The arsenal of incorrect accusations Earlier this year, more than 20 million Egyptians exercised their right to vote as Egypt's democracy progresses forward. The lines were long and the mood was jubilant as Egyptians—two million more than turned out for the 2011 Constitutional Amendment Referendum and nearly four million more than voted on the Morsi-era Constitution—flooded polling stations to pass judgement on a new Constitution. Their votes overwhelmingly approved the most progressive and inclusive Constitution in our nation's history. We are in the midst of an extraordinary transformation in our ancient civilization's development towards a bright future.
Egypt is a vital leader in the Arab world and a critical player on the regional and international stages. So at a time when the world should rally behind our progress, some foreign media outlets are repeatedly publishing inaccurate, malicious and manipulative reports about events unfolding in our nation. These seemingly purposeful acts of distortion are shameful and indicative of declining journalistic standards.
The Washington Post has the dubious distinction of being the leading offender in this persistent chorus of inaccuracy. In the months since the June 30 Revolution—when Egyptians poured into the streets to demand the overthrow of a regime that failed to govern democratically, took our nation down an extreme path against the will of the peopleand defied the aspirations of those who sacrificed their lives in the name of dignity and social justice—The Washington Post has again and again set a new standard for lazy reporting and editing by publishing egregious falsities.
The Post relentlessly opines that Egypt is headed back down a path to autocratic rule. In a 13 January editorial about the referendum titled Egypt's bogus democracy doesn't deserve US aid, the Post claimed,“Egypt's military regime is taking a major step this week towards installing an autocracy more repressive than any the country has known in decades.” This outlandish accusation entirely overlooks the fact that millions of Egyptians—in a higher percentage and larger numbers than the last election—were enthusiastically engaged in the referendum approving the Constitution.
A Constitution that guarantees for the first time in Egypt's history that women are equal, and religious beliefs, race, political leaning or economic standing cannot be used to divide or persecute. A Constitution that answers the call of the 25 January 2011 and 30 June 2013 revolutions for economic stability, social justice and inherent protections for human dignity and liberty. A Constitution that, for the first time, guarantees a political system that is truely inclusive and accountable to all. These advancements, enshrined in the Constitution as the result of passionate debate and thoughtful compromise by Egyptians representing every segment of society, defy the tenets of an autocracy.
Moreover, The Washington Post stubbornly repeats its false accusation that the new Constitution would further entrench and even expand power of the armed forces. In the 13 January editorial, the editors claimed that the Constitution “exempts the army, police and intelligence services from civilian control and allows these services to prosecute in military courts anyone they deem threatening.” This statement, printed in a reputable, seemingly responsible leading US publication, is pure fiction. First, police are not exempt from civilian oversight, as evidenced by the several police officers who were already tried before civilian courts for crimes and assaults against protesters during the revolution. Furthermore, military courts do not have the right to try any civilian they deem a threat in the new Constitution. In fact, for the first time in our recent history, this Constitution clearly specifies and limits the unique cases in which such a trial may occur, restricting those trials only to direct assaults against military property or personnel who are on duty. The law effectively bans the practice thatThe Washington Post includes in its arsenal of incorrect accusations. Additionally, there are significant improvements to civilian oversight of the military, including a provision that mandates elected leaders from the House of Representatives and civilian leaders of the government be included in any National Security Council discussion of Egypt's military budget. This critical component – a component The Washington Post ignores – introduces an added layer of checks and balances for major decisions pertaining to the military. That system tracks closely with the balanced civilian military collaboration that exists in many other democracies, including the United States.
In editorials on 13 January and 19 January, The Washington Post asserted that all protests and public demonstrations are banned. This is entirely false: protesters and demonstrators must merely notify authorities in advance of gathering, an easier process than that common to other democratic countries. Restrictions in the Egyptian law pertain only to the use of weapons or violence by protesters.This blatant distortion of the truth is indicative of The Washington Post's willingness and apparent desire to mislead their readers about Egypt. By comparison, the US' Federal Restricted Buildings and Grounds Improvement Act of 2011, passed by unanimous consent in the Senate—one Senator and two Congressmen voted against it—punishes violators with imprisonment of up to five years and fine with no ceiling.
And this is just the editorial pages. The Washington Post's reporting on its news pages routinely publishes egregious and frankly embarrassing errors that could be fact-checked with a simple Google search. For example, in just one story on 18 January, the paper published at least three falsehoods, which asserted that: the Suez Canal Authority oversees commercial ports (it does not); the chief executive of a construction company was appointed by Mubarak (Mubarak was not responsible for that appointment); and the Egyptian banking system enables the wealthy to hide money (banking regulations prevent this kind of oversight without judicial decree, which might have negative impact on any free market economy). The evidence of sloppiness and disregard for truth goes on.
The Egyptian people categorically reject and will triumph over all attempts by foreign media to use false attacks to undermine this defining moment in our history. To the foreign media, we say: come take a look. Falsehoods may be easy errors to make from afar, but see with your own eyes. Listen to the voices of the people and hear with your own ears our hunger for a future that satisfies the aspirations that began three years ago, when the world united behind us in hope.
Egypt's process of democratic transformation has not been nor will be without great challenges—just like every other democracy. But the fate of Egypt's democratic journey is now in the hands of Egyptians where it belongs, and our progress forward will faithfully represent our great national identity. Despite the very real threat of extremist groups attempting to hamper this joyous future, we Egyptians, bound by pride in our great historical legacy, will continue to be unified by our desire for a more prosperous and just system. We will be unwavering in our resolve to transform past hardship into a promising new tomorrow.
