All in one boat?
The ramifications of America's war on Iraq predictably topped the parliamentary agenda this week. Gamal Essam El-Din reports
With anti-American sentiments dominating parliamentary speeches and press commentaries, as well as a continuing series of anti-war demonstrations, Interior Minister Habib El-Adli revealed on Monday that security forces would be adopting "all necessary measures" to safeguard American interests in Egypt from any likely terrorist attacks. Addressing a two-hour meeting of the Shura Council's (the consultative upper house of parliament) defence and national security committee, El-Adli said Egypt was expecting tens of thousands of Egyptians working in Iraq and the Gulf countries to be forced back home. "We are also anticipating that some terrorist elements might join these returnees, with the objective of mounting terrorist attacks against American interests in Egypt," El-Adli said, citing "recent US policies [which] have clearly increased the number of America's enemies in this region".
El-Adli also said the Interior Ministry is determined to confront any demonstrations or marches aimed at "tarnishing the country's image". According to the minister, "some [groups] like to stage demonstrations more to tarnish this country's image and political symbols than to show solidarity with the Iraqi people. We will firmly stand up to these elements so their plans don't come at the expense of this country and its security."
El-Adli's speech was welcomed by the conservative Shura Council, most of whose members seemed more interested in improving the relationship between citizens and police officers, than making fiery speeches against the US. The People's Assembly was another story altogether. A Saturday evening session at parliament's lower house witnessed unprecedented levels of anti- American rhetoric, especially from a large number of leftist and Muslim Brotherhood MPs.
In an "urgent statement" submitted to parliament's foreign affairs committee, the opposition Tagammu Party's Abul-Ezz El-Hariri, a leftist, described the American war against Iraq as a war against the entire Arab world. "Via this war, America is aiming to tighten its control and hegemony over the Arab world as well as monopolise its riches," said El-Hariri.
El-Hariri said America's war on Iraq is "immoral and unjust", providing clear proof of the US's double-standards. "While it is planning to destroy Iraq for no justifiable reason, it keeps its eyes shut regarding Israel's possession of an arsenal of weapons of mass destruction... and is the main supplier of weapons for another immoral war -- Sharon's savage campaign against the Palestinians."
In El-Hariri's opinion, Arab countries must mobilise their resources to defend their independence from American and Zionist hegemony. "A distrust of America is now deeply prevalent all over the world and the Arabs have to take advantage of this significant turn of events to rid this region of American influence once and for all."
El-Hariri also alluded to a statement issued on 12 March by the National Committee of Egyptian Intellectuals, calling on President Hosni Mubarak to sever ties with Israel, adopt a new approach in dealing with the United States, and abolish emergency law, all as a step towards achieving genuine political reform. The statement said, "Egypt must end its dependence on (any economic assistance coming from the) current US administration because of this dependence's perilous effects on national security."
The committee chairman, ruling party MP Mustafa El-Feki, seemed to agree with El-Hariri that America's war on Iraq is jeopardising Egypt's national security. El-Feki said the government and the opposition were "all in one boat, so let's forget our ideological differences and concentrate on one subject: how to defuse American and Israeli plans for this region". El-Feki also suggested that Arab countries take bold steps towards democratising their political systems. "Not doing this will expose everybody in one way or another to the dangers of invasion," he said.
Muslim Brotherhood MPs were even more outspoken in their criticism of America. Hamid Hassan described the Iraq campaign as part of an American game-plan aimed at toppling Arab rulers and replacing them with "American surrogates". Hassan admitted that the "Arab world is in pressing need of change and political reform, but surely not in the way America wants". Hassan said the Bush administration is unprecedented in its arrogance and insensitivity, describing it as the worst in America's history. The Iraq issue, according to Hassan, "has exposed the level of the American establishment's aggressiveness towards Arabs and Muslims, and friendliness towards Israel. They are ready to give up a billion Muslims for the favour of five million Jews," Hassan said.
Akram El-Sha'er, another Brotherhood MP, said a US war on Iraq must be seen as an attack on Islam. "The best weapon Muslims can use against this barbarous attack is a comprehensive boycott of American goods," El-Sha'er said.
The Brotherhood's parliamentary speaker, Mohamed Mursi, slammed Arab countries for providing America with logistical support in launching its war against Iraq.
