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The search for an alternative in Egypt

March 24, 2016 at 2:50 pm

The events in Egypt escalated recently and so too did the crises. The government found itself surrounded from the inside and the outside, and the coup leader seemed shaken and tense, which was evident during his latest speech, the scandalous speech as they call it. In this speech he ordered Egyptians to only listen to him, and he said this three times. It is as if he is saying to them I am your god and I will guide you to the right path.

He also threatened all of his critics and said that he is the only one who understands and knows Egypt’s illnesses and is the only one who knows how to treat these illnesses. He mocked all those who are demanding early presidential elections or demanding his departure, asking them, “Who are you?” It is as if we are facing a new Gaddafi. However, Gaddafi said this after over 40 years of rule while the new Gaddafi said it only a year and a half into his rule. Gaddafi is an idea, and an idea does not die with its owner. Instead, new owners of the idea will emerge and the coup leader is the loyal follower of Gaddfism or the Gaddafi ideology.

We are facing a sick man governing a country the size of Egypt who was chose by the Zio-American intelligence agencies. Therefore, he is doing everything they ask, including suffocating the Palestinians in Gaza and intensifying the siege imposed on them through the Rafah crossing, destroying the tunnels, flooding Gaza, demolishing the homes of those from Rafah in Sinai, expelling its residents, bulldozing their land and completely erasing them from the map. In addition to this, the coup leader has put the Islamic resistance movement Hamas, which is the honour of the Muslim nation, on the terrorism list. This was how he presented his credentials to Israel. What more can he do to satisfy the Americans?

This reminds us of the Quranic verse that says: “The Jews and Christians will never approve of you until you follow their religion.” Therefore, the coup leader started his attack on the constants of the Islamic religion, saying: “We cannot remain prisoners to ideas from 14 centuries. We cannot allow 1.6 billion people kill everyone in order for them to live.” He declared himself as the protector of religion and morals, saying that he will be in charge of religion and that there will be no religious leadership. Of course these words are directed at the Al-Azhar Sheikh, who heard these words and did not bat an eyelid or react. He did not show concern for his religion or even for the position he occupied, which has been a beacon for Islam across the world.

The services the coup leader has provided are not services provided by an individual who truly loves their country. These services are only provided by spies, but these actions have not stopped the American administration from searching for an alternative to him. This is what made him tense and agitated during the last speech, in which he stressed he will remain in his position and will not leave it. However, it wasn’t long ago that he said: “Why would you take to the streets? You don’t need to. If you don’t want me to remain president, I will leave in a second!”

This man seems conflicted and in a crisis due to the fact that the allies and supporters of the coup have abandoned him and all he has left are the Israelis who are also afraid of the possibility of him being overthrown soon due to his miserable failure in governing Egypt. Everyday, we read articles and analyses that suggest this and call on Netanyahu to help him out of fear that the Islamists will govern Egypt once again. An Israeli official had even admitted that they coordinated, planned and funded the 30 June revolution.

The coup leader has been exposed and his lie was revealed to the Saudis. After he told them he would be loyal in order for them to shower him with billions of dollars, but then when it came down to it, he backed down and started to compromise and exploit them during “Operation Decisive Strom”. He even started to make contact behind the scenes with the Houthis and Iran. He also supports the murderer Bashar Al-Assad and provides him with weapons against the opposition, which is supported by Saudi Arabia. So now, Saudi Arabia is also looking for an alternative to him, and therefore they met with the former army Chief of Staff, Sami Anan. This angered the presidency and they asked about the reason for this visit.

Everyone who planned, participated in, and funded the coup is now looking for an alternative. This is not only on the level of governments, but even on the level of the Egyptian masses who took to the streets and supported the army’s coup, or what was known as the June 30 Front. This front was fragmented, as its members were either deposed or dismissed, such as the former Minister of Justice, Ahmed Al-Zend, who spearheaded the counter-revolution but was later dismissed. The same happened to MP and journalist Tawfik Okasha, who said himself that he ignited the 30 June coup. He was not only dismissed, but is now being prosecuted in cases that will lead to him being imprisoned.

Even the journalists and writers who supported the coup are now writing articles more critical than the ones written by those opposed to it. Writer Abdullah Al-Sinawi, who is close to the military institution, wrote that Egypt is on the edge of an abyss and that Al-Sisi lost his popularity. He also said that he does not expect Al-Sisi to finish his term and that the West is looking for an alternative to him. Journalist Amr Adeeb, whose television programme hosts Al-Sisi said that abroad, he is being asked about an alternative and this is what encouraged Hamdeen Sabahi to come up with the alternative initiative.

Hence, everyone is looking for an alternative. Perhaps God will allow for something unexpected to occur and change the state we are in.

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