A letter to a Muslim Brotherhood member

This is an excerpt from an article entitled A Letter to a Muslim Brotherhood Member by Bilal Fadl, which was originally published on 28 October 2013.

So you still have not understood why I attack your group in the same articles in which I attack those who have violated the sanctity of your life and violate the rights of everyone who disagrees with them under the notion of nationalism to which they claim some exclusive mandate, in the same way in which you used to violate the rights of your opponents under the pretext of religion.

I will blame you if you do not understand how I can defend your rights and humanity while ensuring that I declare that I have not forgotten your mistakes and that I do not trust you, because you, like your murderers and their supporters, do not realize that democracy was not created for populations to be subjugated under beautified fascist slogans.

The role of politics

Democracy is the art of managing hate and politics was created to manage the conflicts that exist between the various segments of the same population.

Democracy is the art of managing hate.

Believe me when I say that it is disgusting to see you claim to defend democracy, as if we can forget your attempt to reach a point when you can silence the voices that disagree with you.

You did not even wait till that moment and started accusing people of heresy and treason through the pulpits of mosques, satellite channels and website.

Then when you possessed the power, you started killing those who took to the streets against you, and your president said: "The prayer beads of an officer is his rifle."

Later, when the rifle of the oppressor that you had used turned against you, you blamed the oppressor alone proving your stupidity, as you still have not realized that your problem is within you, before it was with your enemies.

Yes, I defend your freedom and rights, but not because I love you, as god knows that I hate the part you played in the revolution and the country, just as I hate those who kill you in cold blood. I hate you both because you are exactly the same.

For you, slogans are only a means to reach power and people are nothing but numbers that demonstrate your power.

Despite that however, I know that there is no way to get rid of you forever, because you are a part of our bitter, sick reality, but I dream of a day when your influence and role become limited, when the majority of Egyptians realize they cannot have a better future without a civil democratic state that believes in reason and science and which builds its policies on social justice and human dignity.

This is why I want you to remain above ground, because if your activities go underground then you will not be held accountable. It will give you a chance to once again play the role of the victim, as you had done in the past, before millions of people discovered your true nature.

This time, the population will not buy into your affectations of victimhood, as it will not buy into Sisi’s act of being the savior, through which the dinosaurs of the oppressive state thought they could take control of the country and its people once again.

Egypt has moved on

You will discover the country has moved on and will not be fooled by any party that does not possess a real project to save Egypt from its problems, except for tyranny and oppression in the name of religion or nationalism.

The Egyptian people will learn from bitter experience that Egypt could be on course for a better future through a path that does not include oppression and accusations of heresy and treason, a path in which the country is lead not by loyal leaders or merchants of religion but by reason.

This is why I want you to remain above ground, because if your activities go underground then you will not be held accountable.

I was never and will never be one of those who applaud your murder and repression despite the fact that you would have applauded by murder and repression. However, I want to be better than you and your executioners, not because I am a naive romantic, but because I believe that being principled and not having double standards is a realistic option that could save us all.

Your current woeful state is due to your lack of principles and the fact that you stepped on everyone to achieve your interests, and everyone who does the same will no doubt share the same fate.

This is not some fable to be told as a bedtime story, but the real story of your rise and fall - yours and all those who came before you. It is a bitterly real story that we live through.

Unfortunately, those who allowed their hatred of you to come between themselves and their consciences have not learned from this story.

Many of those who hate you want you to die in silence, which is undoubtedly unjust, but it is exactly what you wanted for the revolutionaries when they were being killed and persecuted by your former allies, who have now become your murderers. I do not have the slightest hope that this irony will affect you and change your thinking, because whoever abandons his mind when in the throes of power will not use his mind when pressed under its might.

Opinions expressed in this article remain those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of al-Araby al-Jadeed, its editorial board or staff.

This is an edited translation from our Arabic website.