Discovering MENA and other thoughts

Stefan Zweig said that "those who announce they are fighting for God are always the less peaceful men on earth." This is a quote that might well help many to understand the role religion plays in today’s Egyptian political scene. Religion had a lot to do with the July 3, 2013 coup: one of the pillars of public dissatisfaction the Army used as an excuse to overthrow Mohammed Morsi was fear that Egypt could become a theocracy at the behest of the Muslim Brotherhood. Religion is being used since then as a "weapon of submission" to the new regime: the new Constitution retains Article 2 of previous texts, according to which the principles of sharia are the main source of legislation prohibiting, though, the existence of political parties based on religion. After the 2013 coup, General Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi proclaimed all of that had been necessary to "save Islam and Egyptians from the Muslim Brotherhood."

A new Pew Research Center survey of Muslims around the globe finds that most adherents of the world’s second-largest religion are deeply committed to their faith and want its teachings to shape not only their personal lives but also their societies and politics. In all but a handful of the 39 countries surveyed, a majority of Muslims say that Islam is the one true faith leading to eternal life in heaven and that belief in God is necessary to be a moral person. Many also think that their religious leaders should have at least some influence over political matters. And many express a desire for sharia – traditional Islamic law – to be recognized as the official law of their country.