How Can Egypt, the Land of civilizations, Be Saved?

By Ebru Altan – 

Coups are crimes against humanity and democracy. They have never been of any benefit to humanity. A terrible crime against humanity has been and is still being committed in Egypt, before the eyes of the world.

The number of people who have lost their lives in the attacks perpetrated by the army for two months now is growing by the day, and new reports of killings are coming in from Egypt daily.

“The land of civilizations” is today covered in smoke Yet with its deep-rooted past dating back some 7,000 years, its strategic position linking Asia to Africa, its fertile land, above- and underground resources, its rich culture and civilization history, Egypt, which has now turned into a lake of blood, was a source of inspiration for the Arab and Islamic world.

The transition to democracy in the country, run by dictators over the 60 years since Nasser in 1952, was painful, as in every country. However, the coup of July 3rd inflicted a new disaster following this already difficult period. The army charged with protecting the Egyptian people turned its weapons against them. The harm inflicted by the army on its own people is incomparably greater than that from the beginning of the anti-Morsi protests on November 22nd, 2012, to the 3rd July coup.

Using violence to deprive one section of society of its democratic rights, and to do this on the pretext of defending social peace, is a serious crime against humanity. Declaring that peaceful protesters are a threat to national security is another crime against humanity and a cover for new massacres, no doubt already in preparation. The state of emergency decree and arbitrary arrests once again show what an unlawful and anti-democratic outlook the junta in Egypt possesses. The civilian people peacefully protesting the use of force to deprive them of their democratic rights are being ruthlessly slaughtered, and people are killed as they pray in mosques or walk in the streets.

The continuing protests and the squares filled to overflowing in Egypt show that neither the Morsi administration nor the junta government is a solution. Those who sowed the seeds of discriminatory hatred among the people are today watching the most savage slaughter. Yet the end of the Mubarak dictatorship just a short while ago could have been a historic turning point for Egypt, the start of a bright future in which democracy, human rights and freedoms were recognized.
Could the coup have been prevented?

While the preparations for the coup were being made, a few steps that would put an end to the tensions in Egypt were expected, yet those awaited changes were not made. There could have been a joint democratic framework in which the views and demands of all sections of society, not just those of the Muslim Brotherhood, could be put into place.

Instead of insisting on ruling alone, Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood could have proposed the healthy maintenance of democracy and the establishment of a coalition government for the security of the Egyptian people. Views could have been canvassed from Coptic Christians, liberals, atheists and Salafists; in short, all sections of society.

It could have been emphasized that the government had no radical tendencies, that it was democratic and secular, and that it would be an administration based on the supremacy of the law.

Constitutional changes to make women feel they would not be pressured or excluded from social life and that, on the contrary, they would enjoy a respected place in society, could have been quickly brought in.

A coalition government in which all sections were represented in the transition to democracy could have been established. Instead of using threatening language toward Israel to curry favor with some Arab countries, guarantees could have been given that the peace conditions established under the Camp David agreement would be maintained and relations improved.

Heed could have been paid to the demands of the opposition, than ignoring them, and reasonable demands could quickly have been acted on.

How can the impasse in Egypt be resolved?

General Sisi must not forget that time will pass quickly and that he will be held responsible for what is happening in Egypt today. However, revenge will do nothing more than increase the losses suffered in Egypt. First of all, the arbitrary detentions of Morsi and Muslim Brotherhood leaders must come to an end and democratic elections must take place as soon as possible. And if the same things happen again? If they decide to adopt a rational attitude, they will not happen again: That is the only salvation for Egypt. For this to happen, the Egyptian people and the administration they choose must wholly relinquish all radical thinking and adopt the moderate perspective of Islāmic moral values.

The way that most Muslim countries, and the Middle East in particular, give the impression of being backward and devoid of art, science and beauty is the result of this radical mindset. How much longer can the fact be ignored that in a society that lives by Islamic moral values, those values need freedom rather than the restriction of liberties, and that liberty, justice and democracy are essential if people are to live by those values?

A society made up of highly modern, elegant, well-dressed and high quality people. A society that delights in music, art and beauty and that is purged of the polluted, filthy and repressive ideas of radical thinking.

A society in which the rights of everyone, no matter what their opinions, section of society or beliefs, are protected and where all people are respected and embraced with love.
A society in which women and young people take the place in social life that they deserve, and in which prime importance is attached to their rights and freedoms and in which women take part in political life.

A society on which atheists, communists, Christians and Jews are treated with affection, in which women who cover up and women who uncover their heads and wear low-cut clothing all receive the same respect.

There can be no culture of coups in such a society, and no supporters of coups. This is the only way to prevent external support for coups. Coups can never be made to look good.

The constantly increasing violence has naturally put an end to the lengthy debates over whether “this was a coup or not.” What remains in people’s minds is this shameful picture to which Western countries turned a blind eye and the idea that “democracy is only for the West.” However, it must not be forgotten that reflections of the coup in Egypt will also appear in the West.

As an extension of that mindset, those who support the coup in Egypt have also faced dangers and experienced troubled periods in their own countries in recent times. It is only a matter of time until they experience the same dangers if the idea of the coup in Egypt is portrayed as legitimate. The most rational thing is for no country to want Egypt to become a bad example out of its own national interests.

The attitude of those Arab countries that sought to put a fine gloss on the coup was even more surprising than that of Western countries. They went further than remaining silent, and actually endorsed it. A great many Muslim countries sat back and watched as a Muslim army slaughtered its own people. Muslims should in fact have united to oppose this repression and injustice; even remaining silent, let alone supporting it, makes one an accomplice in such killing. No matter what name they are given, coups can never be made to look good, and they can never be regarded as excusable. They can never be supported under any pretext.

Turkey is the best model for Egypt. Democracy, freedom, modernity, quality and religious devotion are concepts that live easily under one roof in Turkey. A poll by TESEV in Arab countries and Iran indicates that Turkey is the country that best reconciles democracy and Islam, at a level of 66%. The same poll reveals that 78% of people think that Turkey should play a greater role. This is also often stated by many Western researchers and strategists. For example, writing from Pakistan, the New York Times writer Declan Walsh has explicitly stated that Turkey is the ideal model for Turkey.

In essence, Turkey is the best and most applicable model for Egypt. There is now an impasse in Egypt, but it is still not too late to prevent further killing. Moving out of their own mental comfort zones and thinking logically will bring both sides to the same conclusion; and that the conclusion is that a model based on love, affection, compassion, justice, freedom of ideas and democracy in which people of all opinions can live freely, can be made a reality.

The writer is a Turkish TV host, based in Istanbul