The power struggle between different streams in Egyptian society
is disastrous for Egypt
AWR Cairo, February 9, 2013
The International Crisis Group summarized well the comments I have heard from leading Egyptians in the past weeks; the country is in a power struggle between different main streams: Islamists, non-Islamists (combining Liberals and Socialists) and, not mentioned by the International Crisis Group, the fulūl, remnants from the old regime. The struggles heighten the risk of a complete breakdown of law and order. The situation is made worse by deteriorating economic conditions. Foreign currency reserves decline and the government finds it ever more difficult to prop up the Egyptian pound and maintain fuel and food subsidies. The government is losing more and more the grip on developments. Respect for governing institutions is declining.
Protester facing CSF at Presidential Palace February 8, 2013 - photo by Moud B. El-Sayed
Egypt is in a sad downward spiral. The only answer out is for Islamists and non-Islamists to realize that they need to cooperate together to build the country. It is obvious from meetings with prominent Islamists and non-Islamists that this is realized, but the distrust between the different blocks forms a very big obstacle to realize this.
Jayson Casper has worked on some excellent
reports that provide
good insight in Salafī thinking. Salafis have received much negative press in and outside Egypt, but much of this is not justified. Salafis are not one united group--within Salafism one finds a wide variety of streams, some, like
Salafis in the new Watan Party take their responsibilities for society and dialogue with non-Salafis serious while other groups are indeed fringe groups but yet receive more media attention than their size would suggest.
Eline Kasanwidjojo participated in a recent edition of The New
Arab Debates in the Bibliotheca Alexandria on the motion: "this house believes Egypt is becoming dangerously divided and intolerant." Afterwards she
interviewed Salafī leader Dr. Tarek Shaalan and
Rev. Radi Iskander. It is true, as Iskander observed, that Islamists have been sidelined in the Mubarāk days, but this interview also shows that accepting Islamists as major players in society is far from easy.
Cornelis Hulsman,
Editor-in-chief of Arab-West Report