The New Egypt...Islamist or Secular?

In case you haven't heard, the so-called "Arab Spring" that has swept across much of northern Africa and the Middle East just might be transformed into an Islamist Winter if groups like the Muslim Brotherhood have their way. 

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood

The Muslim Brotherhood, founded in Egypt in 1928 by Hassan al-Banna, is the organization from which sprang virtually all Islamist radical movements. It's motto is a succinct statement of its aims: "Islam is the solution." In the words of its founder, "The Qur'an is our saber, and martyrdom is our desire. Islam is faith and cult, religion and state, Book and sword. As a universal religion, Islam is a religion good for any people and in any time of human history." (For more info on the Brotherhood, check out this Weekly Standard article.)

Almost from the beginning the Brotherhood has advocated resorting to jihad -- that is, war -- not only against non-Muslim societies, but also against Muslim regimes it believes have betrayed the Islamic cause. The Brotherhood has a significant reach, having spread its influence not only throughout the Muslim world, but also among the Muslim populations of Europe and the U.S. For years the Brotherhood was the best organized opposition group in Egypt, making it well-suited to capitalize on the political chaos that followed Mubarak's ouster. Interestingly, the Brotherhood's English-language website is wonderfully sanitized, presented in a way that makes them sound almost moderate, but omitting their radical statements that are openly pronounced throughout the Muslim world.

The Muslim Brotherhood's Founder, Hassan al-Banna

Today the Muslim Brotherhood seems to be assuming a leading role in the evolution of the new Egypt being formed out of the now-defunct autocratic rule of Hosni Mubarak. Most knowledgeable observers are saying that the Brotherhood's candidates may well receive strong support from the electorate in the scheduled September elections. And so there's a real possibility of the creation of a radical Islamist state in Egypt, an outcome that would be tragic for both Egypt and the rest of the Muslim world.

One bright spot is the recent meeting of 1,500 of Egypt's moderate leaders who came together for the sole purpose of counteracting the Muslim Brotherhood and transforming Egypt into a secular state. According to Fr. Rafik Greiche, of the press office of the Catholic Church of Egypt, “A coalition of moderate parties is the only way to stop the progress of radical groups, and avoid the creation of a confessional state." Not only would such a state create another base for global terrorism, but according to Fr. Greich it would also have serious societal consequences. The radical groups support a fundamentalist application of Sharia law in which women would not be permitted to work or even leave their homes. According to Fr. Greich, “A takeover by radical Islamic parties would especially hurt widows and women abandoned by their husband because they would not be able to maintain their children." Aware of this possibility, many Muslim women in Egypt have joined with Coptic Christians openly protesting against the idea of an Islamic state and calling for a distinct separation of religion and government.

Egyptian Christian and Muslim women protest in front of the state television building in Cairo

For those who are ambivalent about the ascendancy of the Muslim Brotherhood, it might be revealing to realize that the Brotherhood, along with other jihadist groups in Egypt, have declared Osama Bin Laden a hero and a martyr for Islam. (See this article in The Atlantic.) Accompanying this talk has been a significant increase in anti-Christian propaganda and an upsurge in the persecution of Christians, some of it deadly. According to Fr. Greich, “Muslim leaders are calling Christians infidels, who have no right to representation in parliament...An atmosphere of psychological terrorism is causing fear in people who want democracy, driving many out of the country." (See this article, Give Us Back Our Church.)

As the protests grew in intensity and spread throughout the Islamic world, many in the West were all excited about the "Arab Spring" and its possibilities. It would, however, be well to remember that the law of unintended consequences can bring about a whole other set of possibilities, many of them not very pleasant. Here's a video of a news report that addresses this:

If you want to better understand modern Islam and its relationship with the non-Muslim world, I recommend reading 111 Questions on Islam, a wonderful book by Fr. Samir Khalil Samir, a Jesuit who grew up in the Muslim world and is one of the Church's (and the world's) most knowledgeable scholars on Islam. 
 

Father Samir on Egypt

Father Samir Kahlil Samir, S.J., an Egyptian-born Catholic priest and Islamic scholar, always provides interesting insights on the Middle East. And so in light of the recent events in Egypt, I did a little search this morning to see if he'd written anything about them. I immediately came across a pertinent article he wrote just a few days ago. In the article -- published on the AsiaNews.it website -- Fr. Samir addressed a current movement among some Muslim intellectuals and theologians aimed at discrediting many of the external practices common among Muslims, and encouraging secularism and the separation of Islam from politics. His comments focus on a document published in Egypt the day before the start of the protests. The document was written by a group of Egyptian Imams and intellectuals and strives to bring about a renewal of Islam that can co-exist with the modern world. If the events in Egypt concern you, you will want to read Fr. Samir's article published Thursday, as well as his earlier article published on Tuesday. Here are the links:

Jan 28: Egyptian revolt not only political but also spiritual and Islamic


Jan 26: Egyptian Imams and intellectuals: Renewing Islam towards modernity

Fr. Samir on the French Burqa Ban

If you've been following the news out of Europe, you might have heard about the overwhelming vote by the French parliament in July to ban the wearing of the burqa, an outerwear garment that covers the woman's entire body with the exception of the eyes and hands.. The ban is actually on anything that covers the face; but, of course, the burqa worn by fundamentalist Muslim women is the most common face covering in France and the primary target of the new law.

I'll admit I really knew very little about the whys and wherefores of wearing the burqa and had read lots of conflicting reports and commentaries about the law. But one thing I found interesting was that the law was passed with only one dissenting vote in a parliament of 500 ministers. (The socialists didn't vote for or against the law, but simply abstained -- the kind of politically safe vote common on the left.) This virtually unanimous support for the law told me there was a lot I didn't know, that perhaps there was something deeper going on here than some kind of stereotypical French reaction to the covering up of women.

This hunch of mine was confirmed a few moments ago when I came across an article by Fr. Samir Khalil Samir, S.J., a rather remarkable Jesuit who is an expert on Islam and professor of Muslim Studies at both the Papal Oriental Institute in Rome and at the Centre Sèvres (Jesuit Faculty of Theology and Philosophy) in Paris. He's also the author of over 40 books and hundreds of articles, most on the Middle East, Islam, and Eastern Christianity. I've read only two of his books -- one on Islam and another on the history of early Eastern Christianity -- and perhaps a half-dozen of his articles, but found them all extremely interesting. I referred to Fr. Samir and one of his books in an earlier post (last December).

This particular article by Fr. Samir was published last month on the website of AsiaNews.it and is really quite revealing. It not only discusses the history and tradition of the burqa, but also addresses why the French ministers voted as they did. I won't take the time to summarize the article since you can read it for yourself easily enough. Here's the link: French ban on burqa a welcome law!

Pax...

The West is Oblivious to the Crisis in Islam

Father Samir Khalil Samir, S.J., an Islamic scholar and Catholic theologian based in Lebanon, is the author of dozens of books and hundreds of articles on a wide range subjects related to Christianity and Islam in the Middle East. In a recent article, published on the website, AsianNews.it, Father Samir describes the crisis currently facing Islam and how the West, which has completely lost sight of its Christian roots, doesn't have a clue about how to respond. Indeed, most westerners are oblivious to the fact that such a crisis even exists. This is one of those must-read articles if you want to understand what's behind much of the strife facing the Middle East today. You can access it here: Islam in Paralysis. And I also recommend Father Samir's latest book, published by Ignatius Press: 111 Questions on Islam