The first democratic general election to elect a President in Mesir was held in 2012 and Mohammad Mursi who was formerly the President of Muslims Brotherhood had won the general election and he was sworn as the first democratic President of Mesir. At the time when Mohammad Mursi was sworn as the President of Mesir, there were many who think dictatorship had ended and democracy has begun in Mesir. In the PASt, there were no democracy in Mesir and the first political party ever establishes in Mesir is probably Muslims Brotherhood. Muslims Brotherhood was established in the year 1920. It was only in 2012; Muslim Brotherhood was able to win the Presidential election of Mesir. It was 100 years later when the Muslims Brotherhood was able making its presence in Mesir being felt by the peoples of Mesir. At the time when Mohammad Mursi was sworn as the President of Mesir, the followers of Muslims Brotherhood in Mesir were in joy. They were in joy because they believe with Muhammad Mursi become the President of Mesir, their task to establish Mesir as an Islamic state will become an easy task. What was expected by the Muslims Brotherhood to be an easy task, it turns out to be a very difficult task? Although there are some Muslims in Mesir who are in favour to live in Mesir as an Islamic state but there are millions of other Muslims in Mesir who are not in favour to live in Mesir as an Islamic state.
These Muslims are ready to live in Mesir only when Mesir is a secular state. When Muhammad Mursi wanted to become the President who is having power above the laws, it causes many riots among the peoples of Mesir and even during this time, there were already voices in Mesir who wanted Muhammad Mursi to be removed from the office of the President of Mesir. Muhammad Mursi is a hafiz of Quran and an engineer but in my opinion, he is not a good politician. In my opinion the first action which should be taken by him as the first democratic President of Mesir, is to unite the whole Muslims in Mesir. When the whole Muslims in Mesir unite under him, then only he should introduce slowly the various actions which will finally establish Mesir as an Islamic state. In my opinion, the actions which were taken by Muhammad Mursi to establish Mesir as an Islamic state are a very drastic action. Muhammad Mursi should know that there are about 50% of the Muslims in Mesir who are not ready to live in Mesir as an Islamic state. In my opinion, the majority of the Muslims who are not the members of Muslims Brotherhood are opposed to the actions of Muhammad Mursi to establish Mesir as an Islamic state. In my opinion, the majority of the Muslims in Mesir was tired with the dictatorship rule of Gamal Nasir, Anwar Sadat and Hosni Mubarak and because of that they make a revolution to overthrow Hosni Mubarak. They overthrow Hosni Mubarak in order to have a regime change and not to have an Islamic state. The peoples of Mesir make revolution to overthrow Hosni Mubarak because they wanted to be ruled by a President who is elected by the peoples and not by a dictator that wanted to make Mesir an Islamic state.
In my opinion, the majority of the peoples of Mesir are not ready to be ruled by a President who wanted to make Mesir an Islamic state. Majority of the Muslims in Mesir wanted to be ruled by a President who is elected via the democratic system but they are not ready to be ruled by a President who wanted to make Mesir an Islamic state. Mesir was under the dictatorship of the armies for so many years and under the dictatorship of the armies, Mesir was a secular state which practices British laws and the majority of the peoples of Mesir are following British lifestyles. Muslims Brotherhood was established in 1920 and although it has been barred from entering politics for so many years, but it has many followers and sympathizers in Mesir. In a democratic system even the person who wins more than one vote than the others who have contested in the election will become the winner. Irrespective whether the person is capable or not capable of becoming the President of Mesir, the person who will become the President of Mesir is that person had won the election even by an extra of only one vote than the other candidates who had contested In the election. Muhammad Mursi becomes the President of Mesir when he had won 52 % of the votes while his next contender had won only 48% of the votes.
In other words, there are about 48% of the peoples of Mesir who were not in favour of Muhammad Mursi to become the President of Mesir. In case 48% who were not in favour of Muhammad Mursi to become the President of Mesir were able to accept the defeat, in my opinion, there will be no problems in Mesir. What is the reason which has led to the turmoil? The reason which has led to the turmoil in Mesir is the groups who were not in favour of Muhammad Mursi to become the President of Mesir were not able to accept their defeat in the general election. These groups probably are not aware of how the system of democracy works when electing a President. They are not aware of how the system of democracy works because in Mesir they were under the autocratic system for a very long time. In a democratic system, Muhammad Mursi should become the President of Mesir because he had won the Presidential election in Mesir. Muhammad Mursi had won the Presidential election because he had managed to gather about 52% of the votes. About 48% of the peoples in Mesir were not in favour of Muhammad Mursi to become the President of Mesir. These groups who were against Muhammad Mursi were not happy with the results of the election and were not willing to accept the result of the presidential election. These groups were finding ways on how to overthrow President Muhammad Mursi. What were the excuses which they were trying to give in order to justify their action to overthrow President Muhammad Mursi? They gave the excuses that Muhammad Mursi was overthrown because he was not capable to become the President of Mesir.
The excuses which they gave in order to overthrow Muhammad Mursi were not valid excuses. In my opinion, the real reason why they wanted to overthrow President Muhammad Mursi was because Muhammad Mursi wanted to make Mesir an Islamic state. About 48% of the peoples of Mesir are against Muhammad Mursi because they wanted Mesir to remain a secular state. In order to prevent Mesir from becoming an Islamic state, they wanted Muhammad Mursi to step down from becoming the President of Mesir. Since they know they are not able to make Muhammad Mursi to step down as the President of Mesir via the electoral boxes, they used the armed forces of Mesir to force Muhammad Mursi to step down from becoming the President of Mesir. Is this not a coup d’état? In my opinion the action of the arm forces of Mesir to force Muhammad Mursi to step down from becoming the President of Mesir was an act of coup d’état. Naturally the armed forces of Mesir belong to the 48% of the peoples who are not in favour of Muhammad Mursi to become the President of Mesir. In this case the armed forces of Mesir are willing to be used by the groups who are not in favour of Muhammad Mursi to become the President of Mesir to perform the coup d’état.
When the armed forces are willing to be used by the groups who also wanted the power to rule Mesir, the armed forces are actually dragging Mesir into a conflict or turmoil. The armed forces of Mesir have been used by the groups who also wanted the power to rule Mesir into making Mesir the land of turmoil. During the conflicts there were thousands of people who were killed by the armies. Who are the peoples who were being killed by the armies of Mesir? The peoples who were being killed by the armies of Mesir were the very peoples whom the armies of Mesir are supposed to protect them from the enemies of Mesir. Who are the real fools in the crisis? In my opinion the real fools in the crisis are the armies who have allowed the groups who also wanted the power to rule Mesir to use them in dragging Mesir into the land of turmoil. The groups who also wanted the power to rule Mesir have caused many deaths among the innocent publics and have caused endless political disturbances in Mesir. Many in the opinion, that the groups who also wanted the power to rule Mesir and who had caused turmoil in Mesir are the Americans and the Jews. In my opinion the groups who also wanted the power to rule Mesir and who had caused turmoil in Mesir are not the Americans and the Jews but the shrewd politicians of Mesir. In my opinion the armed forces of Mesir have been used by the shrewd politicians of Mesir to cause turmoil in Mesir. With the turmoil the shrewd politicians hope there will be a new general election in Mesir and with the new general election the shrewd politicians are aiming of gaining power to rule Mesir but through a very shrewd way.
What should be the responsibility of the armed forces of Mesir? The armed forces of Mesir should have obeyed the President of Mesir who is elected by the peoples and they should not allow themselves to be used by the groups who also wanted the power to rule Mesir in causing turmoil in Mesir. The armed forces of Mesir as well as the pious alone of Mesir should abstain themselves from mingling with the politic of Mesir. The armed forces and the pious alone of Mesir should be with the President of Mesir who is elected by the peoples. The armed forces should realize the fact that their main work is not to become the mediator in the political issues of Mesir but to protect the country against the intruders and the enemies of Mesir. The main work of the armed forces should be to maintain peace in Mesir and not to create chaos and turmoil in the country. Politic is not the expertise of the armed forces and when the armed forces started to meddle in political issues, it causes chaos and turmoil in Mesir. When there is chaos in the country then the work of the armed forces is no longer to protect the peoples of Mesir against the foreign intruders but to kill the peoples of Mesir. When the armed forces have started to take part in the politic of a country as it is now in Mesir, the country will certainly have chaos and turmoil instead of having peace and tranquility. What the armed forces are known to be good at? Are the armed forces good in ruling the country? Are the armed forces good in administering the country? Are the armed forces good at maintaining peace and stability in the country?
In my opinion the armed forces are good only in killing the enemies of the country. Will there be peace in countries where the armed forces are meddling with the politics of the country? In countries where the armies are meddling with the politics of the country there is no peace but only turmoil and backwardness. Is there any country in this world which is modern and progressive and is ruled by the armed forces? There is no country in this world which is modern and progressive which is ruled by the armed forces. The armies are not trained to rule the country and they are not trained to administer the country but they are trained only to fight the enemies of the country. When a person who is not having the capability to rule a country is made to rule a country then the country will not be moving towards progressiveness but will be moving towards backwardness and towards the path of turmoil and destruction. Mesir is now on the road toward turmoil and destruction because the armies who are not the expert in politics are trying to solve the political issues of Mesir. The armed forces of Mesir should realize that they are not capable of solving the political issues of Mesir and they should not have put their hand on political issues. Instead of the armed forces are solving the political issues of Mesir; they are making the political issues of Mesir to become even more complicated and sophisticated. In my opinion the armed forces of Mesir are very naïve. Because the armed forces are very naïve they were easily used by the shrewd politicians to drag Mesir into turmoil.
The shrewd politicians of Mesir were trying to use the armies in solving the political problems in Mesir. When the shrewd politicians were successful in persuading the armies to interfere with the political issues of Mesir, it means they were successful in creating chaos and anarchy in Mesir. When there are turmoil and anarchy in Mesir then there will be opportunity for them to gain power in Mesir. With the downfall of Hosni Mubarak the peoples of Mesir are forced to use the system of democracy in electing their President. When they are forced to use the system of democracy in electing their President, it means they are forced to allow anyone in Mesir to contest in the election in order to enable the person to become the President of Mesir. In my opinion the peoples of Mesir wanted to have a President who is not an autocratic leader and a President who belongs to all the communities and not a President who belong only to a certain community. However Muhammad Mursi belongs to the communities of Muslims Brotherhood. He used to become the President of Muslims Brotherhood of Mesir. Although he had resigned from becoming the members of the Muslims Brotherhood but the soul and the mind of Muhammad Mursi is still the soul and the mind of the Muslims Brotherhood of Mesir. The majority of the peoples of Mesir do not want their President to be the President or the members of the Muslims Brotherhood of Mesir but they want a President who belongs to all the peoples of Mesir. They fear if the President of Mesir belongs to Muslims Brotherhood, the President will certainly favour the members of the Muslims Brotherhood above others in Mesir. However Muslims Brotherhood has influenced over the political landscape of Mesir for nearly 100 years.
When a revolution sparked in Tunisia to overthrow the President of Tunisia, Muslims Brotherhood of Mesir took this opportunity to lead the peoples of Mesir on a similar revolution to overthrow Hosni Mubarak. The downfall of Hosni Mubarak had lead to the process of democracy to take place in Mesir in electing the President of Mesir. When the Presidential election was conducted in Mesir, Muhammad Mursi who was the member of the Muslims Brotherhood won the Presidential election. Muhammad Mursi was made the first President of Mesir who is elected by the peoples of Mesir. However there were about 48% of the peoples of Mesir who were not in favour of Mohammad Mursi to become the President of Mesir. The majority of those who were not in favour of Mohammad Mursi to become the President of Mesir are not the members of Muslims Brotherhood and this include the majority of the armed forces. Although Mohammad Mursi was the President of Mesir but the army of Mesir was not with him and the armed forces were not under the control of the President. In Mesir it seems the armed forces are allowed to make decisions on their own which mean the armed forces are not under the President of Mesir.
In Mesir it seems the armed forces are allowed to receive money directly from the United State of America. In my opinion, a system has been designed and implanted in Mesir in order to ensure the President is always under the control of the armed forces. It seems, a system has been designed in Mesir in order to ensure, the armed forces are always above the President. It seems, in Mesir the armed forces have been given the power which is similar to the power which are given to the King and the monarch of the world. In other words in Mesir, the armed forces have the ultimate power to decide on whom and who should become the President of Mesir. In my opinion, a system had been designed previously by the dictators of Mesir in order to ensure at all the time, Mesir is under the control of the armed forces and that the armed forces are always superior to the President and more powerful than the President of Mesir. In other word the President of Mesir is not under the control of the peoples of Mesir but under the control of the armed forces of Mesir. In my opinion, the system of democracy will never work in Mesir until the right to decide who should become the President of Mesir is taken away from the armed forces of Mesir and given back to the peoples of Mesir. As it is now, in Mesir it is not the peoples who decide who is to become the President of Mesir but the armed forces of Mesir is the one who has the ultimate power to decide who should become the President of Mesir.
Prof Dr Nasoha Saabin
December 2013
Integrative Holistic Wellness Centre