Mehdi Hasan

Mehdi Hasan’s polemical take on politics, economics and foreign affairs

Rejoice. Mubarak has gone.

But what comes next?

By Mehdi Hasan Published 11 February 2011 17:40

Rejoice, rejoice. The man who tortured and terrorised his people for 30 years; the man who used dogs to rape inmates of his prisons; the man who was propped up with $1.3bn of US military aid each year . . . He's gone. Resigned. Stood down. Toppled. By people power. God bless the brave people of Egypt, of Cairo's Tahrir Square, who have inspired us all.

Once they took to the streets on 25 January, it was only a matter of time. As the New Yorker's David Remnick pointed out in a blog post last night:

The delusions of dictators are never more poignant – or more dangerous – than when they are in their death throes. To watch Hosni Mubarak today in his late-night speech in Cairo, as he used every means of rhetorical deflection to delay his inevitable end, was to watch a man so deluded, so deaf to the demands of history, that he was incapable of hearing an entire people screaming in his ear.

But Mubarak has quit, leaving his vice-president, the former intelligence chief, Omar Suleiman, in charge. So what happens now? The danger is that Mubarak may have gone but the Mubarak regime stays in office. Others, including the neoconservative commentator Douglas Murray, with whom I appeared on Question Time last night, worry that the Muslim Brotherhood will seize control of the country.

But as Olivier Roy, one of the world's experts on Islamism, points out in the New Statesman's cover story this week, these uprisings in the Arab world have not been led by Islamists; on the contrary, Islamists have come late to the party. And as Bruce Riedel, former CIA official and adviser to Presidents Bush and Obama, pointed out last month:

They [the Obama administration] should not be afraid of the Muslim Brotherhood. Living with it won't be easy but it should not be seen inevitably as our enemy. We need not demonise it nor endorse it. In any case, Egyptians now will decide their fate and the role they want the Ikhwan to play in their future.

I'm no fan of the Muslim Brotherhood, nor do I share its political or theological views, but I do think it is important that we try to understand the MB rather than just dismiss or denounce it. Try some of these links for a more informed and intelligent alternative to Murray's scaremongering:

– "Don't fear Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood", Brookings Institution

– "The Muslim Brotherhood after Mubarak", Foreign Affairs

– "The moderate Muslim Brotherhood", Foreign Affairs

– "The Muslim Brotherhood: should we engage?", New Statesman

– "Wolves or sheep?", Economist

– "Egypt can bring in the Brotherhood", Financial Times

– "What the Muslim Brothers want", New York Times

But the events in Egypt are about much more than the Muslim Brotherhood or the politics of Islamism in the Middle East. We are witnessing the glorious triumph of a peaceful and popular revolution in the most populous Arab country in the world. Let me end by once again quoting from Remnick's excellent blog post:

The drama is far from over and its course is far from predictable. But there is no doubt of its revolutionary importance to the Middle East. Saad Eddin Ibrahim, who was among the most prominent activists to spend time in Mubarak's prisons, told me the other day that the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt were proof that Arabs – particularly young Arabs – want no less than what other people want. They refuse powerlessness, they refuse kleptocracy, they demand the rule of law. "This is a revolution of the 21st century," he told me. "It is a young person's revolution, and we can only hope that it will not be stolen, somehow, by an older generation or a newer Mubarak. We have to hope this empowerment will transform the Arab world.

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Tags: Egypt

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75 comments

Mon, 2012-04-16 08:44 — DouglassBishop

The masses have shown they can bring about that change whereas a dozen suicide bombers can't. The People have the power if they have faith in themselves. The masses have brought about regime change in Egypt if theres is a just cause. They can do the same across the Arab world. They can do the same in the West Bank and in Jerusalem. http://www.medicaldebtsconsolidation.com/

Sat, 2011-02-12 03:28 — DAULAT RAM

Mehdi says:

"I'm no fan of the Muslim Brotherhood, nor do I share the political or theological views of the Brothers, but I do think it is important that we try to understand the MB rather than just dismiss or denounce it."

So why are you so firmly against HINDU nationalism in India?

Sat, 2011-02-12 09:37 — PG (not verified)

You assertions both on Question Time and here were ill-informed: with such simplistic caricatural assertions, you are becoming a populist headliner and it insults your intelligence not to research these matters more in depth, frankly said.

-the US 1.3 Billion US aid to Egypt was not to specifically aimed to prop up Mubarak but subsequent and conditional to the Camp David accords with Israel which saved countless Arab and Israeli lives for decades indeed since then.
The US policies subsequent to 9/11, especially, which continued to support Mubarak terror regime were the mistake and the US indeed should have requested more for their $ of aid, fully agreed. But let's not get populist, please, it just cheapens the debate.

I strongly agree however, it is wonderful to see that Mubarak has gone and I do not believe the current energy in Egypt will tolerate any radicalisation take-over, especially as the Muslim Brotherhood, even if as it looks likely that it will play an important role, it will not want the risk of a return to Tahrir square!
If anything, the current democratic popular movement even it integrates some traditional muslim faith political basis, has the potential to tame down the most radical extremist forms in Egypt.
There is danger of course but I feel the energy the Egyptians have deployed, is far more positive than we give them credit for and I agree we should have more trust in their burgeoning democratic aspirations. Let's hope.

Sat, 2011-02-12 09:50 — Paul Michael (not verified)

So does this mean that if "We The People" {The Masses} All rise up, we have a voice?? Wow! is that how it works?...Forget Muslim Brotherhood>>> We are all Brothers! Equally, and if we all knew the difference between Religion{Separation of Human~Beings} and Bible{The Word Of God} And kept The Law of the Land {Covenant} We would not be serving Mammon! {Fascism} {MONEY~Its a drag} But instead Following The Word! I currently read The Whole Bible {OLD&NEW} including Enoch! along with The Koran...All the same message to me...I am the Way, the Truth, and the Light! Not one jot, or one tittle shall be past from the law...

Fri, 2011-02-11 18:03 — Reginald-Fah-fah

Amazing...he finally stepped down!

I wonder what the White House is going to say!

As long as the people of Egypt are happy! I'm Happy as well!

Sat, 2011-02-12 10:37 — Mr. Divine (not verified)

Paul Michael: You need to reveal something about yourself otherwise you will not be heard.

The First Seal.

Sat, 2011-02-12 10:54 — Paul Michael (not verified)

@ Mr. Divine...What do you want to know? my eye color? Nationality? In a relationship?... This is not Face book! Just because you live with sheep & goats doesn't mean you have Superiority over other beings? Do my words offend you?...My words were Heard by you...If you are just a hater, then I know I'm doing my job...

Sun, 2011-02-13 17:18 — swatantra nandanwar

Hope this is the beginning of the Arab peoples having a bit of pride and respect for themselves and showing that they can actually bring about change by civil disobedience non violent protest and Gandhian methods . The masses have shown they can bring about that change whereas a dozen suicide bombers can't.
The People have the power if they have faith in themselves.
The masses have brought about regime change in Egypt if theres is a just cause. They can do the same across the Arab world. They can do the same in the West Bank and in Jerusalem.

Fri, 2011-02-11 18:08 — Danielle (not verified)

Awesome news! I am so pleased for all those Egyptians who've protested with such tenacity and courage. Let's hope they are rewarded with a decent Government representing the wishes of the majority. We could use some of that, too!!!

Sat, 2011-02-12 11:55 — Chris (not verified)

Excellent news indeed. Power to the people! It's just a shame that the stubborn old man didn't bow to the inevitable and go before 300 people had to lose their lives during the demonstrations. And now the real work begins: of finding the right people and the right system of government, something which probably won't be easy if there are too many incompatible groups vying to take over. The Muslim Brotherhood would, I guess, have at least some part in this, but that is up to the Egyptian people to decide.

Fri, 2011-02-11 18:14 — Marcus (not verified)

I bet Iranian government are happy.

Sat, 2011-02-12 12:08 — Mr. Divine (not verified)

Yes your words were heard by me but who else? I am here to seal the Convenant. Tell us approximately where you live and what you've been doing in your life. You see if you live somewhere that I've already been then we have part of the God's earth in common.

There are many words that come to this forum but the ones that last and influence are the ones that people 'recognise' who they belong to. And I take it you do want your words to influence?

Like I said, do not be afraid. Nobody will come knocking at your door. Some people will try and mock but if mocking comes your way, well so be it. Let it come and rejoice and mock back if you feel so inclined.

There is no hate in me only understanding, only a recognition that I am equal to all ... I have said this many times. I have a host of seemingly contradictory voices and a humour that bends with a gale and thrusts back into the biggest prides... including my own.

This is the way of a Seal!

Sat, 2011-02-12 12:18 — Paul Michael (not verified)

Can anyone explain why this clown {Mr.Divine} is telling me my voice will not be heard? Isn't it Beings like Him, Who Say {OR ELSE}, Not to speak, Give a curfew? Why we are going through sh** like this?...Because he is a "Seal" of some sort! Get over it Pal...Its quite obvious our VOICES are on full BLAST!! Resistance, you cant beat it, Just join it...

Fri, 2011-02-11 18:21 — ronmurp (not verified)

Muslim Brotherhood can't compete with Mubarak and army. Waiting for soft democracy before driving for theocracy.

Sat, 2011-02-12 12:33 — Paul Michael (not verified)

MR DIV...My APPROX.Address?? Are you Serious?? Its at the Rock of Gibraltar, ill be waiting for you there...

Fri, 2011-02-11 18:34 — PysFeesh (not verified)

I think its squeaky bum time in some parts of the ME.

All the best Egypt.

Fri, 2011-02-11 18:40 — steve (not verified)

fantastic - wonderful news - lets hope the path leads into green pastures beside still waters

Sat, 2011-02-12 12:48 — Mr. Divine (not verified)

Well maybe your voice will be heard Paul Michael by someone else. But what exactly are you saying?

So you're at the Rock of Gibraltar? Its a funny place eh? Where at the Rock will you be waiting for me? There's a really nice tea and scones place by the water... say 4.30 Monday?

Sat, 2011-02-12 12:50 — some (not verified)

Paul Michael; Mr. Divine knows if your voice will be heard or not. Trust me, he knows.

Sat, 2011-02-12 12:52 — Mr. Divine (not verified)

@ And Paul, I take it you're from near Liverpool?

Fri, 2011-02-11 18:50 — jibz (not verified)

this is a revolution powered by social media and the youth, for which i as an egyptian am eternally proud. consider that egyptians are inherently peaceful people, we've been colonised by everyone from the british to the ottomans over the thousands of years of our existance, and all we want is a free and independent egypt, without intervention from anyone else. people say this could easily have turned ugly, but i completely disagree. the dignity with which we demostrated peacefully in the face of the regime is a testimony to the patient but strong willed determination of the youth.

Sun, 2011-02-13 20:04 — Lev Bronstein (not verified)

I don't see why one should listen to Mehdi "non-Muslims live like animals" Hasan in any case.

Mehdi Hasan believes that "Islam is not what Muslims do". This is utter garbage. Islam is EXACTLY what Muslims do, just as Christianity is what Christians do.

Otherwise, why would there be...

Sunni and Shia ?
Catholic and Protestant ?
Orthodox Jew and Reform Jew ?

Who created those divisions, if not the religious ?????

Try harder, Hasan.

Fri, 2011-02-11 18:53 — ang (not verified)

Dear Brave and tenacious Egyptian people, you have proved that people power can bring change.
The people of Britain are at present, being blamed by their govt, for a Global economic recession, which most of us find deeply unfair and damaging to our economy, so if you can give us a few tips on how to mobilise so many people, we would be very grateful.
Well done all, but sorry for the people who died.XXXX

Fri, 2011-02-11 18:54 — aboulian (not verified)

How engrossed is douglas murray in taming that semi, or is that just his serious face?

Fri, 2011-02-11 19:22 — ash (not verified)

just to clarify dude power jas been handed to the military supreme council not omar sillyman as stated above.

Sun, 2011-02-13 21:11 — Dibble (not verified)

Masses of people are protesting against the islamofascist regime in Tehran. Total silence from the NS!! Is it the case that opposing this Islamist tyranny just doesn't accord with Mehdi hasan's Islamist agenda?

Tue, 2011-02-15 19:06 — Hasan (not verified)

Very well said Br Mehdi and too hope that egypt doesnt fall into a neoconservative state of affairs!

Fri, 2011-02-11 20:00 — JP (not verified)

Go Egypt!

Fri, 2011-02-11 20:01 — Oliver McCarthy (not verified)

America has lit the blue-touch paper and is about to find it has nowhere to retire to. Its plan to "retire" Mubarak in September has now backfired badly. And if you think doggy prison porn is bad, just wait until whoever HM's replacement is starts mopping up Uncle Sam's latest mess.

Sun, 2011-07-17 08:33 — Tavares

I strongly agree however, it is wonderful to see that Mubarak has gone and I do not believe the current energy in Egypt will tolerate any radicalization take-over, especially as the Muslim Brotherhood, even if as it looks likely that it will play an important role, it will not want the risk of a return to Tahrir square! http://www.plumbingprojects.net/

Mon, 2011-02-14 03:52 — Alex (not verified)

There are some real freaks in this comments section.

Mon, 2011-02-14 04:07 — Mr. Divine (not verified)

I've the read the jahnet website. Interesting but I'm not convinced that the 'Rock' is Gibralter .. it is open to interpretation.

Strategically Gib is not the best place. For a start off, the sea can easily swamp it. And then there is the problem of millions of people right on its doorstep with very easy access. Jah says it has underground water reserves and salt desalination plants but such plants require electrical energy and come the end there will be no none from the grid. The underwater reserves have to be tapped through solid hard rock using electricity.

Compare that to 'The Rock' (that's the real name of the place) which is situated about 20 minutes drive south from Wagga Wagga, the city of many crows. This rock looks like a sitting lion with a huge mane. The underground water supplies of this area are huge. And the climate is very sunny so solar energy can easily be used to tap into these reserves. Then there is the strategic value of the place: Australia, a huge island, extremely difficult to get to with high seas and a coastline difficult to penetrate. Once there, The Rock is a 5 hours drive from the coast over The Great Dividing range or across the might Murray river. It is ideal growing country as it has an average 600 mm of rainfall per year and warm sunny weather.

While all the monkeys might be heading for Gibralter, the lions are going to the Real Rock. In fact some are already here and the price of land is increasing accordingly.

Fri, 2011-02-11 22:07 — Bolshevik (not verified)

'what comes next' Mehdi, hopefully upheaval in that racist apartheid 'state' of Pakistan. One million innocent Hindus and Sikhs were butchered at the creation of this illegal entity. Hundreds of thousands were disliked they have a 'right to return'. Today Pakistan sentences to death Christians for 'blasphemy' and seeks to ethnically cleanse it's Christian population in the same way it ethnically cleansed it's Jews from Karachi and Lahore. Pakistan simply has NO RIGHT TO EXIST

Sat, 2011-02-12 23:22 — bargepole

re: Paul Michael and Mr. Divine - what an interesting exchange... but of course PM is right whether he is heard or not. Who am I? I am the voice of the silence, and of the silent spring... I could go on ... Power to the people! :)

Sat, 2011-02-12 23:27 — bargepole

hey!!! How did I get to be renamed 'bargepole' - what are u new statesmen up to? My original moniker is all mine you know... I have been using it for years, so give it back please.

Sat, 2011-02-12 23:28 — bargepole

ah i c what ur up to now... ur being very clever to hide the given name whatever it is. Well OK then, bargepole it is.

Fri, 2011-02-11 22:32 — Axmed

Today is a great day for all of the people who love freedom and non violence. Saudis and Jordan are next, inshallah.

Fri, 2011-02-11 22:42 — Des Demona (not verified)

It's good that Mubarak is going.It's unsettling that Mehdi's reaction is a puff piece for the Muslim Brotherhood.
When will will political/religious commentators learn that sometimes it's best to let people get on with it? I suppose never is the answer.

Sun, 2011-02-13 00:53 — Paul Michael (not verified)

Bargepole~ Thank you, Can you Believe {Mr.D}{Goat Man} Wanted my Approx. Address? Even if they shut all the Inter Net across the world tomorrow! It will not stop the Age Of Enlightenment! I am the Voice of one crying in the wilderness,"Make straight the way of the Lord"....

Fri, 2011-02-11 22:55 — Dibble (not verified)

Mehdi Hasan is just an Islamist nutter. What on earth is he doing on the NS?

Fri, 2011-02-11 23:07 — Bolshevik (not verified)

Isn't it time that all those who support liberal-democracy be they labour or conservative stood up to the threat of racist islamofascism?

Fri, 2011-02-11 23:16 — Des Demona (not verified)

@ EtchTee
Maybe I've crossed the boundry but that post actually made some sense! Please don't post a youtube link!
I'll be watching the match with both Scottish and Welsh mates! There will also be 2 Asian mates who don't really give a crap about rugby but join in for the heck of it. Yaaaah!
Good fun. Which is all you can ask out of life.

Fri, 2011-02-11 23:21 — Gideon Polya

Success of the Egyptian Revolution is wonderful news - the peaceful removal by the Egyptian people of this brutal, US-backed, pro-Israel dictator Hosni Mubarak.

Hopefully this is not just freedom and democracy for the Egyptians but also the beginning of the end of genocidal US, UK and racist Zionist (RZ) imperialism in the Muslim World that has come at an enormous human cost.

Thus post-1950 avoidable deaths from violent US-, UK-, racist Zionist- and Western hegemony-imposed deprivation total over 20 million in Egypt (present population 82 million; an Egyptian Holocaust and Egyptian Genocide), over 70 million in the Arab World (present population over 300 million; an Arab Holocaust and Arab Genocide) and 600 million in the Muslim World (present population about 1,500 million; a Muslim Holocaust and Muslim Genocide: https://sites.google.com/site/muslimholocaustmuslimgenocide/).

For detailed analysis of horrendous avoidable mortality (avoidable deaths, deaths that did not have to happen) in the Muslim World, largely due to violent Western hegemony, see "Body Count. Global avoidable mortality since 1950": http://globalavoidablemortality.blogspot.com/2008/08/body-count-global-a... .

Fri, 2011-02-11 23:24 — Hans Castorp (not verified)

Hooray! So happy for Egyptians.

The British left has to connect with civil society in Egypt - trade unions, the press, the academy - to ensure a devastated public sphere recovers and is never in the pocket of the army again. It's all about the internationalism...

Sun, 2011-02-13 05:50 — Mr. Divine (not verified)

Oh no I was wrong... someone else was listening to our exchange .. how could that be?

still on for Monday PM?

Hey and I was right about Liverpool wasn't I? How did I know that?

bargepoll: who are you and here are you from?

Sun, 2011-02-13 06:49 — Paul Michael (not verified)

Mr.D...I believe in Atom & Eve, not Adam & Steve...Hook me up with Laurie Penny and I will think about it? Way off, with Liverpool! US...But would love to visit Your country one day, And the Rock is where ill be when the last battle comes...

Fri, 2011-02-11 23:32 — Des Demona (not verified)

@ Gideon
Oh give it a rest. Do you think the population of Egypt would stand at 82 million if it hadn't been for the 80% of food imported on favourable terms from the West? Grow up.

Sun, 2011-02-13 06:52 — Paul Michael (not verified)

NYC

Sun, 2011-02-13 11:27 — David Vinter (not verified)

Let us wish the Egyptian people well. I think they will need some luck in the future. The fact is for a desert country that has to import 80% of its food, then Egypt is already vastly overpopulated. In 1945 the population was 28 million, today it is 82 million. Half under age 20, hence in another 15 years there may well be 150 million citizens, and given a world cereal shortage, who will feed them ?

Sun, 2011-02-13 11:43 — Mr. Divine (not verified)

@david vinter:you wrote, 'and given a world cereal shortage, who will feed them ?

I have some loaves and fishes