Islamists force Egypt's liberals to regroup

Aug 1: Jolted by the heavy mobilisation by Islamists on Friday at Cairo's Tahrir Square and other major cities, Egypt's liberal pro-democracy activists are trying to re-group to prevent their country from evolving into a theocracy.
Late on Sunday, Amr Hamzawy, the spokesman for the Egypt Freedom Party, a Liberal formation, announced that a broad coalition of like-minded parties was in the works to counter the growing influence of Islamist and religious movements in the country. Mr. Hamzawy said Egyptians had to make a choice: Now that the former President, Hosni Mubarak, had fallen from power, they could either build a "civil state' or allow the emergence of a theocracy.
As Egypt seemingly stood at political and ideological cross-roads, Ayman Nour, president of the Ghad (Tomorrow) Party, and a possible candidate for the presidency, said Egyptians had to navigate a difficult path, avoiding both the pitfalls of an extended military rule as well as a vocal demand for a religious state.
Egypt's liberal parties are planning their rearguard action on account of a recent show of strength by the Islamists.
On Friday, hundreds of thousands of people, mostly supporters of the puritanical Salafists and the less radical Muslim Brotherhood, thronged Tahrir Square, the icon of Egyptian pro-democracy movement. Unlike the past when mobilisation had been on pluralistic and nationalistic lines, Friday's rally appeared singularly partisan.
No to secularism
"Islamic law above the constitution,' blared many of the banners. Many chanted "Islamic Islamic', seemingly prefacing another slogan: "Not Western or Eastern. No liberal or secular.' The show of strength by Islamists in Cairo was repeated in other Egyptian cities. Thousands of Salafists and other Islamists congregated at a prominent square in Alexandria. Huge numbers also rallied in Suez thronging the city's January 25 square.
Friday's rallies showed that Egypt's political and societal divisions were too deep to be papered over. These demonstrations were held despite a desperate appeal by the liberals that the protests should target the military for not fulfilling its promises and focus on common demands. However, neither did the Islamists target the military nor did they stick to the common points. As it became clear during Friday prayers that the Islamists would call for the enactment of Sharia law and theocracy, the liberal activists withdrew from the rally.
By evening on that day, a coalition of 33 parties announced their dissociation with Islamist groups that had now taken over Tahrir Square. After Friday's rally, the liberal camp is questioning the role of the Muslim Brotherhood, which was involved in mobilisation but later spoke out against partisan sloganeering, in advancing the pro-democracy movement. On Sunday, Ghad Party's Mr. Nour praised the Muslim Brotherhood for adopting a "flexible' approach. Some analysts say the Muslim Brothers can still become the bridge between the liberals and the Salafists. (Agencies)


2011-08-01



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