A Witness of the Earliest Months of The Presidential Term of The Egyptian President Al-Sisi
CONTENTS
CONTENTS
Introduction:___________________________________________________________ 3
Chapter One: Unfulfilled Joy: A Great Step by Al-Sisi: Reforming the School
Chapter Two: __________________________________________________________ 6
The Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi and The ISIS Members of Al-Azhar__ 16
Chapter Three: ________________________________________________________ 21
Criticism with Hope: Al-Sisi Taking the Wrong Route (1) _____________________ 21
On Reforming Al-Azhar. Al-Sisi Taking the Wrong Route (2) On the Lack of
Reform of Law of Demonstrations.________________________________________ 24
On the Call of President Al-Sisi for a Revolution in Religion ___________________ 32
If We Were In the Shoes of Al-Sisi_________________________________________ 35
Criticism for the Sake of Preaching and Clearing One's Conscience,after Despair
concerning Reform: I Said to him: Shut Up! You Are Lying like Abou Hurayrah! _ 38
On Judging President Al-Sisi Using the Quran of God: Does Al-Sisi Believe in God? 42
Does Al-Sisi Believe in the Last Day?_______________________________________ 46
Al-Sisi and Moses' Pharaoh: ___ Highness that Reaches Self-Deification: (I Am Your
God The Most High). ___________________________________________________ 56
Al-Sisi and Moses' Pharaoh: From Disbelief to Repentance____________________ 59
Al-Sisi and Moses' Pharaoh: The End and the Moral_________________________ 64
Between Two Opposites: Al-Sisi and Omar Ibn Abdul-Aziz. ____________________ 70
Al-Sisi and Destructive Bets Concerning Egypt and the Region. _________________ 78
Chapter One: Unfulfilled Joy: A Great Step by Al-Sisi: Reforming the School Curricula of Religious S
Chapter One: Unfulfilled Joy: A Great Step by Al-Sisi: Reforming the School Curricula of Religious Studies
Introduction:
1-We have read the news about a good step taken by Al-Sisi, on the website mojaznews.com.
2- This piece of news tackles the intention of the Egyptian Ministry of Education, under the auspices of Al-Sisi, to formulate obligatory curricula books, on all school grades, on morals and ethics to replace curricula books of religious studies (both Coptic Orthodox and 'Islamic') in public schools; the Egyptian street has witnessed recently low levels of moralistic values, especially that rates of sexual harassment of female citizens have increased. Such new curricula would be applied in the school year 2014-2015. The Egyptian President urges the completion of this step due to the lack of moralistic values among most Egyptian youth. The new curricula would get the agreement of the Orthodox Church and Al-Azhar, and it would show the values of tolerance in the celestial religions and show their impact on civilization. We have remembered our endeavors during the era of Mubarak to propose projects of reform of education before the year 2000.
Firstly:
1- We have felt pleased to read about such a step; reform we have dreamed of is about to be realized. Some of our 30-year old endeavor would bear its fruits, especially in reform of education and Al-Azhar. Our book published here on our website titled "Tenets of Islamic Sharia and Means of Application" mentions details on such reform in schools curricula of Egyptian education, Al-Azhar, and reform of mosques.
2- One day, we would publish some personal history accounts within our intellectual battles with some personalities, which occurred because of our call for reform on all levels. Among such battles is a major one about reforming Egyptian education. Our projected have been called "Egyptian Education and Tolerance", propagated and discussed within Ibn Khaldoun Center in the period 1989:1999. The main focus of our project has been reforming school religious studies curricula for both Egyptian Sunnites and Coptic Orthodox curricula and the curricula of history and Arabic language. We have written as well teachers' guide about how to teach the new curricula proposed in the project. We have written as well a movie scenario about a famous Coptic character during the Abbasid Era, and its synopsis is published here on our website titled "A Great Copt in the Era of Treacherous Caliph". We have written a documentary movie on the Egyptian phenomenon of Egyptian Sunnites attending Christian saints, especially the Virgin Mary, festivals in churches of Cairo. This documentary movie was produced by Ibn Khaldoun Center. The owner of this center, the sociologist Dr. Saad Eddine Ibrahim, opened the forum to discuss our project and invited personalities from all Egyptian institutions: Egyptian Cabinet, Ministry of Education, the Coptic Orthodox Church, Al-Azhar, media men, some people from the cultural elite and writers. We were surprised to find vitriolic attack and criticism from all parties, especially concerning reforming the curricula of Sunnite religious studies. Our person was verbally abused. No one among these attackers read carefully what we have written; they asked Azharite men about us and attacked us verbally based on the Azharite stance against us. When criticism and verbal abuse dwindled gradually, some others read or project carefully, and discussions took place to apply it on some samples of students and teachers, with proper remuneration and rewards for them. This was never materialized; Ibn Khaldoun Center was closed down, and its owner was arrested. Several Egyptian Quranists affiliated with the center, under our direction, got arrested due to their participation in the project. Before they would get us, we fled to the USA; if we would have been arrested among criminals, we surely would have been got killed in prison!
3- Later on, we will publish all details of the project of reforming education. Here, suffice it to mentions some brief points.
Secondly: An overview of the project "Egyptian Education and Tolerance" and contents of our book Teachers' Guide on how to teach religious studies in schools:
1- from the introduction: "… we mean to to offer a reform point of view to change the way religion is taught in school curricula to make them approach the facts and tenets of Islam, based on the Quranist studies over the major values and tenets of Islam that ought to be taught and applied in our lives. Eventually, we propose curricula of moralistic values and ethics to replace books of Sunnite Islam and Coptic Orthodox studies in schools, and the new curricula should have grades/points to be added to the final exams results. Such changes in methodology of teaching religion must not contain any error; otherwise, dangers concerning Egypt and its citizens would occur. A unified curriculum of ethics and morals to all Sunnite and Orthodox students is a good start to focus on avoiding divisions and discriminations among equal citizens. The unified books for all students should urge tolerance, human rights, charity, piety, justice, love, patience, peace, and chastity, values urged in Islam as we read in the Quran, and urged in the Bible. Some other values include resisting injustice, aggression, ugliness, evildoing, wrongdoing, sinning, extremism, violence, terrorism, and enmity. Such a new curriculum would be a balance to create new generations of upright citizens. If such balance would fail, obnoxious impact would be felt on creeds and the nation. For the love of Islam and Egypt, we have written this book. Signature: Dr. Ahmed Subhy Mansour 1998".
2- Contents of the book: Teachers' Guide: A Vision on Teaching Islamic Studies in Schools. PART I: Samples of errors in the public guides for teachers: Firstly: Demonizing the other. Secondly: Ignoring the other. Thirdly: Ignoring Egypt and its stature in the Quran. Fourthly: Ignoring Quranic stories about Egypt and the Egyptians. Fifthly: Ignoring piety as the Islamic uppermost value. PART II: Guiding teachers of Islamic studies in schools. Firstly: Getting to know vales of Islam in the Quran: justice – absolute religious freedom – tolerance (charity and patience) – charity and patience in the call to Islam – pardoning and forgiveness – charity in one's heart – relation between patience and charity. Fighting in Islam is only in cases of self-defense, especially to insure freedom of religion and to achieve peace. Secondly: Belonging to Egypt and allegiance to it is a duty of all Egyptian citizens. Characteristics of Egypt as we read them in the Quran. Conclusions: Concerning new curricula hat unify Sunnite and Orthodox Coptic students within one shared book for all creeds: 1- about acts of worship 2- about demeanor, moralistic values, and ethics and how to combat destructive behavior. Final notes on application mechanisms.
Lastly:
1- Any reformer talks a lot about the bad points, urging their change, and rarely praises anything or anyone; yet we sincerely laud Al-Sisi in this step of education reform, hoping he would be a torchbearer and trailblazer of reformation on all levels: especially legislative and constitutional. Terrorism cannot be fought only by policemen and military men; its roots are deep-seated in tents that claim to be part of Islam, but they are not part of it for sure. Egypt needs comprehensive reform on many aspects, based on justice and freedom.
2- We never lauded or faltered before in our life any ruler of Egypt. We remain specialized in criticizing the bad points and aspects. Yet, we see some goodness in Al-Sisi. May God help him to reform all that has been distorted and corrupted by his predecessors.
Chapter Two: Advice along with Hope
Chapter Two: Advice along with Hope:
A Notification Addressed to the Conscience of The Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi (1 of 2):
Firstly: Basic rules regarding the political will in Egypt
1- Egypt has been, and remains in the future to be, the most important and pioneer Arab country and of vital importance to all Arab and non-Arab countries of the Muhammadans. If Egyptians play their role in religious reform and indeed all other types of reform, Egypt will be elevates in stature and prosper; other Arab and Muhammadans' countries will follow Egypt accordingly, as usual. If Egypt deteriorates and lost its leading role, it will be lost and so are all Arab countries. No other Arab country is qualified enough to lead all Arabs instead of Egypt.
2- Egypt usually, in ancient and modern history, gets its features as a country from the features and traits of its ruler. If its ruler is a true leader qualified for leadership, Egypt leads all Arab countries and fulfills its typical historical role. Its renaissance is so for all Arab countries. This took place several times in history, when Egypt was ruled by leaders like President Gamal Abdel-Nasser, King Muhammad Ali Pacha, Saladin, Ahmed Ibn Touloun, and Al-Muezz Lidinealla the Fatimid ruler. Without such greatness of character of the leader/ruler of Egypt that befits the role and stature of such a great country, the country collapses and deteriorates on all levels. Examples of bad unfitting rulers of Egypt in history are – sadly – numerous in modern and ancient times. Such examples include Al-Adid the Fatimid ruler, all progeny of the rulers who were the descendants of the Ayyubid Sultan Al-Adil, the Ayyubid Sultan Al-Kamel, all successors of Ahmed Ibn Touloun, and the successors of M. Al-Ikhshid.
3- Religious equation inside and outside Egypt has changed by the existence of (the Cairo-based) Al-Azhar institution for more than 1000 years, since the establishment of Cairo in the Fatimid Era. This institution at first was established by the Fatimids to spread and propagate the Shiite creed inside and outside Egypt. When Saladin, the first Ayyubid Sultan, abolished the Fatimid caliphate, he closed down Al-Azhar and established instead institutions of Sunnite Sufism, such as Khanqah Saeed Al-Su'adaa. Later on, Al-Azhar regained its role within the Mameluke Era (1250 - 1517) among other institutions to propagate the Sunnite Sufism creed. Al-Azhar thrived more in the Ottoman Era after the other institutions (schools, madrassas, and khanqahs) dwindled gradually. Al-Azhar has been influential in religious lives of Egyptians and all Arabs since centuries ago. In our modern times now, during the crisis of all Arabs due to the existence of terrorism, Wahabism, the terrorist MB group and its likes, and ISIS terrorists, the vital importance of reforming religious thought from within Islam can never be exaggerated. We believe that reform of 'Muslims' that we call Muhammadans (about 1.5 billion persons) entails the reform of all Arabs (about 300 million persons). Reform of all Arabs entails reform of Egyptians (about 100 million persons). Eventually, reform of Egyptians entails the reform of Al-Azhar. Reform of this institution entails radical changes in its curricula and getting rid of the ISIS sheikhs who control the institution. These radical changes and riddance require the political will of President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi.
Secondly: the above-mentioned points pose some queries.
1- What is more important: ISIS Azharite sheikhs, with their ignorance and incompetence in elucidating tenets and facts of Islam as per Azhar law and their stopping people from following the path of God in the Quran, or the reform of Egyptians and Arabs among the Muhammadans who think of themselves as Muslims? We leave the answer to the Egyptian President, feeling sure enough concerning his integrity, conscience, and nationalism, and devotion to Islam.
2- Is getting rid of ISIS Azharite sheikhs considered a mission impossible? The answer is surely not. This is possible. As per Azhar law itself, if it will be applied indeed, they can be fired from their posts easily by accusing them of denying facts and tenets of Islam in the Quran. This entails the explanation below.
Thirdly: An overview of Azhar law No. 103, issued by President Gamal Abdel-Nasser in 1961
1- Nasser, with his political will alone and single-handedly, took measures to update and modernize Al-Azhar by including it in the government and by nationalizing the Religious Endowments (waqfs) and turning it into a separate ministry. Nasser established within Al-Azhar University faculties of medicine, engineering, pharmaceutical studies, agricultural studies…etc. and issued Azhar law No. 103 in 1961, that includes an article about the role of Azharite sheikhs to elucidate and show facts and tenets of Islam as their main mission. This law never mentioned the term 'Sunna'; it mentions the terms 'Quran' and 'Islamic studies' and Islamic 'culture', meaning heritage books of human thought of ancient scholars. The law stipulates the removal of all extremist or deviant notions from such books, volumes, and tomes. The best part in this law is its note added to explain matters further; we find in it politically correct terms that indicate Azhar backwardness and the regression and ignorance of graduates from its university, who knew nothing about the modern times or zeitgeist. The note alludes to their feeling of inferiority and the false impression that they are clergymen akin to ecclesiastical churches. The note asserts that every single believer is a man/woman of religion and of the world as well, needing no clergymen or mediators of any type, because God in Islam is nearer to every believer than his/her heart, as per the Quran. This note is written by the minister on top of Azhar institution as its head in 1961, refuting the ecclesiastical Vatican-like nature ascribed to Azhar. No clergymen or mediators between believers and God are allowed essentially in Islam. Azhar is described in this note as a civil institution submitting to the executive authorities in Egypt. the note describes the head of the Azhar institution as ''the grand sheikh of Azhar'' NOT a grand imam as the term used today. Hence, this note denies any mediators/intercessors and any sort of spiritual guardianship of confiscation of knowledge as 'secrets' of occult nature.
2- Such statements of enlightenment in the above-mentioned Azhar law are repeated in other words in Article No. 2, concerned with the role of Azhar in preserving the heritage of 'Islamic' thought by 'studying, spreading, and explaining this thought and its influence on and role in human civilization and elevation of culture', and this means there should be room and role for research and creative progressive views by showing real facts/tenets of Islam in the Quran. Article No. 15 confines the mission of other Azharite bodies like Islamic Research Center to renew 'Islamic' cultural heritage books by removing of negative notions leading to backwardness, bigotry, fanaticism, and extremism of all sorts, in order the show great essence of Islam and call for the way of God with real wisdom. This article also urges creative progressive views. Article No. 33 confines the mission of Al-Azhar University to 'preserving and propagating and explain 'Islamic' thought heritage to convey the true message of Islam and its essence to humanity.' This article also urges creative progressive views. This presupposes that there are hidden truths or facts need to be manifested and shown and propagated within the Quran and from the so-called heritage books, with the latter acknowledged to contain errors and erroneous notions. But what do we mean by creative progressive views? This means moving away from the old trodden routes and deducing novel thoughts, ideas, and notions within sources of Azhar itself different from those of ancestors and forefathers.
3- If Azharite personnel/sheikhs could never undertake and execute this mission, what is to become of them?! They should be fired from their positions. In cases that head of Azhar institution fights against new notions and reasoning within Islam by reformers and denies facts of the Quran, what is to be done? He must get fired from his post. Article No. 30 stipulates that denying facts of Islam in the Quran, shameful behavior punishable by Egyptian laws, and demeanor that lacks integrity are the main causes to expel scholars from Azhar and to annul their membership in Islamic Research Center. Article No. 72 stipulates that the same causes should lead to the expulsion of any professor at Al-Azhar University from his post. Yet, countless Azharite clergymen deny the Quran now by defending falsehoods of al-Bokhary and other authors of ancient tomes. Such ancient authors insult and undermine the Quran and prophet Muhammad; yet, such authors and tomes are still being propagated and taught by Azhar! In contrast, those who call for religious reform, for the sake of Islam and believers to ameliorate conditions of Arab societies infested by Wahabism, are being chased away and persecuted! Azharite clergymen use their authority to punish and terrorize reformers in Egypt! such crimes must lead to their expulsion from Azhar University in accordance with the above-mentioned law, yet they remain untouched and unscathed enjoying impunity, whereas reformers sink into oblivion!
4- Egyptian Criminal Law stipulates that those who incite murder or killing are punished as killers even if they did not kill with their own hands. Yet, no one punishes extremist bigots in Azhar who incite suicide bombings and massacres of innocent people, inside and outside Egypt, while promising the criminals beforehand with houris in Paradise! Such corrupt people instigate Egyptian simple youth to become ISIS terrorists! They provide intellectual cover to sanction and endorse with 'religious' discourse the massacres and mass-killings by terrorists of Egyptian soldiers now in Cairo and Sinai and elsewhere! Terrorist Wahabi organizations kill Egyptians and non-Egyptians in in Egypt indiscriminately! Such crimes are ascribed falsely to Islam! They are to be attributed truly to Salafism and Wahabism. How come Islam sent by God via Muhammad who is described in the Quran as a mercy to humankind be turned into a source of terror to human beings?!
5- There is an Egyptian law that draws an ill-reputation in Egypt: namely, the so-called law against contempt of religions, presumably to defend Islam against detractors. Such twisted law is misused by ISIS sheikhs/members of Azhar to silence and threaten all free thinkers and to undermine freedom of expression and thought. We, Quranists, stand against such twisted law; it is an obstacle against civil liberties, human rights, and the absolute religious freedom urged in the Quran. Even when such a twisted law is applied, Azharite ISIS members should be punished by it for defaming Islam with erroneous Middle-Ages notions, leading to bigotry, extremism, fanaticism, and terrorism. Contempt of Islam/ the Quran is everyday life in Azhar University curricula. Such curricula of ancient tomes led to the emergence of terrorist organizations like ISIS with its heinous crimes and atrocities in the media now. Such intellectual crimes in Azhar and such ISIS terrorist criminal acts in the name of Islam are the real contempt of Islam.
6- To make things easier, there is another law of retirement in Egypt. Age of retirement is 60 years old for all governmental employees and 65 years old if such employees are graduates of Azhar University. This 5-year difference is due to the fact that the preparatory stage in Azhar schools used to be – until early 1969 – 4 years and the secondary one 5 years. Thus, such a law of retirement at the age of 65 is non-applicable; yet, it is still applied until today in Egypt! Hence, all Azhar-graduated employees at Azhar institution and university should retire at the age of 60; for the sake of justice and reform.
Lastly:
1- All what is required from the current Egyptian President is to apply the law in accordance with what he promised before and after presidential elections: reform of education and of religious discourse. Such reformation means to get rid of ISIS members of Azhar and Ministry of Religious Endowments (waqfs) so that Egypt and indeed all Arabs would avoid upcoming disasters and catastrophes due to terrorism. Let us not forget that Egypt is surrounded by a hot bed of countries collapsing, and solutions are at hand to prevent the collapse of our beloved Egypt. Simply speaking, laws that are non-applied currently should be applied by force of the Egyptian law. Let us remember that the Egyptian society is now seems ready for reform and youths are corrigible; every citizen is tired to death from the same clichés, unfulfilled promises, old faces and persons, and all clergymen. Egypt cannot afford the postponement of finding solutions to its problems until later instead of facing reality. Postponement is not within policies known of the Egyptian President; he has dared to take economic initiatives feared by others. Hence, the Egyptian President, who made citizens trust him due to his candor and confrontational attitude, can press on the subject of reforming Azhar easily using his soaring popularity, and citizens will support him whole-heartedly; he can save Egypt from Azharite ISIS members who are not merely employees or groups inside Azhar alone. In fact, such type of ISIS-like persons is everywhere in all institutions of the State, spreading terrorist Wahabi and Salafist ideology that has nothing to do with Islam (the Quran). Egypt might be ruined one day if such ideology dominates the Military army of Egypt – Heaven forbid! Will we wait until Azhar destroys Egypt?!
2- We believe the Egyptian President can do it; God does not burden any soul beyond its capacity. What we advise him to do is within his capacity and his religious and national duty.
3- God says in the Quran: "On the Day when every soul will come pleading for itself, and every soul will be paid in full for what it has done, and they will not be wronged." (16:111). God says nothing but the Truth.
A Notification Addressed to the Conscience of The Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi (2 of 2)
We are still dressing the Egyptian President, hoping to save all Egyptians and Arabs from the mortal danger of Azhar ISIS members. We give below a brief historical overview of examples of political will and its negative and positive interference, and how the domination and control of ISIS members of Azhar over the religious life of Egyptians and all Arabs have occurred as a result.
1- When signs of the emergence of ISIS danger loomed, we published here our book titled ''Wahabi Opposition Movements in the KSA" to ring the alarm bells; in sum, we prove in this book how massacres of the Najd Brothers, a group formed by the first KSA king Abdul-Aziz Al-Saud, in the Levant and Iraq resembles massacres of ISIS now. Swords of the Najd Brothers helped to establish the current KSA. Later on, the Najd Brothers revolted against Abdul-Aziz and he defeated and annihilated them with his political will single-handedly, while he formed the terrorist MB in Egypt!
2- Terrorist MB organization spread like cancerous cells all over Egypt and later on worldwide. Some claim that there were terrorist MB members among the Free Officers in the 1952 coup against monarchy. President Nasser got rid of all terrorist MB group members with his own political will single-handedly; most terrorist MB group members fled to the KSA (their Wahabi spiritual birth-place) to escape Nasser's prisons and persecution. Nasser used to deride, mock, and criticize the terrorist MB ideology in public in his televised and radio speeches addressed to the Egyptian citizens. Nasser faced the looming danger of the KSA Wahabism with the ideology of Pan-Arabism and by his reforming Azhar laws and university. He sought to rely on the moderate Egyptians' religious nature that shuns all sorts of bigotry, extremism, and fanaticism. Nasserite Egypt constituted a danger and a thorn in the side of the evil KSA. The reason: the Saudi royal dynasty faced a brief danger of an organization called ''the Free Princes'' (imitating the Free Officers Movement in Egypt) headed by the Prince Talal Ibn Abdul-Aziz that aimed, but failed, to confiscate power and authority in the KSA. Hence, the KSA felt that Nasser was a thorn in their side threatening the very existence of the KSA. The Saudis felt that Nasser must disappear so that the KSA go on existing. Some Egyptian historians claim Nasser was assassinated at the age of 52 (while still in the prime of his strength and activity) by poisoning via unknown KSA agents in Egypt. If Nasser would have lived to be an octogenarian (of the same generation of Nasser, Mubarak is octogenarian and the famous Egyptian veteran political journalist M. H. Heikal is a nonagenarian), the KSA would have been wiped off the map of Arab world. In such a surmise, ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Hamas, and other terrorist organizations would have never emerged. Let us not forget that Egypt destroyed the first KSA in 1818 A.D., and Egypt allowed the formation of the second one that collapsed due to internecine conflicts, and hence, the on-going and thriving of the current third KSA is linked with satisfaction of Egyptian authorities and the KSA control of religious and cultural life in Egypt and of Azhar.
3- Hence, getting rid of Nasser reflected the political will and target of the USA, Israel, and the KSA, and conspiring against his life entailed precise slow steps, especially after Nasser led the positive neutrality movement in 1964 and led all revolutionary movements against colonization in Arab and African countries. What threatened Israel and the USA and the KSA most was the alliance between Egypt and the USSR against the USA. Conspiracies led eventually to split the alliance between Syria and Egypt in 1961 and pulling the legs of Nasser in Yemen war, and then came the 1967 defeat and he lost Sinai in what is called now the Six-Day War. Thus, the Nasserite Era glory in Egypt ended miserably. Egypt was crestfallen, while the KSA king Feisal Al-Saud fame and stature rose in the Khartoum Conference on 29th August, 1967, where Arabs refused to acknowledge the existence of Israel and refused to negotiate or make treaties with it until Arab lands occupied in 1967 are returned to its rightful owners. Henceforth, the KSA assumed that it will lead Arabs after getting rid of Nasser who licked his wounds until his death (assassination?) in September 1970. Some claim that Sadat was being prepared (in a long-term slow anti-Egypt plot) to assume presidency of Egypt long along before 1970.
4- Since 1955, Sadat was friends with Kamal Adham, who later headed the KSA central intelligence agency and used to offer services for the American CIA concerning the Middle East. Kamal Adham was the husband of the sister of the KSA king Feisal, and he was the KSA representative in the ''Islamic Conference Organization'', headed by Sadat in the late 1950s. Sadat became the link by which the KSA would infiltrate into Egyptian mainstream and political life. During the good days between Nasser and King Feisal, the latter gave the sum 42 million Sterling as a grant to Egypt, and he asked Nasser to appoint Sadat as a vice-president, under the pretext that he was the man to maintain good Egyptian-Saudi relations away from Marxist and Leftist (gauche) Nasserite retinue men affiliated to the USSR, like Ali Sabry. A year later, Cairo hosted a conference that included all Arab presidents and monarchs in September 1970 when the incidents of Black September in Jordan broke out between Jordan and the Palestinians, and the latter sought the aid of Nasser. Nasser greeted and saw off all his guests and then drank a cup of coffee or a glass of juice, and died instantly! History of Egypt and the Middle East has changed forever since this fateful moment. The KSA has dominated the scene and the political arena, while Egypt lost its leadership and sank into levels of degenerations until this very moment.
5- What concerns us here is the influence of the above-mentioned on Al-Azhar institution, which used to be among the arms of Nasser inside and outside Egypt. Nasser annulled the so-called religious courts due to their corruption and made all courts civil and public and he turned Al-Azhar from a location merely subservient to the ministry of Waqfs (Religious Endowments) into an updated, modern governmental body when he nationalized the ministry. He added to Al-Azhar University faculties of science, agriculture, medicine, etc. he created Al-Azhar law No. 103 in 1960 to compel sheikhs to elucidate facts and tenets of Islam. This law never mentions the word ''Sunna''; rather, it mentions words like ''the Quran'', "Islamic fields of knowledge'', and ''Islamic culture''. This law entails the purging and removal of all erroneous notions of Middle-ages, extremism, bigotry, and fanaticism within this human thought deemed for centuries to be 'Islamic'. This Nasserite law admits the fact that Azharite curricula contain backward and regressive elements. Nasser commanded the minister of Al-Azhar to present an explanatory note in 1961 to refute and negate the ecclesiastical church-like nature attribute to Al-Azhar as a civil body under the executive authority in Egypt. The note contains no mention of a grand imam as an epithet to the head of al-Azhar. The note asserts the refutation of mediators and intercessors between God and believers and the guardianship of clergymen over the souls of believers.
6- Nasser was the one to establish the Supreme Council of Islamic affairs in 1960 to rely on such a body in Islamic renaissance outside Egypt. Nasser established the students' city to house non-Egyptians who came to learn in Al-Azhar University. Nasser established the radio station named 'Al-Quran Al-Kareem' in Cairo along with the state public radio station. Nasser urged the education for girls and opened work fields for women to become employees on equal footing with men in higher posts and salaries as well as fashion and dress codes. Nasser appointed the very first female minister, Dr. Hekmat Abou Zeid. Nasser made education available for all classes in Egypt equally, based on justice and qualification. The sons and daughters of peasants and workers and small employees could enroll in any faculties as per secondary school grades, to enter the universities, and faculty of law, police academies, and military academies, which was confined formerly to sons and daughters of middle and high classes. Nasser was truly the founder of the modern Egypt; so many details cannot be mentioned here among his other achievements due to the limited scope of this book. Suffice it to say that Egyptians were more civilized, cultured, and elevated in the 1950s and the 1960s in comparison to later decades; see the examples of such elegance and elevation in movies of the period and videos of concerts of the diva Um Koulthoum. The Egyptians were dignified outside Egypt because of Nasser. We see now why the KSA had to get rid of Nasser to step into the leadership position of Arabs. The KSA formally established in 1932, and this means that the Cairene newspaper Al-Ahram is older than the KSA by about 77 years. It is ironic and funny that the KSA considers itself the elder sister of Egypt; Egypt is the oldest state on earth and in history millennia ago!
7- Sadat abolished, annulled, and destroyed all achievements of Nasser in Egypt. Sadat obeyed the USA commands soon enough when he severed relations with the USSR and its experts and opened the doors wide for capitalism, all USA policies, and all KSA policies. His worst crime yet was to allow the terrorist MB group members and Wahabis/Salafis to control several institutions and fields and Al-Azhar as well as most mosques in Egypt. Egypt has become subservient to the KSA and the USA. When both countries felt that Sadat became an unbearable burden, they both arranged his assassination via the Wahabi MB terrorists in October 1981.
8- As for Al-Azhar, Sadat annulled Law No. 103 and replaced it with an executive note in 1975, to wipe out all Nasserite traces of achievement in Azhar! Such corrupted and twisted move allows the punishment of anyone who dares to criticize Wahabism and Salafism and dares to show and explain Quranic facts and tenets. Such punishment was exacted by idle ignorant Wahabi Azharite sheikhs. That is why we, Dr. Ahmed Subhy Mansour, was accused of denying facts of Islam due to our writings that prove clearly that the Quran contradicts and refutes the so-called Sunna and Sunnite Fiqh. Azharite clergymen persecuted us from 1985 to 1987 because of our writings that apply the Nasserite Law No. 104 of Al-Azhar.
9- Hence, the political will of Nasser led Egypt to be a true leader of all Arabs within Al-Azhar institution among other fields and achievements; the political will of Sadat did the exact opposite and Egypt was dwarfed. Sadat planted mines and bobs in the Egyptians collective mind. The Sadat crimes against Egyptian culture and stature led to the undermining of writings of enlightenment figures such as Al-Tahtaoui, Taha Hussein, Muhammad Abdou, Ahmed Amin, Muhammad Hussein Heikal, Sheikh Shaltout, Sheikh Abou Zahra, and Amin Al-Khouly…etc. by subjugating Egypt to Wahabism imported from the KSA. The political will of Sadat allowed him to take airs and epithets with allusions of religiosity. He committed the crime of making Egypt enter into the dark tunnel of Wahabism and Salafism (the worst types of Sunnite creeds) to the extent that every simple act of everyday life entails an extremist Salafist fatwa! Sadat allowed political trends of Wahabi Salafists to accuse their foes and detractors, who refuse the application of sharia, as renegades and apostates who forsook Islam! Sadat was among victims of Wahabism when Wahabi terrorists of the MB members assassinated him after accusing him of apostasy and disbelief! Other bombs and mines exploded in the three decades of Mubarak rule. Other bombs and mines of Wahabism wait to be exploded now inside and outside Egypt!
Lastly:
We hope the Egyptian President Al-Sisi gains control of his own political will in a positive manner that will save Egyptians and Arabs from the danger of ISIS members in Al-Azhar and Ministry of Religious Endowments.
Al-Sisi and ISIS Azharite Members
Firstly: facts about the current debate within the Egyptian media
1- It is good thing that for the very first time Egyptian media figures criticize Al-Azhar curricula since the abolishment of the Nasserite Al-Azhar Law of 1960. This is unprecedented and commendable. We remember that once we sent some Al-Azhar curricula books to the Marxist veteran thinker and activist Dr. Rifaat Al-Saeed, and we asked him to write criticisms of them, but he did not. We sent the same books to the late (assassinated by Wahabi terrorists later) Dr. Farag Fouda, and he did write a preliminary article published in Al-Ahrar newspaper. Yet, an ultimatum reached him from Mubarak men because the head of Azhar Sheikh Jad-Al-Haq was furious and called Mubarak to protest. Fouda told his readers in another article that he had to stop writing on the subject and said jestingly and mockingly that he would write on sports or anything else.
2-We feel glad that recently an Azharite youth (the Sheikh named Muhammad Nasr) said on TV publicly and vociferously in Egypt that Al-Bokhary books are insulting to God and Muhammad and filled with bad notions and language. The other Wahabi sheikh in the forum on air felt astonished to hear Nasr quoting exact words of Al-Bokhary. Such sheikh who worships Al-Bokhary as a deity never imagined such criticism, and he threatened Nasr with torment of the grave. He was astounded to hear Al-Bokhary, to him considered the holy of holies and the Sunnite sanctified and revered god, insulted and derided. Atheists are used to verbally abuse God and Islam and Muhammad, and such insults never incited the anger of Azharite ISIS members. When Nasr mocked and insulted and derided Al-Bokhary, their supreme deity, they felt such fury that they had to attack him verbally on TV and via cyberspace! Sheikh Nasr attacked their gods, as Qorayish tribesmen accused Muhammad the prophet of verbally abusing their gods and idols.
3- It is commendable that President Al-Sisi early in his presidential term talks about reforming Azharite education and public education and the religious discourse. He began already to order modifications in the curricula of religious education in public schools, and he took measures to control sermons and preachers in mosques.
Secondly: Such facts are commendable and induce joy as partial measures aimed by all Quranists, but they are not sufficient due to the bleak atmosphere that contains the facts below.
1- We, Dr. Ahmed Subhy Mansour, sough in vain to appear on any Egyptian TV channel to talk about Quranism, our school of thought aiming at reform, and to expose Al-Bokhary and the rest of enemies of Islam and foes of God and Prophet Muhammad. Our school of thought is included within reform of religious discourse and education, but doors are closed before us until this very moment. We have published thousands of articles and several books online in this respect, calling for Quranism as the solution for such problems in Egypt and the Arab world, but no one cares to present us via the media. No one wants to discuss Quranism in the Egyptian media. If anyone dares to tackle something nearer to Quranism, law of contempt of religion would incarcerate him/her for five years!
2- Our 1990s articles in Cairo covered many topics, and some Azharite people attacked our ideas in media without mentioning our name. we began the call for reform 30 years ago inside Azhar, and we founded the school of thought called Quranism that spread all over the globe; yet, no other reformers in Egypt mention our name when they write on the topic of reforming Al-Azhar, though some of these reformers use to know us in Cairo. Insistence on ignoring and overlooking our name and endeavor and suffering raises several question and exclamation marks. Why does this fear of our name persist in Egypt?! Why denying the so-called Sunnite hadiths remains an accusation feared by all reformers in Egypt?! What declaring oneself as a Quranist might incite punishment in Egypt?! Higher levels of freedom in Egyptian media have been reached especially in expression of political views, but fear of Azharite ISIS members and their media men persists until now. Azharite clergy drew an image of the devil out of us! Quranists in Egypt suffered four waves of arrest by Mubarak. Sadly, Arab and Egyptian people are still enslaved to culture of tongue-to-cheek rumors calumnies, slanders, and views, and they never read; they just listen to and believe in Sunnite Wahabi sermons on Fridays! They should remember the following Quranic verse: "O you who believe! If a troublemaker brings you any news, investigate, lest you harm people out of ignorance, and you become regretful for what you have done." (49:6). Sunnite, Shiite, and Sufi creeds of the Muhammadans are based on audience hearing not on readings! Even hadiths writers among ancient ones write that they ''heard'' so-and-so saying that Muhammad the prophet said …etc. this culture spread falsehoods! Is not that shocking indeed?! Our name beings fear to all Azharite clergymen. Is not that funny indeed?!
3- Does this mean that our name is a taboo in Egyptian ruling circles and media?! Perhaps this is true. We lament this if this true. We never desire fame, wealth, or authority. We care NOT for worldly possessions in this transient existence. We apply this verse: "…I desire nothing but reform, as far as I can. My success lies only with God. In Him I trust, and to Him I turn" (11:88). From the very beginning, since 1977, we have four main principles: we never impose ourselves on others; we never impose our thought on others; we never ask for money anything from others; and, we pardon and forgive others as much as we can. Maybe such idealism is an obstacle; ruling classes in the Arab and Muhamadan countries do not feel secure dealing with people like us; we are a free thinker who never submits to anyone except God Almighty. Ruling circles love to deal with obedient slaves and henchmen!
4- Does this mean that when Egyptian government men discover that ISIS members of Al-Azhar fail in reform, they might resort to Quranists instead? We hope so.
Thirdly: Other facts that might lead Egyptian government men to resort to Quranists are as follows.
1- Deep state in Egypt has its own mentality and ancient notions; chief among them is the love of controlling those under it, especially Azharite clergymen who are loyal and obedient servants to them. Yet Azharite ISIS members are not as expert as deep state men; on the contrary, they are ignorant even in their specialized fields. Such Azharite men spent their entire life defending falsehoods and denying the Quran. It is impossible for them to create any reform at all. They will never be able to convince people, who will in turn mock them and make them lose credibility. Deep state men will feel compelled to resort to Azharite men who are not famous in media to make them undertake the mission to dispel illusions and debunk myths of Al-Azhar. Would they be brave enough to face Azharite veterans? They might quote some of our Quranist writings without mentioning our name to defeat ISIS men of Azhar. This is taking place now, we presume.
2- Deep state in Egypt is based on stability and balance games; it feels animosity toward radical changes. That is why entire cancellation and removal of the so-called Sunna and hadiths off Al-Bokhary and others is refused as solution. Piece-meal solutions are preferred; such as omitting parts or chapters in Al-Azhar curricula books in many grades. We are against this tendency and have written about its obnoxious impact in several books and articles published here online. There should be no hadiths and Sunna at all in Islam. They contradict the Quran. Deep state men never bother to read, think, and analyze; they care only for threatening Azharite men by firing them from their posts if they be not obedient enough! Intellectual revolt is a bomb waiting for them all
Fourthly: Recent news in Egypt affirms the above-mentioned facts.
1- Former Egyptian Minister of Culture, Dr. Jabir Asfour, began an initiative to cooperate with Ministry of Religious Endowments to train and educate preachers, but Azharite clergymen caused him to be fired from his post and threatened and terrorized him.
2- Media figure Ibrahim Eissa have attacked, out of the blue, in his TV show some Sunnite falsehoods and myths as well as Azharite men's reluctance to take steps of reform. He has been vehemently attacked and threatened by Azhar in an attempt to terrorize him, but he ignored their threats. Some Egyptian private TV channels hosted in their talk-shows judge Ahmed Abdou Maher who has refuted notions taught within Azharite curricula, and he has proven their danger in the Egyptian society.
3- Azharite ISIS members had to wait for the storm to pass once they realized that threats and accusations are in vain and to no avail. Even law of contempt of religion is being questioned; we surmise that deep state men agree to such waiting period as man Azharite men stopped their vitriol attacks and stopped their threats of litigation.
Lastly: the great truth:
1- ISIS is the devilish offspring of the creed of Wahabism, which is in turn the devilish offspring of the Sunnite Ibn Hanbal extremist doctrine. The Najd Brothers were the precursors of all terrorist organization in the Middle East: the terrorist MB and Al-Qaeda and now ISIS. Massacres committed by ISIS are done under the pretext of applying sharia! It is a catastrophe that Azharite men refused – until recently – to declare ISIS terrorists as apostates who do not represent Islam! ISIS thought is defended in Azhar! Victims are on the rise: killed, massacred, and terrorized victims as well as deluded youths joining the terrorists of ISIS. The real culprits who should be punished and fired out of their posts are the Azharite ISIS members!
2- All Wahabi Sunnite terrorist organizations differ in names but they are all essentially the same in the past, present, and future. All of them are affiliated to the same terrorist Wahabism/Salafism propagated in the Arab world using money of oil-rich KSA and by Al-Azhar institution in Egypt. This is the main cause of the failure of the so-called revolts of Arab Spring. Frustrated youths resort to terror and destruction and murder, and they join ISIS as a result to wreak revenge and vent all bent-up fury.
3- ISIS desire to infiltrate Egypt; its cronies are inside Egyptian land now of course. If religious reform is not commenced as soon as possible, ISIS will spread in Egypt to commit all sorts of heinous crimes. Innocent people will pay the dear price! Reasons that support the view of ISIS spread in Egypt are as follows.
3/1: ISIS members among Azharite men controlling the institution and all religious life activities in Egypt has but one mission: to protect, defend, and preserve the Sunnite/Wahabi/Salafist creed as well as to terrorize and threaten any critic who dares to discuss or refute this creed.
3/2: Salafists stick to propagation and spread of the same creed of ISIS in all mosques, under the auspices of the Ministry of Religious Endowments that is supposed to control mosques, to brainwash frustrated youths to make them join ISIS now and in the future.
3/3: Egyptians feel the brunt of economic crisis and economic reform undertaken by President Al-Sisi bravely. Egyptians suffer the collapse of security and infrastructure. Countless laws require amendments and/or annulment by the Parliament, amid fears that Parliament members might be among Salafists and Mubarak cronies and businessmen who hate change in any sort.
3/4: Egypt is still facing the danger of the terrorist MB members and their twin brothers the Salafis who control countless Upper Egyptian villages and countless mosques. Egypt is still facing the danger of its enemies: MB president of Sudan, ISIS members in Libya, terrorist Hamas organization in Gaza, Turkey, and Qatar. It is a shame that Egypt is being endangered by such dwarfs. Another shame is Egypt begging for financial aid from the UAE and the KSA. We miss the days of Nasser sorely! Amidst such sour conditions, ISIS can recruit frustrated Egyptian youths. Arms are being smuggled through Egyptian borders. Thousands of Salafists are furious due to the Revolution of 30th of June 2013, with terrorist MB president deposed. Salafists are eager to take revenge by destroying Egypt, to avenge their imprisoned leaders.
Lastly: the solution.
1- Religious reform entails free thinkers like us; we mean those who never fear anyone, save God, for the sake of truth. It is OK if deep state chose to apply reform via stages. Deep state men have to face deep-seated corruption and intellectual ruin and void in Azhar, education, media, and Ministry of Religious Endowments that have been there for centuries not decades.
2- Stages of reform entail legislative reforms in the penal and criminal codes and laws. All laws that hinder freedom of thought, religion, and expression have to be abolished. Azhar Law has to be amended. Law of the so-called contempt of religion must be annulled. Media figures must be allowed to discuss and refute all ancient notions of Sunnite and Wahabi creeds.
3- We need committees under the auspices of President Al-Sisi to undertake and execute reform of religious discourse, reform of education, and reform of Al-Azhar, just like committees of economy. Such committees must consist of enlightened thinkers and law-makers and human rights experts. ISIS members of Azhar must not be allowed into such committees. May God curse Azharite ISIS members!
Chapter Three: Criticism with Hope
Chapter Three: Criticism with Hope:
Al-Sisi Taking the Wrong Route On Reforming Al-Azhar (1)
Introduction:
1- We have implored Al-Sisi, based on his call for reforming religious discourse in Egypt, to issue legislations to reform Al-Azhar, based on the Law of Al-Azhar No. 103, of 1961. We have explained how this law of 1961 underwent amendments that show its faults and its merits. We have urged Al-Sisi to undertake the mission of making major changes in Al-Azhar curricula so that they cope with modern times; certain curricula must be replaced; they incite extremism and terrorism and acts against Islamic values of the Quran. Such corrupt curricula have created generations of extremists and bigots inside Al-Azhar institution itself until now. All this remains to be within our call for reform on all levels; terrorist extremist Wahabi thought need to be faced via legislative reforms, especially annulling any laws of ill-repute in the Egyptian Law that restrict freedom of thought and absolute religious freedom for all Egyptian citizens.
2- We felt – at first – optimistic about Al-Sisi when he has urged reform of curricula of religion in schools and about media figures and guests who dared in public to criticize and refute books of Al-Bokhary (the major deity of the Sunnite Wahabism and Salafism). Yet, we must say that regretfully, Azharite sheikhs in pulpits of mosques have begun to pray for Al-Sisi and to fabricate lies/feats ascribed to him, as they have done before with the ousted terrorist MB president. Al-Sisi has issued an amendment of Al-Azhar Law, granting the sheikhs of Waqfs (Ministry of Religious Endowments) the right of arresting any suspects! Such decisions are setbacks that are harmful to the Egyptian State and to Al-Sisi himself. Let us explain this further. Firstly: in October 2014, Egyptian newspapers showed the decisions of Al-Sisi to amend Al-Azhar Law by changing the last paragraph in Article No. 72 in al-Azhar Law No. 103 of 1961 as follows. The firing of any Azharite professors from Al-Azhar University as per Items Nos. 4 and 5 in this Article No. 72 in cases of the following violations: 1- participation in and inciting of demonstrations that impede the educational process 2- smuggling any types of weapons to incite riots and vandalism 3- intentional damage done to university buildings and possessions 4- giving private lessons for free or in return for payment 5- any act dishonorable to the university staff as religious scholars that contradict religion or harm integrity of the university staff. This article includes all employees outside the university staff within Items Nos. 1, 2, and 3 within this Article. Another amendment was done to give the head of the university the right to fire any students out of the university in cases they impede the educational process or harm Azharite institutions or buildings.
Secondly: critique of such amendments:
1- Article No. 72 was originally as follows: (punishments for the university staff are 1-warning 2-rebuke and reproach 3- reproach plus lack of financial rewards 4-firing out of position while keeping rewards and retirement monthly stipends 5- firing out of position preventing one from receiving of rewards and retirement monthly stipends. Such punishments are in cases of committing any dishonorable act as by religious scholar or an act that contradicts facts of Islam or personal integrity). The new amendments will give more power and authority to the Head of Al-Azhar and other sheikhs to take revenge of those who contradict their views; this will perpetuate the curricula and methodology of Al-Azhar that maintain terrorism, bigotry, extremism, and fanaticism, by keeping in the article the contradiction of 'their facts' of Islam. This means that anyone who would refute the ancient falsehoods of Sunnite creed might lose his job. Such statements in such a law are vague and might include everything; who is the one to decide the notions pertaining to Islam and those that are not?! Azharite sheikhs know very little about Islam! They are a bunch of ignoramuses!
2- Accordingly, the new amendments are done to fit the Criminal Law and Penal Code of Egypt; leaving things vague to exact revenge on 'troublemakers', as seen by anyone in power and authority! This is certainly seen as injustice! What are the limits that indicate vandalism or incitement?!
3- We personally were punished in the 1980s when we tried to show the real tenets and facts of Islam that contradict Sunnite notions. Al-Sisi has made the amendment that gives room for more injustices like those happened to us in Cairo! The falsehoods and lies that lead to terrorism are the 'facts' of Islam as per all Azharite men! we conclude that such amendment would perpetuate such Wahabi Sunnite lies and would protect them against discussion!
4- We have been tried in Al-Azhar University for two years (1985-1986) because of our five books we wrote to show and explain true Quranic facts of Islam; we were accused of denying facts of Islam! The amendments done under the auspices of Al-Sisi perpetuate this injustice; our free thinking to explain the Quran was considered then as an attack on faith, because we refuted Wahabi and Sunnite lies!
5- Meanwhile, when we have been tried in Al-Azhar, an unmarried female Azhar University student has accused her professor; within her testimony in the Police Station in (the Cairene district) Madinet Nasr, of being the father of her unborn fetus, for she was pregnant! She accused this professor of refusing to marry her after he deflowered her. That professor denied that he ever knew this student. This 55-year-old bearded professor that used to wear the Azharite garb was married and had daughters in the same age of that female student. Yet, Azharite sheikhs hushed the matter to preserve the reputation of Al-Azhar! No one punished this adulterous Azharite professor! The Head of Al-Azhar University at that time (Dr. M Al-Saady Farhoud) shrouded the matter with secrecy, and we were punished for writing five books! Hence the law amendments would perpetuate Azharite injustice to anyone who would write to reform religious thought based on the Quran alone! Reform for Azharite men means contradicting their facts of their creed – the Sunnite Wahabism!
Thirdly: Why especially Al-Azhar University?!
1- Why such amendments to this university?! What about the rest of Egyptian universities?! Riots, demonstrations, private lessons, and other types of scandals occur in all these universities. Are they not allowed in Al-Azhar University and lawful in other universities?! Why such amendments do not cover Azharite personnel and employees in Azharite schools and bodies?!
2- It is obvious that this amendment is done to punish all troublemakers among Azharite professors and students who demonstrated against Al-Sisi. It is a bad habit of Egyptians to issue unneeded laws and amendments especially to punish certain categories of people especially that at the time, the Parliament did not exist. We have written to urge Al-Sisi to change and amend the Law of Al-Azhar by his political will; yet, we did not expect a change for the worse! Instead of the badly needed radical changes we have explained, the new amendments would be used of perpetuate lies and falsehoods of Azharite Sunnite Wahabi creed and prevent their discussion and refutation, on the pain of incarceration and getting the sack. Such laws are now snares to entrap reformers among professors and graduates!
3- Azharite curricula and books preserve and propagate terrorist thought applied by ISIS, the terrorist MB, and Al-Qaeda. Azharite students who demonstrate against Al-Sisi think that they are applying what they have been taught in curricula of their university! Azharite education begets more generations of potential terrorists ready to destroy Egypt anytime! Another catastrophe in such amendments is to grant sheikhs of Waqfs the right to arrest others, like those who preach sermons in mosques without being licensed by Al-Azhar. Media men in Egypt, among hypocrites who flatter Al-Sisi, said that this is done to stop non-specialized non-Azharite people from preaching extremist fanatical notions that incite violence within society, as per Law No. 51 of 2014 phrased by Al-Sisi. This law aims at preventing Salafists and those affiliated to the terrorist MB group from preaching in pulpits of Egyptian mosques, to make this mission confined to Azharite hypocritical sheikhs who support Al-Sisi. Yet, what about those who preach for the sake of reform on all levels, especially reform of religious discourse?! What about reformers who refute Sunnite/Wahabi creed notions that contradict the Quran?! Of course, such people would be imprisoned as per Law No. 51 of 2014!
Lastly:
We have been reproached formerly because we have hailed and supported before the reformist features apparent in Al-Sisi regime; we still have hope as well as lots of fears concerning Egypt and the Egyptian people!
Al-Sisi Taking the Wrong Route (2) On the Lack of Reform of Law of Demonstrations
Firstly: the current law of organizing demonstrations might cause civil strife in Egypt
1- This civil war might break out in cases of postponing economic reforms as well as legislative reforms and perpetuating economic collapse and failure. Prices are soaring high since a long time in Egypt in case of finding no hope on the horizon, hunger revolts might ensue, to be quelled by anti-riot and security forces using the law of organizing demonstrations. Massacres might ensue escalating to civil strife. We hope such prediction would never take place.
2- Such predictions might occur due to preserving the Sunnite/Wahabi creed notions as part of 'Islamic' facts, instead of exposing such falsehoods as against the Quran. Wahabi terrorist thought would incite a revolt against Al-Sisi regime to take revenge. Most police men and military men embrace Wahabism as Islam, and low ranks among them to revolt as if it were a religious duty against a despot, and massacres would ensue to resist and quell such revolts! Generations born since 1971, Azharite and non-Azharite, were brought up and reared on Wahabism as the only 'correct' form of Islam. This applies to all employees in governmental bodies as well. Salafism, exact synonym to Wahabism, reigns supreme in their hearts as Islam. We fear divisions might occur in ranks of police and the military, with civil strife in Egypt as a result. Such incitement to violence would be committed by those who have power, authority, and wealth to make Salafists (i.e. most Egyptians!) fight and kill one another!
3- Such divisions are occurring now on smaller scale; pro-Al-Sisi media men call such revolting people as hidden cells of the terrorist MB members. It is as if they know all the terrorist MB member, both hidden and overt types! This is absurd! The interpretation we conclude in such conditions is that most Egyptians embrace Wahabism/Salafism as Islam! Some of them in low or high posts fight against Al-Sisi regime, deemed by them as regime of apostates which is against Islam! With the passage of time, such anti-Al-Sisi sentiments would increase especially that no demonstrations are allowed in Egypt to vent bent-up anger. Such laws organizing demonstration must be amended; otherwise, Egyptians will pay a heavy price.
Secondly: The solution lies in the true Islamic sharia: the Quran
1- In the Islamic city-state of Yathreb led by Prophet Muhammad, the internal and external security entailed giving more freedoms and liberties, not confiscating them; Muhammad give inhabitants of Yathreb absolute freedom of religion; this city-state enjoyed justice, security, and peace for all. We have written a lot about such facts in detail elsewhere.
2- Yathreb at the time was surrounded by dangers and sieges and battlefields until shortly before Muhammad's death. He had to face aggressive polytheists from outside and internal spies, hypocrites, traitors, treacherous Jewish tribe, and their likes.
3- In the present modern times, such conditions lead to more restrictive laws and emergency laws to restrict liberties and freedoms under the pretext of protecting nations and their security. This is perpetuated by all despots and tyrants now. Yet, the city-state of Yathreb led by Muhammad using Islamic sharia in the Quran found the solution: freedom, justice, and peace for all citizens are the bases of all security.
4- Hence, Yathreb city-state applied the motto of 1919 revolution in Egypt: "Religion pertains to God; the homeland pertains to all citizens"; i.e., all citizens are equal within their homeland. Allegiance to the city-state of Yathreb was done individually or in groups all men and women equally; see 60:12, and all its citizens were the source of political authority, not Muhammad; see 3:195. Religion pertains to God means that God will judge all humanity and their differences in creed in the Day of Resurrection; and because persons are free, they must be responsible individually for their choices of creeds. One is to choose freely one's creed or cult or religion; the state must ensure such freedom. The State cannot force or coerce anyone as far as religion is concerned. Preaching is OK, but without coercion. Hundreds of Quranic verses affirm such meanings. The application of these Quranic sharia facts was ignored on purpose by ignoring Quranic terminology and tenets for centuries. Let us give examples of this as follows.
4/1: 'Kufr' and 'Shirk' (disbelief and polytheism in terms of demeanor) are Quranic terminologies that designate aggressive actions against the peaceful ones, as done by the Qorayish tribe to early Muslims in Mecca and later on in Yathreb. Early Muslims had no trouble dealing peacefully with peaceful polytheists in terms of creed; the trouble was with aggressive polytheists who coerced early Muslims in religion. In contrast, the Quranic terminologies 'Islam' and 'Eman' (Islam and belief) indicate peaceful demeanor with all human beings, not just faith in one's heart. Faith in hearts of believers means basic facts in the Quran: to believe in Allah, in the Quran, and all books and prophets as equal to one another, and to devote acts of worship to God alone. As for rights of persons, Quranic sharia laws aim to protect all such rights: to protect lives, possessions, honor, and peaceful existence of all people. As for rights due to God, He is the Sole and Only judge of them in the Last Day. No one has the right to interfere with the latter; rather, a State must protect the former type of rights.
4/2: Accordingly, citizenship in the city-state of Yathreb led by Muhammad was for those peaceful non-violent and non-aggressive ones, regardless of the fact if they were Muslims or not. 'Believers' as a Quranic term designates those who adhere to peace, regardless of their faith or creed. Quranic verses urge those believers in peace to believe as well in God alone and in basic tents of Islam; see 4:136. Some other verses urge inhabitants of Yathreb to forsake idols; see 22:30. This used to be during the lifetime of Muhammad; Quranic verses urge them to avoid wine, gambling, idols, 'holy' shrines and tombs: "O you who believe! Intoxicants, gambling, idolatry, and divination are abominations of Satan's doing. Avoid them, so that you may prosper. Satan wants to provoke strife and hatred among you through intoxicants and gambling, and to prevent you from the remembrance of God, and from prayer. Will you not desist? Obey God and obey the Messenger, and be cautious. If you turn away-know that the duty of Our Messenger is clear communication." (5:90-92). These verses are among the last to be revealed shortly before Muhammad's death. This fact indicates that even some citizens of Yathreb who adhered to peace (believes in terms of demeanor) used to be non-believer in terms of faith. Such verses indicate that Muhammad's sole mission was to convey the Quranic message. He never coerced others to convert to Islam; see 10:99. Hence, such were the peaceful citizens of the city-state of Yathreb, regardless of their faith in hearts, they were free and equal. A citizen is the one who is peacefully adhering to higher values of freedom, equality, non-violence …etc. regardless of one's faith or creed.
4/3: In Yathreb at the time, there were those who were overtly peaceful but connived and conspired and were treacherous. The Quran mentions those who were hypocrites in Yathreb society within tens of verses. Hence, we conclude that based on the Quran, such hypocrites were citizens who had the liberty to harm Muhammad himself; they even refused to participate in the self-defense fighting to protect Yathreb against aggressors. They used to incite others against Muhammad and his commands, to spread rumors, to refuse to pay alms to the poor, and to mock and taunt believers among new converts to Islam. Moreover, they even used to connive and conspire against Muhammad and the early believers and to establish a mosque to be a center for such internal conniving enemies to preach against Muhammad. Hence, they had the right to be among the political and religious opposition movements against Muhammad as a leader. They had absolute freedom to act, speak, and move freely as well as to tell lies against the Quran and Muhammad. No one punished them at the time, in the 7th century Arabia. The reason: they did not hold arms and weapons to fight or to commit acts of aggression, like the rest of believers in Yathreb.
4/4: Those who committed acts of violence and aggression using weapons and arms against the peaceful city-state of Yathreb are disbelievers and polytheists in terms of behavior; they are to be fought in self-defense until aggression stops. This is the Islamic legislation of the Quran concerning fighting; see 2:190-194, 2:217, 9:1, and 8:38-40. Hence, we find the Quranic warning to hypocrites if they would escalate their opposition to acts of violence, or they would be fought by early believers; see 33:60-62. The same goes to hypocrites among Bedouin among desert Arabs around Yathreb; they used to plot against Yathreb dwellers and attack them in raids; they are warned in the Quran to stop aggression or face military wars of self-defense; see 4:88-91. Such warnings are repeated within the very last revealed verses of the Quran in 5:33-34. Such punishments in these verses suit us to apply them on ISIS now.
Thirdly: How to apply such Quranic tenets of Sharia in the Era of Al-Sisi in Egypt:
1- We have written above the absolute freedom of peaceful political opposition as done by Muhammad in Yathreb. We aim now here to apply this in the topic of demonstration banned in Egypt now. Processions and demonstrations were organized by oppositional figures against Muhammad and Quranic teachings in Yathreb. The response was never by quelling, arrest, fight, or torturing of such people; rather, by believers who demonstrated to call for rights and for avoiding evildoing; see 9:67-72.
2- There are nationalistic, moralistic and religious tones in speeches of Al-Sisi; we do not deny that he is devoted to Egypt and dedicated to solving its problems, but his fault is to postpone problems accumulated in previous years and leaving them to escalate and aggravate instead of finding and applying radical solutions. We urge him based on his religious nature and personality as per his speeches to apply true Islam: the Quran, by reforming all legislations in Egyptian courts to enhance justice for all. The very first law to be amendment is the law of organizing demonstrations and sits-in.
3- This is our proposal: those who desire to demonstrate for any cause should write a petition to ensure the peaceful nature of their processions and not to turn them into riots and acts of vandalism and violence. They are to make sure that they never hold arms or weapons of any type. Cairo should have its spaces designed to house demonstrations and sits-in, protected, not quelled or stifled, by police forces. Police forces should help demonstrators express themselves, not to frame them to imprison them!
4- Such amendments in law organizing demonstrations should be followed by policemen who should vow never to use violence, framing, and torture and other dishonest means with citizens; they are to deal justly with all people by preserving their dignity. All prisoners who have been incarcerated merely for expressing their opinions should be set free, especially among the innocent ones, the press reporters, and peaceful political activists as well as all peaceful free thinkers.
5- The Egyptian state has the right to resist and punish all those who hold arms and weapons to terrorize citizens during any riots or armed demonstrations to threaten the lives and possessions of all Egyptians, policemen and military men included.
A Peasant, A Sheikh, and A Donkey. On the Call of President Al-Sisi for a Revolution in Religion
1- A peasant, his wife, and several children have been living in a too small hut in a village, where life is miserable indeed. The peasant has complained to the sheikh who has been the imam/preacher of the mosque of the village and sought his advice to find a solution to his problem. The sheikh commanded him to make his donkey, owned by the peasant, to reside with them in the small hut. The peasant has not understood the reason or the logic of this, but he obeyed blindly his sheikh. The conditions of the peasant worsened, of course, with a donkey living in the same small hut; the donkey urinated on the peasant and his family members! When he could no longer stand it, the peasant hurried to the sheikh to seek refuge, saying: "Please help us, O reverent sheikh! I must be allowed to remove the donkey out of my hut!" The sheikh gave him his consent and permission to do so. The peasant felt immensely relieved. When the sheikh paid a visit to the peasant in his hut, he found that the peasant felt at peace and satisfied with his too small hut, remembering with bitterness the worse days when the donkey used to reside with them.
2- This above-mentioned parable we are using to give an example of the conditions in Egypt; when the Egyptians revolted against Mubarak and his military rule, a worst alternative, the terrorist MB group members, took over the rule of Egypt for a year, described by all Egyptians as the worst year in contemporary Egyptian history. Getting rid of the terrorist MB group members rule, the Egyptians retrieved the military rule, to the satisfaction of all. The terrorist MB donkey got out of the hut at last. The Egyptians found out that when choosing between two bad things, they ought to choose the lesser of two evils. The military rule is bad, but the terrorist MB group members rule is worst. That is why we see most Egyptians feel happy with the current military rule.
3- How unhappy and discontent on is when the best option is the lesser of two evils!
4- Why do all Egyptians have to choose between the bad and the worse? The simple answer is as follows: most Egyptians ignored their minds and reason to obey clergymen of all denominations. Clergy is an evil invention fabricated by the deities of the man-made, earthly, non-celestial creeds: (the Sunnite, Shiite, Sufi, and Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant creeds in Egypt), which have nothing to do with the divine creed of God in the Quran. Clergymen control citizens for financial reasons and to maintain power and authority. The sole problem of the Egyptian mentality is blind obedience to such deities of clergymen in the Egyptian everyday life; as if every detail requires the blessings or fatwa of clergymen of any denominations.
5- The West achieved progress when it imposed a curfew of religious denominations within walls of houses of worship/churches. Denominations of all types are not allowed in Europe to interfere with society and politics. The West gives one the liberty of belief and non-belief. Houses of worship and clergymen play secondary role confined to be on certain occasions and in charity acts. All West citizens can mock all creeds and clergy with impunity. Clergymen do their best to retrieve worshippers and some respect in works of charity.
6- That is how the West retrieved its reason and mind from the Church and any other earthly creed fabricated by men in other eras. That is how the West people have made advances in all fields, guided by reason and science and of course innate nature or instinct to regulate life within higher values of responsible liberty and justice, dealing with people fairly, complete religious freedom and freedom of thought, human rights, dignity, democracy, social justice and solidarity, etc., and that is why immigration flux goes on toward the West countries from the lands of the Muhammadans. The Muhammadans are enslaved to the creeds that falsely ascribe themselves to Islam (the Sunnite, the Wahabi, the Salafist, the Shiite, and the Sufi creeds). They are sandwiched between choosing the bad (military rule) and the worse (theocracy of evil clergymen or the terrorist MB or ISIS, and their like). The first step toward any solution is retrieving one's mind and reason confiscated by the corrupt clergymen of the Muhammadans.
7- Once, the reason and minds are retrieved from the confiscation of clergymen, more options will be open to all Egyptians as long as they control their own destiny and ready to sacrifice for the sake of liberty of choice and its consequences. They will insist then on dignity and better life and will face all forces of evil that impedes them on their way of progress. When the Egyptians go on worshiping and prostrating before Christian, Sunnite, Shiite, and Sufi clergymen, the ruler is worshiped as well; because he is being worshipped by all clergymen of all denominations, especially the head of Al-Azhar Sunnite institution and the Coptic Orthodox pope of Alexandria.
8- All Muhammadan do not know that all clergymen without exceptions are devils in human form. They are the worst specimens of the human race. The reason: they lie to God and misguide and mislead people for the sake of positions, wealth, authority, and power. The Egyptian Muhammadans do not know that real Islam, i.e. Quranism, is secular by nature: without any cathedral-like institutions or papal clergymen of any type. Islam has nothing to do with (the highest Sunnite institution in the Arab world in Cairo) Al-Azhar, any church-like institutions and bodies established by the Shiites, or any 'holy' establishments of any kind. In Islam, no mediators, among people or institutions, are allowed to interfere between a believer and God. Guidance or misguidance is a personal individual responsibility before Our Creator in the Day of Judgment. The Egyptian Muhammadans do not know that there are no 'holy' men or women in Islam, and even no 'holy' things or locations. They do not know that Islam, the Quran alone, forbids mixing creed with politics and economy. Islam is not a State, a caliphate, a form of government and rule, or a régime. Islam is the guidance and the declaration of the testimony: "La Ilah Illa Allah": (There is no God but Allah), as well as the belief in the Afterlife and the Day of Judgment, the date of reward for the acts of piety and worship and justice. Piety entails dealing fairly with people in all fields, including the political field.
9- The Muhammadans do not know that the West is now nearer to Islamic Quranic sharia; West countries is so by human rights and all higher values of religious liberty, human dignity, equality, freedom, justice, etc. when the Muhammadans forsake Islam centuries ago, they invented human-made fabricated creeds under its banner. These creeds support all types of injustice and killing. The fiercest creed of such ones is Wahabism (the Salafist type of the Sunnite creed) that produced to the planet the terrorist dangers of al-Qaeda, ISIS, and the MB group members. The Muhammadans do not know that every human being is given a certain period to live on Earth, and the time of one's death is predetermined by God in advance. During one's lifetime, one can choose either to live in a small dirty hut controlled by a donkey, a tyrant ruler, and clergymen, or to leave the prison cell to live freely elsewhere; the Muhammadans do not know the meaning of this Quranic verse: "O My servants who have believed: My earth is vast, so worship Me alone. Every soul will taste death. Then to Us you will be returned." (29:56-57). Hence, the Earth is round and one can roam it endlessly like a circle; imagine an ant on a watermelon. But one's lifetime is limited; why wasting it in ignominy and humiliation by tyrant rulers and corrupt clergymen?
10- The Muhammadans do not know that death time is predetermined in advance by God to every human being; no one dies before this appointed time. Why do we fear death (or getting killed) since all of us will die certainly anyway? Both the donkey and clergymen are mortals as well. The same mortality applies to all tyrant rulers.
11- Egypt is about 1000000 square kilometers, and Egyptians live only in 5% of its geographical landscape. In this small area, the donkey mounted by the military ruler is taking more space within a small hut. Egyptians must apply the divine command in the Quran by residing and living in all Egypt in uninhabited areas or under-populated locations, such as around Lake Nasser, south of the Red Sea Governorate, Sinai vast lands, cities on the borders with Sudan, and all desert areas. These areas need to be populated away from the military rule and the donkey. "It is He who made the earth manageable for you, so travel its regions, and eat of His provisions. To Him is the Resurgence." (67:15).
12- If all Egyptian lands are populated evenly, the above-mentioned parable will be changed as follows: (A peasant used to live miserably with his wife and several children in a too small hut in a village. One day, the peasant has decided to desert this small hut, and to travel with his family out of this poor village. He has found out that there are countless locations fit for prosperous living and agriculture. He put all his trust in God and has begun to work diligently. He has found that diligent work and its rewards alongside with liberty are better than living impecuniously while being ruled by the donkeys (clergymen) and those who ride them (tyrant rulers). The peasant has built a spacious house for himself and his family. He has established to himself and his children a future with freedom, prosperity, and dignity. The peasant controls and rides the donkey now, not the other way round. The whole family lived happily ever after).
Lastly:
The example of the donkey is used in the Quran to describe the mortal deities and false mortal gods of any fabricated, human-made creeds who aim at serving the tyrant ruler to gain money and power or aim at ruling a given nation to gain more power and wealth. Abusing creeds in that way deserve the simile of donkey carrying volumes and tomes without understanding them: "The example of those who were entrusted with the Torah, but then failed to uphold it, is like the donkey carrying works of literature. Miserable is the example of the people who denounce God's revelations. God does not guide the wrongdoing people." (62:5).
On the Call of President Al-Sisi for a Revolution in Religion:
The Quranists Have Made it since 1977 until the Present Moment: Such a Revolution Is Impossible in Egypt without the Participation of Quranists.
Introduction:
1- Al-Sisi has called, in a speech, Azharite sheikhs to create a religious revolution, concerning bettering the religious discourse in Egypt; yet, Azharite clergymen dare NOT even denounce or criticize ISIS!
2- We notice religious terms used in speeches by the Egyptian President; he insists that he would complain to God about the Azharite sheikhs in the Last Day if they do not achieve such 'religious' revolution.
We say the following:
1- God will judge each of us concerning what we can do for His sake; has Al-Sisi done his best to update religious thought in Egypt? What is he going to do before God in the Day of Judgment? Al-Sisi can do a lot, but he does not. We have written a lot to him about how to update and better conditions of religious thought in Egypt. It seems that Al-Sisi knows us quite well; he once quoted us in a research paper he wrote during his military postgraduate studies in the USA. He was once working in the Egyptian Central Intelligence; hence, he knows all about Quranists and their suffering and endeavors to show true Islam. Egyptian Quranists are being watched closely by security men in Egypt, after four waves of their arrest in Egyptian prisons. Quranists are banned from Egyptian TV channels; their thought is the only way to save Egypt from creeds-induced ISIS-like terror. Quranists are the only ones qualified to update and change radically religious discourse and thought in Egypt and the Arab world and to purge Islamic notions from corrupt thought that remained for centuries. Quranists remain persecuted and their writings ignored; this intentional overlooking contradicts the call of Al-Sisi for a 'religious' revolution. Another unforgivable contradiction by Al-Sisi is to command enemies of Islam and of the Quran – Azharite clergymen – to bear the responsibility to update and change religious discourse and thought. Azharite men oppose Quranism and Quranists and stifle any Quranists' voices in Egypt. They are what we call ISIS Azharite sheikhs. They can never undertake the mission of any change or reform; they defend only their ancient centuries-old myths, falsehoods, fabrications, and lies of the so-called hadiths that urge killings, violence, coercion, persecution, misogyny and hatred. They maintain their jurisprudence of persecution, confiscation, restrictions of liberties and freedoms, quelling and hunting down of free thinkers. They maintain and preserve the law of the so-called contempt of religion to terrorize anyone who dares to question and refute the Sunnite Wahabi Salafist creed. It seems that Al-Sisi is evading and shirking from the task of changing religious discourse or thought by blaming Azharite ignoramuses who defend Al-Bokhary books though they never read them. Any perusal of such books will show clearly that they contradict the Quran and the logical mind. Internet Arabic websites are filled with mocking jests based on Al-Bokhary; Azharite sheikhs never reached the awareness of youth who use internet. No one in Al-Azhar who has spent his lifetime defending falsehoods would be able to change anything for the better using intelligence and reasoning faculties all of a sudden! Even upstart Azharite men who look forward to being promoted, and might give it a try to obey Al-Sisi, lack qualifications to do any change at all. They can never apply research methodology at all to the Quran and to tomes of thought of the forefathers.
2- The Egyptian President is the most powerful man in Egypt, and he has not done his best yet to develop and change religious discourse to make it reflect the higher values of the Quran: peace, mercy, freedom, justice, and human dignity. Yet, Al-Sisi can do what we have urged him to do as follows.
2/1: Removing the ban in Egyptian media imposed on Quranists by allowing their presence on TV channels and publishing their books to allow them to participate in peaceful religious reform.
2/2: Annulling laws that restrict freedom of thought, expression, religion, and peaceful demonstrations and pardoning political prisoners and thinkers who are imprisoned.
2/3: Firing Azharite ISIS sheikhs from their posts, especially the Head of Al-Azhar; they deserve this because they do not do their mission imposed on them by virtue of Al-Azhar Law discussed before. They deny adamantly facts of the Quran to prefer facts of Sunnite books! Their shameful demeanor is a disgrace to Al-Azhar institution!
2/4: Employing reformers among Al-Azhar University to replace ISIS sheikhs of Al-Azhar, while forming committees to reform Al-Azhar laws and curricula. We have written a lot in detail concerning this subject.
3- We have never been employed in executive posts; Al-Sisi knows quite well that we have done our duty as per Al-Azhar Law in Al-Azhar University to show clearly tenets and facts of Islam in the Quran, but we have been persecuted within two periods of time: (1977:1980) and (1985:1987), and we have been suspended from teaching and got arrested and imprisoned many times. Yet, we have never changed our stance to call for Quranism. We never feigned to change our opinions to save ourselves any persecution; we have insisted on our views despite all ordeals and difficulties until now while we are heading toward death; we are now about to reach the age of seventy. Once we die, we will feel content that we did our best for the sake of Islam; in the Last Day, we will be a foe complaining to God about Azharite, Salafist, and Wahabi sheikhs especially those who persecuted us during the Mubarak Era in Egypt. We will complain to God about Al-Sisi if he let Egyptians down by not applying religious reform.
4- We do not like very much to talk about our previous life and about ourselves; yet, we have to say that we have been the very first person to undertake and manage a comprehensive project of religious reform, unprecedented in the history of 'Muslims' whom we call Muhammadans. This very website bears witness to this fact. To publish online and translate all our books and researches would take further years. This is the real religious revolution needed and urgently required in Egypt; it is done by a former Azharite man, an Egyptian man, since 1977 until now. Quranists are now forming a trend worldwide that includes thousands of people from different nationalities. We have influenced thousands of non-Quranists to criticize and refute 'holy' falsehoods of the Sunnite, Shiite, and Sufi creeds.
5- Al-Sisi intentionally ignores us and overlooks our project of religious reform that is indispensable to change religious thought of Egyptians. Quranism as a trend and a school of thought has created a clear barrier between the Quran, the only source in Islam, and human, man-made thought of the ancient Muhammadans, showing the contradictions between the two of them. It is OK for Al-Sisi to ignore us; yet, Al-Sisi and we, Ahmed Subhy Mansour, will stand before God to be judged on our deeds and faiths and what was within our power to do during our lifetimes. "Who does greater wrong than he who fabricates lies about God? These will be presented before their Lord, and the witnesses will say, "These are they who lied about their Lord." Indeed, the curse of God is upon the wrongdoers. Those who hinder others from the path of God, and seek to make it crooked; and regarding the Hereafter, they are in denial. These will not escape on earth, and they have no protectors besides God. The punishment will be doubled for them. They have failed to hear, and they have failed to see. Those are the ones who lost their souls, and what they had invented has strayed away from them. Without a doubt, in the Hereafter, they will be the biggest losers." (11:18-22). God says nothing but the Truth, even if Azharite ISIS men do not like it.
If We Were In the Shoes of Al-Sisi
Firstly:
1- Egyptians – and most Middle Eastern people – are always to choose among two evils: Wahabi theocratic rule (ISIS or the terrorist MB, for instance) and military tyrannical rule; and mostly, they choose the latter as the lesser of two evils, because the former is a bottomless pit of horror and turmoil! Egyptians ousted Mubarak, who represented the military rule going on since 1952, but the military rule has continued via a military council since 2011. We have written before that this military council gave the chance for the terrorist MB group members to rule Egypt in 2012 to expose them. It is well-known that the terrorist MB group plotted to gain rule of Egypt since 1928, and they failed miserably; their president was ousted/deposed by the Egyptians in 30th of June 2013. The Egyptians have chosen the lesser of two evils; the return of military rule embodied by Al-Sisi (whose words show him to be modest and religious apparently) to get rid of the terrorism induced by the Wahabi MB group members who seek revenge.
2- The overwhelming support of the majority of Egyptians gained by Al-Sisi in 30th of June 2013 has been lessened by his lack of clear political program during the 2014 presidential elections; he seemed to stand against revolting youths and against liberties. That is why not so many people went to elections ballots. We personally believe that his popularity has been corroded substantially in 2015; corruption rates increased and tyranny overwhelmed everything. The crimes of policemen against citizens grow exponentially. Suppression of all freedoms and liberties coincides with indiscriminate court sentences of capital punishment to hundreds of people, while incarceration of revolting youths goes on until now. Al-Sisi used and manipulated almost everyone in the military, the police, courts, media, and lawmakers to quell everybody, not just to crush the terrorist MB. Al-Sisi has managed to set free Mubarak and his sons and never managed to restore their smuggled money to Treasury of state. The route map of Al-Sisi is NOT to reform Egypt on all levels, but to affirm tyranny of the military rule. Revolting youths have received sentences of incarceration terms. Demonstrations have been dispersed with bullets, resulting in many victims killed in peaceful marches. The military men have committed massacres since 2011 from Maspero Massacre of Copts until killing peaceful demonstrators recently in 2015. We fear that the parliament would be version typical of Mubarak era! The military rule men have taken revenge of the terrorist MB as well as revolting youths of 2011. Those who stole millions of Egyptian money were set free!
3- We at first felt happy to hear Al-Sisi taking about reform especially in 'religious' education and discourse, and we supported his plans in that respect; for a reformer's mission and duty are to point out weaknesses that need to be redressed and to hail good reformation steps. We did so with the Green Book authored by Kaddafi; despite it errors, we felt it was a step toward culture of democracy. When Kaddafi declared his rejection of the so-called Sunna and hadiths, we felt he was a true reformer; we visited Libya to find out – to our dismay – that tyranny reigns supreme. We refused to sign a certain statement and returned to Egypt without attending conferences held by the tyrant Kaddafi; some of our friends felt afraid he might take revenge from us! The tyrant god killed; his regime has published our books without giving us any payment at all. We wrote to the KSA king Abdullah to urge him to apply reformation project of Nasser Al-Saeed to boost conditions of the KSA, but he ignored us. The result, we criticized him in our articles in this website. The same reoccurred with Al-Sisi; we hailed his reformation steps at first, only to find out that Egypt is about to explode!
4- We have written a lot to urge Al-Sisi to begin real reform on the level of religious thought and on the legislative level; others wrote in the same vein to him to call for reform. How come that he asked ISIS Azharite men to undertake the mission of reform?! He controls everything and reigns supreme; he is the one responsible for everything in Egypt during his presidential term; God will judge him for injustices besetting Egyptians, and he cannot use sweet talk in the Last Day!
5- As for this worldly life, Al-Sisi must be questioned by generations of leaders who must accuse him of letting the impoverished classes down in many respects. We fear another revolt might be in the making to come as a huge wave! We fear it might develop into a civil war or strife! In such a case, would the military men point their arms and weapons against armless Egyptians?! The Egyptians were let down twice in 2011 and 2013.
6- This possible revolt might be a struggle for existence: either the military or the people. The latter would be the vast majority of the hungry and impoverished ones who would die either of hunger or in a revolt, in an honorable manner. The high-rank generals in the military have exacted revenge of the terrorist MB and the revolting youths. It is more likely that the generals would order military men to strike the revolting people with all possible arms and weapons, but when thousands of killed victims increase, lower ranks of the military men might join the revolting people, feeling ashamed of themselves for not defending people as a primary duty. Hence, they might turn their arms and weapons to the generals and high-rank ones! To avoid such possible massacres, democratic transition must be employed to face the military rule after Egypt has gotten rid of the terrorist MB rule.
7- Before reaching such a level of civil strife, we urge and call Al-Sisi to apply reform that will ensure intellectual freedoms of thought, political engagement, expression, and religion; he must reform education, Al-Azhar institution, court judges, policemen, and to eliminate corruption on all levels. He must restore all smuggled and stolen money by tycoons and billionaires. All Mubarak cronies must be arrested and judged again in courts to pay for their crimes. The parliament must supervise all financial levels of the government and to check all responsible people in all posts. Media should be the beacon of freedom of expression to discuss all issues freely with no restrictions of any kind to expose corruption and apply law to those who break it, within an independent fair court and judicial system. All citizens must be equal to one another. The military must return to its barracks on borders of Egypt to defend Egypt, to serve Egyptians, not to oppress and suppress them.
Lastly:
1- If we were in the shoes of Al-Sisi, we would have announced a political program with clear steps to face the one announced by the presidential hopeful who competed with Al-Sisi in 2014 elections. Al-Sisi should have used his soaring popularity at the time to apply reform unquestioned by haters of reform among the corrupt affluent ones, instead of begging money from oil-rich Gulf monarchies.
2- If we were in the shoes of Al-Sisi, we would have redressed any past mistakes by salvaging all possible things and offering apology for Egyptian and apply reform at once on all levels. Egypt must regain its leadership if he does so; it is a shame to make Egypt, the oldest country in the world, beg financial aids from the temporary new countries created in the 20th century like KSA, the UAE, and Kuwait!
3- Al-Sisi would be ousted if he fails in creating a clear fast reform tangible by all citizens.
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION
Farewell, President Al-Sisi!
Firstly: about Al-Sisi and the Middle East tyrants:
1- Any ruler (sultan or president) is temporary in existence; he is bound to leave it and step down sooner or later within his lifetime or by death. This applies to all rulers, democratic or tyrant, despot or just; he is bound to become later on part of the past; part of history and people' judgment on him: "He was so and so and such and such!"
2- In real democracies if one defames an unknown person in public, one might get imprisoned, but one is free to criticize and verbally abuse anyone in public service, from the presidents, policemen, judges, Deputy Generals, to the governors of cities/governorates/states. No one in public service is immune to verbal abuses and criticism. The exact opposite takes place in the countries of the Muhammadans; one is imprisoned if dared to criticize rulers and their cones and juntas. Yet, one is free to verbally abuse and harm unknown poor powerless people! In Egypt, some powerful ones used to do their best to terrorize us, by accusing us of being a traitor, an apostate, a renegade, a spy who aimed to wreak havoc and earned money from external bodies from foreign countries, though at the time we were broke and had no bank accounts at all. We heeded not the advice of some friends to litigate those who abused us verbally in the press, lest we might get imprisoned for getting nearer to the untouchables! They think of themselves as demi-gods or deities and no one dares to criticize them; otherwise, this is punishable by imprisonment/torture. Within the Quran, we know that all human beings commit mistakes and errors, even prophets and messengers of God. The untouchables of Egypt seem to place themselves above prophets! That is why criticisms of them begin ONLY after their death or after they stepped down from power and authority. They like those who praise, laud, and glorify their imaginary or real deeds and words! They like people to deify, adore, and worship them! Later on, once they step down, they are at once cursed, verbally abused, and humiliated.
Secondly:
1- Within less than one year, Al-Sisi is seen now as a new tyrant in the list; after sweet words and religious terms in speeches, he shows now his power and tyranny to restore Mubarak-like military-rule oppression and injustice.
2- Mubarak stole billions of money within his family members and cronies, but Al-Sisi has made the military rule men confiscate all political and economic aspects in Egyptian life in all fields. It is as if the military men occupy Egyptian lands! They take any stretch of land almost for free to be used in any projects; oppositional figures who are vociferous are thrown to jail. The hungry citizens cannot dare to ask about such blundering and thievery within this military empire, where military men confiscate and monopolize all! No one dares to ask military men about huge profits of such projects and deals, nor about external financial aids and commissions and budgets…etc. otherwise, one is incarcerated.
3- After looting of Egypt for more than 30 years, it needs immediate reform on all levels as we have discussed above. Yet military tyrants since Nasser to Al-Sisi never allowed this reform to take place. Al-Sisi is clever in using sweet words in his speeches to dupe the masses; nothing new under the sun is happening. Oppression, suppression, tyranny, injustice, and violation of human rights occur daily with impunity. We fear that Al-Sisi is worse than Mubarak in many respects.
Secondly: the solution:
1- The 2011 revolt in Egypt led the military rule men allow the terrorist MB to rule, using rigged elections, to expose them as a shame failure of an alternative. Later on, military rule men returned with a vengeance; they have punished all revolutionary youths and gripped all authority with iron hands. Long-term economic projects are not enough; they are to distract people, and the margin of criticism and free expression is narrowed within certain limits. Atrocities and violations and transgressions of policemen returned with more vigor and force to terrorize people! Loans and grants and financial aids would never help economy in the long run; inflation and soaring prices are suffered by millions of impecunious helpless citizens. The profiteering class contains the wealthy, filthily-rich, and affluent ones who maintain the status quo to their advantage. We have predicted a revolt in 2012, and we predict another one sooner than everyone expects. Signs of it loom on the horizon.
2- Democratic transition in Egypt would never be worse than what occurred in Europe within long decades of struggle. Let us cite the example of France. The French revolution (1789-1799) and beheading of Louis XVI resulted in the tyranny and terror of the Jacobites (who were similar to the terrorist MB in tyranny, bloodshed, and bovine stupidity). Later on, Napoleon emerged as a tyrant emperor in 1804 and he fell in 1818. The Bourbons Dynast came along to rule from 1815 to 1830; Talleyrand (1754:1838), the French leader and politician, said that they never learnt anything or forget anything! After long decades of struggle, France achieved a veneer of democracy within the second republic within Napoleon III who ruled as a president from 1848 to 1852 and as an emperor from 1852 to 1870. Real democracy took place in the fifth republic within Charles De Gaulle (1959:1969). Hence, decades of struggle resulted in real democracy within a presidential system or regime eventually.
3- Egypt requires reform in education to inculcate democratic culture to replace the deep-rooted (since 1971) Wahabi tyrannical culture. This would happen soon enough thanks to scientific advancement in communications and the internet; Egypt requires democratic transition as soon as possible, in spite of tyrants.
4-In Egypt, we have written repeatedly that reform should begin within heads of authority and power; we were persecuted at the time. Now, we realize that corrupt authority can never apply any real reliable reform of any type. The corrupt people can never do anything good or correct; they want to maintain the status quo to preserve their might, power, and wealth of ill-gotten money. We meant by our words then to embarrass and expose the Mubarak regime and to incite the vast majority of silent afraid people to stand up for their rights at whatever cost or sacrifices. Egyptians must call for their rights for decent living standards. Yet, tyranny has been restored in a new manner after two people revolts in 2011 and 2013; we blame the members of the cultural elite who laud, praise, and eulogize the tyrant and the powerful! Reform can never be done or called for by such hypocritical elite; Egypt needs the reform calls done by real human rights activists and the really cultured free thinkers to be united in one struggle to achieve social, political, economic, and legislative justice as well as to ensure freedom of thinking, creed, expression, etc. and the enlightened learned ones must unite and struggle to expose sham thinkers affiliated with tyrants, so as to achieve democratic transition with least number of victims and least period of suffering.
5- Retreating from such a role in such critical times is deemed high treason against Egypt; really cultured and learned men and women of thought should cringe at lauding and singing the praises of any existing regime or tyrants. All of us must heed this divine warning in the Quran: "And do not incline towards the unjust, or the Hell-Fire may touch you; and you will have no protectors besides God, and you will not be saved." (11:113). Hence, those who aid tyrants will be humiliated and despised by people and punished by God in the Hereafter in Hell.
Lastly:
1- We lived during the era of Nasser, worshipping him as leader until his fall in 1967. We have witnessed Sadat destroying Egypt and kneeling to the USA and KSA. We have suffered persecution by Mubarak and his cronies. We are about to depart from this transient world and die, while Al-Sisi who comes after our decades of writings that have aimed at reformation on all levels seems bent on letting us down. We have written this book as witness to this era before we die. We cannot wait or rely on false hopes hinged on Al-Sisi. We hope we would not write about him again. We care no longer for him. No one changes after the age of 60. Al-Sisi is no exception to this rule. We have exposed all crimes done in his first year of rule here in this book. Al-Sisi served under Mubarak; let us remember that to know that he can never undertake any reform measures at all. Al-Sisi has set free all jailed cronies of Mubarak and incarcerated revolting youths of 2011. He is worse than Mubarak in our opinion, and he would be continuing the Mubarak legacy of oppression and suppression and persecution. He is more cunning and shrewder than Mubarak. He can never be a reformer one day.
Good-bye, Mr. President, until we meet before the Eternal Judge in the Hereafter!
NOTE:
This is the last time – hopefully – we would write about Al-Sisi, who would never, we presume, pay heed to this book of warning and pieces of advice for the sake of Egypt. Yet, generations emerging after our death, and with the passage of time, they might read this book about history of Al-Sisi and say: "he was so and so, and such and such"
Signature:
Dr. Ahmed Subhy Mansour