Cops, Robbers … and the Muslim Brotherhood?

Why the Egyptian government's propaganda version of CSI revealed more about its own paranoia than about its enemies.

BY ABDULLAH AL-ARIAN | SEPTEMBER 10, 2010

A well-dressed, clean-shaven man sits at a table in a posh restaurant. Accompanying him is an attractive young woman whose attention he seems to hold with ease. He explains his deep regret that he never pursued their relationship more deeply: His budding career as a security officer had left him little time for worldly pleasures.

Meanwhile, across town, a violent clash between rival student gangs ends with a young man's body lying dead on the pavement. It looks like a new CSI spin-off -- except the action is taking place on the hot streets of Cairo. And these scenes aren't from another American cop drama. They're from the first episode of Egypt's controversial Ramadan series, "Al Gamaah" ("The Group").

"Al Gamaah," which purports to be a sort of Egyptian version of "24" or "The Wire," is actually a government-funded series of morality tales about the country's banned opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood. The series can be summed up easily: A noble and courageous Egyptian security officer launches an investigation into the Brotherhood's past, and digs up some startling skeletons, as members of the illegal organization skulk around like Bond villains. The pilot episode ran on Arab satellite networks on the first night of Ramadan, and episodes continued nightly for the duration of the Islamic holy month (the Middle Eastern equivalent of American sweeps week). The public response has varied from admiration to total outrage.

Entertaining at times, the show was little more than heavy-handed propaganda. But it had some unintended ironies. In giving the Muslim Brotherhood a primetime treatment, the Egyptian government only made it obvious that its own affairs aren't quite ready for the spotlight.

The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in 1928, making it the oldest existing Islamic movement organization in the Arab world. Despite the more militant splinter groups that have emerged in recent years, the Brotherhood itself has a long tradition of renouncing violence and calling for democracy, the rule of law, and an end to the national state of emergency that has been in place in Egypt since 1981. It operates the largest network of social services in Egypt and participates in elections (though its candidates must run as independents), winning 88 parliamentary seats in the 2005 elections. It was also the organization that incubated future leaders of al Qaeda such as Ayman al-Zawahiri.

HRVOJE POLAN/AFP/Getty Images

 

Abdullah Al-Arian is a doctoral candidate in the department of history at Georgetown University.

COUNTCHOCULA1011

9:16 PM ET

September 10, 2010

I wonder...

...if the main Egyptian security agent will go Jack Bauer on his enemies Egyptian style: getting a dog to anally rape the suspected Muslim Brotherhood member. Yes, believe it or not, using dogs to rape people is a tactic employed by Egyptian security services. Digusting. May God destroy the Mubarak dictatorship.

 

BURNINGCHROME

5:17 AM ET

September 11, 2010

Brotherhood and Democracy can never coexist

ABDULLAH AL-ARIAN writes "...Brotherhood itself has a long tradition of renouncing violence and calling for democracy."

Neither is true, the brotherhood has at times renounced acts of violence or a timing of a strategy of violence at a given moment and place but this has always been very situational and never a commitment or renunciation.

Equally they have never championed Democracy and in fact it is clear they oppose it as a Human and Western institution that contradicts the supremacy of Islam and Sharia. They champion elections only in so far as it advances their cause.

A Democracy is not just an election or a series of Elections. Democracy is also about the rule of law, equal rights for all (including women and non Muslims), both which the Brotherhood explicitly reject.

 

ALAA BALSHA

12:34 AM ET

September 13, 2010

Egypt

we have in the parliament last proof of evidence outright that he did not represent the will of the people, the pulse of the street, Make rift in the social structure of society, the evidence from within the Council is the NDP deputies who have sought to strike defenseless people dead,
some of them refer to standing behind the events of killing Christians after performance of the Mass the feast,
guide the other from outside the Council, demonstrations lasted months, which indicates that the parliament's parliament nominally does not represent the will of the people or express about their needs.
the continuation of this comic-strip representation for the people to give constitutional legitimacy to the regime lacks legitimacy Instead of consider the people whom are the source of all powers, become the leadership is the source of all authorities,
contrary to all norms, where the confiscation of the will of the voter free to cast his vote in a free ballot with the failure to ensure fair elections , blatant interference in the course of things by stakeholders and which confirms that we are on the wrong track,

they based on the existence of the Brotherhood, as Scarecrow for the West to ensure not support any democratic transition in Egypt, by giving the impression that the alternative is worse, perhaps for the transformation of the Brotherhood to work through parties the legitimacy to ensure the continuation of the civil state in case of change, the people knew that the revive the Brotherhood was by a state,
as created al Qaeda before and support it by funded and facilitated the trip to Afghanistan, which later became the most powerful terrorist organization in the world, the regime in Egypt has history in form a global terrorist organizations, which was published Islamic extremism among the Egyptians to prevent the risk of Communists for personal benefit, and backfired on security and safe in the world.

 

ALAA BALSHA

11:22 AM ET

September 13, 2010

The Scarecrow

We have in the parliament last proof of evidence outright that he did not represent the will of the people or the pulse of the street, Make rift in the social structure of society, the evidence from within the Council is the NDP deputies who have sought to open fire towards defenseless people ,
referring to some of them, standing behind the events of killing Christians after performance of the Mass the feast,
guide the other from outside the Council, demonstrations lasted months, which indicates that the parliament's parliament nominally does not represent the will of the people or expressing about their needs.
the continuation of this comic-strip representation for the people to get constitutional legitimacy to the regime lacks legitimacy Instead of consider the people whom are the source of all powers, become the leadership is the source of all authorities,
contrary to all norms, where the confiscation of the will of the voter free to cast his vote in a free ballot with the failure to ensure fair elections , blatant interference in the course of things by stakeholders and which confirms that we are on the wrong track,

Regime based on the existence of the Brotherhood, The Scarecrow for the West to ensure not support any democratic transition in Egypt, by giving the impression that the alternative is worse, perhaps for the transformation of the Brotherhood to work through parties the legitimacy to ensure the continuation of the civil state in case of change.
What happened from the regime ?
They Said we need to discuses making a party for the Brotherhood !!! they need them stay on the theater of events, Regime will lose the Scarecrow, which allowing contrary to all norms, where the confiscation of the will of the voter free to cast his vote in a free ballot with the failure to ensure fair elections

The people knew that the revive the Brotherhood was by a state,
as created al Qaeda before and support it by funded and facilitated the trip to Afghanistan, which later became the most powerful terrorist organization in the world, the regime in Egypt has history in form a global terrorist organizations, which was published Islamic extremism among the Egyptians to prevent the risk of Communists for personal benefit, and backfired on security and safe in the world.

 

ALAA BALSHA

11:06 AM ET

September 13, 2010

The Scarecrow

We have in the parliament last proof of evidence outright that he did not represent the will of the people or the pulse of the street, Make rift in the social structure of society, the evidence from within the Council is the NDP deputies who have sought to open fire towards defenseless people ,
referring to some of them, standing behind the events of killing Christians after performance of the Mass the feast,
guide the other from outside the Council, demonstrations lasted months, which indicates that the parliament's parliament nominally does not represent the will of the people or expressing about their needs.
the continuation of this comic-strip representation for the people to get constitutional legitimacy to the regime lacks legitimacy Instead of consider the people whom are the source of all powers, become the leadership is the source of all authorities,
contrary to all norms, where the confiscation of the will of the voter free to cast his vote in a free ballot with the failure to ensure fair elections , blatant interference in the course of things by stakeholders and which confirms that we are on the wrong track,

Regime based on the existence of the Brotherhood, The Scarecrow for the West to ensure not support any democratic transition in Egypt, by giving the impression that the alternative is worse, perhaps for the transformation of the Brotherhood to work through parties the legitimacy to ensure the continuation of the civil state in case of change.
What happened from the regime ?
They Said we need to discuses making a party for the Brotherhood !!! they need them stay on the theater of events, Regime will lose the Scarecrow, which allowing contrary to all norms, where the confiscation of the will of the voter free to cast his vote in a free ballot with the failure to ensure fair elections

The people knew that the revive the Brotherhood was by a state,
as created al Qaeda before and support it by funded and facilitated the trip to Afghanistan, which later became the most powerful terrorist organization in the world, the regime in Egypt has history in form a global terrorist organizations, which was published Islamic extremism among the Egyptians to prevent the risk of Communists for personal benefit, and backfired on security and safe in the world.

 

COLOCATION UTAH43

12:54 AM ET

September 14, 2010

colocation utah

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SELENACA806

6:55 AM ET

October 10, 2010

Cops, Robbers … and the Muslim Brotherhood?

Why the Egyptian government's propaganda version of CSI revealed more about its own paranoia than about its enemies. We have in the parliament last proof of evidence outright that he did not represent the will of the people or the pulse of the street, Make rift in the social structure of society, the evidence from within the Council is the NDP deputies who have sought to open fire towards defenseless people , referring to some of them, standing behind the events of killing Christians after performance of the Mass the feast, guide the other from outside the Council, demonstrations lasted months, which indicates that the parliament's parliament nominally does not represent the will of the people or expressing about their needs. the continuation of this comic-strip representation for the people to get constitutional legitimacy to the regime lacks legitimacy Instead of consider the people whom are the source of all powers, become the leadership is the source of all authorities, contrary to all norms, where the confiscation of the will of the voter free to cast his vote in a free ballot with the failure to ensure fair elections , blatant interference in the course of things by stakeholders and which confirms that we are on the wrong track, Regime based on the existence of the Brotherhood, The Scarecrow for the West to ensure not support any democratic transition in Egypt, by giving the impression that the alternative is worse, perhaps for the transformation of the Brotherhood to work through parties the legitimacy to ensure the continuation of the civil state in case of change. What happened from the regime ? They Said we need to discuses making a party for the Brotherhood !!! they need them stay on the theater of events, Regime will lose the Scarecrow, which allowing contrary to all norms, where the confiscation of the will of the voter free to cast his vote in a free ballot with the failure to ensure fair elections The people knew that the revive the Brotherhood was by a state, as created al Qaeda before and support it by funded and facilitated the trip to Afghanistan, which later became the most powerful terrorist organization in the world, the regime in Egypt has history in form a global terrorist organizations, which was published Islamic extremism among the Egyptians to prevent the risk of Communists for personal benefit, and backfired on security and safe in the world. "The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in 1928, making it the oldest existing Islamic movement organization in the Arab world. Despite the more militant splinter groups that have emerged in recent years, the Brotherhood itself has a long tradition of renouncing violence and calling for democracy, the rule of law, and an end to the national state of emergency that has been in place in Egypt since 1981. It operates the largest network of social services in Egypt and participates in elections (though its candidates must run as independents), winning 88 parliamentary seats in the 2005 elections rohnert park auto insurance quote. It was also the organization that incubated future leaders of al Qaeda such as Ayman al-Zawahiri. ". But it would contradict the purpose of the article - to ridicule the attempt of Egyptian authorities to preserve sanity.