The Pharaoh’s Magicians and America’s Kings

The Muslim Brotherhood’s attack on journalists is justified, especially because many members of the Egyptian press are members of what is referred to as “The Remnants” (Al-Felool),* who have made the Brotherhood the target of their constant attacks. These attacks have prompted one of the Brotherhood’s leaders to describe these journalists as “the pharaoh’s magicians.”

So what of the Western media, political circles and intelligence agencies that set up a delegation with the Brotherhood under the pretext of “reassuring the West?” It seems these visits are not really intended to improve the image of political Islam but to gain the satisfaction and approval of the Americans; however, it seems that American support for Islamists hasn’t been this high since the days of Muhammad Ali.

Up to this point, with the exception of Gamal Abdel Nasser, Egypt’s leaders have obtained the permission of the world’s highest authority before seizing power. If the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul was once in this position it is now the White House’s turn to issue commands and impose restrictions in our Arab world.

It appears that Doctor Mustafa El-Feki’s statement that the Egyptian president should be accepted by and seek the approval of the United States and Israel was not a slip of the tongue. Rather it was a political reading and testament to the fact that he worked with the Brotherhood to send the delegation to the United States. There they met with U.S. officials, politicians and intelligence agencies and conducted several interviews with various media outlets – I think most of the participants were paid to keep silent about who bore the costs.

So if the Egyptian journalists are magicians then the Americans are apparently the kings who we must pledge our allegiance and bow to in obedience.

The big American newspapers like the Washington Post and The New York Times have paid special attention to these issues, especially since the rise of the Islamic movement with the waves of the Arab Spring. They dedicate pages to discussing the peculiarities of the Brotherhood; however, the “magicians” of Egypt ignore the publications of such news for reasons that are unknown. This is narrated on all major websites including the Brotherhood-affiliated Freedom and Justice Party site, whose members include Dr. Abdul Mawgoud Dardery of the parliament from Luxor; Hussein El-Kazzaz, businessman and adviser to the party; Sondos Asem and Khaled Al-Qazzaz. All are members of the Foreign Relations Committee of the FJP.

This visit paved the way for New York Times’ journalist Nicholas Kristof to invite Sondos Asem, a student at the American University in Cairo and editor of the Brotherhood’s official English-language website, Ikhwanweb, to his home for lunch. There Sondos tried to extend the bridges of friendship and reassure Washington that Egypt will not be like Saudi Arabia, Iran or Afghanistan and added that the Brotherhood is opposed to female genital mutilation and will support women to combat ignorance and illiteracy. When Kristof asked her about the Brotherhood’s stances on mandating that women wear the veil, prohibiting alcohol and their position on the Israeli peace agreements, Sondos confirmed that the Brotherhood will not change anything in regards to those areas and that the priority of the next government will be focused on solving the economic problems. It seems that the media is already capable of using magic to convince Americans to support the Muslim Brotherhood.

*Translator’s Note: Felool translates as remnants. It is a derogatory term used to describe supporters of the previous regime.