“God is our objective; the Quran is our constitution, the Prophet is our leader; Jihad is our way; and death for the sake of God is the highest of our aspirations.” –Muslim Brotherhood
Millions of people were excited about the Arab Spring. We were dreaming of a secular Arab world. We thought non-corrupt non-religious politicians would rule Egypt. But the holy Arab Spring brought the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafists. What a shock! Many of us now worried about the future of Egypt.
Muslim Brotherhood was Founded in Egypt in 1928. Its ideas had gained it supporters throughout the Arab world and influenced other Islamist groups with its “model of political activism combined with Islamic charity work”. Muslim Brotherhood believes Islam is the solution to all problems. They built schools, hospitals, orphanages, commercial enterprises etc. to gain trust and influence people.
Many Egyptians got Muslim Brotherhood’s Islamic charity. They voted for Brotherhood. If Mubarak started the process of secularization of judicial, educational and social systems, the vote results could have been different.
Muslim Brotherhood claims they believe in democracy and freedom of expression. But you can read their dangerous manifesto which is totally against the basic rights and freedom of people. Manifesto is nothing but the violation of human rights. Muslim Brotherhood is a political movement to make the world Darul Islam or land of Islam. Let’s read some of their wishes.
* A strengthening of the armed forces, and an increase in the number of youth groups; the inspiration of the latter with zeal on the bases of Islamic jihad.
* A strengthening of the bonds between all Islamic countries, especially the Arab countries, to pave the way for practical and serious consideration of the matter of the departed Caliphate.
* The diffusion of the Islamic spirit throughout all departments of the government, so that all its employees will feel responsible for adhering to Islamic teachings.
* Weighing all acts of the government acts in the scales of Islamic wisdom and doctrines; the organization of all celebrations, receptions, official conferences, prisons and hospitals so as not to be incompatible with Islamic teaching; the arranging of work-schedules so that they will not conflict with hours of prayer.
*Conditioning the people to respect public morality, and the issuance of directives fortified by the aegis of the law on this subject; the imposition of severe penalties for moral offences.
*Treatment of the problem of women in a way which combines the progressive and the protective, in accordance with Islamic teachings, so that this problem – one of the most important social problems – will not be abandoned to the biased pens and deviant notions of those who err in the directions of deficiency or excess.
* The recognition of fornication, whatever the circumstances, as a detestable crime whose perpetrator must be flogged.
*A campaign against ostentation in dress and loose behavior; the instruction of women in what is proper, with particular strictness as regards female instructors, pupils, physicians, and students, and all those in similar categories.
*A review of the curricula offered to girls and the necessity of making them distinct from the boys’ curricula in many of the stages of education.
*Segregation of male and female students; private meetings between men and women, unless between the permitted degrees [of relationship] to be counted as a crime for which both will be censored.
*The closure of morally undesirable ballrooms and dance halls, and the prohibition of dancing and other such pastimes.
*The surveillance of theatres and cinemas, and a rigorous selection of plays and films.
*The expurgation of songs, and a rigorous selection and censorship of them.
*The careful selection of lectures, songs, and subjects to be broadcast to the nation; the use of radio broadcasting for the education of the nation in a virtuous and moral way.
*The confiscation of provocative stories and books that implant the seeds of skepticism in an insidious manner, and newspapers which strive to disseminate immorality and capitalize indecently on lustful desires.
* Due consideration for the claims of the moral censorship, and punishment of all who are proved to have infringed any Islamic doctrine or attacked it, such as breaking the fast of Ramadan, wilful neglect of prayers, insulting the faith, or any such act.
*The designation of religious instruction as a basic subject in all schools, in each according to its type, as well as in the universities.
*Active instigation to memorize the Qur’an in all the free elementary schools; making this memorization mandatory for obtaining diplomas in the areas of religion and (Arabic) language; the stipulation that a portion of it be memorized in every school.
*The promulgation of a firm educational policy which will advance and raise the level of education, and will supply it, in all its varieties, with common goals and purposes; which will bring the different cultures represented in the nation closer together, and will make the first stage of its process one dedicated to inculcating a virtuous, patriotic spirit and an unwavering moral code.
*The cultivation of the Arabic language at every stage of instruction; the use of Arabic alone, as opposed to any foreign language, in the primary stages.
*The cultivation of Islamic history, and of the national history and national culture, and the history of Islamic civilization.
*Consideration of ways to arrive gradually at a uniform mode of dress for the nation.
*An end to the foreign spirit in our homes with regard to language, manners, dress, governesses, nurses, etc; all these to be Egyptianized, especially in upper class homes.
*To give journalism a proper orientation, and to encourage authors and writers to undertake Islamic, Eastern subjects.
*The organization of zakat (charity) in terms of income and expenditure, according to the teachings of the magnanimous Sacred Law; invoking its assistance in carrying out necessary benevolent projects, such as homes for the aged, the poor, and orphans, and strengthening the armed forces.
Islamists led by the Muslim Brotherhood and radical Salafists worked to gain the presidency of Egypt. They have been celebrating victory in Tahrir Square. Not long ago hundreds of thousands of young people were crying for democracy in the square. Not many people could imagine that the Islamists would finally make everybody fool and parade with their flags through the same Tahrir Square!
Many of us are worried about Egypt and the Arab world. Many of us are worried about women who would be forced to give up their rights to live under strict Islamic rules. Many of us are worried about women who would be flogged and stoned to death for every little thing.