Self-orientation Culture, in its simplest form, is manifested in people's perceptions, the way they present themselves and behave. This observation stems from two main pedigrees: ‘who you are' and ‘what you have'. Addressing the cultural issue from this vantage point may shed some light on the grave consequences when culture clashes with identity, ending in a culture crash. Who you are ‘Who you are' depends on an array of factors: where one was born, their up-bringing, race, citizenship and values. These factors determine one's cumulative identity and the quality of what one does. This identity can be compromised if patriotism, values or origin are shaken. You get severely disoriented if you are detached from ‘who you are'. The Muslim Brotherhood persistently attacked the concept of patriotism, trying to demolish it by any means necessary. It strove to substitute long established values and modify fundamental principles of the Egyptian society in an attempt to disorient the people. They want everyone to think that the homeland is just a handful of worthless dust, substituting, in their methodology, nationality for ideology. Even the banners they use do not contain any geographical or cultural indications, only a representation of their ideology with an ostensibly religious touch (two crossed swords and a Holy book). They even made a point to disrespect the Egyptian flag and national anthem. You need not defend your country, they think; you only need to defend your religion. The quality of what you do is a representation of ‘who you are'. The Brotherhood tried with all their might to change that fact by subtracting a main component of culture, namely nationality to cause self-disorientation. Depriving the Egyptians from their national identity was the aim they almost succeeded in achieving, starting a culture clash. Their continuous onslaught marked the beginning of a generalized domestic dispute: Self-disorientation had started. What you have ‘What you have' is a more inconstant factor than ‘Who you are'. Property, education, experience, friends and authority are all quantitatively variable; either increasing or decreasing. Unlike ‘who you are', ‘What you have' determines the quantity of what people see you giving. As far as the Brotherhood is concerned, they never really disclosed ‘what they had'. Their possessions, finances and funds have always been a mystery. So ‘what they can actually do' cannot be quantified. This remains a common practice among Brotherhood members. They don't have any say in what's to be done with the Brotherhood apparently unlimited resources. They were adamant in wanting to spread this practice to the whole society, as if Egyptians were are all members who pledged allegiance to the Brotherhood. The Brotherhood's strategy of Self-disorientation continues. Disorientation then was the name of the game. They stressed on the fact that if you lose the self, you will ultimately lose your free will, and consequently lack determination. It is not the least bit surprising that their motto for controlling their followers is ‘Listening and Absolute Obedience'. They do not believe in the individual's free will or right to choose for themselves. Culture Crash The Brotherhood's methodology was to push for a cultural clash, eventually leading to a culture crash. They used the same pattern to recruit individuals and polarize their loyalties. They rather naively tried to use the same political tricks with a whole country, Egypt. Their failure was astounding because they tried their schemes on one of the oldest historical cultures. They attempted to make Egyptians doubt who they were and what they had, so they would be lost for what had to be done. The rest would be easy. All Brotherhood members and followers are conditioned in the same way. Members never venture to do anything without fearfully asking permission first. In their closed world all actions are questioned by those who know best, who lead and are better informed. They see themselves as the wise, the learned and the leaders. It is safest for you to adhere and follow obediently. Cultural Immunity In Egypt, family names can often be linked to your domicile. ‘Who you are' in Egypt is very close to ‘where are you from'. Therefore, any infringement on a person's domain is rejected by the average Egyptian. Egyptians take pride in their native land and this on the rural, urban and provincial levels. The Brotherhood had the wrong ‘head start', and ran into a very solid wall, as far as identity is concerned. Egyptians would not surrender patriotism for anything. Who they are, is where they are from. The Brotherhood learned a very painful lesson. They clashed with the Egyptian culture, but failed to crash it.
The Brotherhood gained influence in countries where they were able to clash and then crash cultures. They managed to do so using the same technique: clashing with a culture, causing its crash, then using one key cultural ingredient that rarely failed, which is shaking the national identity. The most blatant manifestations of this technique can be seen in severely Brotherhood infected countries. Kurds, Shiite, Sunni, and Houthis are but examples of identity shifting. They represent a prognosis for a cultural clash in preparation for an imminent crash. Egypt a Culture The Brotherhood, founded in Egypt, took an astonishing tail-spin to the dungeons of history. The reason for their demise was a clash with the diamond solid Egyptian culture. Their cultural clash did not make it through to the final crash, because this is Egypt, where culture and identity are inseparable.
