Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Egyptian Intellectual

Tonight, several members of the listserv, American Jewish Independent, were privileged to hear a unique Egyptian intellectual, who will here be referred to as Hanafi, discuss the state of the Arab-Islamic world in a luxurious Fifth Avenue apartment. Hanafi's talk centered on the role of the Saudis in Middle Eastern politics. To start, he explained that, though during the Middle Ages there were four schools of Islam, including the schools of Hanafi and Hambali, an alliance between a Hambali sect called the Wahhabis and the proto-house of Saud in the middle 1700s, led to the dominance of Islam by the Hambali-Wahhabi-Saudi coalition in the post-World War II era. Hanafi was critical of the American-Saudi relationship, in general.

Hanafi made several remarks that gave interesting clues into his outlook and his evolution as a commentator on the current state of the Middle East:

1. "I'm a great admirer of Anwar Sadat, but his vision did not extend beyond an Egyptian nationalist narrative, which sought to stick it to the British."

2. The recent Arab League offer to Israel reflects its "isolation from reality," as it dictated terms as if it was the winner, not the loser in past wars.

3. "I like Attaturk very much."

4. "Mubarak would like his son to succeed him. If he does not, the military will take over. If he does, the military will still eventually take over the country."

5. The Egyptian government, like all Arab governments, is "an alliance of ignorance and corruption."

6. "I agree with Bernard Lewis who says that 'Wahhabism is like the KKK taking over Texas and enforcing its version of Christianity there.'"

7. "The British encouraged Wahhabism to flourish in order to defeat the Ottoman Empire."

8. At one point, Hanafi referred to "the old Marxist inside me." At another point, he said, "I am from a corporate culture."

9. "Objectivity and tribal sociology do not match."

10. Baradi, who has challenged Mubarak electorally, "is very valuable."

11. "Remember that Hamas was once simply called the Muslim Brotherhood Branch in Gaza."

12. "American aid to Egypt must be tied to conditions."

13. "Egypt was a Mediterranean society until it started to look to the southeast."

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