When we talk about the conflict in Egypt as being an ideological conflict (which it surely is at its root), we are forced to address some awkward realities.
We have to seriously analyze how our belief is supposed to manifest itself in state policy. Because the policies of the Mursi government were not markedly different from the policies of the Mubarak government, and really, the only difference between the policies of those two regimes and the policies of Sisi, is that Sisi has simply imposed them at a drastically accelerated rate.
So, either all of these regimes, with nearly identical policies, must be regarded as Islamic, or as un-Islamic. You can’t honestly say that one regime is Islamic and the other is not, when their polices are the same.
Political Islam cannot mean politics as usual, but just carried out by people who are personally religious.
If the struggle is ideological, then our ideology must have a policy manifestation which differentiates itself from the policies that do not originate from our belief system. That should be obvious.
Neoliberalism destroys state sovereignty, it enslaves local labor and manufacturing capacity to foreign multinationals, it increases the gap between rich and poor, it increases poverty, increases unemployment, increases debt, increases disease and misery; and yes, the unchecked penetration of foreign companies and products diminishes the culture of the society, and changes its values. Do you understand? This is a policy manifestation of an ideological conflict.
Regulation of foreign investment, restrictions on multinational operations in the country, nationalization of natural resources, economic protectionism, re-negotiation of energy company contracts, increased social spending, support for local business, and so on, these are all policies that comply with our religious belief, and protect the interests of our people.
If you want to endlessly proclaim that it is a war against Islam, it is a conflict in ‘aqeeda; ok, fine. But until you begin to discuss policies that undermine our beliefs and values, and policies that uphold them, this is nothing but empty rhetoric.
We need strategies, plans, and policy alternatives, not just khutbahs
