The two connected attempts of Egyptian Islamists, known as Brussels' Document and Cairo Declaration, can only be described as pathetic. While the state machinery in Cairo gave its successful candidate a myth-like celebration of assuming the highest office, Islamists should really try much harder than that to stand any chance of regaining a foothold in the political arena. Their simple strategy is to re-align themselves with all those who are opposed To Al-Sisi's reign. Well, if they think they can achieve this goal by such discourse manifested in the two above mentioned documents, then they should be plainly told that they are simply day-dreaming. Why? A step by step reading of the documents should be able to give an answer. Firstly, the Brussels document does not recognise the events of June 30th 2013, which alienates from the very beginning the forces speaking through the document from those addressed by it. Then, the first of the ten principles on offer talks about multitude and partnership, which are precisely the two very principles betrayed by Islamists throughout their whole short tragic era starting from the 4th of February 2011 when they sought an agreement with the establishment embodied then in the figure of the late General Omar Soliman, while the forces from which they are now seeking solidarity were still risking their lives in Tahrir square. The third principle is to activate a strategy for transitional justice, same transitional justice which they were reluctant to implement when they ruled. The fourth principle uses the slogan which everybody uses, misuses and abuses: social justice. Another cheap way of bargaining was the fifth principle that seeks to enable the young and women to play leading roles within both the state apparatus and society. Again, where was this when they ruled? The document then vows to protect liberties and the rule of law. One wonders if this would be wide enough, again, to incorporate Salafi self-declared Religious Police? After all, wasn't that what happened in 2012? The seventh principle is by far the one which contradicts the Islamists' practices the most. It mentions co-operation and the preference of the qualified and experienced to others when it comes to reforming the state apparatus. That coming from the same people who created the project of "Brotherising the State" is anything but credible. To finish it on a high note, the document concludes with the affirmation of Egyptian sovereignty. Good, but how can we understand this with the MB principle of "Islam's Mastership over the World"? Moving on the declaration of Cairo, we can start by saying that it is no less pathetic than its mother-document born in Brussels. Because Brussels' document was born in Brussels, its creators felt no need to re-affirm any position of "peaceful" struggle, as if their being far from the reach of Egyptian security relieves them from such burden. This puts the vow made by the Cairo declaration to abide by peacefulness in much doubt and reduces its credibility to virtually none. The main thesis and theme of the Cairo declaration, however, is the "Alignment of National Revolutionary Forces". What they miss here is the fact that they, Islamists, are the last ones to initiate such an invitation! It hurts the invitation itself to be sourced to Islamists. Nonetheless, the two documents manage to ignore outdated nonsenses like the return of Morsi or the restoration of the claimed sabotaged legitimacy. Ironically, this very minor and virtually insignificant achievement was soon to be lost as well, when several prominent voices from within the Islamic trench made sure that the two attempts are rendered totally useless, by promoting interpretations that re-include Morsi and legitimacy back in the deal. The deal then became no deal at all. My analysis here can constitute an unintended advice to Islamists in Egypt in their quest for being rehabilitated within Egyptian political life. Islamists are in no position whatsoever to produce initiatives to the rest of the opposition ranks. So, stop talking to the others, they are not in the mood to listen to you. Islamists are only in a position to deconstruct their own discourse in order to reconstruct it again, hoping that it produces a new and more acceptable positioning for them within the society. So, tell the others first about your new self, abandoned beliefs and newly adopted ones. The start must be a sincere, clear and direct apology to the society, redeeming greed, selfishness, exclusion, authoritarian, fascist, reactionary and non-revolutionary practices which in fact add up to be a severe betrayal to the very revolution of which Islamists claim to be emissaries. Not only would Islamists in Egypt make their mission impossible if they do not follow the path of revisionism and apply the necessary and long delayed fundamental reforms to their dogmas, but also make the life of all opposition forces rather difficult. Any voiced opposition now to the new internal order of Egypt is promptly labelled pro-MB and consequently silenced with much popular approval. In other words, the more Islamists remain unchanged, the better it is for what they call (The Coup). It does not take a genius to tell Egyptian Islamists that the only way to become part of a truly effective fearsome opposition is to change from within; radically change from within, first, foremost and forever.
