“We are not in need of American lessons in democracy or religious freedoms,” writes Ossama Saraya, editor-in-chief of state-run Al-Ahram newspaper, in a piece titled “The Devil preaches!” The tone of the piece is echoed in a number of other commentaries in state-run dailies.
The articles come in the wake of recent US calls urging Egypt to allow international monitoring of upcoming parliamentary elections.
Both Saraya and Mohammed Barakat, writing for state-run Al-Akhbar, say that the US–despite its failure in Iraq and Palestine–is intent on repeating its mistakes by interfering in the internal affairs of sovereign nations. Saraya argues there is a “cheap conspiracy” orchestrated by the American right that has made the US unable to recognize the benefits of regional stability, rendering the Middle East fertile ground for terrorism and fundamentalism.
According to Saraya, the American right is vexed by Egypt’s development and ability to maintain stability. In addition, the same research centers and individuals who drove former President Bush into “messy” wars have resurfaced, refusing to acknowledge their failure and publishing articles that reflect “lack of knowledge” and “fundamentalist” talk about democracy and human rights.
Egypt, which is poised for hotly-contested elections, is viewed as a police state and Egyptian Christians are portrayed as having no religious freedom. Saraya continues his attack by pointing out that the US fights political Islam not only within its borders, and at Guantanamo Bay, prisoners have no rights. Obama personally acknowledged this, he said, but has thus far failed to close the camp.
The US and its experts must acknowledge and remember Egypt’s role in ensuring regional peace, Saraya argues. Egypt has a record of facing crises and is able to help maintain stability in all regions affected by misguided US policies, namely Sudan, Iraq, Lebanon, and Palestine. This means that the US “must listen to Egypt, not the other way around.”
Egypt is going undergoing political and economic domestic reform and continues to play an important role in maintaining regional stability and world peace, continues Saraya. According to him, the Egyptian regime enjoys international and domestic legitimacy and American fundamentalist political groups will not be allowed to prevent it from moving forward through a “political joke” that is characterized by “ignorance.” The US and its experts must know that interference in the internal affairs of stable and strong states without accurate information ruined the US, says Saraya, who adds that Egypt is capable of managing its own affairs without guidance from fundamentalist groups.
Abdul Moneim Saeed, president of Al-Ahram, writes another opinion piece on the same topic. He writes that the curious and surprising aspect of US policy toward Egypt in the first decade of the 21st century has been its attempt to interfere in domestic political affairs. Saeed points out that the last few months have witnessed increased international attention paid to Egyptian politics, particularly regarding elections. Even previously neutral research institutions, such as the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, have now joined other research institutions in producing negative commentary on Egypt, he says.
On 2 November, an Egypt “working group” met in the White House, writes Saeed. The group represents an unusual alliance between three political blocs that have not previously aligned themselves, namely right-wing groups, neoconservatives, and a number of liberals at the Carnegie Endowment and similar organizations.
These different groups have three distinct goals. The first is to create a problem for Obama’s rule by shedding light on the failure of democracy in Egypt. The second is to halt any attempt to pressure Israel by highlighting the corruption of Arab political systems. The third goal reflects the position of “confused liberals,” who are caught between the exciting political pluralism and dynamism in Egypt, and the belief that clean elections will spell the defeat of the ruling party and a victory for the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, despite the fact that it relies on an “illiberal slogan.”
Egypt's papers:
Al-Ahram: Daily, state-run, largest distribution in Egypt
Al-Akhbar: Daily, state-run, second to Al-Ahram in institutional size
Al-Gomhorriya: Daily, state-run
Rose el-Youssef: Daily, state-run, close to the National Democratic Party's Policies Secretariat
Al-Dostour: Daily, privately owned
Al-Shorouk: Daily, privately owned
Al-Wafd: Daily, published by the liberal Wafd Party
Al-Arabi: Weekly, published by the Arab Nasserist party
Youm7: Weekly, privately owned
Sawt el-Umma: Weekly, privately owned
