Despite denials from Egypt's military, all eyes are on Field Marshal Abdul Fattah al-Sisi to run for the presidency.  In fact, the emphatic endorsement from the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) a few days earlier clearly demonstrates that Sisi is poised to assume the office of the presidency. Even Egypt's former tyrant Mubarak weighed in the anticipation and predicted that Sisi will become president-or in Mubarak's lexicon the new pharaoh.

If opinion polls allege that the public opinion there is a widespread public perception that Sisi will make things better for Egypt, except given the behaviour of the interim government thus far, there is very little evidence to suggest that Egypt will improve in any shape or form in the post-Mubarak era. The revolution has been crushed with an iron fist, and wherever one looks the old guard (Nasserites) have returned with vengeance.

If Egyptians are looking at how Sisi will perform in office then there is the Mubarak period to map comparisons against, but it is more appropriate to look at the Musharraf era.

Musharraf on the behest of America removed Pakistan's democratically elected Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif through a bloodless coup, and then spent a decade in office legitimising his rule via slogans such as  ‘real democracy'  and ‘genuine democracy' etc.

Sisi already shares some striking similarities. Both men share a strong passion for the promotion of Kufr secularist democracy in their respective countries and consider their anti-democratic methods-no matter how abhorrent they maybe-as the only way to bring democracy. In short they project themselves to be saviours of democracy and not power-hungry dictators. Then there is bloodless coup in which both men ousted democratically elected leaders.

However, there is a slight deviation in the way both Musharraf and Sisi have sought legitimacy for their rule. Musharraf took power by force and later held a referendum to justify the continuation of his rule. Although Sisi took power by force he sought the establishment of an interim government as a means of paving the way for him to take power legitimately via presidential elections. There is also another difference. Unlike Musharraf's post-coup period, Sisi's post-coup was accompanied with violence which continues to roil Egypt to this today.

This is where the comparison ends, as Sisi has not officially assumed office. But one can extrapolate based on Musharraf's time in office, what Sisi may do. Sisi like Musharraf is a diehard secular fanatic who is determined to muzzle Islam and to destroy the emergence of political Islam. Musharraf used the cover of enlightened moderation to spearhead a vicious campaign to eradicate Islam from Pakistani society. All indications are that Sisi will not only traverse the same path as Musharraf, but will be more venomous in his fight against Islam.

Musharraf joined America's global war on terrorism and used the Pakistani armed forces to seek and destroy militants operating in Pakistan's tribal areas. Eleven years on, the Pakistani army is bogged down in the tribal areas and is deeply unpopular. Egypt's equivalent to Pakistan's tribal area is the Sinai Peninsula; one can easily foresee the Egyptian army repeating the same mistakes under Sisi's coming reign.

Musharraf also abandoned the Kashmiri people in the favour of normalising ties with India. Perhaps Sisi will abandon likewise with the Palestinians in favour of closer ties with the Jewish state. The restriction of the tunnels supplying Gaza with goods under the directions of General Sisi is just an appetiser of what is to come.

Lastly, the manner in which Musharraf was discarded by America is probably the most certain manner in which Sisi's rule will come to an end. And just like Musharraf's current predicament, Sisi will be hounded and tried by the Egyptian people for nepotism and treachery; that's if America decides to be lenient with him.

 

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by

Abed Mostapha