POLITICAL REALISM — Egypt: A Case In Point

POLITICAL REALISM Egypt: A Case in Point I N reports contained in the books of Hadith, the Prophet instructed the ummah — his followers — not to engage in conflict with the political authorities under any circumstances. He advised the ummah that if they noticed any political degeneration or corruption, they should avoid it, and, instead, should carry on with work in the nonpolitical sphere. These reports can be seen in the chapters titled Kitab al-Fitan in the books of Hadith. This guidance of the Prophet is based on great wisdom — and that is, in accordance with the law of nature, no perfect or ideal political system can come into being in this world. Every political system in this world will necessarily and definitely be less than ideal. This being the case, practical wisdom demands that people should agree to settle with a less than ideal political system. If they refuse to do so, it will lead to ceaseless political conflict. And then it will be impossible for peace, harmony and balance to be established in society — factors which are absolutely essential for any constructive work. The Prophet instructed his followers not to engage in conflict with the political authorities under any circumstances. An example of this in recent times is provided by Egypt. During the first half of the twentieth century, in the name of fighting ‘political degeneration’, self-styled ‘champions of Islam’ launched a movement against the country’s ruler, King Farouk (1920–1965). In 1952, with the help of the Army, they succeeded in overthrowing him in a coup forcing him to flee the country. General Muhammad Naguib and Gamal Abdel Nasser were the leaders of this coup. After this, General Muhammad Naguib was made the country’s President. But he, too, had to face stiff opposition and was soon stripped off his powers and placed under house arrest in 1954. Following this, Gamal Abdul Nasser became Egypt’s President, but self-styled ‘Islamic’ leaders continued to oppose him. He died in 1970, at the age of 52 while in office. He was succeeded by Anwar al-Sadat, who was assassinated in 1981.