In the last three years Egypt has gone through one of the most turbulent periods in its long history. That, on top of over six decades of a precipitous fall in virtually all significant aspects of life in this beleaguered nation. I and many more capable pens have written in detail about these two successive periods. What we see today is a post-earthquake-like politically flail country blindly groping for some form of stability. Once again I repeat, the nation badly needs a wise, selfless leadership truly in touch with the demos to be able to lift itself out of the mire of despair generated by poverty, ignorance, dependency and a host of other factors which has forced our country to its knees.
Retired Field Marshal (FM) Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi is still the darling of the people and without any cant; he will be ‘elected’ the next president. He is perceived by most as the savior who slew the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) dragon and freed the nation from the MB’s foul grip attained through a vile regime which was dragging the country towards an extremist theocracy. Does the saying ‘the devil we know is better than the one we don’t know’ apply? Firstly, we don’t know Al-Sisi and if we did we can’t judge whether he is a devil. Judging from his actions since January 2011 and a glimpse of his obscure past and official record one might consider that he is a safe bet. Reading between the lines is at best a treacherous undertaking, yet we know that there is invisible writing between the readable lines. If FM Al-Sisi is to be properly vetted by the electorate before being ushered into the presidential palace he has to answer a slew of questions which pertain to his prospective vital role of leadership of a divided people which is simmering and at the point of another conflagration. The platform FM Al-Sisi is running on is a banal rhetoric which is ‘full of sound and fury signifying nothing.’ The platitudes he offers and the modus operandi with which he plans to achieve his and the nation’s goals is far from promising. It is heavily dependent on who he is beholden to. This is an unknown to all but a handful of close coterie.
The Copts of Egypt and those in the Diaspora are historically weak and disenfranchised. I am not convinced that there is a common purpose nor is there a unified effort to reverse the Dhimitude status which is tacitly accepted as the best we can hope for. If the Copts continue to accept this menial existence, the unopposed persecution, the high toll in life and limb, the second class status and the plan to further demean all other non-Muslims then Al-Sisi is not our man. President-to-be Al-Sisi must proclaim out front his purpose to succor the minorities, the Christians of Egypt and others, to vow that reconciliation must be one of his primary goals, not only with his political adversaries, but between all Egyptians regardless of religious differences. To date the repair of the destroyed churches and monasteries is at an anemic pace at best and the Hammaionic decree, oddly enough, is still functioning. On a personal basis Al-Sisi is known as a devout Muslim, a characteristic welcomed by one and all. However, rumor has it that his daughter wears a ‘niqaab’, the dress of female Muslims who are viewed as at the extreme end of the spectrum of Islamic fanaticism. None have stated that that was at the urging or approval of the FM.