Egypt’s Top-Down Sectarianism (original) (raw)
Related papers
The Politicization of Sectarianism in Egypt: " Creating an Enemy " the state vs. the Ikhwan
Global Discourse, 2017
This article looks at the way in which a certain understanding of sectarian violence and discourses has been historically employed as a political tool by the Egyptian government, especially in regards to the systematic repression and discrimination against the MuslimBrotherhood (al-Ik wān al-Muslimūn) throughout the organization's history. Such an understanding is particularly significant as it looks at sectarian divisions along religious and political lines taking place between two political entities within the context of a state in which Sunni Islam is the official religion, therefore tensions have been constructed by the regime on the basis of " moderate " VS. " radical " interpretations of Islam. Looking at the historical relationship between the state and the Islamist organisation, it is rather easy to identify a repeating pattern of short periods of cooperation alternated to much longer interludes of brutal repression, the overarching aim of both being the safeguarding of the regime's fragile perceived legitimacy. It follows that the politicisation of sectarian hatred and strategies at the hand of the state has led to the Muslim Brotherhood being constructed and perceived as " the other " , which has arguably hindered the organization's political development and created a stigma that is still negatively impacting on the understanding of the its role and narrative today.
It is well known that the Islam -as the religion of the majority of Egyptians- offers practical solutions to the sectarianism, define the relationship between Muslims and non-Muslims in a civilized manner, and this means that there is moral and spiritual source to solve the problem of sectarianism. Why, then, the sectarian strife appears? We assumed that there are cognitive and ethical factors affecting the sectarian strife. This research tries to explore these factors.
Sectarianism and the Arab Spring
In the face of mounting political and economic challenges, the new democratic governments of the Arab world must provide inclusionary democracy, grant religious freedom and respect the rule of law, or risk inciting social upheaval manifested in the form of protracted sectarian violence. By focussing on Egypt and Yemen, this project will argue that while sectarianism is a force to be reckoned with, the 2011 revolutions have provided these countries with the opportunity to break from the continuous cycle of religious in-fighting that has plagued the region for so long. If democratic values are protected, the two major sectarian threats in the area will be overcome, however external political and economic pressures mean that this outcome is very far from certain.
Warring democracies : the army, the muslim brotherhood & the rest in Egypt post 2011
2016
In Egypt, becoming a civic state that provides its citizens demands for Bread, Freedom, Social Justice and Human Dignity is a protracted process. a process that depends on many factors and actors. The nature of this process, whether democratic or otherwise, is a function of multiple forces and interests of local, national, regional and international scales. This study is an attempt to analyze and explain this process
Politicized Identities, Securitized Politics: Sunni-Shi‘a Politics in Egypt
This article explores Egyptian Salafis’ attempts to securitize Shi‘ism since the 2011 uprising. Taking into account the sectarian dynamics of the new Middle East, Salafis in Egypt have instrumentally used the specter of Shi‘ism in their politico-religious rhetoric to further their political ends. This article examines the rationales behind this discourse by assessing interacting internal and external dynamics amid identity conflicts in the region, which have subsequently affected Egypt.
Religion and Politics Case study: The Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt
This paper aims to gain insight into future political scenarios of Egypt by analyzing the Islamic political and religious ideologies in conjunction with their political strategies. It portrays the relationship between religion and politics in the Middle East in general, and Egypt in specific. In further analysis, it explores the ideology and the literature of the Islamic Ruling Model based on a comparative analysis of the major Islamic political sects: the Revolutionary, Traditionalist, Modernist, and the Secularist. The paper argues that religion was repeatedly manipulated in politics not only by all political leaders in Egypt, but also by the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) Movement since its inception in 1928. It specifically examines the pragmatic MB strategies to formulate a tailored-made Islamic ruling model suitable to the Egyptian socio-political settings and fulfills the mega strategies of the movement.