Ayoon Wa Azan (Egypt is stronger)

The Muslim Brotherhood, having taken power on the back of the youths of the revolution, could have taken advantage of their popularity to establish a true democratic system that accommodates all spectrums of the people. However, they chose to seek to impose the Brotherhood’s ideology on Egypt, failed in saving the economy and imposing order, and were subsequently toppled. Now, they have returned to violence and it seems that they are good at little else. In the clearest possible terms, attacking police and security buildings is terrorism (and the same goes without saying to the attempt to assassinate the interior minister yesterday). In the same clarity, I say that I do not accuse the members of the Brotherhood of this, but the leaders and the Brotherhood’s ideology out of which all terrorism in our countries has emerged, including the criminal organization called al-Qaeda. The broad Arab support for Egypt from capable countries does not only reflect the close relationship with the interim administration in Egypt, but also the lack of trust and the decades-long bitter experience in the Gulf countries that sensed a conspiracy was being plotted by the Egyptian and local Muslim Brotherhood against them. I heard many details about this long before Hosni Mubarak was toppled, and then with Mohamed Morsi after him. I pause here to mention that Al-Jazeera Mubashir and other television stations have been banned from broadcasting in Egypt. I had vowed years ago not to criticize Qatar’s policies, because Qatar already comes under enough criticism, often unfairly. So today, I just want to say that Al-Jazeera’s coverage of events in Egypt was one sided, and that the Qatari television channel did not seek to learn all the truth but only half of the truth. I hope that Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad will give Al-Jazeera some of his time to correct such mistakes. I also hope that the Egyptian media shows the kind of objectivity that Al-Jazeera fell short of, and not throw accusations against the spouse of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa unfairly through people that do not know her. She is an honorable woman, and has always worked hard for her country and her nation, fostering many ambitious projects. All those who attack Sheikha Mozah would therefore be condemning themselves, so I hope everyone will reconsider their positions. But solving problems between Arab nations and the excesses of the media pales in comparison to dealing with the United States. To be sure, the U.S. administration has indisputably supported the Muslim Brotherhood-led regime. When the second revolution erupted against the Muslim Brotherhood, the U.S. administration wavered between calling it a revolution and calling it a coup, and refused to pay attention to the millions of Egyptians in the streets who were chanting against Mohamed Morsi and his regime. The Obama administration fell silent in the end, and the only positive stance came from Secretary of State John Kerry, who said that Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah Sisi would restore democracy. Relations then soured with the administration taking a negative stance on the interim administration, probably under pressure from the supporters of Israel, the lobby, and the rightwing extremists like the neocons. These people do not want democratic rule in Egypt that would take the country forward, but for Egypt to be ruined in a dispute without an end and without a solution between the Muslim Brotherhood and their opponents. Barack Obama had managed to gain a lot of popularity among the Egyptians following his speech at Cairo University in 2009. However, the Egyptians did not see anything positive from Obama after that, and a poll conducted by the U.S. Zogby Research Services showed that only 3 percent of the Egyptians approved of President Obama, and only 1 percent approved of U.S. policies. The poll also showed that two-thirds of the Egyptians felt that the U.S. administration supported Mohamed Morsi, while 80 percent thought that this harmed Egypt. Egypt is half of the nation and its leader. If the Obama administration does not mend relations with Egypt, then it will never be able to mend relations with any other Arab country. Perhaps the official Saudi rebuke of U.S. policy will be sufficient warning in this regard, and forewarned is forearmed. The views expressed by the author do not necessarily represent or reflect the editorial policy of Arab Today.