CAIRO - The new Egyptian Parliament, which will be inaugurated on January 23, looks set to be dominated by Islamists. The Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party and the Salafist Al-Nour Party, which seeks to impose strict Islamic Law, similar to Saudi Arabia, have captured a clear majority of votes in Egypt's first elections since the uprising that ousted Hosni Mubarak. It's a huge blow for the liberals and young activists who drove the uprising. This has divided people in the street; some are more afraid of the Salafists than the Muslim Brothers. Let's wait and see
“It's shocking that Salafists have won seats in Parliament," said Bassant Mahmoud, a graduate from the Faculty of Economics and Political Science, who took part in the demonstrations in iconic Tahrir Square that led to the toppling of Hosni Mubarak's regime in February. "I expected the Muslim Brotherhood to win because they have been working on the ground with the people for years. But the Salafists were practically unknown to most of the public," she told the Egyptian Mail. The Islamists' anticipated win has many Egyptians fearing the new parliament will turn their country into a theocracy. Salafists are distinguished by their insistence that politics be guided strictly by Islamic Law. Al-Nour (Light) – Egypt's leading Salafist party, founded last year – advocates a legal system based solely on the Shari'a (Islamic Law). "My Christian friends are very afraid. Some of them are preparing to leave the country," she said. "I myself am not worried about the Muslim Brotherhood, who are moderate, but I am worried about the Salafists, who are hardline," explained Bassant, 21, adding that they have won over the simple, poor people who watch their religious programmes on their own TV channels. ‘Satellite Salafism' hit Egypt in 2003, with around 10 Salafi-themed TV channels broadcasting from Egypt on Nilesat. The intensely popular Al-Nas, Arabic for the People, began broadcasting in 2006. Its programming focuses on issues of social justice and sermons by prominent Salafi preachers, like Mohamed Yaqoub and Mohamed Hassaan, whose tapes and books are common fixtures among street vendors throughout Egypt. Mavie Maher, a young filmmaker, said: "If the Salafists apply these statements, they will bring up a society full of hypocrites who do things because they are afraid of them. God doesn't impose anything on His creatures." "Why should I as a Christian be obliged to wear the hijab?" she asks angrily. She refers to what Hazem Abu Ismail, an independent candidate for the presidency who follows the ultra-conservative Salafist brand of Islam, said in a recent television interview about all women wanting to be veiled. He also said that young, unmarried men and women should not be seen together in public. Mavie, 25, says that she can't imagine for a moment someone making her do something she doesn't want to. "I will not live in a country where someone can kill my dreams. I reject repression. I do what I'm convinced about. I don't drink alcohol, but I won't let anyone take away the option from me.” On her Facebook page, Mavie has inserted a photo of Sheikh Emad Effat as her profile picture. Effat was killed last month at the age of 52, shot through the heart in a demonstration. He was a revolutionary Islamic scholar who touched the lives of hundreds of students he tutored and taught at Al-Azhar Mosque and Dar al-Iftaa, the Muslim world's premier institution for legal research. "This Sheikh lost his life for others' freedom. I revere him as a saint. I have great respect for him," she says. "I love moderate Muslims, but I don't like hardliners." Meanwhile, Tamer el-Ashry, an art director, believes that people 'should not' judge things narrowly. "We should consider how the Islamists will solve the problems which our society faces, rather than focusing on things like wearing the hejab or banning alcohol and bikinis. "It's not easy for them to oblige the people to do things they don't want. They are not all of society. Society is bigger than them," el-Ashry, 28, stresses. “The people have elected them, so why don't we give them a chance? If they fall short of our expectations, all we have to do is start demonstrating in Tahrir Square again." However, at the same time, he isn't satisfied with the parliamentary election results. He thought and hoped that other young parties representing the January 25 revolutionaries would do well in the elections. "People choose their parliamentary representatives. It's the first time for them to vote in free elections. It's the first time for them to be responsible for their choices, whether right or wrong. We're all trying and we're all responsible for our decisions," he adds. Merette Ibrahim, a journalist in a local independent newspaper, agrees. "Let's wait and see what they will do for education, healthcare and security. They must solve our problems first. That's what we're waiting for from them," she says. Merette, a Christian, sees that some Islamists change their statements from time to time. She wonders whether this is a way to reassure the liberals and win more seats in Parliament or they're really convinced that it's better to focus on solving problems in Egypt. Merette said that the Salafist Al-Nour Party would enforce a ban on serving alcohol to foreigners and Egyptians alike if they come to power, as party spokesman Nader Bakar told a gathering of tourism-sector workers in Aswan last month. Bakar said that the party would only allow tourists to drink liquor they had brought with them from abroad, and only in their hotel rooms. And he declared that the Nour Party plans to establish a chain of hotels that would function in compliance with Islamic Law, while banning beach tourism, which induces vice. On the contrary, Mohamed Morsi, President of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, said recently that they have no plans to ban alcohol in hotels and at tourist resorts. Meanwhile, a senior member of Al-Nour Party then issued statements reassuring everybody that, if the party comes to power, they won't close the beaches. "I don't know what will happen. I'm confused. Let's wait and see," says Merette, 25. Fadia Fouad, who owns a small shop in the upmarket Doqqi district of Giza, says that she's happy that Islamists are doing so well in the parliamentary elections. "They want to make this country good. I hope they improve this society's ethics," Fadia, 66, explains, adding that she doesn't like seeing women wearing tight clothing, while she wants to live in peace and the streets to be clean. "I believe that Islamists will do this. I'm confident and happy about that. Al-Hamdulellah [Thank God]," she says, smiling. A Christian and a former environment minister, Mona Makram Ebeid has recently said that she doesn't feel afraid of the Islamists coming to power, as she thinks they will help put things right in the country. She expressed her confidence that they will maintain the rights of the Copts, something the previous regime was unable to do. "The Copts have lived with Islamic rule since ancient times. Even at the time of the Islamic conquest of Egypt, there was no friction between the two parties. “Today, there is no need to fear intimidation, although some people are trying to make everyone worried that the rise of the Islamists in Egypt will backfire on the Copts," she quoted as saying. "The Muslim Brotherhood and Salafists want to put right what is wrong and fight institutional and social corruption," she added, noting that they will make laws consistent with Islamic Law, which, for them, is the legal authority.
Inside a Salafist mind
Hisham el-Ashry, a Salafist cleric, spent 15 years in the United States, where he invited people to convert to Islam and spread Islamic teachings. He returned to Egypt in 2009. He is pleased that the Islamists have won the majority of seats in Parliament; while particularly the Salafists, who were not on the political scene before the revolution, are spreading their ‘controversial views'. Some people wonder why women's issues are one of their controversial priorities; the Salafists are keen to control all aspects and details of women's lives. Although it is controversial to demand that all women must wear the hijab, he says: "When all women wear wide and loose clothes and cover their hair, they will be safe from harassment. "In the US, a woman gets raped every 12 seconds. In one hour, around 300 women get raped and beaten; and this number only includes the women who reported what happened to them, nobody knows the actual number," El-Ashry says. He adds the women were to blame. "They 'raped' men first by stealing their eyes, by wearing tight and revealing clothes. Physical rape was the result," he says. "If men saw all women fully covered, except their wives at home, there would be no more harassment," el-Ashry argues. "The women would be protected and walk safely in the street." El-Ashry misses the good old days when a man didn't dare look at or talk to a female neighbour for fear of her family and other neighbours seeing him. He compares that with the current situation, the high number of unregistered marriages and thousands of street children. The Salafist cleric believes that TV serials and films are to blame for the loss of morality. “Most of these films have a very bad influence with their nudity, kissing and hugging.” El-Ashry adds that the Salafists devote themselves to purifying the Egyptian society from corruption and sin, by preventing all art forms that have sexual undertones, including songs. Tourist beaches represent another controversial issue. The Islamists say that the beaches would be closed and alcohol and bikinis banned. "I lived in the US and also visited some European countries. I didn't notice that their daily lives depended on alcohol. Nothing bad will happen to them if they don't drink alcohol while visiting Egypt!" he says. El-Ashry suggests a questionnaire for tourists, asking them whether they would mind not to drink in Egypt. He believes there would be no problem. He promises that Egyptians who work on tourist beaches would be offered other jobs. He pauses and continues: "Egypt has huge problems in many sectors like health and education. People should know that the Islamists are responsible for solving these problems, although they were not caused by them," he says, surprised that people focus only on the form instead of the content. "The new laws will apply without exception to both Muslims and Christians," he promises. Regarding their policy in solving the problems of society, he adds: “All Parliament members, including Islamists, liberals and secularists must unite to solve these problems, instead of making the Islamists fail before they even start their work."
