In light of the notable electoral victory by the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt it becomes important to critically analyse those events that have preceded the elections. There are a set of people feeling joyous at this juncture; and perhaps reading too much into the Muslim Brotherhood’s election win. Some of them are even going to the extent of describing it as “triumph for the ultimate truth”. Then there are critics who are upfront in disapproving the policy, programme and vision of the Islamists like the Muslim Brotherhood.
Critics of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Palestinian Hamas argue that these organized socio-religious-political and “aggressive revolutionary” outfits follow the same traditional route that of luring their possible voters and gaining sympathy of the general masses through generous social services, such as offering “free meat, subsidized vegetables and sweets for kids”, especially during election times.
One such critic is Mohammed Mahbub Husain, aka Ed Husain, the author ‘The Islamist’, basically a memoir widely appreciated by the Westerners. In his blog on ‘Council on Foreign Relations’, Husain argues: “Where the state failed, the Muslim Brotherhood entered with charity work, building low-cost hospitals, supporting orphans and widows, and running vocational training programs. This noble support for Egypt’s poor, however, smacks of bribery and corruption when used at election time to gain votes, undercut political opposition, and portray the Muslim Brotherhood as ‘God’s good soldiers’ against the secular and liberal Egyptians.”
Ed Husain is a British Muslim. Husain was born in England to Bangladeshi Muslim parents. In his riveting memoir, he takes readers through his transformation from the spiritual tradition of his parents to a die-hard Islamist. But after spending about five years in activism as an extremist youth leader of the YMO [Young Muslim Organization], Hizb-ut-Tahrir [a radical group that calls for the establishment of the Caliphate] and British wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, he finally transforms again to embrace spiritual tradition of his family. 
Coming back, Egypt has elected a leader through a democratic process. No doubt. Mohamed Morsi, 60, has the distinction of becoming the first leader in Egypt’s history to win a democratic election. Morsi is an elected president of a country that is economically strapped. During his election campaign Morsi, fully backed-up by the Muslim Brotherhood, promised his support to democracy, women’s rights and peaceful – if not friendly – relations with Israel in case he won. He eventually did win.
Morsi heads the Freedom and Justice party, the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood. Now is the real test for him. Only the time will tell whether he keeps or breaks his promises. Egypt’s new president has been arrested several times under former president Hosni Mubarak’s authoritarian regime for raising his voice in favour of Egyptians and against the “rigged elections” and “tyrannical measures”. That way, Morsi has offered his share of sacrifices for Freedom and Justice. Expectations from his domestic followers and admirers outside Egypt would want him to deliver exactly that: ‘Freedom and Justice’!
For the Muslim Brotherhood fans it was a delightful scene to witness tens of thousands of people assembling in scorching and stifling hot temperatures at Cairo’s Tahrir Square, and cheering for Morsi following the news that he had won.
Most of the level-headed analysts believe that Morsi’s victory could actually set the solid base for durable peace between Israel and Egypt. “Is the election of Mohamed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood candidate, as President of Egypt the beginning of the end of the Camp David peace treaty between Israel and Egypt? It doesn’t have to be. In fact, it could actually be the beginning of a real peace between the Israeli and the Egyptian peoples, instead of what we’ve had: a cold, formal peace between Israel and a single ‘Egyptian pharaoh’. But, for that to be the case, both sides will have to change some deeply ingrained behaviours, and fast,” writes columnist Thomas L Friedman in the ‘New York Times’. He also articulates that “the rightwing Israelites who for so long argued that peace will happen only when the Arabs become democratic — failed to believe that the liberation narrative might one day resonate with the people of Egypt and now proclaim that the problem with the Arabs is that they are becoming too democratic.”
Peace loving analysts of the West want Morsi to “follow the path of Turkey, not the Taliban”. That perhaps is Morsi's Catch-22!

[The writer can be contacted at gowhargeelani@gmail.com]

Lastupdate on : Fri, 13 Jul 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 13 Jul 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 14 Jul 2012 00:00:00 IST