By Mohammad Qasem Al-Hamad*
The pathetic language of the “sheikhs” holding microphones preaching loudly telling stories about their dreams of seeing (Angel Gabriel) leading the prayers in the mosque, or (Prophet Muhammad, PBUH) calling upon Morsi to lead the prayers had captured the scenes of Egypt and Jordan alike for more two years. The picture of the sheikhs in both countries looked identical: the wording of their emotional reactions sounded the same; the promises of putting an impressive fighting, their eagerness to sacrifice themselves and chanting the same slogans…all of this Made the observer of the scene laments the state of the leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt in particular, and their brothers in Jordan.
The rise of the Muslim Brotherhood that was left, except in Jordan, in the shadow throughout the 20th century, came as a result of well organization and preparation, no doubt about that, and as a result of the new political project of the United States in the region. Their timing to jump on to the bandwagon of change in Tunisia, Egypt, the picture is not that clear in clannish Libya yet, and then in Jordan is inch perfect.…and they looked as if they have got it right!
The way they organized their work on the Friday rallies gave the impression that they read the script of change in Jordan and the region. The Muslim Brotherhood seized the momentum. They imposed their style on Friday demonstrations. The picture looked rosy and the Muslim Brotherhood thought they are in their heydays. Their leaders had busy agendas of interviews, conference, forums, lectures, social events…etc. they dominated the scene. Driven by the ecstasy of what looked a long awaited triumph, their eyes were dazzled by the flying colors of glory, which did not last for long though.
They failed to notice many things, among which is that “the political game” in the region had changed dramatically:
- The US re-thinking of the political support for the Islamists in the region after the killing of its Ambassador to Libya
- The deadly political mistakes of “Morsi and Al Jamaah (They continued with the same monotonous “work approach” and their exclusion of the other active parties in the political scene in Egypt, the use of outdated terminology
- The failure of the Political Islam Project in ruling Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, the political twists and turns in the Syrian issue. It became apparent that the Brotherhood Society/Party is misinterpreting the new developments in the political scene of the region
- The poor reading and analysis, if any, of the politics of the US in the world which was evident in (The wholeheartedly dependence of iljamaah on the US, the blind belief that the American and the Europeans would come to the rescue of Al Jamaah)
- For iljamaah bad luck, it seems that the American political mission (the Ambassador to Egypt in particular) bet on a dead horse: they failed to estimate the political situation on the ground
Worse enough, the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan danced unprofessionally their last dance on the rhythm of play of the brothers in Egypt; therefore they lost their political ground in Jordan…their resounding downfall in both countries was just a matter of time. It happened in Egypt in a deadly fashion and the image of the brothers in Jordan was severely damaged.
It appeared that the Al Jamaah did not/do not have a practical political agenda to include all political parties, the civil societies and youth movements; they kept a secretive touch of their work. When challenged publicly they never gave answers to many questions about their sources of funding, the link with external Party (agendas): the link with Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood Party and Hamas, their agreement with the Jordanian Party Law and/or the Charity Society Law; the Wikileaks of their senior members meeting with US state staff (the country that they used to refer to as The Great Satan and the source of all evils); let alone what give the impression to be their inability of knowing how to communicate with the major players in the Jordanian Political Scene, i.e., taking sides with the wrong ally, which made it crystal clear that they do not have political depth in the their calls to reform.
Is this harsh on “Al Jamaah”? It is, but for good reasons. It is not aimed at the personnel but at their work. They were hasty when they should have been wise … it is a pity for their supporters: they were that close of being the major players in the political life in Jordan….they lost it all! It is a let-down, with all the experience behind them, that the Muslim Brotherhood was not able to tame their lust of power and authority for their own sake.
To continue to play the secrecy of the Freemasonry (the fraternity aspect is what I allude to here) and keep the religious Hierarchy found in Christianity and Shiitism, did not and will not get the Brotherhood anywhere if they want to play the game of politics….if they want to win the hearts of more people, they have to decide: Is it the Party or the Society? They have to produce answers for the many questions, they have to act quickly to change their leadership before it leads them astray; they have to read the script of change at this moment in time.
It goes without saying that the events in Egypt is not at all about who is right or who is wrong; neither it is about the legitimacy of Morsi or al-Sisi. It is in Cairo where history is been redrafted.
*Dr. Mohammad Qasem Al-Hamad: PhD, Translation and Intercultural Studies, CEO, JUMAN Center for Civil Society Empowerment (JCSE).
E-mail: mohammadqasem9@hotmail.com. He contributed this article to Ammon News English.
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