May 28, 2011

Report from Egypt: Results of 2nd Day of Wrath Were Favorable to Forces of Freedom in Egypt

I asked our correspondent in Egypt, Huda N. (not her real name), "What do you see regarding the upcoming election? Are there any non-Muslim-Brotherood candidates yet who are getting public attention?" She responded:

Before 25th Jan, 2011 there were 24 dummy parties. These parties were called paper parties as they have no voice or power for opposition, because of the lack of true democracy and the repression by the former regime. Now there are 16 new parties under establishment, 5 of these parties are related to Muslim brotherhood and fundamental Islamists (Freedom and Justice Party – (Elnahda) Renaissance Party – (Eladel) Justice Party – Social Tolerance Party – Freedom Party). These parties are sugar coated poison. They have flashing names and hidden intentions of making Egypt the start of a vast Islamic Ummah and applying the Sharia law. Some politicians fear the loyalty of these parties is to foreign countries which have foreign agendas and support international terrorist groups rather than their loyalty to Egypt. There are 4 left wing parties 3 socialists and one communist party, the rest are liberal secular parties. The most powerful competing liberal party that Muslim brotherhood fears is the Free Egyptians Party. This party is established by the famous Christian Business man Naguib Sawiris, it is supported by many cultured and liberal people.

Yesterday Friday 27th May, 2011 was called the second wrath day, were thousands flocked to the Tahrir square to insure that the revolution is still on its way to social Justice. Protestors (liberal and secular parties) were calling for postponing the parliamentary elections due in September and the legislation of a new constitution before these elections, in order to have more time to prepare. The Muslim brotherhood boycotted the riot for two reasons, the first reason is that it is not in their benefit to postpone the elections as they are the only organized political power and they are poised to win the majority of seats. Second they consider the results of the referendum conducted in March, 75% accepting the amendments of the constitution, as a victory in a battle against infidels, who wished to eliminate the 2nd article of the constitution - “Islam is the Religion of the State, The Arabic language is its official language and that the Islamic Shariaa law is the main reference for legislation". They have distributed printed publications accusing the people who joined the riots of yesterday of being traitors to the people and the revolution and infidels. These are the same techniques they used during the referendum, where they made illiterate people (more than 42% of Egyptians are illetrate) believe that if they vote against the amendments, is as if they are voting against Islam. In addition, they tried to drive a wedge between the protestors and the Military Supreme Council. The military council warned that dubious elements may try to cause chaos during Friday's protests, and stayed clear of the protest area to avoid any friction. The Brotherhood's absence and the amount of people who joined the riots have demonstrated the ability of liberal and secular groups to launch their own opposition movement. As well as verifying that the Muslim Brotherhood are not in control of the streets and that they do not represent the majority of Egyptians as they claim. I hope the military council listens to the demands of the educated protestors and do postpone the elections in order to ensure fairness to all political parties.

There are quite a few important points here. We learn the name of the Egyptian political party that seeks freedom for people of all religions: The Free Egyptians Party. We also learn the results of yesterday's second day of wrath - and that these results were favorable for the forces of freedom in Egypt.  The events of the second day of wrath were opposed by the Muslim Brotherhood, but took place anyway. We learn of the strategy used by the Muslim Brotherhood to get the outcome they wanted in the referendum that approved Shariah Law in Egypt as the "main reference for legislation" -- a terrible outcome, because Shariah law insistst that non-Muslims be treated as second-class citizens with reduced rights and freedoms in every way.  Additionally, we learn that there is an effort underway in Egypt to postpone the parliamentary elections due in September, in order to give the forces of freedom in Egypt more time to prepare, which is essential given that the Muslim Brotherhood is currently so well-organized.