Ikhwan and the situation in Egypt

Mamoun al-Dhahabi

Jumada' al-Akhirah 09, 1433 2012-05-01

Letters To The Editor

by Mamoun al-Dhahabi (Letters To The Editor, Crescent International Vol. 41, No. 3, Jumada' al-Akhirah, 1433)

Your article, “Choices facing the Ikhwan” (Crescent, 4-2012) was both enlightening and thought provoking.

You accurately analyzed the situation in Egypt and warned the Ikhwan about the pitfalls of operating under the existing pro-Western, Zionist, jahili system. The beneficiaries of this system will not relinquish power easily.

Muslims, especially members of the Islamic movement, must understand that militaries in their societies are instruments of the status quo. They are also all hard wired to the US Pentagon. It is through military officers that external players exercise such enormous influence in subject societies. If the Ikhwan in Egypt believe they can come to power without confronting the military, they are making a huge mistake.

We have the example of Iran. The Islamic revolutionaries took care of the corrupt officer class in the military and protected the revolution from being overthrown by a coup. Today Iran is coup proof. Can any other Muslim country claim to be coup-free? Even the Ikhwan, despite their enormous organizational power, are too deferential to the military officer class. Why? Muslim societies pay so much to maintain huge armies and arsenals when not one of them has ever defeated the enemy. No society can be truly free unless it has defanged the military. The Ikhwan really have crucial choices to make.