Egyptian Leaders Lose Faith.

In a report under the title: "Rise in demand for religious opinions signals lack of faith in Egyptian leaders", the FT on May 31 focused on Ms Alaa Ali, "a young freelance translator from Cairo", who "consulted a religious scholar to find out what would help her gain more credit with God - praying at the mosque on the holiest night of Ramadan or going to see a sick relative". The FT quoted Miss Ali as saying: "I wanted to know what was of more religious value, what carried the bigger reward from God". The answer was visiting her relation. But, the paper said, "even she expresses unease about the rise in demand for fatwas...which has taken place in Egypt".

The FT noted: "On satellite television, on the internet and on the pages of newspapers, Egyptians are asking religious scholars for rulings on almost every aspect of life. The questions do not stop at the traditional areas which have always been regulated by religion, such as marriage, worship, inheritance or ethical conundrums raised by scientific advances, such as cloning. All these issues are constantly raked over, but the remarkable feature of the modern Egyptians' passion for fatwas is that the questions encompass everything, from the legitimacy of playing music in schools to wearing nail varnish".

The FT quoted Mostapha Kamel El Sayed, a political scientist, as saying: "There is a rise in religiosity. It reflects not only a social and economic crisis, but also a spiritual crisis. The values which used to guide people's behaviour in the past are now the object of review and challenge". The FT added: "Thus, almost a century after sculpture was revived in Egypt by Mohammed Mokhtar, whose works are displayed in city squares, a senior scholar has aroused controversy by issuing a fatwa banning the display of statues. The ruling, by the government-appointed Mufti, who is the most senior scholar in the country, pointed out that 'angels' will not enter a home in which statues are displayed. This left liberals wringing their hands at what they consider Egypt's regression to premodern times. Some said they feared it could provoke attacks against the country's ancient monuments".

Islam has always been wary of representations of the human form because of a fear of idolatry. All the same, the early Muslims never lifted a finger against Egypt's Pharaonic heritage.

The growing tendency in Egyptian society to re-examine life through the prism of religion has been facilitated by the internet and satellite TV, which make it possible for the public to ask scholars for fatwas and to ensure the rulings reach the largest number of people. The FT quoted Shaikh "Khaled Al Guindi, who often appears in discussion programmes", as saying: "The truth is that religion has become a form of entertainment for some people". He said the proof was that many of the questions he received were trivial, adding: "Ninety per cent of the questions I get are about whether it is legitimate for women to trim their eyebrows. When we are constantly discussing tattoos and beards or eyebrows, it means people are not serious. Other societies work but we talk".

The paper reported analysts as saying that the Western models of progress which guided the Egyptian elite for much of the 20th century had been largely discredited in the eyes of the public and eclipsed by religion.

The FT quoted El Sayed as saying: "Many Egyptians have turned to Islam because they believe that western-inspired ideologies did not work well. The liberal period before the 1952 revolution did not succeed and socialism during the period of Nasser ended in the Israeli occupation of Sinai and in an economic crisis".

The FT then said: "In this atmosphere, where religion has become the main arbiter of an ever increasing range of issues, the country's main Islamist opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood, continues to make gains. Despite being illegal, the group captured a fifth of the seats in parliament in last year's election. Analysts warn that the rise of the Brotherhood cannot be attributed solely to religious factors. Decades of political restrictions have left religion as the only avenue for opposition. But the net result is that politics and religion are inextricable".

El Sayed said: "It is not possible now for a secular political party to take root in Egypt. Maybe in the future, if the [Egyptian] economy improves". This Egyptian model should help explain one aspect of the difficulty of US President George W. Bush in getting his democratisation project adopted in the "Greater Middle East" (GME).