On Politics in Egypt

I should preface this whole entry with a disclaimer first. As a foreigner in Egypt, and especially as an American, I vowed far before I even put one toe on Egyptian soil that I would never talk politics. This is not my country; therefore it is not my place. But with the current political situation becoming what it is I thought it important to speak out a little bit about what it really is like here. Media does a really good job at making it look a certain way, and I know that for a lot of people on the other side of the world, they are being given a picture that is far from the truth. So, I apologize up front to Egyptians that read this and feel it is not an accurate depiction of what is happening in their country’s politics. This is humbly just a foreigner’s view on the way she sees it, nothing more.

With that being said, last week I ventured into the Fifth Settlement in Cairo (New Cairo some may call it). And what this really means is that I was transported into another world. Suddenly I traded the 18 story concrete apartments housing hundreds for vast gated villas designed just for one family. I traded local, family-owned kushary shops for McDonald’s, Chili’s and TGI Friday’s. I traded Al Azhar University for American University in Cairo. Basically, we had ventured into what didn’t even feel like Egypt anymore, it was a Little America. And as funny as it was to see a Chili’s in the middle of desert, I could not shake the deep feeling of sadness this sight gave me. Here my country was, always meddling in something.

(This is what Meeting Point Mall in New Cairo looks like- not to far those malls you see in Europe.)

But to me, this is what Cairo is REALLY like. 

So what does a Starbucks or Chili’s or a University for that matter have anything to do with politics in Egypt? It’s simple really- that Starbucks is only physical proof of the vast social hierarchy that runs at the core of Egyptian politics. The rich, those people that drive in their imported cars to their exported restaurants, are the ones that really have power in this country. They are the only ones that have a voice. And the average Egyptian, where are they? They are left to their silent struggle, simply trying to find ways to survive or buy bread.

So politics here are like a terrible math equation. Take one completely unstable former military government add one part “democracy” divide among masses representing all socioeconomic walks of life and you get- chaos. Any person following the international news on Egypt can get this. But what took me moving to Egypt to realize was the way it was being shown to the world through certain media outlets. Take the most current event; 529 Muslim Brotherhood supporters being sentenced to death. When you say Muslim Brotherhood in the West, what comes to mind for most is that icy term “terrorist”. But here, there is a multi-layered picture that comes under that term “Muslim Brotherhood”. It is not as black or white as it seems.

Like anything in Egypt, the Brotherhood is viewed in equal parts animosity and admiration. For one part, the Brotherhood represents the original revolution that happened in 2011. This revolution seems to be the “pure revolution” to Egyptians. When asked about it, people seem like they are suddenly reminiscing with you about the beautiful fellowship and unity that was created long ago. This is when people will speak fondly of the Brotherhood, or all the political or religious parties that were involved for that matter (because there were many). But when you fast forward to last year, it suddenly becomes disastrous. The revolution simply lost itself. And all those parties became dissatisfied with each other. And this is when you start to see the revolution splinter into a thousand pieces. Now you get political groups rising, like Rab3a.

(The logo for Rab3a, you will see this spray-painted on walls all over the place)

Now Rab3a (pronounced Raba), in international media, has had this strange connection to the Brotherhood (and therefore terrorists) to some. However, here in Egypt, it clearly just defines what you think of Sisi and the coup. Generally, people who support Rab3a do not support Sisi (obvious), but most importantly (this is part that seems to be overlooked by a lot of people) this does not mean they support the Brotherhood. Like I said, it is not so black and white. Rab3a supporters are those that support the true process of democracy. So you will see them supporting Morsi in protests, but not necessarily because he is from the Brotherhood. What they are supporting is the fact that he was fairly voted into office by the democratic process involving most of the Egyptian population in the 2012 elections. To them, Morsi was the true elected leader and they want to get that process back.

And meanwhile, Sisi and the military powers that be, are doing a splendid job of controlling media and gathering support from the bottom up. It’s a pretty surreal site to walk through some of the poorest areas in Egypt and see banners of Sisi, “The Lion of Egypt” as he is now called, plastered patriotically over every nook and cranny. The very people, who at one time fought vigorously for democracy and a voice, now are simply wishing for “stability”. And when you hear someone say that word, it means they have watched enough TV to believe that the military will bring stability to the country. And maybe it will, but to those who are among the educated groups of Egypt, you find them still going to squares to protest. There must be some significance in that.

And to add fuel to the fire, you have elections coming up. And of course you get Sisi nobly hanging up his uniform to run for President (and save this poor country) in the “fair and democratic” process that these elections are advertised to be. Oh thank you Sisi, how kind of you! This is the same regime that treated those 529 Brotherhood supporters so fairly when sentencing them to death: “Of the 529 sentenced on Monday, only 153 are in custody. The rest were tried in their absence and have the right to a retrial if they turn themselves in. Another 17 defendants were acquitted." (Source: Aljazeera).

So, this is the political concoction that is Egypt. It is difficult to watch Egypt struggle with itself because despite what all Egyptians may disagree on, one thing they have in common is a passionate love and a wish for good intention in their country. Not sure what is to come next, but I am certain that it may get worse before it gets better. My prayer continuously for Egypt is that it becomes a country that treats its people fairly and humanely and listens to what its countrymen say. Insha’allah Egypt will be this one day.