Brotherhood Deliberations

After the crisis in Tahrir Square finally deescalated through the courageous act of thousands of women marching to the square, demanding an end to violence, political leverage is being sought as parties propose plans to hurry the presidential elections. The military council succumbed to such pressure following the clashes of Mohamed Mahmoud Street off Tahrir, to guarantee elections before the end of June 2012. Current ideas now call for elections to be as soon as January 25, the one year anniversary of the revolution.

Proponents of this idea argue that the military must be returned to its barracks as soon as possible, having mangled the democratic transition if not actively opposed to it. This cry is heard from across the political spectrum, from liberals and Islamists alike.

Early Election Observations in Egypt

On the first day of voting, I took a morning stroll through our neighborhood to see the early activity surrounding our four public schools hosting parliamentary elections. Polls opened at 8am, and I crossed the street, walked a block, and began to observe.

A few things stuck me immediately. First, a long line. Over 100 people were in the queue, side by side. Second, they were all men. I thought this was peculiar. Third, the guard. About four or five soldiers manned the entrance to the school, while two or three policemen monitored traffic and paid general attention to the surroundings.

Fourth, the propaganda. Opposite the school were about twenty volunteers for the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party, distinguished by their bright yellow hats with the party logo.

Live Report: What’s Going on in Downtown Cairo?

9:30pm Local Time, Cairo, Egypt 11/20/2011

Right now, the crowd in Tahrir Square is in the tens of thousands and growing quickly.  The square itself has a very safe, communal feel to it, and many observers have likened the crowd to the crowds last January.

A couple of streets away, however, a battle between crowds of Egyptian youth and armed security forces is going on its 48th hour. According to the latest official count from the Health Ministry, six protesters have been killed and more 1300 injured over the last 24 hours alone. There are widespread reports that security forces are firing live ammunition along with tear gas, while protestors are throwing Molotov cocktails and rocks in response.

In the heart of downtown, storefronts are locked up; there is little light, and demonstrators cycle in and out of the violence, walking and stumbling with their masks, faces puffed up and dirty from the tear gas that has been fired on a continuous basis for the last 48 hours.

Religion and Politics in the New Egypt

As everybody knows, under the rule of Hosni Mubarak religiously inclined political parties like the Muslim Brotherhood were outlawed, though Brotherhood candidates still ran for office as independents. Now that Mubarak is gone, groups like the Muslim Brotherhood will be able to run openly for Parliament. And while the ruling Military Council has maintained the law forbidding religious political parties, there is no question that other political parties in Egypt with a religious reference will arise. There has even been an effort to enroll at least some Christians into the new Islamic-reference parties.

The Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party, for example, includes a Christian Vice-President, and boasts 100+ Copts among their 10,000 members. Though I am unaware if other Islamic-reference parties also have Christian members, the precedent set for the Freedom and Justice Party of the Brotherhood has led also to a party for al-Jama’a al-Islamiya and various Salafi trends. No semblance of a Coptic party has yet emerged, but the Free Egyptian Party, financed by wealthy Coptic businessman Naguib Siwaris, is composed 30% of Copts, far above their percentage in population.

Clashes, Deaths at Coptic Protest in Maspero

This article appeared on ASenseofBelonging.com on October 10, 2011.

Egyptian State TV confirms 23 dead and over 170 injured in clashes between largely Coptic protestors, unknown assailants, and Egyptian military police on October 9, 2011. Protestors began their march from the heavily Christian neighborhood of Shubra at 5pm, culminating at the Egyptian Radio and TV Building in Maspero in downtown Cairo. The peaceful march was scheduled to end at 8pm, but was attacked at various stages along the route by unknown opposition.

I received word of the protest earlier in the day. Having witnessed the Coptic attempt at a sit-in at Maspero five days earlier, which was eventually dispersed by the army, I wished again to get a sense for the manner in which Copts were expressing their grievances. These largely centered on the burning of a purported church in the village of Marinab, in Edfu, in the Aswan governorate on September 30. Many Copts believe the interim government to be lax in protecting their community and securing equality of citizenship; what is certain is that a lack of security throughout the country has led to abuses.

An American's View of The Culture of Conspiracy in Egypt

As an American, I am used to politics being partisan and even at times vitriolic. But at least there is usually some agreement on the rules of the game and the validity of the constitutional system. Although political opponents criticize their adversaries as being servants of particular agendas, these cries generally do not descend into the realm of conspiracy. Yes, some on the “Left” believe there is a theocratic effort to take over the US government, and some on the “Right” think liberal secular humanism is bent on destroying “traditional” American values. Yet on the whole, the mantra proves true: Politics is the art of compromise. Following the vitriol, most American politicians do just that, and most Americans appreciate it.

In contrast, an American resident in Egypt – if he pays attention to local politics – will find the entire political culture awash in conspiracy theories. The tendency is to be dismissive; it is the response of a paralyzed people seeking to blame others for their problems, and a government actively encouraging the paranoia. Yet as a respected Egyptian journalist friend with experience on both sides of the Mediterranean told me, foreign hands have been meddling in Egypt for centuries. In other words, the palpable paranoia in this country is fueled by reality.