PrintFebruary 9, 2011
Islam and the Egyptian Political Future
Politics in Egypt are in change and the question of the day is "what will happen to the government?" The details cannot be known, but the future will probably be some version of the past, a past driven by Islamic political doctrine.
All Islamic political doctrine is determined by the example of Mohammed. His rise to power was not by winning elections, but in the use of armed force. Mohammed averaged an event of violence on the average of every six weeks for the last nine years of his life. He may have been the prophet of Allah, but his rule was in parallel to other absolute rulers.
Historically, fascism was a political system in power in Italy in the middle twentieth century. Today, the term has come to mean:
- An authoritarian political system with a strong leader who is glorified.
- Mass demonstrations play a political role.
- Totalitarian rule without an opposing political party.
- Militaristic -- advocating the use of force to advance the ideology.
Even the casual observer can see that Islam has many of these features.
Political Domination
Mohammed is the ideal Islamic leader. He rose to power by force of arms-jihad. Jihad was critical in his rise to total and absolute power.
The Sunna (the perfect example of a Muslim life) of Mohammed is found in the Hadith (Traditions) and Sira (his biography). The three texts, Koran, Sira and Hadith, are named the Trilogy. If it is in the Trilogy, it is Islam. If it is not in the Trilogy, it is not Islam. Here is a chart of how much text is devoted to jihad in the Islamic texts:
Jihad is a large part of Islamic doctrine. It is not a verse or two, but a dominant theme. In his jihad phase, Mohammed attacked his nearest neighbor and then the next nearest. He attacked with propaganda and the sword. This remains Islamic hegemonic political doctrine.
Islam's political purpose is for the entire world to be under Sharia law.
The Elimination of Political Enemies by Force
Islam started as a religious ideology in Mecca, but in Medina it quickly moved to the use of lethal force by men sent out with orders to attack commercial targets, kill, capture and take all wealth. The captured victims were ransomed, executed, enslaved and tortured. The size of the forces ranged from single assassins to small bands and armies.
This military philosophy was so important that it was given a unique name -- jihad. What is so brilliant about jihad is its civilizational scope. Armed force was merely the final stage in a system of war against all Kafirs. Jihad is practiced by armed force, speech, writing and cash contributions through charities. (Note: the inner or spiritual jihad is mentioned in less than 2% of texts.)
The graph below shows the efficiency of jihad. The conversion rate went from about ten a year to ten thousand per year.
Jihad has been the most effective system of military force known to humanity. Today, no one kills for Julius Caesar, Napoleon or any other military leader of history. Kafirs (infidels) die daily because of jihad. Approximately 270 million Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, and Africans have been destroyed by jihad over the last 1400 years.
Islam created the word "assassin". Mohammed repeatedly used assassins to eliminate his political enemies, including artists and intellectuals. A partial list includes:
Person | Al Ashraf | Abu Rafi | Marwan's Dtr. | Abu Afak | Rifaa b. Qays |
Function | Poet | Poet | Poet | Critic | Tribal Chief |
Source | Bukhari 5,59,369 | Bukhari 5,59,371 | Ishaq 995 | Ishaq 995 | Ishaq 990 |
Strong Leader
When Mohammed died he did not have an enemy left standing. All Arabs within his horizon were Muslims. He absolutely and completely dominated all political life in a unified Arabia. Mohammed is the perfect example of an Islamic political leader. He was absolute in his power. He was the judge, lawgiver, military leader, intellectual leader, spiritual leader, and political leader.
He rose to power through his own efforts and became the ultimate strongman. He did not leave behind a process for Islam to choose leaders other than imitating his methods.
Nationalism
All Muslims are a part of the umma, the Islamic community or nation. This concept goes beyond the usual geographic boundaries of nation. The al Qaeda idea of restoring the caliphate is based upon going back to a supreme leader who rises to power and rules all Muslims in the global umma.
The umma means that every Muslim living in a Kafir nation has two allegiances -- the nation and Islam. Islam demands that a Muslim's first allegiance is to the umma, not the nation. Therefore, the Islamic version of nationalism is umma-ism.
Mass demonstrations
Islam does mass demonstrations and riots like a symphony orchestra plays Beethoven. Demonstrations are a political tradition. The Islamic mass demonstration is so common that we do not really see the brilliance and perfection that in their execution. Mass demonstrations and riots are happening in Europe, and we will soon feel the pressure of them in America when Islam has greater numbers here.
Over time Political Islam dominates every country where Islam was introduced. At some point in the process, street riots, mass rallies and assassinations become part of the political process of domination by Islam, until complete political dominance is achieved.
Israel and Islam
At first Islam was kind to the Jews, but in the end Mohammed exiled, enslaved and annihilated every Jew in Arabia. This is recorded in the Trilogy. Examine the next chart:
There is less Jew hatred in Mein Kampf than in the Trilogy. Hence, Islamic texts can be compared to Mein Kampf. Ask this question: if Egypt becomes more Islamic, as the Muslim Brotherhood wants, what will the new Egyptian policy be towards Israel?
Conclusion
Islam has fascist qualities. The next government in Egypt will have a fig leaf of democracy, but if the past is any guide it will be fascist in it implementation and rule. Egypt will become more Sharia compliant, which is bad news for all Christians in Egypt.
Bill Warner, Director, Center for the Study of Political Islam
