CAIRO - Last week some events occurred in the post-revolution Egypt raising one's concern and anxiety about the way ahead. These happenings could be regarded as the negative consequences of an otherwise-landmark revolution that has apparently opened the gates of freedom of expression to all categories of the society including different Islamic groups that used to keep a low profile in Mubarak's oppressive regime. One of these events was a rally organised by the Muslim Brotherhood in Imbaba, one of the capital's working-class areas that used to be dominated by some extremist Islamist groups in the 1980s and 1990s. At this gathering a well-known member of the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's most well-organised opposition power, made clear the group's intention of imposing Sharia, the Islamic law on society if they reached power. Apparently, the provocative statement has raised many eyebrows and drawn criticism from different sides that have accused the group of deceiving the public about their claim of supporting a civil State in Egypt while intending to rule with a different strategy once its goal has been reached. The group's responses ranged from denial of the statement to unacceptable justifications. Fighting back the criticism, the group resorted to the known trick of claiming that there is no religious state in Islam and as a Sunni Muslim country, Egypt could never become another Iran because Muslims Sunnis do not recognise the so-called infallible Imam who, if takes the helm, should be obeyed. Actually, these words are true for Islam, but are being manipulated by the group for a self-serving agenda. Besides, their words about applying Islamic Sharia have scared off some members of society, Muslims and Copts, not out of fear of Islamic Sharia but of the Muslim Brothers' and extremist groups' limited understanding of genuine essence of this religion. As a Muslim myself, I wish that the day would come when the Islamic Sharia would be applied in the day-to-day life and not just by the rule of the State. However, I feel apprehensive when I hear anyone speak about enforcing it now, not because it goes against the will of domestic and international society, but because those seeking it are not yet ready for its enforcement. In other words, I believe that the Sharia could be the cure of all our illnesses and even those of the whole world. Still, the problem is that those seeking its application do not really understand it nor do they have the religious knowledge that could enable them to implement it the right way. For example, most Muslim groups believe in applying the Islamic Law and its hedud (penalties) in the same way as the early Muslims did in Medina, (the holy city in what is Saudi Arabia today that witnessed the creation of the first Muslim state). These groups crossly ignore the widespread changes that have been introduced into Muslim societies today. They believe that any diversion from the past is a sin whereas the Sharia itself urges its followers to exercise their minds and think of new solutions to newly introduced questions facing Muslim society in different eras. The Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) was the first to establish this concept in the minds of his followers. He once asked one of his companions, whom he had appointed to govern a Muslim city far from Medina about the way he would rule. The man answered that he would seek an answer from the Holy Qur'an and the Sunna (sayings and actions of the Prophet). “If you found no answer in any of them?” the Prophet asked. “I would resort to ijtihad (reasoning),” he answered, referring to the principle of thinking to reach a solution of benefit to the people. Early Muslims understood this concept very well, and the Second Caliph Omar Ibn Al-Khattab was the best in interpreting it. He even issued edicts that violated some known rules clearly included in the Qur'an without hearing an objection from his subjects, who realised that change in society requires some rules to be omitted and new ones introduced if this proved the best course for the welfare of society. That could explain why today's Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar or the Mufti of the Republic has never been heard requesting that the jail sentence of a thief, for example, be changed to cutting off a hand as stipulated in the Sharia. Have the head of the most prestigious Sunni Islam institution in the world and Egypt's highest Muslim authority abandoned their religion and the Sharia? Or is this because they have a more profound understanding of it? This is why many Egyptian Muslims stand against today's calls to apply Sharia and regard with suspicion the persistence of the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists of creating ‘civil' political parties to run in the forthcoming parliamentary elections as a step towards ruling Egypt one day. Nevertheless, I still feel thankful for the January 25 revolution that has allowed all parties and groups to publicly express themselves and enable society to get a better knowledge of their ideologies and the means these groups will adopt to obtain their goals. In a previous article, I asked society to accept the high profile that these groups had started to object, opposing the public concern at these groups' influence on some Egyptians. I personally believe that these groups have managed to gain some ground in society and draw followers when they were operating in the shadows and were a frequent target of draconian security crackdowns. All the same, now bringing them into the light would uncover their flawed ideas about Islam and the Sharia in such a way that would make society abandon them or at least prompt them to change their misconceptions. Dear readers are invited to contribute their comments, views and questions via 111-115 Ramsis St., Cairo or e-mail: ([email protected])
