By Mohamed Alaa El-Din
There were contrasting reactions from officials in the sector after an Islamist assumed the presidency of Egypt.
Those who reacted negatively were afraid that the Muslim Brotherhood will impose restrictions on the use of the internet, a step that will limit freedom of though and innovation.
The majority, however, expected greater reliance on the internet and pointed to president-elect Dr. Mohamed Morsi’s campaign as evidence.
They said that the campaign’s heavy reliance on the internet to spread campaign material as well as their use of mobile applications during the vote counting stages is an indication that the incoming president will support the use of technology solutions.
Mohamed Samy, director of development for the company Computek International, predicted that greater use of and reliance on the internet in the coming period, especially after the recent campaigns which saw all political parties, and most prominently the Freedom and Justice Party, as well as the government, rely heavily on technology.
He noted that the use of the internet during the vote counting procedures did much to raise confidence in the technology.
He stressed that investment returning to the market is not dependent only on the Muslim Brotherhood, but on the return of stability and security.
He said that foreign and domestic investors care most about stability, noting that ending the era of the military state is an essential condition for the growth of the sector.
Samy added that the Muslim Brotherhood did not come from Jahiliyyah (the “age of ignorance” that preceded Islam), and that they would not refuse the use of new technology in order to achieve the goals of the “Nahda Project”, referring to the organisation’s political platform that calls for renaissance.
Sharif Nassar, CEO of the company Nefsak.com expected that pornographic sites will be the only ones affected by Muslim Brotherhood censorship.
He added that other uses will continue to develop, especially in the fields of manufacturing and the media, which will positively impact investment in the sector.
He considered that any restrictions placed on the use of the internet are an affront to freedom of thought and innovation.
Talat Omar, the President of the Telecommunication Engineers Association, feared the arrival of Islamists to the presidency.
He predicted that Islamists will not be interested in the use of new technological tools, which will prevent the market from growing and strangle local companies or force them to search for markets outside of Egypt.
Dr. Mohamed Shadid, CEO of Eitesal, said that fears were unjustified and that the Muslim Brotherhood will play an important role in stimulating the growth of the IT sector.
He noted that the Brotherhood’s use of modern technological applications during their campaign is an important indicator of their interest in developing the sector.
