Date: Sat, 27 Jul 2013 23:56:34 +0200
Kamal Helbawy, Former Brotherhood Spokesman, on Mursi's Ouster
Asharq Al-Awsat Interview
Written by : <http://www.aawsat.net/author/m-alshafey> Mohammed Al-Shafey
on : Friday, 26 Jul, 2013
London, Asharq Al-Awsat-Sheikh Kamal Helbawy, founder of the Muslim League
in Britain, secretary-general of the Islamic Unity Forum in Europe, and the
advisor to the Egyptian Salvation Front, which was dissolved after the
January revolution, carries much clout amongst Islamists in the West and in
Egypt. He was raised in a Muslim Brotherhood community and eventually became
one of its leading figures.
A former spokesman for Muslim Brotherhood in the West, Sheikh Helbawy has
openly criticized the Brotherhood for its actions at home and abroad.
Following a 23-year long exile from Egypt, he returned to his homeland after
the January revolution. He loosed his arrows on those in the Brotherhood
whom he says seek to control everything in Egypt, and when the Office of the
Supreme Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood refused to hear his position, he
announced his resignation on live television.
After returning from Cairo on Monday to attend the Islamic Unity Forum iftar
meal in central London, which was attended by leaders of the Sunni and
Sh'ite communities of Europe, Sheikh Helbawy told Asharq Al-Awsat that
President Mohamed Mursi is isolated and that he will not return to power. He
strongly denied that a military coup had taken place, pointing out that the
army responded to the appeals of more than 30 million Egyptian citizens who
took to the streets on June 30.
Asharq Al-Awsat: Did you expect the army to intervene after the opposition
refused to hold meetings with former president Mohamed Mursi? What possible
scenarios lie ahead?
Sheikh Kamal Helbawy: I expected that the army would intervene in March and
that it would be worse than it is now, similar to what is transpiring in
Sinai. The army is the only institution capable of maintaining law and order
in Egypt. I warned of the chaotic scenarios that could lead to American
intervention; they have already done so in Iraq and Afghanistan. Iran is
embattled while Syria lies in shambles, leaving the Egyptian army as the
only entity capable of fulfilling its duties in the Arab region.
If the Americans come they will have their justifications, saying that Egypt
is incapable of repelling terrorism, particularly in the Sinai, and that
minority rights are not being protected, evidenced by the attacks on Coptic
Christians and their churches or the attack on Shi'ites and their property,
as happened in village of Abu Nomros. Of course, the statements by some
leaders from Al-Gama'a Al-Islamiyya, such as Assem Abdel Majid, are enough
to create another Afghanistan in Egypt. His statements would be cited as
evidence of terrorism, paving the way for US intervention in Egypt.
Q: What ought Egyptians do as a whole?
We must become as one nation, reaffirm our unity, and eschew this
reprehensible tribalism for the sake of our country in the light of the
Qu'ran and Sunna. Unfortunately, some of the leaders of the Brotherhood and
their Islamist allies act contrary to the teachings of the Qu'ran, despite
having memorized it word for word.
God Almighty says: "You shall hold fast to the covenant of God, all of you,
and do not be divided." However, they do the opposite and incite division,
for God said in His revelations: "Do not quarrel, lest ye fail." They
promote failure in their rhetoric. They speak against what they have
memorized by heart.
I was amazed by what one Salafist preacher said when he was seated near the
now-ousted president at the Victory for Syria Conference: he raised his
hands and proceeded to condemn all Egyptians and their children who do not
undertake jihad in Syria. I am forced to ask myself, 'From where did he
learn this narrow version of religion?' In any case, our country is under
attack and stands to be torn asunder, but through leadership and the unity
of the nation, we can avoid these pitfalls and emerge victorious, God
willing.
Regarding what happened and the rumors that there was a coup against a
legitimate leader by the Armed Forces, I would like to say that I personally
do not like the rule of the Armed Forces. However, if the country is in
peril, there is no institution that could remedy the situation better than
the Armed Forces. The Armed Forces did not come from out of nowhere, but
rather in response to the appeals of more than 30 million people who took to
the streets on June 30.
On the other hand, legitimacy, as I understand it and as is it understood in
Western democracy, consists of two parts: first is the ballot box, and most
of us as Islamists voted in favor of Mursi and the Brotherhood. However,
there is the second part, which is the social contract between the ruler and
the ruled, and his promises went unfulfilled, and it is this that detracted
from his legitimacy. This was compounded by Mursi's inability to administer
justice, eradicate violence, ensure the unity of the nation and eliminate
extremism. This did not happen. I hope it will be achieved in the future.
A just ruler must understand well what Farouk Omar Bin Khattab said
regarding correcting a ruler who has gone astray, and therefore I call upon
the sons of the Islamist movement to exercise restraint.
Q: What is your opinion towards the Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip
Erdošan, and the foreign minister, Ahmet Davutošlu, condemning what happened
in Egypt, especially regarding the overthrow of President Mursi?
I do not suspect it will affect or change much on the ground. It would have
been better if Erdošan and Davutošlu had preserved Turkey's relations with
Egypt, approaching it as a nation and not pandering to a single faction
therein. It is their right to take any stance, but it is not their right to
intervene in a negative way in Egyptian issues.
It would have been best if they had preserved their wonderful relationship
with the people of Egypt and recognized the revolution of June 30, because
it was even larger than the January 25 revolution. They have to understand
that the army in Egypt is not like the army in Turkey, because the Egyptian
army is not secular like the Turkish army. When the Egyptian army took to
the streets it was to protect the will of the people, just as was done on
January 25. There is a big difference, and Erdošan and Davutošlu have not
studied the situation in Egypt well.
Q: In your opinion, what was the most grievous mistake Mursi made during his
year in office?
One of the most glaring errors committed by Mursi and the Brotherhood, as
his former advisor Dr. Mohamed Fouad Gad Allah has attested, was their
failure to propose a vision for the country. Moreover, he deepened the
society's divisions, increased polarization, relied solely on his
constituency, neglected to use those with expertise and experience here in
Egypt, ignored requests to amend the constitution and change the government
and the attorney general, issued the Pharaoh-esque constitutional
declaration in November 2012, and refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of
the Tamarod campaign and the June 30 revolution. Following the ouster of
President Mursi, its mistakes include cutting off main thoroughfares for
traffic, wantonly leveling accusations of apostasy, turning political
competition into political conflict by using religion, and valuing the
return of Mursi over national reconciliation.
Q: Were you surprised to see the Nour Party and the Salafists join the
president's ranks?
Everything is fair game in politics. It is the Nour Party's and the
Salafists' right to take the political position they feel best serves their
political interests. Sometimes this means joining the supporters of the
president, sometimes the opposite. This is acceptable political behavior in
a democratic system, unlike the arguments regarding legitimacy, which
require a sound theoretical basis. The same can be said regarding matters of
religion, which has no place in the political sphere, especially under the
Western democratic system and in a nation that houses various minorities,
religions and doctrines.
Q: The Brotherhood has amassed in Rabaa Al-Adaweia Square and elsewhere.
Will this solve the crisis?
I believe that the crowds and sit-ins in Rabaa Al-Adaweia and elsewhere are
within their democratic rights, as long as it is peaceful. However, these
gatherings have stoked violence, brandished weapons, cut off roads and
bridges, and put strain on the nearby residents. Regardless of whether or
not it is politically acceptable or unacceptable, it will affect the future
of the Brotherhood's spread not only in Egypt, but across the world. It may
also impact other countries of the Arab Spring in which Islamists took
power.
Q: Now more than ever, I feel it is very important that the youth and
leadership of the Brotherhood listen to reason. What advice would you give
them?
Reason fades where feuding thrives. I believe that the youth members should
abandon their current leadership, which has caused them to endure much
violence, chaos and suffering while inciting hatred and arrogance. It is
incumbent upon these young people who love their religion that they not
dirty their hands and tarnish their reputations with violence, regardless of
what happens or what the clerics command. They must look to the common good
more than partisan interests. They must hold their leadership accountable,
the way the Egyptian people hold their rulers accountable.
Q: Will Mursi ever be reinstated?
I do not think that Mursi can return to power-not because of the June 30
revolution and the subsequent military intervention, or what some have
dubbed a military coup, which I think is not the case since it intervened to
protect the revolution as was done on January 25. No, Mursi cannot return
again to power because he could not win a popular election due to his poor
performance while in office.
Q: What do you think of Al-Azhar's intervention and subsequent withdrawal
from the fray, with the sheikhs of Al-Azhar now leaning towards Mursi?
No one can deny that Al-Azhar has joined the political fray. Following the
January revolutiom, both the SCAF and Mursi called on Al-Azhar to propose
initiatives and take positions. Recently, the head of Al-Azhar proposed a
beautiful initiative to which I hope the others will respond positively,
just as it had proposed initiatives during the Essam Sharaf's time in
office.
There are scholars and sheikhs in Al-Azhar who back Mursi entirely, and
there are those who oppose him entirely; some of them joined the rebellion
and revolution of June 30. Everything that exists is in Al-Azhar. The
political landscape is complicated, and has become increasingly violent.
Resorting to violence as a means to resolve political issues is
unacceptable, in my view, and I hope competition, not conflict, becomes the
rule by which politics operates. What we are witnessing now is conflict over
politics, between faith and apostasy, between right and wrong, and this is
not tenable.
Q: Many of today's secularists feel that the Brotherhood as founded by
Sheikh Hassan Al-Banna has been undone at the hands of the current supreme
guide. How do you view this?
I do not think we are witnessing the end of the Brotherhood at the hands of
its current supreme guide, Dr. Mohammed Badie. However, we are seeing a
deviation by the Brotherhood leadership of today from Sheikh Banna's vision.
If a new, corrective leadership arises that embraces moderation,
inclusiveness, understanding and God's word in a peaceful framework, then
Banna's message can be restored to its proper place and overcome the current
crisis to which the current has led them. They can forgo violence, fighting
over the seat of power, and unconditionally standing with the Islamist or
liberal rulers. However, the message must take a clear position against
misguided rule, regardless of their intellectual and political affiliations.
They must offer peaceful alternatives so that we may overcome this impasse.
Q: What effect is this having on the global Brotherhood network in the West?
This will certainly affect the Brotherhood as an international organization.
The June 30 revolution would not have had any effect on the international
character of the organization if it had not resisted the will of the people.
The resistance on the part of the Muslim Brotherhood and their allies from
other Islamist movements was evidenced by their chants of "Fight to the
death," "Victory or martyrdom," "Our dead are in heaven while their dead are
in hell," and "Whoever sprays Mursi with water, we will spray with blood,"
which could be heard emanating from the stages at Brotherhood rallies.
Islamist or otherwise, all of these chants are unacceptable.
It is an undeniable fact that the role the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt plays
is an integral part of the worldwide organization, and the travel ban and
surveillance that has been put in place will impact their level of
influence. The organization's global leaders had suffered clampdowns such as
this during the reign of former president Hosni Mubarak, and this will
undoubtedly affect the global reach of the organization and of other
Islamist movements. As for the decision-making center moving away from
Egypt, that decision belongs to them, and only God knows what they will
decide.
Beschreibung: File photo of Kamal El-Helbawy.
File photo of Kamal El-Helbawy.
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