Middle East: Looking at Egypt, Worrying About Turkey - by Semih Idiz

President Mohammed Morsi

 Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, of Muslim Brotherhood origin, was highly praised for his courageous stand against the Egyptian army, which he wanted to distance from politics. His international prestige peaked with his recent role in securing an Israel-Hamas cease-fire. Morsi was even named as the most important personality of the Middle East by Time magazine.

However, Morsi himself delivered a blow to this positive image he had created. Immediately after the cease-fire, under the pretext of “defending the Egyptian revolution from its enemies,” he assumed extraordinary powers that were not allowed to be challenged. Then the troubles began.
Liberal Egyptians worried about the intentions of the Islamists again filled Tahrir Square and began chanting the same “Pharaoh” slogans they had used against former President Hosni Mubarak. This time, clashes were not between the security forces and protesters, but between liberals and religious forces supporting Morsi.

In short, the Islamists’ perception of democracy does not tally with true democracy. Islamists believe that winning an election gives the ruling party the authority to tamper with and change the system.
But true democracy doesn’t give this right to anyone and it certainly doesn’t mean the “hegemony of the majority.” The true measure of democracy is not only protecting  the rights of the opposition and minorities but also gracefully accepting an exit from the political scene when people say “we don’t want you anymore.’’

Now, we see a president who, although chosen in a democratic election, is now trying to arm himself with anti-democratic powers; a party that is trying to change the constitution and governance by overwhelming the opposition and a government that is trying impose its world view while splitting the country in two instead of unifying it.

All these should ring some bells for us in Turkey as well. In short, it is impossible to not worry about Turkey while observing what is happening in Egypt. By the way, weren’t we supposed to be the model country?

Read more: Looking at Egypt, Worrying About Turkey - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East