The Burial of Democracy in Egypt (Greater Kashmir) Prof. G.R.Malik After going through blood and fire for forty years, Egypt had finally succeeded in overthrowing its, what we thought, last dictator, Hosni Mubarak, and installing the democratically elected government of Muhammad Morsi. But alas! Egypt’s inherent ideological tensions and the fore- loaded international stance towards the new government led to a tragic failure of the experiment as Muhammad Morsi’s government was unceremoniously dismissed by brute force on July 3, 2013. Democracy is not an unmixed blessing but it is certainly the only viable choice for the time being and once a people opt for it, the logical results have got to be accepted. It is a stinkingly lame and untenable argument to say that people were not happy with Morsi’s rule. With which democratically elected government are all people happy anywhere? If this rationale is accepted most of the incumbent elected governments will have to go. What is most scandalizing is that those who have overthrown a legitimate regime are now sitting in judgement upon its fate. It is intriguing that those powers who are not tired of swearing by democracy and human rights have lent implicit recognition to the usurpers and done precious little against the pre- planned murder of democracy and the cold- blooded massacre of its supporters. One cannot possibly have any grouse against the Arab kingdoms and Shaikhdoms for whom democracy is death but what concrete action has been taken by the Western democratic regimes and the UN? There is another and much more serious dimension to the problem. It is now an established pattern of international behaviour that whenever a government with a soft corner for Islam is elected anywhere, the world suddenly turns apathetic if not inimical to it. This amounts to telling the Islamists that peaceful and democratic options are barred for them which in effect implies that they are pushed into the lap of non- peaceful and undemocratic ways. For Muslims it is a time of deep introspection and self- assessment as well as an occasion of trial. History it seems is repeating itself and Karbala is being re- enacted. Usurpers are unabashedly trying to wipe out those who stand up to usurpation. The Arab reaction has by and large confirmed Iqbal’s fear, Qafila- e Hijaz mai eik Husain bhi nahin Common Muslims have to answer the question as to where do their sympathies lie.
Posted on: Fri, 23 Aug 2013 07:10:49 +0000
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