Religion should play a proper role in post-revolutionary Egypt and not attempt to go beyond its prescribed bounds, writes Mohamed Moustafa Orfy* As a result of the country's historical and cultural heritage, the role of religion in Egypt today, Islam being the religion of the overwhelming majority of Egyptians, is similar to that of a prescription medicine. When the dose of this medicine is correct -- in other words, when it is used to benefit the national interest as a whole -- it has untold benefits and advantages. It can, for example, help rectify shortcomings in the value system of society by underpinning and stimulating positive attitudes towards work, diligence, education, moral norms, and so on. However, when the dose is inappropriate, for example less than is necessary, it can have feeble or ineffective results. Similarly, an over- dose of any medicine can lead to unfavourable results that include, but are not limited to, an absence of scientific thinking. Such thinking could justify suffering or the hardships of life by arguing that these are matters of destiny, or it could claim that asceticism is necessary in order to become a good Muslim. It could also lead to the holding of extremist thoughts or interpretations of certain religious verses and statements. In this area in particular, there is a valuable argument, attributed to the Prophet Mohamed, which urges Muslims to take their religion "gently", stressing its tendency towards moderation and tolerance towards Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Religion seeks to realise the public interest, and the Prophet himself warned against harshness in upholding religious principles. In post-revolutionary Egypt, we have been witnessing the growing domination of what the media have been calling the Islamist current, as was evident in the last parliamentary elections. Large segments of Egyptian society seem to be favourable to giving a chance to the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafis, deprived over decades of repression by successive regimes, to take power in the hope that their long-awaited participation in the country's political life will contribute to resolving the accumulated problems in almost every area of society. There is no harm in the Islamist parties gaining power through electoral means, as everyone must abide by democratic rule in the new Egypt. Competition between different political forces and groups could also be considered a form of healthy interaction that could help to guide Egypt on its path into the future. No doubt, once they have gained power even groups holding contradictory ideas will work out a compromise amongst themselves, making the state as a whole wiser and more mature. In short, mutual cooperation and reciprocal accountability between the various groups in society would create healthier conditions for society as a whole, similar to what is produced by applying checks and balances between the various parts of government. However, important though it is, the right of the majority to rule according to its vision of things should not be implemented at the expense of the rules of the democratic game itself. The majority should not be left alone to paint the future with its own brush, bearing in mind the occasional failings that exist in uneducated layers of society. Certain procedures should be observed in order to ensure fairness in the newly adopted democratic process. First, nothing good can be produced by integrating religion into politics completely, as the history and recent experiences of some other countries have taught us. This is because each is in a way incompatible with the other. Religion is by nature sacred and constant and is exercised and implemented by straightforward people. Politics, on the other hand, is necessarily variable and sometimes contradictory, and it can call for a certain amount of strategic thinking to implement it. The overwhelming victory of the so-called Islamist current in the parliamentary elections could be ascribed to numerous factors, though these are not the subject of this article. However, the unwise mixing of religion and politics should not be prolonged. It should be explained that people are elected in any political system according to their ability to serve the country, not according to their knowledge or adherence to Islam. It remains to be seen whether the so-called Islamist current will now monopolise all branches of government, executive, legislative judicial, etc., or whether it will be mature enough to distance itself from the monopolistic practices of the dissolved former ruling National Democratic Party. Second, Egyptians should not be held captive by those who want to take charge of all aspects of life, including culture, sports, and economic activities, controlling these with religious slogans. If this were to take place, we would see an unprecedented spread of religious control throughout society that would be in contradiction with the basis of Islam itself, since the latter differentiates between what is religious and what the Prophet called worldly affairs. We should maintain the diversity of culture in Egypt, since Islam is by its very nature a religion of voluntary choice, not coercion, and it is one that categorically denies the right of others to question intentions or consciences. Third, let us agree that one of the cornerstones of Islam is that there is no priesthood in the religion. Thus, there is no person or entity or group that can claim the right to classify others as acting in accordance with Islam or not in accordance with Islam. The Sheikh Al-Azhar himself, despite his status, does not have the right to assess the relationship of any person with God. Like any other good scholar, he can teach us how to be good Muslims and nothing more. We should resist the tendency to fall into the trap of repeating words and expressions used by those who believe that they are the true and perhaps the only real representatives of Islam, when they describe themselves or others, since this, by the nature of things, cannot be the case. Let us remember that religion in Egypt has sometimes been abused by rulers who have used it as a kind of cement to bolster their own rule and have promoted it as a way of ensuring submission and obedience, such as not defying or resisting an unjust ruler, for example. Religion in Egypt, like in other countries worldwide, has sometimes been used to attain political and socio- economic purposes, not divine ones. This should not be allowed to happen in post-revolutionary Egypt. * The writer is an Egyptian academic.
