Background:

Former Egyptian Ambassador to Algeria, Dr. Ḥussaīn Aḥmad ʾAmīn says the fact that the military court is looking into this case is due to the regime’s desire to put harsh sentences on the detainees. ʾAmīn does not think there is any true justification for having the military court look into the case. The civil court would be more rapid in terms of judgements, but now the case will be dealt with secretly as the regime fears having the public talk about irregularities of trials or to sympathize with the defendants, says ʾAmīn.

Majdī Ḥussaīn refers to the crackdown on al-Ikhwān al-Muslimīn or the Muslim Brotherhood (MB). Early 1996, there was a trial of 49 MB members before a military court which was ordered by President Mubārak.

For more information on the crackdown of the MB, please refer to the tape Majdī Ḥussaīn on the Crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood/Combating Egypt’s Environmental Problems 1995:

http://www.arabwestreport.info/en/majd%C4%AB-%E1%B8%A5ussa%C4%ABn-crackd...

Side A:

Ḥussaīn ʾAmīn believes the main purpose of the crackdown is to have elections without opposition, because 16 of the 49 detainees were prospective candidates for the 1995 elections. ʾAmīn believes the assassination attempt had nothing to do with the MB, but was used as to expedite the conviction. On the other hand, he says that the trial is a self-defeating policy because it will follow in the footsteps of the events in Algeria. Driving the MB into the underground (as a banned organization) will lead them to create a counter-strategy and become more militant in the future as a struggle against the regime. ʾAmīn believes they may even join forces with extremists such as al-Jamāʿah al-Islāmīyyah or Islamic Jihād group, thus following the same path of terrorism in order bring down the Mubārak regime.

ʾAmīn says he has never believed in the moderate Islamic aspect of al-Ikhwān al-Muslimīn; they might very well have been pretending to be moderate in order to infiltrate into parliament and appeal to moderate Islamic elements in Egyptian society. “The fact that they [the MB] had to pretend to be moderate is nothing to be trifled with”, says ʾAmīn and “the regime was forced to pretend to believe they are moderate in order to prevent them from joining the extremist movements”.

The Ambassador moves on to the similarities between Egypt and Algeria. ʾAmīn believes that what is happening in Egypt is evidence of Egypt awaiting the same future as Algeria. Although he does believe there is a possibility of a practical solution to the Algerian Crisis and that is if Maḥfūẓ Naḥnāḥ, leader of the Algerian Hamas, wins the elections. ʾAmīn believes that Naḥnāḥ has a substantial opportunity to win and there is no reason why anyone should hope for success if the Prime Minister was re-elected. Naḥnāḥ who he has met in Washington three times in the past year, enjoys the support of the French government and even the US. He sees it as a likely solution to the Algerian problem. Naḥnāḥ is a man who believes in pluralism, democracy and the rotation of power. He is certainly moderate and may appeal to Islamists who are disappointed in the way the campaign of the FIS and al-Jamāʿah al-Islāmīyyah is conducted against the regime, says ʾAmīn. All the banned parties are calling for a boycott, but it will not prevent the sympathisers of the extremists such as the FIS and al-Jamāʿah al-Islāmīyyah to take part in the elections and vote for Naḥnāḥ as a lesser half of two evils.

Naḥnāḥ is an Islamist, says ʾAmīn, and people may say an Islamic religion even if it is moderate is still better than a secular regime that is committed to fighting extremists Islamists to the bitter end. In Jordan, the Islamic parties are allowed to participate in parliament, same goes for Kuwait, but ʾAmīn does not think it would be wise for Egypt to allow the same. He believes it would only further segregate Egypt as the Copts would be forming their own parties. Additionally, ʾAmīn believes that if Egypt were to have free and fair elections, in contrary to most people’s beliefs, ʾAmīn believes the Islamists would indeed win the elections. There are many sympathizers who do not see anything wrong with having the Qurʾān in their constitution. Egyptian Muslims are devout Muslims and will not find many issues with the programs which the Islamists offer.

Free and fair elections would bring down the current regime which explains the harsh treatment of opposition (in particular the Islamists) by the government. Until that day, socio-economic problems in Egypt will continue to exist and Egyptians will become more and more discontented. He does not think there is much of hope of changing the current regime through a military coup or a mass revolution. The only way out with such a corrupted government, is for the American administration to recognize the dangers involved in the present situation and to put pressure on the regime as to start a sincere fight against corruption and initiate radical reforms in the Egyptian economy according to ʾAmīn. Unfortunately the American administration is not to exert such pressure vis-à-vis

Mubārak solely because of Mubārak’s role in the peace process as well as the American gratitude towards his role in the Second Gulf War.

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Majdī Ḥussaīn, Editor-in-Chief of al-Shaʿb Newspaper, says that it is just the beginning of the campaigning process for the elections, and the government has already ordered a crackdown on supporters and members of  Ḥizb al-ʿAmal al-ʾIshtirākī‎ (Socialist Labor Party, today known as Ḥizb al-ʿAmal al-Islāmī; Islamic Labor Party). The 65 members were released after two or three days of custody. Besides these people, the crackdown has also been ordered on members of al-Ikhwān al-Muslimīn, of which 49 were arrested. It is a bad message for the followers as it shows them that they are under threat, says Ḥussaīn. It is the government’s plan to get rid of all opposition during elections and the time of the trials were fixed by the president. They intended to prevent the best candidates from running for elections according to Ḥussaīn. He believes that this time is crucial to fight for human rights; the right of the people to choose their representatives in parliament. Ḥussaīn further mentions that the loss of the candidates in prison, is not that much of a great loss as there are many more potential candidates ready, however Ḥussaīn is positive that the results of the elections will be fabricated.