Sisi uses religion to appeal to the emotions of Egyptians

The controversy surrounding the Grand Mosque of Egypt, inaugurated by President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi last month, raises questions about the use of religion as an electoral tool ahead of the 2024 presidential election and its frequent evocation in his speeches to Egyptians, along with repeated oaths, claiming to talk with God and receive messages from Him.

Religion has been a prominent factor in the relationship between Egyptian rulers and their people throughout history, in a predominantly Muslim country with a population exceeding 100 million, and home to Al-Azhar University, a major seat of Islamic learning. However, Sisi has created a new model of this relationship, attempting to present himself as a devout leader, a Sufi and a spiritual individual. He employs a discourse that mixes politics with religion and excessive use of religion as a tool to grant himself religious legitimacy among Egyptians.

The cost of the Grand Mosque in the new administrative capital to the east of Cairo has exceeded 800 million Egyptian pounds ($45m when the project commenced) at a time when the country is experiencing a suffocating economic crisis, and an increase in its external debt to $163 billion by the end of 2022.

The controversy intensified with the lavish inauguration ceremony amidst official and media celebrations at the three Guinness World Records: the tallest pulpit in the world at 16 metres; the heaviest chandelier at 50 tons; and the largest chandelier with a diameter of 22 metres. The mosque covers nearly 20,000 square metres, so is one of the largest in the world. It has a capacity of 107,000 worshippers, a 140-metre minaret, and a multi-storey car park for 3,000 cars.

The mosque was built by the Arab Contractors Company under the supervision of the Engineering Authority of the Armed Forces. It has thirty chambers, each one with a juz (section) of the Qur’an inscribed on the walls, in addition to funeral facilities and 166 shops.

In early 2019, Sisi inaugurated another large mosque in the same new district, accommodating 17,000 worshippers. According to Egyptian newspapers, the cost of Al-Fattah Al-Aleem Mosque was estimated at 200 million pounds ($12.5m).

Egyptian officials often provide conflicting information about the cost of the two mosques and other major projects. The presidency’s General Authority for Information doesn’t publish such official data on its website.

Technicians working in the new administrative capital told me that the two mosques are closed, and no one is allowed to pray in them, except on certain occasions when official delegations are allowed in. Those going to pray must pass through strict security checks. The two mosques are located in a new city devoid of residents; it’s a ghost city, without shops and restaurants, German Radio DW has reported.

READ: Widespread ridicule of Sisi’s talk about his ‘unfinished dream’

Building mosques and the lavish spending involved is part of Egypt’s heritage, said Egyptian researcher in political Islam affairs, Samir Al-Araki. Some rulers seek to establish religious legitimacy through them, regardless of the prevailing economic situation. According to Al-Araki, the Grand Mosque of Egypt has a futuristic connotation for the Sisi administration’s vision, which is trying to establish a new religious centrality separate from the traditional Al-Azhar. This is unlike previous rulers who were keen to derive legitimacy from Al-Azhar, albeit indirectly.

The official pomp of the opening of the Grand Mosque is consistent with the Egyptian president’s discourse, which appears to be religious. The presence of religion in Sisi’s speeches may be attributed to the nature of the ongoing political conflict with the Islamist opposition, which was removed from power in mid-2013. This prompts him to adopt a religious guise that is different from the image painted by the opposition in the public’s mind.

A review of Sisi’s speeches reveals an amazing amount of religious invocation and vocabulary. During a banquet to break the Ramadan fast last Thursday, he asked Egyptians to pray for him: “Good people, pray for us that our Lord may shower His blessings upon us while you are fasting.”

In July 2021, he addressed citizens during the first conference of the national “Decent Life” project saying, “When I used to walk around and see areas with difficult conditions, I dreamt of change and thought that if I had 100 billion, I would change all this. God came to me and said, ‘I will give you more than money; I will give you blessings. What will you do? Will you change and please the people, improve their conditions, and truly make them happy?’ Lord, I hope I can do it, or we can do it together, God willing.”

This reliance on “blessings” as an economic policy for lifting the country out of its suffocating crisis has been a source of criticism and ridicule.

During the closing session of the Egypt 2022 Economic Conference in October, Sisi justified his conversations with God: “Someone asks me, why do you talk so much about God? God is my beloved and dear to me. I see what He has done with you all. You might see it too, but I see more. By God, by God, by God, His generosity to Egypt is beyond imagination.” In a telling reference to enjoying divine support, he added, “I have God on my side. Whoever can stand against God is welcome to try.”

Since assuming power in mid-2014, following the overthrow of the late President Mohamed Morsi on 3 July, 2013, the oath has become a staple in Sisi’s speeches and statements, extending from domestic to foreign issues:

“I swear to God, we have no greed, and you will see, we have no greed for anything other than seeing our country on par with the world.”

“By the Almighty God, I will not abandon this country.”

“I swear to God, if I had $100 billion, I would give them to you, Egypt, without thinking.”

“Work with me and hold me accountable after two years, and I swear to God three times, if you see someone better than me, I will leave the chair immediately.”

“I swear to God, whoever approaches the country with harm, I will erase them from the face of the earth. I swear to God, if I am useful, I will sell myself.”

“By God, we never sell illusions to the people.”

Among the most famous occasions when Sisi swore an oath were his statements on 26 October, 2016: “By the Almighty God, for ten years, there was nothing in my refrigerator but water… I am ready to be held accountable, by the Almighty God, I am ready to be held accountable… I swear by the Almighty God, I swear by the Almighty God, I swear by the Almighty God, if the Egyptians don’t want me, I will not stay a second in this position [the seat of power].”

On a previous occasion, President Sisi described himself and sparked widespread ridicule. In a meeting with the Egyptian community in Germany in June 2015, he said: “God created me as a doctor who diagnoses the situation and knows the truth, the whole world, the experts, the politicians, the media, and the great philosophers, they all say: listen to him.”

A prominent Egyptian writer (who chose to remain anonymous), told me that the issue goes beyond exploiting religion to stir emotions; it is an inflated sense of self-aggrandisement that leads Sisi to delve into religious matters and claim to be a doctor and philosopher, exploiting — and becoming accustomed to — the fact that no one debates or reviews his statements. This is an attempt to control and nationalise everything, including religion, which is an evolution of the pharaonic condition that often affects Egyptian rulers.

“You must know that God does not set right the work of the corrupt, and we, God willing, are reformers; and if we were corrupt, we would not succeed. God alone watches over us,” said Sisi in September last year. In one speech, he seemed to be beseeching the Almighty: “O Lord, You know us and are watching over us, and many people have high hopes in You. God will help us… O Lord, our circumstances are difficult, Lord, please help us.”

Sisi also dealt with the disputed Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam crisis with Ethiopia using an oath. When addressing Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed during his visit to Cairo in June 2018 he said, “Swear by God that we will not do any harm to the water in Egypt.” Ahmed responded by repeating the oath. At the same time, he continued to carry out his country’s plans to complete the filling of the reservoir behind the dam, which Egypt claims threatens its historical share of water from the River Nile.

Some oaths have an effect on the emotions of the listener. Others clearly don’t.

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