Egypt's first and thus far only democratically elected President, Dr Mohamed Morsi, has died in court while being tried for espionage following a lengthy period in prison. He is described as an 'Islamist' but never as a democrat. It's as if the two are necessarily mutually exclusive. Must they be? Was he any less democratic than his predecessors?
The 29 year reign of Hosni Mubarak (1981-2011) was characterised by physical and sexual torture of dissidents in prisons, extreme press censorship, suppression of religious minorities, officially sanctioned antisemitism, gender inequity of the worst forms (done to please the most reactionary religious opinion and the Saudi religious authorities funding them), and rampant corruption.
Egypt was regarded as a 'moderate' Arab/Muslim country, an ally of the west. But Egyptians themselves weren't happy. They saw in Tunisia a popular uprising forcing a dictator into exile. Millions of Egyptians flocked to Tahrir Square in 2011. Protests spread to Alexandria and across the country. Security forces maimed and killed and burned and imprisoned, but the protestors persisted. Their democratic stubbornness forced Hosni Mubarak to resign.
The champions of western democracy and freedom at first stood still. The greatest fear was that a legitimate democratic election may lead to an 'Islamist' bogeyman coming to power. But exactly what is an Islamist? We're taught to imagine they're somewhere between the Taliban, al-Qaeda, ISIS and the Salvation Army. They provide social services which friendly governments are too corrupt or inept to provide — schools, hospitals, legal aid etc. Of course, this is all a ruse to hide the real agenda of gaining electoral legitimacy and power.
And once Islamists gain power, they establish a caliphate and never let go. Then they sponsor terrorism at home and abroad, undermining our other 'moderate' allies. Needless to say, our preferred dictators — be they kings or sheiks or military strongmen — also sit on the throne for as long as possible and never let go. But non-Islamist dictators are our buddies.
Following the 2011 revolution, Egyptians held its first free and fair elections. The best and brightest nominated and campaigned. The winner, by a narrow margin, was an American-trained engineer Dr Mohammed Morsi, the candidate for the Muslim Brotherhood (MB). Bespectacled and overweight (much like this writer!), Morsi was an unusual choice whose gaffes (often inspired by religious conservatism) made him sound like a Muslim Tony Abbott.
Morsi's incompetent and bumbling rule lasted just over 12 months, his decisions