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

Then there's the outlandish portrayal of the Muslim Brotherhood's leaders, who are reminiscent of 1980s Chuck Norris villains. They are angry, unpredictable, and prone to violent outbursts. Ominous music follows them wherever they go. Their piety is about as superficial as their shiny suits or German cars. They eat lamb at their parties in a country where people are often hungry and where meat is a luxury.

In sharp contrast, the state security agent is a caricature of another sort: a sterling-souled hero. This is a not-so-subtle attempt to undo the bad reputation earned by the intelligence service over the last six decades. Since the reign of Gamal Abdel Nasser, Egypt's revolutionary leader, the mabahith has been a dreaded force. Innocents have routinely been swept away by "dawn visitors" from the intelligence service, and stories of torture and corruption are commonplace. The star agent in "Al Gamaah," however, would make even the most goody-two-shoes superhero roll his eyes. He is a model son and neighbor, courteous to those he interrogates, and devoted to lofty ideals, such as truth, justice, and love of country. The Mubarak regime could not ask for a more honorable representative -- which is perhaps how audiences know it's fictional.

The show takes even more troubling liberties with Egyptian history. In a subplot made up of flashback scenes depicting the early years of the Muslim Brotherhood, its founder, Hasan al-Banna, is shown as a political opportunist. He incites his followers to violence, accepts bribes, and even cooperates covertly with the British occupation.

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

Nice post .It's my pleasure to go through your post and came to know a good number of informations .Thanks for posting .Well done .Keep posting
colocation utah

 

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.