Tuesday, August 13, 2013

PAGES FROM THE IKHWAN MUSLIMIN: SUSTAINING ITS IDEALISM




While imprisoned in one of Egypt's darkest eras, Sayyid Qutb's emotion of his writing reflects the physical torture he experienced and the psychological torture that resulted from the murder of fellow Brotherhood members. Readings of In the Shade of the Qur'an reflects his disappointment that a military government could mistreat thousands of members of the Muslim Brotherhood without fear of popular recourse.

Fast forward to today, a military installed government has once again massacred its own citizens and seems to be able to get away with it just because the victims are the Muslim Brotherhood and its supporters. Whether they are unarmed, peaceful demonstrators, women or children, a congregation in prayer, they were shot and killed. 200 killed and 4500 wounded and not a sound bite from Muslim governments or Western democrats. Only Turkey stood out clearly denouncing such gross criminality.

Looking back at the past, an event which strongly influenced Sayyid Qutb's joining the Muslim Brotherhood was what he witnessed while being hospitalised in the US. It was the ecstatic reception given in America to the news of the assassination, on February 12 1949, of Imam Hasan al-Banna, able and charismatic founder of the organization. American media were shamelessly and enthusiastically cheering the murder of an Egyptian reformer and resistance leader against British colonialism.

Now, it is as if nothing has changed for "mumsy" Katie Ashton of the EU was flown in By Egypt's ruling junta to meet illegally abducted and secretly detained President Morsi. Something Dr Morsi's family or lawyers are not able to do. Western diplomats come and go freely meeting whoever they like in Egypt and discussing thus intervening in its internal politics albeit with flimsy denials.

It is easy to conclude as Sayyid Qutb did that a regime unprecedented in its ruthlessness had come to power in Egypt and that the primary problem was covert foreign influence together with the almost total absence of social justice. It is becoming the total usurpation of power by forces intensely hostile to Islamists.

Extremist secular detractors like to dismiss and brush off the cruel and inhumane treatment of the Muslim Brotherhood as the "mehnah - tribulation narrative". It is as if the Muslim Brotherhood cherish such terrifying and torturous ordeals and blood sacrifice just to remain relevant and popular.

But what is it that sustains the Muslim Brotherhood even as it undergoes severe persecution and brutal purges.

Looking at the Ikhwan's political front and development over years, the ijtihadiy aspect, the reasoning and ideological deliberations show an extraordinary resolve to survive, to adapt and evolve.

The details of the founding and early history of the Muslim Brotherhood reveal that it is poised to a highly adaptive political creature, weathering the permutations of ordinary parties and experiencing crises.

They promulgated various political platforms and economic programs until aborted by the repressive Nasser regime. Ikhwan was officially dissolved and its leadership and members underwent years of long imprisonment, some faced execution and others fled into exile - while Nasser swore to completely extinguish its existence. Gamal Nasser was said to have pledged to eradicate Ikhwan while visiting Moscow in the Soviet era.

But the Ikhwan's prison generation, re-emerged and re-entered the political landscape. It was somehow able to sustain engagement with an oppressive regime state and its institutions, and was capable to compete with political forces. It still had an intact organizational structure.

With the advent of younger participation, the Ikhwan mastered electoralism and the politics of adaptation. It thrived within the authoritarian regime's de facto toleration although the regime never allowed its legalization. The Ikhwan adopted self preservation techniques and an electioneering strategy. In 1984 its general guide, Umar Tilmisany saw an opportunity of a lifetime to contest parliamentary elections - remarking that if they let it slip  from their hands, they would be among the neglectful. The Ikhwan became adept at creating political alliances and pacts in facing regime's electoral engineering and lopsided manipulations. They either contested as independents or engaged and cooperated with the Wafd and Labour parties.

Ikhwan then became the leading electoral contestant even though it was a not a level political playing field. They performed in parliament with the block's biggest interpellations (legislative questioning) outshining their coalition partners.

In 1987, the Ikhwan extolled the concept of  al tahaluf al islamiy - an Islamist led alliance...with the slogan  - tatbiq wa taqnin - introduction and codification of Islamic laws.

As was usual they faced familiar election rituals whereby  hundreds of Ihkwan's leaders and candidates were arrested just before elections.

Its then subsequent general guide Mustafa Masyhur inspiringly said, "We must benefit from the experience of elections for our future, for an election is an art with its own rules, expertise and requirements, and we must push those who have given up on reforming this nation, push them to get rid of this pessimism."

Ikhwan won their seats due to their superior organizational skills, ability to get out the votes, their proven track record and  transparent management of associations. It was not covert infiltration but sheer hard work campaigning and a generous network of post election services to the community.

Ikhwan's opponents taunted it by using unfounded allegations of take over and manipulations. Ikhwan was ridiculed as such that they make sham democrats and that they would be untrustworthy political contestants because they refer to immutable sacred texts. The Ikhwan were portrayed as avid theocrats.

It seems that when it comes to democracy, the Muslim Brothers are subjected to higher moral standards that other players. It is as they are the only authoritarians in an assembly of true and tried democrats.

But their performance in parliament, the issues that they engaged, their quality of debate showed their political acumen, articulative skills  and grasp of the problems beyond mere theocracy. They were seen as Muslim democrats.

So is it just  astonishing political skills and grasp of ijtihadiy - contemporary reasoning that sustain the Muslim Brotherhood?


Professor Muhammad Qutb writes that In the Shade of the Qur’an is the fruit of the most productive years of its author’s intellectual life, and at the same time, a vivid expression of the sacred battle which he fought and which culminated in his martyrdom in 1966.  Muhammad Qutb further notes that if the Qur’an is read in a sort of passive, detached state one is sure to miss a lot of its indications and purposes. But when one reads it while being actually involved in the cause to revive and reform the religion and the testimony of faith, one’s heart shall open to receive its meanings which would otherwise have missed, and draw inferences of which one was totally unaware. A unique Quranic generation. A generation sticking to its ideals of truth, real freedom, compassion, perseverance and justice.



(Some parts adapted and edited from Mona El Ghobashy, The Metamorphosis of the Egyptian Muslim Brothers)

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