Army’s coup in Egypt: First Step in the Right way

2013-08-07 20:59:00
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Ahmed Dhahia


Ahmed Dhahia
As most people know, Arab spring revolutions happened because of people rising up against the huge corruption in the states, and because of the dictatorial governments protected by politicians and businessmen in the name of God. But, a lot of people believe that the recent army coup in Egypt is not legitimate as they believe that the Arab spring revolutions will only ruin and destroy stable states and systems. But, I believe in people demanding democracy, because democracy can automatically solve corruption problems, and dry up its sources. Therefore, we can see that the Egyptian army’s overthrew of the Islamic president elect is a positive step to clean and correct the path of the Arab spring revolutions.
For a long time, Arab Islamic peoples seemed to be prisoners in the grip of dictatorial governments. They lived without freedom or basic human rights. They couldn’t say, “No!” they lived in fear, poverty, and under development. So, they got frustrated and tired of dictatorial governments and Islamic groups. Especially, they were frustrated that all of the developmental projects of the governments after the colonial period had failed and collapsed. For example, when the Islamists won the last election in Egypt, the election wasn’t fair because the Islamists sold illusions to their people. Islamists had bought the poor people’s votes for food and money, and hooked people’s votes for drugs, and used children as shields in their demonstrations!
These behaviors made the people angry, because the Islamists are acting immorally and had no political experience to manage the state. Also, the Egyptian people will never forget that the Islamists were a part of the parliament of the former government. Besides, they have a plan to control the state rather than hold elections. So, people became angry at them, especially when the Islamists wanted to take over the state, instead of the people or citizens deciding. So, when the people rose up, that gave people new hope for a better future, where they can get basic needs, dreams, freedom, justice, and meet their peace and have social development. So, the Arab Islamic people began to review their history and heritage. These reviews are necessary to any future state. And, this is the starting point for the Arab Islamic people to put their countries in the center of human history.
These revelations pushed intellectuals and thinkers to correct Arab Islamic heritage and history; it was rigged to support the prince, sultan, and dictatorial governments. They used religion in politics to achieve interests not related to religion. So, thinkers and intellectuals were addressed the problem of underdevelopment in the Arab Islamic world. And then for the first time, people spoke loudly against the government’s corruption and despotism. Therefore, we can see a lot of complicated questions, such as: how are Arab thinkers viewing their history and heritage and making harmony between interpretation and the historical view? At the same time, how should they deal with the major moments in history to discover critical evolving events which they should stop? And, how can they process the relationship between the religious and the political? Thus, Arab spring revolutions encouraged a renovation and scientific reading of Arab Islamic history and discovered new ideological interpretation. All this, in addition to the challenges that Arab Muslims are facing in the present time! One solution may be democracy, because democracy is a civilized formula against corruption and tyranny. Democracy respects diversity and differences, and can achieve development, stabilization, and peace in spite of poverty, wars, and unrest.
These revolutions persuaded the people that the Islamic political groups were dangerous to the present and future. Before the revolutions, these groups used wrong conceptions of religion and transferred these wrong conceptions to politics. They used these ideas as a capital symbol to get supporters and followers. Then, they used them to make sedition and terrorism. However, the result of the Arab spring is a kind of popular tolerant conception of religion. People are more accepting of many religious, not just Islam. However, the majority of the Egyptian people and Tunisians have elected the Muslim brotherhood group (The Islamists) to manage their countries. But, less than two years ago, both countries have gone backwards to the Middle Ages! Using political thought control, the Muslim Brotherhood group was taking over the state, and not recognizing the rights of the people, making all classes of people their enemies. So, more than 30 million Egyptians rose up to say “no” to Islamists rule, and almost the same thing happened in Tunisia. So, the Egyptian people gave their army permission to fight the terrorism! At the same time, the Islamists in Egypt and Tunisia or even Libya, look like they will end Islamic rule in the Arab Islamic world forever, because corruption and dictatorial rule and terrorism are increasing in their administrators. The people are starting to rise up against it even in the Arab gulf area.
Arab spring revolutions will change the political balance in the Arab Islamic world; they will reinstate the relationship with Israel and reduce the growing Iranian influence in the Middle East. They will shut down the radicalism and violence that the Islamic political groups are using. These political groups believe it isn’t possible to change the government through peaceful means or passive resistance! The only way to change is through violence and terrorism! This concept gave Arab dictators more reason to repress and be totalitarian. At the same time, the violence has produced more violence. So, we notice these revolutions broke with the Arab ancient traditions, which required them to listen to the old people, leaders, or governments. So, no more listening to them; it’s a necessary condition for success, achievement, and demands. This is a new and important concept in Arab Islamic culture.
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