“In China, they have blocked YouTube, Facebook and Twitter and no one is upset; life is good and everyone is happy. And they say we do not have freedom of speech in Egypt.”
These were the enlightened words of Saad Al-Shater on his Facebook page, the son of Khairat El-Shater, vice of Muslim Brotherhood’s Supreme Guide and otherwise known as the real president of Egypt.
Despite the clear and utter ignorance of the statement where the young El-Shater claims that everyone is happy in China and the shallow comparison on freedom of speech, it is not the issue; the Brotherhood has proven time and again that its members lack many attributes but have an abundance of ignorance.
The real problem is the way he thinks for it is not an individual line of comprehension, which accepts oppression if it serves his needs, rather it is the Muslim Brotherhood’s way of raising their youth; a way I prefer to call “the bubble of condescension”. A safe sphere where what young Ikhwanis are taught at the hands of Brotherhood elders is always correct, never to be doubted. A bubble where any criticism of the Ikhwani way is malicious, and that if it is allowed it is never constructive. This is a bubble where anyone who is not Ikhwan, is not living the right path to God.
A bubble with a cult mentality
President Mohamed Morsi’s son Omar has also stirred some controversy with his tweets regarding media figures, calling them names and celebrating the Salafis who surrounded Media City almost a month ago, injuring several reporters and presenters. The younger Morsi called it a “revolutionary act to burn the ‘Devil’s City’”. He is quite fine with assault on those who have a different view point, for in his mind media slander is the main factor why his father’s presidency is failing, not the flailing government or weak economy.
Omar recently tweeted that his father is the best president known to man.
Khadijah Al-Shater earned herself an earful from angry people last January after she commented on her Facebook page on how the weather is always bad and windy during Coptic feasts because of God’s anger. She later claimed her account was hacked, but during an interview she dodged questions, giving general statements on the kindness needed between Muslims and Christians.
These comments may seem unimportant, but its revealing as to how young Ikhwanis are raised. They are more judgmental than their elders, more condescending and more entitled. They believe in their opinions are unquestionable, disregarding different points of view, an extremely dangerous perspective. They breed hate with their inability to converse with others constructively. They view violence that serves their needs as a means to an end, accepted even if wrong.
One of the most interesting aspects among young Ikhwanis is the class difference. The children of prominent Brotherhood leaders are always kept safe, while the poor Ikhwani members are the ones always on the front lines of clashes, protecting their headquarters, for example. This clear class distinction goes against the most basic principal of Islam: equality.
In Islamic history, the leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood compare their Supreme Guide to the men on the front lines of fierce battles. The current Supreme Guide Mohamed Badie went to Pilgrimage in Mecca a few months ago surrounded by bodyguards, irking many pilgrims whose rites were disrupted by his “holiness”. Few were able to distinguish the Prophet Muhammad during the Tawaf from other pilgrims, and he had “real enemies”.
Morsi’s Friday prayers rituals became a game to many Egyptians. “How many bodyguards can you spot this Friday?” some would jokingly ask. What angered many two weeks ago was one of his bodyguards had his gun inside the mosque, standing by the sheikh who led the prayers. Morsi’s posse likes to compare him to Omar Ibn Al-Khatab, but it seems they forgo the part where Ibn Al-Khatab used to sleep under a tree where the well-known saying comes from: “You rule, you brought justice, you felt safe to sleep [in the open].”
This is how their young members are raised; to make exceptions even if wrong, to sacrifice the less fortunate for “the higher purpose of God”, not to question their elder or think on their own and most importantly the inability to converse.
Many young Ikhwanis and Salafis on social media outlets accuse their leaders of being lenient towards the opposition.
Tyrants in the name of religion.
One has to wonder how tough these cult members can be if they came to power one day.
