Egypt Election Results 2012: Muslim Brotherhood Mohamed Morsy is the Frontrunner

Since the reign of Hosni Mubarak, Egyptians have been at war with economic disparity, now with Mohamed Morsy, the official Muslim Brotherhood representative as the presidential front runner, Egyptians are now facing a war with an Ideology.

In Egypt’s first democratically led election in history, a vast majority of people chose an Islamist to lead their country for the next four years.

Morsy’s popularity has come at a time where security and stability are at an all time low for Egyptians, as the many youth and baby boomer generations are now being victimized by their own freedoms. The violence, chaos and disorder that have plagued Egypt for the past 18 months have been used as a trump card for an Islamist to gain popular support.

Mosy’s ability to capitalize on Islam as a political system, has not only marginalized Egypt’s secular society, but created further marginalization for Egypt’s Christian population, which currently stands at 10%. 

Whether Mosy’s reign will create political problems for the West is now uncertain, as Western powers have enjoyed a long history of positive relations with Islamist governments. Think the Gulf, and how the U.S. established cooperative military, security and economic (oil and gas) relations with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Dubai, Bahrain and the U.A.E. Western Powers do business with Islamist governments all the time, and they do it well.

 Egypt is a country rich in natural resources, petroleum, natural gas and electricity therefore, trading with the West would be a step towards strengthening Egypt’s failing economy. The threat to the West, however, cannot be adequately identified as more than an ideological one at the present time. 

What is more apparent is that an Islamist government in Egypt will further infringe civil liberties, via the establishment of an Islamist police state, thus creating an even more suppressive regime than their predecessor. Morsy has said that he wants to foster positive relations with the US. However, the Muslim Brotherhood’s views are staunchly anti-Israeli.

Khaled Abdallah, 44, a religious affairs detective in Mubarak's Interior Ministry, warns that "blood will be spilled" if Morsy is to be elected as president of Egypt, "there will be executions" and a commitment to destroy "Israel and the Jews."

In an interview on May 20, a leading Fatah official expressed his concerns for Mohamed Morsy gaining power in Egypt’s Elections. Azzam al-Ahmed, a Fatah official responsible for reconciliation talks with rival faction Hamas said “Hamas would become more extreme should the Muslim Brotherhood candidate in Egypt’s election, Mohamed Morsy, win the contest.”

He added that “Hamas leaders do not want to resolve the political split because they believe a Brotherhood win in Egypt would put Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, in a more powerful position vis-à-vis Fatah, which governs the West Bank.” Ahmed Said.

In a speech on May 25, Morsy said that if elected he would “remove all borders between Sinai and Gaza.” This move would mean that weapons proliferation, illegal migration, free movement to (dormant) terrorist cells and bedouin tribes operating within the region.  If enforced, this would cause further crime and weapons spilling into Egypt causing more damage to the already politically and socially unstable nation.

In addition to weapons proliferation and crime, this could perhaps breed a new kind of radicalization in Egypt. With criminal bedouin tribes and terrorist cells able to move freely in and out of Egypt, it would mean that societies most vulnerable could be victims of criminal gang and terrorist related recruiting. This radicalization not only has immediate consequences for Egyptians, but it has longterm ones for the West (US and Israel) also.