Al-Erian demands apology from West
Issandr El AmraniI've known Dr. Essam al-Erian, a prominent Muslim Brother and long one of its spokesmen, for ages. I see often for the simple reason that his office is around the corner from where I live (a small area that also includes Alaa al-Aswani's dentistry cabinet, so I have a good range of the political spectrum). He used to be known as one of the "moderate" Brothers until 2009, when it seemed he joined the more conservative faction. Since the revolution, those who know him have noted how much more abrasive he's become, and much less conciliatory in his approach to secularists. Many would say he's become quite arrogant in his public statements.
Helena Cobban had this interview with him during which he expresses the opinion that the West (whatever that is) should apologize to Egypt. I've heard him say similar things in off-the-record situations, including get into a big row with a Western ambassador a couple of months ago. Anyway here it is:
"I am asking Europe and America for an apology. For the last 150 years they have blocked any development in this area... We believe that we have a lot to contribute to world civilization in terms of spirituality and values, but we want the help of the west in allowing our democracy to flourish. We want an apology that they supported dictatorship here for so many years, and then when the revolutions challenged the dictators, they tried to find a safe exit for some of the dictators...
"So please don't intervene in ways that corrupt our new politicians. Westerners corrupted so many of our local NGO's and even human-rights organizations in the past. (But I want to note that Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch did a great job! They are my friends!)
Should the West apologize for its treatment of Egypt? Does this blaming the West amount to an exculpation of the local elites (include the likes of the MB) that are responsible for Egyptian backwardness and authoritarianism? The West contributed to the perpetuation of authoritarian regimes, but it did not create them. Following this logic, should Egypt apologize to Sudan for years of dominion? How does this work exactly?
I do agree on one thing: it'd be best for Egypt is Western governments stayed out of its affairs. It doesn't have to accept the aid, either.
Reader Comments (8)
Would love examples of the new abrasiveness, if you can point me to some statements.
the anti-Western cultural/civilizational Islam rhetoric is something he's used before and other Brothers have, though generally speaking he used to be nice to the "Western" academics and media and write op-eds in Western papers because he thought Western pressure would help, or to change western public opinion, so what does he make of that two-edged sword I wonder?
I think what often gets lost in these discussions is just how far Egypt came in the 20th century. They were starting from a horrible base. According to Timur Kuran's recent book, literacy in Egypt at the end of the 19th century was about 5%. Just think about trying to build a modern economy off of a society where 95% of the population were basically illiterate serfs stuck in a feudal era system.
Anyway, I think if Egyptians realized what they had to work with, and how far they've come in 100 years, they could take more pride in themselves rather than seeing everything in comparison to the West and viewing modern Egypt as a failure.
Issander,
My biggest concern with the MBs is that they are a Saudi Trojan horse in Egypt.Helena pointed out Arian's criticism of Saudi Arabia. If sincere, it would be reassuring. Of course I want to see a secular Egypt, but if it must be an Islamic state then please not a Wahabist one that conspires with the same West he seems so angry with.
Apology huh? Well, as a Canadian, I think I’ll pass on apologizing for my fractional contribution to the millions my government has put into education and job creation in Egypt.
But I will apologize for lounging on those Red Sea beaches Mubarak and his gold-braid brigade sold off to German-Swiss hotel consortia, and for paying Costa LE12 for coffee made by a guy who was taking home LE200 a month. Sorry about that.
But maybe the brotherhood could have gotten off its holier-than-holy ass and changed some of that instead of letting a generation of secular activists get theirs kicked (and worse) while they waited to inherit the Mercedes limousines?
I don't think the West (America and Europe) need to apologize to Egypt. But I do agree that the West should stay out of the affairs of Egypt. In short, each to his own.
What does is mean that “the west should stay out of the affairs of Egypt”?
That western countries shouldn’t trade with Egypt? That they shouldn’t provide aid? Welcome to the wierd world of Ron Paul.
That western countries shouldn’t use trade or aid relationships to influence behaviour? Or put their own interests ahead of [insert your favorite group or indiviual here]’s program? To (mis?) quote Barney Frank, “on what planet do you spend most of your time?”
Erian is just being silly (fine, he’s got an audience for his silliness, but so what?), suggesting that “the west” is somehow responsible for all those chubby men in cheap suits snoozing away the afternoon in parliament or in dusty little foreign-aid industry “NGO” offices in Mohandiseen.
I guess if it weren’t for those bikini-clad westerners (dispatched and controlled presumably from the Western Embassy in Garden City), they would all have been energetically debating and voting, researching, initiating and administering and generally contributing to "world civilization with spirituality and values."
Forget the last 150 years dear Dr El-Erian, and look at the ways the Gulf oil-pots have been trying to undermine and sideline the revolution and its affect on Egyptian foreign policy. Or closer to home, and the way your cohorts in the Doctors Syndicate have by-passed all manner of rules and ethics to betray their fear of being by-passed themselves by the members demanding a clean start.
Your allies and your methods are the true danger to Egypt now. Covering this up with fossils and faux-patriotism only highlights your impatience to ascend to a power suddenly so close to hand.
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