation Khater made Wednesday at ArtRage Gallery, sponsored by the group CNY Working for a Just Peace in Palestine and Israel.