Egypt coupsters enjoy a degree of popular support

TEHRAN,July 13(MNA)--After weeks of protests and street clashes in Egypt, President Mohammed Morsi was ousted by the military in what many describe as a coup d’état against the first democratically elected president of the Arab country. According to this view, the toppling of Morsi discouraged millions of Muslims in Egypt and other parts of the Arab world who have chosen ballot boxes instead of arms to reach their objectives. The experience of post-revolutionary Egypt showed that political Islam could come to power through peaceful and democratic means. Some observers say that the developments in Egypt are reminiscent of what happened in Algeria in January 1992, when the Islamists’ victory in the election of December 1991 was annulled by the secular army and the parliament was dissolved. Algeria then faced a decade of violence. Egyptian society was highly polarized after the revolution of 2011. It was a battle between the Islamists versus the seculars and liberals, and a battle between holdovers of the former regime and revolutionaries. The Islamists won two elections, but the seculars and liberals did not stay silent and continued to protest on the streets. The elected president failed to adhere to the democratic rules according to which he was elected. He also did not provide a proper response to criticism about his awful economic record. All this made Egypt the scene of continuous clashes and unrest, which finally led to the downfall of the government and paved the way for the army’s return to power. Historically speaking, the Egyptian army views itself as the sole guarantor of the people’s rights. This has its roots in the fact that the army penetrated into the deepest layers of the society and the economy for decades. This historical mission was reactivated during the recent demonstrations, and the generals entered the scene, ostensibly to protect the nation. Although the move was supported by a segment of the Egyptian people, many will continue to view it as a coup d’état that complicated the situation and harmed the prospects for the establishment of a democratic and peaceful Egypt. Saeid Aqa-Alikhani is a political analyst and an expert on the Middle East and North Africa based in Tehran. (By Saeid Aqa-Alikhani )