By Thomas Bauer
is for the Council to work out in just ten days a new constitution to be adopted in a referendum. At present there are probably no more important task, and the nomination al-Bishris is a sensation. The German media have to say, but nothing more than the fact reported that a member will be a member of the Muslim Brotherhood to the Council, Sobhi Saleh (incidentally, a perfectly respectable person). But what has been said that? Nothing more than that one of the main opposition movement will be given a voice, what you have to appreciate fully. On a new constitution but this will have little influence.
The Muslim Brothers have gained popularity in recent decades through their democratic base, commitment to charity, but to develop any vision for a new order of the state. Your program has remained in a tie maneuvering between a conservative Islamic society and a model of democratic participation in a State. The question of the next few years will not be as much as the Muslim Brotherhood influence the new Egypt, but rather, how the new Egypt will have on the Muslim Brotherhood. Part of the brothers (and sisters) will want to remain in the old model of an Islamic conservative movement. A progressive approach will want to take an active part in the democratic process - and therefore have to deal with the thought al-Bishris.
Al-Bischri is an ideal choice
In fact, Tariq al-Bishri the ideal candidate for the Chairman of the Constitutional Commission. Born in November 1933 in a family of scholars, al-Bishri is not only retired judges and seasoned legal theorist, but a far beyond Egypt known and respected intellectuals. He had high Offices held, was from 1993-1998 Deputy Chairman of the State Council, the Supreme Administrative Court of Egypt, but has always maintained its independence. He vehemently took a stand against electoral fraud and against an autocratic form of government. He was not afraid to make Mubarak personally responsible for the stagnation of Egypt. Popular movements - first Marxist, later Islamic - playing in his political thinking is an important, positive role occupied. A peaceful popular uprising, as he has now realized that he had designed years ago as a vision of the future. Thanks to the respect, the al-Bishri enjoyed to the Mubarak regime dared not act against him. But he also presented no immediate danger dar. A mass movement of this quiet, reflective thinkers would cause impossible.
lack of charismatic leaders?
exceed Many Western observers, my hats is to assume all interesting politicians of the opposition (such as al-Baradei) lack of charisma. In fact, Egypt has never - not even among the Muslim brothers - to exhibit a charismatic political figure. But why this desire for a charismatic leader at Western journalists? Germany since 1945 is also quite well without a charismatic leader or leaders. And Egypt had been living for the Abdel Nasser's death in 1970 under the reign of two despots who also did not have a Gran exhibit charisma - called Mubarak, the Egyptian into a French cheese, "la vache qui rit". Does democratization but rather not at all charismatic, right? However, al-Bishri is not charismatic in ways other than Mubarak. While Mubarak was nothing more than a dull Kommiskopf, al-Bishri is a thinker who weighs his words long. When there were problems at a press conference with the microphone, al-Bishri regretted that he can not make themselves understood without technical aids. His voice is now not even trained so well because he it was more used to listen than to speak.
A "Linksislamist"?
in western al-Bishri texts is often referred to as "Linksislamist. This is as true as wrong. Indeed, the thinking Bishris al-left roots, in fact it has Islam as a reference point. But the word "Islamist" is the not fair. It is, of course - and everything else would be unnatural - that in Islamic countries are political groups that rely in any way to Islam, just as in all European countries parties, which, by any reference to Christianity. Now it is quite clear that a spinner (and fortunately splitter) party as the "Bible-believing Christians" and the CDU have nothing to do with each other. No one would think to combine the two as "Christ's most" under one label. In Islam it is the same - no, much more drastic: The Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan and Mullah Omar, the leader of the Taliban, are in their positions much further apart than the "Bible-believing Christians" and the CDU. Yet both rely on Islam. Both subsumed under one and the same term "Islamist" is misleading in the extreme and, as it is now in the west, the terms "Islamist" and "terrorist" simply regarded as synonymous, a disgraceful distortion of the facts.
architects of the role of Islam in a democratic society
Tariq al-Bishri is first and foremost an intellectual who has more than almost anyone else thought about the role of Islam in a modern, democratic society. He is neither conservative Islamic positions stopped, the call for implementation of Islamic law in its traditional expression for the present, even on a non-critical "reform Islam" is swung, the altogether western concepts one-to-will be transferred one on Islam. His point is a well-classical concept of sharia (which incidentally, has been Sadat main source of legislation in Egypt), which is not clear from the outset, but requires interpretation and are always set with the current social conditions in relationship needs. Al-Bishri it away is to call for the direct implementation of Koranic verses or hadith in law or involve the religious scholars in the legislation. Rather, it approves of the shari'a to about the role that Europe plays in the natural law. For al-Bishri, who has a very patriotic understanding of Egypt, Egypt with an Islamic culture (which is not identical with the Islamic religion) characterized, which also includes the Christian Copts. Equal rights for Copts and Muslims and also between men and women is one of his central concerns. In conflicts between Copts and Muslims, al-Bishri has used repeatedly for the rights of the Copts.
Al-Wasat and al-Kifaya
Al-Bishri has emerged through numerous books and articles on law and history, but hardly as a politician. However, he has the background here, too profound. Two opposition movements, namely, al-Bishri owe much of their theoretical foundation. Here is the one al-Wasat "The Center" to name, organization, which is ultimately derived from the Muslim Brotherhood. The Muslim Brothers are - you can emphasize it in the face of Western horror visions not enough - a highly heterogeneous movement, which is surrounded by a self-discovery process. The discussions that take place here and should be, were brutally suppressed under the previous regimes. At the same time, the brothers wanted to represent a grouping with a common ideology, what they are not successful. Instead, there were splits in all directions. Groups, which initially seemed to violence as a means of resistance appropriate to give, in the meantime ready reconciliation.
important long term, but are splits in the other Direction. Thus, from the Muslim Brotherhood, the al-Wasat party "The center" has emerged, which sees itself as a modern Islamic democratic party. One of its founders was none other than Tariq al-Bishri. But his commitment was for the time being in vain: the party has more time to their official registration effort - but in vain. They strip, it was said by the henchmen of the old regime, no new contribution to the party spectrum! She has to provide a means to Islamic principles rooted democratic society and at the same uncompromising design. Unlike the old regime recognizes the "center party" to the possibility that the head of state also Christian, indeed may be even a woman. A Coptic Christian as president of Egypt? Certainly a first unrealistic vision. But the party of the "middle" she wants to make at least theoretically possible (and would be a Chancellor 50 years ago would have been inconceivable in Germany?). Another basis of thought al-Bishris seen in its support of al- Kifaya ("Enough! / Enough!") Movement. Their spokesman, George Ishaq, is Coptic Christian. Tariq al-Bishri supported the movement from the beginning and was author of its manifesto, which called for civil disobedience.
What does al-Bishri?
Tariq al-Bishri has repeatedly responded to questions of the Constitution. These are two main issues that most concern him. First, he advocates for a greater separation of executive and legislative branches. If his ideas in the Commission (and in the military) can prevail, this will amount to a strengthening of the parliament and a weakening of the moment almost absolute power of the president. His second concern is the independence of the judiciary. It is not the role of Islam will be the decisive issue in the constitutional debate (in this case will change anything), but the question of separation of powers, al-Bishris primary concern.
enforce whether and how far al-Bishri his views can do is still unclear. Would the military even a new constitution, or would they have removed only those items that make the presidential candidacy of virtually all opposition candidates impossible? The next ten days will show how serious is it to them, the democratic awakening.
wishes we Tariq al-Bishri much success!
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