Muslim Brotherhood: Africa’s Egypt Stance Consistent with Democracy Principles

Muslim Brotherhood: Africa’s Egypt Stance Consistent with Democracy Principles

 Western governments regard the African continent as steeped in ignorance, darkness and backwardness. By contrast, they hold that they are the creators and guardians of civilization and advancement. However, actions are the real indicator that reveals the truth and exposes falsehood. For one thing, civilization does not simply mean having a high standard of living. It means respecting human rights, committing to the principles of democracy, and accepting that peoples have the right to self-determination.



In Egypt, people rose up in revolt against a dictatorial regime, after sixty years of oppression and repression, corruption and looting of the country’s wealth. Immediately, Egypt started treading the path of democratic transformation, freedom, dignity and reform.


Suddenly, a military junta executed a coup d’etat against the new elected government, after only one year of taking office.


They abducted the legitimate elected President Morsi, the first civilian to rule Egypt in sixty years. They also suspended the country’s Constitution, disbanded parliament, and cancelled the results of five successive elections and referendums that everyone at home and abroad affirmed were most credible, free and fair.


Immediately after the coup, the African Union (AU) suspended Egypt’s membership, and described the military maneuver for what it was: a coup d’etat. The coup commanders tried persistently, directly and indirectly – through intermediaries, to reverse the AU’s decision to suspend Egypt’s membership, but African states showed real commitment to democratic principles.


For the African Peace and Security Summit in Ethiopia Wednesday, January 29, Egypt’s military-installed deputy foreign minister tried to convince AU officials to allow Egypt to participate, but they refused – their actions consistent with their principles and their charter.


On the other hand, Western governments, especially the United States, claimed they were not quite sure whether what happened in Egypt was a military coup or not, despite the fact that the situation was crystal clear, and they have the greatest legal experts, politicians and specialized research centers. They simply wanted to evade the same principles Obama lectured us about in his famous speech at Cairo University. They also wanted to dodge their own laws that prohibit support for military coups.


Evidently, those governments were behind the fateful murderous military coup, because they do not want the sun of freedom and democracy to shine on Egypt, lest it would become independent, and stop slavishly serving their interests, or progress, prosper and stop depending on their aid.


This is supported by the pressure those governments exerted on President Mohamed Morsi to force him to relinquish many of his powers to a prime minister of their choosing. When he refused, they pressured or persuaded the generals to execute the military coup d’etat. This is further supported by the pressure exerted by those governments’ ambassadors and envoys on supporters of democracy who tried to uphold constitutional legitimacy, to force them to give in and end sit-ins and demonstrations. Meanwhile, those Western governments turned a blind eye to the barbaric massacres, arbitrary arrests, unspeakable torture, confiscation of freedoms and gagging of mouths by coup commanders and collaborators.


Needless to say, if a fraction of that was carried out by a ‘hostile’ state against its defenseless people, the West would have moved heaven and earth against it.


Many American journalists, lawmakers and politicians condemned the military coup in Egypt, and most recently, a group of top US foreign policy experts urged President Obama to adopt realistic and moral policies toward Egyptian affairs. This is a non-partisan group that includes experts and researchers in Egyptian affairs as well as former members of the U.S. administration. One of most prominent experts and researchers – Elliott Abrams – explained that "The idea that there will be a trade-off between democracy and stability in Egypt is false.


"A realistic assessment of what is happening in Egypt… shows that repressive, security-dominated rule will not produce long-, medium-, or even short-term stability".


He further added that "the banning of all peaceful dissent will close off space for moderate politics and will produce further repression, more unrest, and great economic damage".


In a letter to US President Obama, the group described the recent constitutional referendum as a hollow process, because of the military-installed government’s blatant disregard of the rights and freedoms its new constitution purports to protect.
In conclusion, the working group called for a consistent U.S. stand for democracy and human rights.


Despite all evidence, the U.S. administration still sells to the Egyptian people empty statements, while it emphasizes full partnership with the military coup regime. A hotline between the U.S. Secretary of Defense and his Egyptian counterpart – the coup commander – is still open, with the first giving ‘advice’ to the latter, shaping the so-called roadmap of the future, and providing material and moral support to the generals.


The U.S. should rather call on all governments to apply sanctions on authoritarian regimes based on military coups, which trample popular will, confiscate freedom, destroy the foundations of democracy and violate human rights.


Western governments count on the military’s so-called roadmap of the future to restore legitimacy. The U.S. Secretary of State said Egypt’s draft constitution was approved by public referendum, although in America they know full well that the Egyptian people had boycotted the referendum; they know the exact number of those who voted in this referendum, and that the referendum did not give any legitimacy to the coup.


How could people vote in a referendum after this coup ignored five recent free and fair referendums and elections? Had the people voted, they would have acknowledged the right of every military general to execute a coup against any existing regime so long as he is able to simply rewrite the constitution and rig a referendum and a presidential election in which he quickly sheds his military uniform, wears civilian clothes and forges the results in a dark atmosphere of terror and murder.


If those governments claim they do not know whether what happened in Egypt was a military coup or not, the game of passing the Chair to the coup commander by the illegitimate president appointed by that same commander unequivocally removes all doubt.


Such absurd stances are bound to increase the Egyptian people and the Arab and Muslim nations’ loathing for those governments’ hypocrisy. Certainly, nothing can safeguard the interests of those governments in an atmosphere of hostility, while they align themselves with those who kill, burn, arrest and torture the people, confiscate their freedom, their will and their dignity, plunder the country’s wealth, and push the people into poverty, weakness and backwardness.


However, those countries can win the hearts of the people, if they side with justice and truth, freedom and democracy, and commit to the principles of humanity and morals. Only then can they safeguard their interests.


We urge those governments to completely stop interfering in our internal affairs, not to support injustice and aggression, do what is right, and apply their own principles and laws as they should, as did the honorable states of Africa.


In conclusion, we can only pay a solemn tribute to Africa, and regrettably denounce Western governments’ recent stances.


The Muslim Brotherhood