Free Egyptians declare that they are Brotherhood members

Paraphrasing the famous words of nationalist leader Mustafa Kamil, free and honourable Egyptians have declared, “If I wasn’t a Brotherhood member, I would wish to be a Brotherhood member.” They have taken to chanting this slogan following the interim government’s absurd decision to declare the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organisation.

The people of Egypt took to the streets on Friday in a “million-man” march similar to those which took place during the January 25 Revolution, in open defiance of the government’s cowardly move against the Brotherhood. They have placed themselves in front of the army’s guns as the government continues to violate Egypt, its institutions and resources. The people chanted, “You coup-organisers are the true terrorists.” Soon, the crowd insisted, the government will be held to account for the massacres committed by the security forces against the Egyptian people.

The size of the demonstration surprised even the group which called for the protest, the Anti-Coup Pro-Legitimacy National Alliance. The masses went out to protest unafraid and disregarding the government’s threats that protestors face life imprisonment and the organisers face the death penalty. This heroic action by the Egyptian people ruined the calculations and plans of the coup-leaders who believed that their foolish designation would eliminate the Muslim Brotherhood and turn its supporters and sympathisers towards supporting the coup. Instead, the movement’s supporters have grown in number and are crowding the streets all over Egypt, which confuses the government even more.

Furthermore, the response of the international community to the Brotherhood’s “terrorist” designation, has revealed that the world is not interested in such corruption. The only two countries that recognised this designation were the two countries supportive of the coup, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Moreover, the respectable international human rights organisations condemned it as a blatant attempt to dissolve the largest national group in Egypt, further confusing the coup-leaders, who seem to have completely lost their minds.

They are making spontaneous and zealous decisions that have not been properly thought out, such as the decision to freeze the funds of religious charities that serve millions of Egyptians marginalised by the Mubarak regime. The government forgets its responsibilities towards the people and leaves them to suffer hunger, poverty, illness and ignorance. These charities saved the people from neglect and deprivation and established schools and hospitals for them. They played the part that should’ve been played by the state, but the coup-leaders hate this section of the Egyptian people and perhaps don’t even consider them to be a part of the national community. The charities which help them have been suspended on suspicion of supporting the Brotherhood.

This phobia about the Muslim Brotherhood has started to haunt the coup-leaders, and this is clear in all of their statements and decisions. They see anyone against the coup as a supporter of the movement or its “sleeper” cells, to the extent that it has become ridiculous and almost comical. This indicates how afraid, shaken and unbalanced the coup-leaders are in comparison to the opposition which is actually growing stronger by the day. While the latter take to the streets unafraid and confident, the coup-leaders are scared to go out on their own. In such circumstances it is clear that the coup’s days are numbered, God-willing; truth is stronger than falsehood.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.