Happenings in Egypt

When it comes to the potential loss of 528 Egyptian lives without a fair trial and sufficient evidence, we can say that we are standing in the midst of the republic’s downfall and the judiciary’s loss of its integrity and sound judgement. If you want to see an entire society fall to its knees, all you need to do is take away its sense of justice and watch it crumble. Where do we go when we find ourselves living in a time when events cannot be understood by the human mind? How do we react as we watch time itself regress as if we are going back more than a hundred years? Historians are bewildered as they struggle to put the current events into words. Since the start of the military coup, there has not been a single event that has been worth recording, at least not one that demonstrates the value of the people’s lives. With the military coup, Egypt came out of the framework of the civilised world, one that respects human rights and preserves human dignity.

I think often about the unjust verdicts that the Egyptian courts have issued against Al-Azhar students. Only when we hear the phrase “the court has ruled…” do we know that the verdicts that follow are for a ridiculous number of years or absurd amount of bail that must be paid if we do not want our students to go to prison. Do not pay attention to any verdicts that find people innocent when the person in custody is one of Mubarak’s supporters or someone who was charged with killing revolutionaries. Do not ask me to appeal to the judges for they no longer hear any calls to reason. Do not ask me to remind them of God, the judge of the heavens, for those in this profession no longer respect their duties and find their sense of justice among the people. All of this is occurring because the people are not valued in their country and they merely represent numbers that are issued by the Central Bureau of Statistics.

This state, marked now by oppression and tyranny, does not consider the worth of the people who wish to improve their country and try to do so day in and day out. I do not want to direct these words to the new-old pharaoh and his followers but to a large segment of the Egyptian people who have no political affiliations but follow the military blindly and cheer on the foul and fascist treatment of ordinary citizens. While they look at what is happening with joy in their eyes many Egyptians view the same scenes with a feeling that they have been robbed of any sense of humanity. Pictures of girls in jail cells no longer threaten people’s honour and pictures of oppression and torture no longer seem to shake a man’s sense of masculinity. There are certain scenes that the Egyptian people cannot grow accustomed to, such as degrading a woman’s honour, which used to be a red line that could not be crossed. However, as the events have unfolded people seem to have let go of their values and dignity. Why has this taken place and why have the pharaoh’s slaves closed their minds and turned a blind eye to their conscience? In light of these divisions in society, the leaders behind the coup are able to continue on their path without needing to look around.

With a military candidate for the presidency the state has more or less declared that it is subordinate to army officers. The resources and freedoms that belong to the Egyptian people are locked away by the military, whose leaders will be making theatrical decisions for years to come; we can only sit and watch.

Certain individuals will be given very specific roles to play when it comes to Egypt as a state or in terms of its freedoms and laws. The country has gone from being a state to being a place that functions according to individual interests. The military has tampered with the state to the point that it has ceased to be in any meaningful sense. It’s officers have narrowed people’s minds and enforced fascist values. A report published recently by the Economist revealed that Egypt’s standard of living has declined for the first time in 140 years.

The fascism currently governing Egypt comes at the expense of its people, with collective punishment for anyone who revolts against it. Do not be surprised at what is happening; fascists always come to power by uprooting whatever government is in place or after a military defeat where they gain popular support due to their promises to revive the economy and restore the country’s prestige and power. This is precisely what happened in Egypt at the start of previous periods of military rule, with leaders taking advantage of people’s emotional state in order to control political, social and economic life.

It is possible to simplify fascism within a society and it is also possible to create a rare type of society that rejoices at blood spilt in the streets and the violations of personal privacy. This society also celebrates the taking of revenge on the regime’s political opponents because they are capable of changing public opinion towards dissent. It is also possible to make political gains if you prevent this sector in society from thinking about principles of honour and freedom. Egypt is one of the worst cases because most of the people living in urban areas as well as the fragile political elite have now been engulfed within the fascist sector. It is not impossible to re-programme the minds which have dissented from the elite and which are now leading public opinion.

The media can create a fascist state in a matter of months. Many such models succeeded around the world by creating a state of shock for the people. This is what facilitates a takeover from both within and without, as happened in Iraq in 2003. Do not be surprised by the people’s reaction to what is going on and do not cry for the sons of Egypt for they know that more than 18 billion pounds have been stolen from them and they did not move a muscle. No one will say anything because, in short, the people no longer carry any weight in the political equation. The Nahda massacre is considered to be the worst in Egypt’s modern history and it happened in full view of the media.

As fascism develops in the country, tomorrow’s Egypt will transform its citizens into slaves of the regime regardless of their level of education or real status in society. The false images of prosperity that are fostered by fascism will bind every citizen with a master who controls his every move. We will watch as their dignity gets crushed and as doctors demand a decent life and humble citizens such as drivers and others simply ask for the right to live. Neither one of their demands is being heard. The people are being brainwashed and we might as well say goodbye to Egypt and the Egyptians because the next revolution will not be about honour and dignity. Instead, it will turn the country full of ravenous people and give rise to a political system that will engulf everyone and everything. If we do not stop and think about the revolution’s demands for the state, we will end up bidding Egypt farewell for dozens of years. So do not be surprised by the harsh judgements and the aggressive war that is being waged by the state institutions against the people. We are living under a government that controls everything; one that has erased the people from the political equation.

The solid mass of people standing behind the coup and its leadership are there for the benefit of their own interests. They agreed to stand in support of the coup’s leadership and will never be part of the struggle for justice. What I have to say to them is that they should stop trying to brainwash simple and innocent people. They are deepening divisions in society, promoting fascism and undervaluing Egyptian blood. Tomorrow’s revolution will have no mercy when those who are starving storm the streets. Egypt is sinking due to crazy ambitions as politicians take us towards the abyss without thinking, all the while waging a war against honourable and pure people. The coup leaders have thrown women in jail along with their rights. There is no place for honest people in a country where the people can no longer rejoice. The hungry of tomorrow will not have mercy on the oppressors of today because of their contemptuous goals. The revolution will, God Willing, be victorious.

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