Some people in this country have got it into their heads that democracy is all about saying what they want and doing what they want with no care for others. For them, freedom is just a euphemism for chaos, and revolution is just an excuse to ignore all laws and norms. Such people, with their misguided actions, are bringing the country down. Every time they block traffic, every time they act in a way that undermines medical care or security, they hurt everyone. The sad thing is that we haven't seen the end of it yet. Some people are now threatening to cut off the electricity supply. They want to drown the whole country in darkness, after they already drowned us in garbage. These crimes are all being committed in the name of good causes. There is nothing wrong about pressing professional demands, or demanding jobs and decent housing, but this is not the right way to go about it. According to Galal Amin, the prominent economist, we're failing to grasp the true meaning of democracy. There is more to democracy than engaging in dialogue or listening to other views. Real democracy is about doing the right thing at the right time, even without prior debate. In this bizarre situation in which we live today, fascist ideas are finding their way into our political scene. Thinly disguised, reactionary ideas are edging their way into our life, waiting like a Trojan horse for the right chance to undermine our long-awaited democracy. History is full of instances in which democracy falls prey to non-democratic forces. Following the Great War, Germany was overcome by the Nazi ideas of the National Socialist German Workers Party. Led by Hitler, the Nazis used democracy to reach power, then they turned against everyone -- the Jews and communists, the gypsies and the mentally challenged, even people who are physically unfit or just short. This is the kind of madness we cannot tolerate. The Turkish model has gotten a lot of praise lately as a suitable path for Egypt, but those who speak so admirably of that model forget one thing. They forget that the success of the Justice and Development Party is due to the strong tradition of secular politics in Turkey. The Justice and Development Party is aware that it has to play by the rules of the secular game or face banishment from political life. This is not a tradition that we have in this country. Perhaps it is better to think in terms of Brazil, Singapore, Malaysia, or South Korea, countries that introduced democracy without even considering the possibility of mixing religion with politics. Some people are offended when parallels are drawn between the Nazis and Egyptian religious parties. But the comparison is only possible because of actual things that the leaders of those parties have said. When people start talking ill about women and Copts, it becomes difficult to pinpoint their intentions. Any discrimination against Egyptian citizens on the basis of faith, colour or gender is unacceptable. And those who say such things are as bigoted as the Nazis and fascists were. Fanatics may think that they have a monopoly on the truth, that they are the chosen people, and that they are too good to marry into other groups or allow women and minorities to serve in top posts. Fanatics think that if they were defeated in war it would be divine punishment. They believe that God will punish them for disobeying the supreme guide or the prince of the faithful. It is this kind of thinking that makes them hard to take seriously, and impossible to trust.
