Egypt: ultraconservative Salafis gamble on charter

EL-SAF, Egypt
(AP) — Police
cars crammed the courtyard of a youth center in
this rural town outside Cairo, where an
ultraconservative Islamist party was holding a
conference on the draft national constitution. The
new charter, written mainly by liberals and backed
by the military, would ban political parties based
on religion, give women equal rights and protect
the status of minority Christians.
But the police were not out to harass the Al-Nour
Salafi party, as they have the Muslim Brotherhood,
which is organizing a boycott of this week's
referendum on the new constitution.
Bearded men in long, traditional robes shook hands
warmly with police officers who also filled the hall
to secure a lecture entitled "Know Your
Constitution." And what these Islamists know
about their constitution is that they will support it
— even if some may privately dislike it.
The conference, held to rally support for the
charter, highlights a striking alliance that has
emerged since the military toppled Islamist
President Mohammed Morsi and his democratically
elected government last summer. Both the
military-backed authorities and the Al-Nour party
appear to be benefiting from it, despite the
awkwardness.
The authorities get a seal of approval from a
popular Islamist party for a constitution drafted by
a liberal-dominated committee they appointed. The
charter, despite its progressive ambitions, accords
the military special status by allowing it to select
its own candidate for the job of defense minister
and empowering it to bring civilians before military
tribunals.
And Al-Nour secures a safe spot for itself — and
perhaps even a hand in power — amid a relentless
media campaign against Islamist groups and an
intensive crackdown has left thousands of Morsi's
supporters behind bars or killed during violent
clashes.
Statements from party leaders and senior clerics
suggest they realize the government's campaign
has been effective. They blame Morsi for
overreaching in so badly offending non-Islamists —
in part by ramming through a more religion-based
constitution that was approved in a referendum
boycotted by many secular voters in December
2012.
"We are currently trying to minimize the effect of
practices that led to a general alienation from the
Islamic project," said Yasser Burhami, an influential
Salafi cleric, explaining to viewers on the group's
online Youtube channel in a recent video why it is
acceptable to vote for a constitution that has
removed religion-based articles his group once
campaigned hard for. "We must acknowledge the
new reality and put goals according to the new
phase."
There is irony there: during Morsi's term many
blamed Salafis for radicalizing his group and
insisting on more Islamic-based legislation.
Salafis advocate strict segregation of the sexes and
an unbendingly literal interpretation of the Quran,
saying society should mirror the way the Prophet
Muhammad ruled the early Muslims in the 7th
century. They say they want to turn Egypt into a
pure Islamic society, implementing strict Shariah,
or Islamic law. Men are known for their long beards,
with the mustache shaved off — a style they say
was worn by Muhammad — while the women wear
the "niqab," an enveloping black robe and veil that
leaves only the eyes visible.
They also reject democracy as a heresy, since it
would supplant God's law with man's rulings —
though they decided to set those concerns aside to
enter elections after the 2011 ouster of former
leader Hosni Mubarak.
The group's rallies around the country have been
held in carefully selected venues, most tightly
secured and well-planned. A senior security official
in the southern city of Aswan, where Al-Nour had a
recent rally, said police and party leaders
coordinate ahead of local events to ensure limited
and vetted attendance.
The Brotherhood and other Islamist groups have
increasingly targeted Al-Nour during their protests,
with some of its offices outside of Cairo attacked
and its politicians heckled.
On Friday, dozens of supporters of the Brotherhood
and the more radical Gamaa Islamiya party in the
southern city of Assiut chanted against Al-Nour
following the weekly prayers. "Al-Nour is a traitor
and an agent for the regime. They sold out Islamic
law," about 70 protesters chanted as worshippers
trickled out of the mosque — until the police
dispersed them with tear gas.
Authorities have been cracking down on people
trying to distribute pamphlets calling for a "no"
vote in the balloting to be held Tuesday and
Wednesday, mostly on grounds they were
representatives of the Brotherhood, which the
government has declared a terrorist group. But the
Brotherhood and other Islamist organizations have
called for a boycott.
Founded after the 2011 revolution against Hosni
Mubarak, Al-Nour party won about a quarter of the
vote in the country's first parliamentary election
held later that year — coming behind only the
Brotherhood. It soon broke with the Brotherhood,
accusing it of monopolizing power. And today Al-
Nour argues that it is not a religiously-based party,
but rather one with a "religious background" that
focuses on social priorities such as health insurance
and economic development.
"The world needs to move forward," said Ihab
Mohamed Omar, a 25-year-old attending the
gathering in Al-Saf, about 40 miles (60 kilometers)
south of Cairo. "People who are against the
constitution don't say what the solutions are."
Still, the road to Salafi support for the charter was
rocky. The 50-member panel appointed by the
interim military-backed president included only
one Salafi representative, Bassem el-Zarqa. He said
he asked the party to leave the committee after a
few sessions because he felt it was too lopsided in
favor of the secular members. Al-Nour nominated
another representative.
Al-Nour is "the only representative of three
quarters of (Egyptians who) voted for Islamist
parties. They didn't record my ideas or
suggestions. It was worse than any dictator," he
told the AP.
El-Zarqa, who remains a party member, said the
party will try to persuade its supporters to vote for
the constitution. "But I think many think this
constitution is much worse than the one from
2012."
Some said the group is losing support because
many see it as a fig leaf for the new authorities. "It
will be a decoration," said Youssri Hamad, a Salafi
politician who broke away with Al-Nour during
Morsi's rule. Hamad said his new Salafi party, Al-
Watan, will boycott the vote, but will prepare for
future elections.
Al-Nour party's backing of the military-backed
government marks a return to an earlier political
posture of ultraconservative Salafis, who had for
long stayed out of politics and instead supported
the party in power. Under Hosni Mubarak, Salafi
clerics had urged their followers not to go against
their leader. Some Salafi movements in Egypt
discouraged their followers from joining the
January 2011 uprisings.
Although highly critical of the Brotherhood's time
in power, Salafi leaders recognize the
Brotherhood's appeal— and have criticized the
interim government's designation of the group as a
terrorist organization.
"It is hard to convince the grassroots of the merits
of these extremely pragmatic twists, and many
believe that they stabbed the Islamist president in
the back," said Ashraf Sherif, a political science
lecturer at the American University in Cairo. The
calculation, he said, is that even those they have
upset "will still vote for them because they will
prefer them to secularist parties."
Sabah Mohammed, a 47-year-old government
employee who wears the veil of conservative
Muslim women, said she was confident Al-Nour was
ultimately true to its Islamist principles.
"They are a religious party…I know they would
apply (Islamic law). They are good. I've seen
nothing from them that was bad," she said, sitting
at the back corner of the male-dominated
gathering.
___
El Deeb reported from Cairo. Associated Press
Writer Mamdouh Thabet contributed to this report
from Assiut, Egypt.

Sent From David Aniemeka