Waking up to jokes about how a Muslim Brotherhood-dominated parliament will change Egypt was disconcerting to say the least.
Not only were they unfunny, the morning onslaught of BBM/Whatsapp messages, as well as Facebook and Twitter updates were also annoying and distasteful, creating more unnecessary fear and widening the rifts between different streams of Egypt’s society.
I believe that our pluralism itself protects societal and political spheres from monopolization by any one ideology. I may be proven wrong in the future, but there’s no reason to start off on this very wrong and crippled foot.
People are whipping themselves into a frightened frenzy, which shows weakness and, truly after all we’ve been through, it just adds insult to injury.
As for the elections, there are still millions of votes to be won by any party or coalition, and numerous chances for “liberal” individual candidates to score big — unless of course the strategy is to sit idle and whine over the loss by Egypt’s liberals.
Sore losers joke, winners keep working harder and keep winning more. Focus and strategy is needed.
Moreover, people need to understand that there are differences in ideologies of the MB, Salafis, Al-Wasat, etc…lumping them all together as an “Islamist” front is fear-mongering similar to the Mubarak regime. I’d argue that they are actually in conflict with one another and will find it hard to reach consensus on many levels, thus vulnerable to self-destruction.
Scaring ourselves into a corner will mean further isolation and further inaction on part of the liberals. We’re shooting ourselves in the foot and creating a dynamic where there’s us and them, to whose benefit? The only times we’ve won are when we are able to unite (utopian, I know) or reach a compromise.
And if there are already rifts in society then why widen them further only to fall through the cracks ourselves?
You don’t think there are a million and one jokes to be made by the “Islamists” about the liberal lifestyle? Yet I haven’t seen a single one. How can we be so judgmental when inclusion, tolerance and acceptance are what we most need now?
The focus now is on the constitution, the economy, civilian rule, no military trials, and so much more…if we tear ourselves apart now, we’re screwed for life.
*Amira Salah-Ahmed
