Senior Egyptian figure detained for turning down reconciliation with the regime

Informed sources have disclosed that the Egyptian authorities have detained Dr Muhammad Ali Bishr, a prominent figure within the Alliance for Supporting Legitimacy, because he turned down a reconciliation offer from the government. This was despite a lot of pressure on him to do otherwise.

In a an exclusive statement to Arabi 21, the sources affirmed that the offer was for Bishr to establish a political party of his own, separate from the Justice and Freedom Party (which has already been dissolved), and for the new party to be allocated thirty seats in the upcoming parliament. He was also offered certain privileges, such as specifying a limited list of detainees to be released, provided he does not include any of the top Islamist leaders, and being appointed a minister in the government that will be formed after the parliamentary elections. Bishr, however, refused categorically to accept the offer.

“Bishr’s adamant refusal,” said the anonymous sources, “as well as the desperate negotiations with the Brotherhood, enraged the Egyptian authorities that began to see him as a card that could no longer be relied on.”

Dr Atiyyah Adlan, Chairman of the Islah Party and also a member of the Alliance for Supporting Legitimacy, has said that the Sisi regime, which came to power through a coup against President Mohamed Morsi, has lost hope that the Brotherhood will bow down to the authorities. “The government has been dreaming of a submission and an apology from the group,” said Adlan. “But how do you expect the one whose field you have torched and whose family you have killed to beg you for a slice of bread?” He added that Dr Bishr was left on the outside in anticipation that he might open the door for the “submission” negotiations.

According to Dr Rida Fahmy, the decision by the regime to wait for 17 months before detaining Bishr was made in the hope that he might play a role in concluding some form of reconciliation with the Muslim Brotherhood. The Chairman of the Arab, foreign and national security affairs committee in the former Shura Council and himself a leading member of the Brotherhood, said that the government maintained the status quo while it tried to improve the relationship with the group.

In a comment on Facebook, Fahmy added that the reconciliation sought by the Sisi regime entailed releasing some detainees, including some of the leaders; allowing the Brotherhood no more than 10 per cent margin of the political arena to move within as part of the overall political dynamic; and paying some compensation to the families of the martyrs and the wounded. “When the coup authorities lost hope that the Brotherhood, and even before it the revolutionary forces, would consent to any proposals of this kind, they decided to end once and for all the debate about the reconciliation attempts by arresting the man who was left free by the regime in the hope that he might just agree to play that role.”

The Brotherhood leader believes that it was highly likely that keeping Bishr free throughout this period was recommended by EU officials, particularly Britain’s Cathy Ashton, who felt that personalities such as Bishr and Dr Amr Darrag could play an important role within this framework if the right environment was created. “The next period may witness heightened escalation that may in turn provide a more revolutionary climate,” concluded Fahmy. “Out of all of this, a completely new and different phase of struggle will be born. Should this happen, more sacrifices will have to be made in order to reduce the life span of the coup [government].”

In relation to the recent development, prominent revolutionary forces and personalities who signed a communique entitled “A call for unity” have expressed their full solidarity with Bishr, who is one of the signatories. In a newly-released statement, they have called on the Egyptian people and “the children of the January revolution” to comprehend accurately the implications of Bishr’s detention in such barbarous circumstances. They make a particular point of noting that he faced a list of ready-made charges just hours after adding his name, personally and on behalf of the Alliance for Supporting Legitimacy, to the communique.

Those who have signed the document acknowledge the mistakes of the past and call upon everyone to reconsider and restore the demands of the January revolution under a united and inclusive banner. The revolution, they insist, must be the basis for every vision and every road map so as to deliver Egypt from what they describe as repression, corruption and incapacity. All of these, they conclude, are jeopardising the present and future of the country.

Report by Omar Uwais