Egypt Between the Brotherhood’s Narrative and Reality on the Ground

Al-Nahar, Lebanon, February 8

Over the course of the past few weeks, the people of Egypt have been far busier following the Africa Cup of Nations championship, which was won by Senegal, than they have with the repeated calls of the Muslim Brotherhood and its allies to take to the streets and promote civil disobedience on the anniversary of the January 25th Revolution. Why is it that they eagerly followed the news of the Egyptian soccer player Mohamed Salah and his fellow teammates more than they followed Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei’s call to his disciples to restore the memories and favors of the revolution? Why did the Egyptians raise their country’s flag to celebrate their national team but neglected to raise it in the squares and streets of Cairo? The answer is simply that the Egyptian people have learned their lesson from the Arab Spring. They have come to the understanding that the Muslim Brotherhood, through its various chapters and affiliate organizations, seeks to undermine the unity of Egyptian society. The irony is that, while certain satellite television channels backed by the Muslim Brotherhood aired special programs from abroad marking the 11th anniversary of the January 25th Revolution and made it seem like the Egyptian people support the Brotherhood, the reality on the ground looked totally different. While these programs were airing, the people of Egypt were out in the streets celebrating their football victories, and young men and women raised their country’s flag with pride – as a sign of national unity. Those who follow the Brotherhood’s propaganda and buy into it will be shocked to tour Egyptian cities, where they will quickly discover that they’ve been subjected to delusions and lies. They will realize that they were victims of a great deception, and that their distance from Egypt tainted their view of reality. On the ground, life in Egypt is proceeding normally without chaos, demonstrations or clashes, except for the hustle and bustle of the huge Egyptian gatherings in the fields, clubs, youth centers and cafes over the past two weeks to watch the Egyptian team matches in the African championship. – Mohamed Salah (translated by Asaf Zilberfarb)