http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2012/1097/eg2.htm
10 - 16 May 2012
Issue No. 1097
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875
The candidate of 'moderate Islam'
Dena Rashed examines the electoral programme and ideas of presidential
candidate Mohamed Selim El-Awwa
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In the historical palace of Salaheddin Al-Ayoubi, first sultan of Egypt and
Syria and founder of the mediaeval Ayubbid dynasty, presidential candidate
Mohamed Selim El-Awwa launched his presidential campaign last week.
Choosing such a unique location to launch a campaign was the decision of a
candidate who has always been a staunch defender of the richness and moderation
of Islam, El-Awwa's name always having been that of a moderate Islamist
thinker. He is also a lawyer, international litigator, college professor and
former general-secretary of the International Federation of Islamic Scholars.
El-Awwa is one of three Islamist candidates standing in the upcoming
presidential elections, the others being Abdel-Moneim Abul-Fotouh, a former
member of the Muslim Brotherhood, and Mohamed Mursi, head of the Brotherhood's
Freedom and Justice Party.
Like the other Islamist candidates, El-Awwa calls for referring to the Islamic
Sharia as the source of legislation in Egypt. Interviewed by Al-Ahram Weekly by
e-mail this week owing to his tight schedule, El-Awwa said that his project was
one of "moderate Egyptian Islam" that would improve people's lives and
safeguard Islamic principles. However, he also differs from the discourse of
the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafis when he says that "Islam has always been
for a civil state with a religious reference," and "Quran is the constitution
of the people, but not that of the state."
Regarding the application of Islamic hodoud (punishments) in Egypt, El-Awwa
said that hodoud are "boundaries" that protect society and they should be set
up after the purposes and goals of Sharia have been realised and the society
set on the correct foundations.
The father of five children, El-Awwa, 69, graduated in law from Alexandria
University in 1963, and then obtained a degree in Islamic jurisprudence from
the same university followed by a law diploma. He started his career in 1963 in
the public prosecution office, but was arrested in 1965 in a clampdown on the
Muslim Brotherhood, although he claims that he was not a member.
He then worked as a lawyer for the Council of Ministers in Kuwait, later
earning a degree in the comparative study of Islamic and anglo-saxon legal
systems from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London in
1972. He was a college professor teaching law and Islamic jurisprudence in
Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and Sudan throughout the 1970s, and has held different
positions in many organisations and groups.
El-Awwa was among a group representing the International Federation of Islamic
Scholars that visited Darfour in Sudan in 2004 to try to solve the crisis
there. He also took part in reconciliation efforts in Lebanon in 2006 and 2007.
He was one of eight scholars to review Sudanese Islamic laws in 1986 to make
them more compatible with the Islamic Sharia.
After his return to Egypt in 1985, El-Awwa began teaching constitutional law at
Zagazig University and then at Ain Shams University in Cairo. With 27 books and
hundreds of research papers to his name, his works have become references for
many researchers on Islam.
Justice and equality are El-Awwa's keywords in his electoral programme for
president. The interests of human beings should be at the top of any political
agenda, he says, and no authority should be allowed to confiscate people's
rights. He calls for the equality of all citizens against discrimination and
stresses the separation of powers, the judicial supervision of the legislature,
and judicial supervision of the police.
Regarding the rights to education and healthcare, El-Awwa stresses the right of
the underprivileged to better education and access to medical services. If
elected president, he would call for 15 per cent of the budget to be directed
towards the health sector. He believes in a national plan for disease
prevention and to raise public awareness. On education, El-Awwa says that two
factors are of fundamental importance: freedom in universities, which will
enhance the creativity and thinking of both the teachers and the students, and
the relationship between schools, teachers and families.
"Egypt's significance" is what El-Awwa refers to when it comes to discussing
the country's economic position and foreign relationships. Among his ideas is
to install a progressive taxation system and a gradual decrease in energy
subsidies for heavy industries consuming around 75 per cent of subsidised
natural gas and 65 per cent of electricity. He believes that Egypt has to
regain its status in the Arab, Muslim and wider world, saying that over the
past 30 years many of its relationships with other countries have been
neglected.
HOT TOPICS: Among El-Awwa's views are opinions on some of the hot political
topics of the day:
The Shia: El-Awwa has opinions that are controversial for some hardliners like
the Salafis, who have accused him of siding with the Shia, a matter that he has
explained in many interviews. Our future as Sunnis necessarily involves the
Shia, he says, even if they have beliefs and behaviour that we disagree with.
However, he is against the foundation of political parties based on Shia
principles.
The peace treaty and exporting natural gas to Israel: On Egypt's relationship
with Israel, El-Awwa says that Islam honours treaties, making Egypt bound to
preserve the Camp David Accords. "There should be negotiations to amend some
articles of the treaty that go against Egypt's interests, like dividing the
Sinai into three demilitarised areas, allowing Israelis into the Sinai without
visas, and other privileges given to Israel that should stop immediately," he
says.
Egypt's decision to stop exporting natural gas is the right decision, he says,
based on annulling the contract between the General Authority for Petroleum and
the Middle East Petroleum Company, which exports the gas. El-Awwa stresses that
exporting the gas is based on an economic treaty and not associated with the
peace treaty.
Egypt's Coptic community: Following the arrest of the son of a priest in a ship
smuggling weapons from Israel in 2010, El-Awwa stated in an interview with
Al-Jazeera that such acts could mean that some churches were storing up weapons
to use against Muslims. Tensions at the time were high, as a result of the
Camillia Shehata case, a Coptic woman thought to have converted to Islam.
El-Awwa attacked Bishop Bishoi, a leading member of the Coptic Church, after
the latter had said that Muslims were "guests of Christians" and "what happened
inside the Church was the Church's business." El-Awwa argued that the Church,
like other institutions in the state, should be supervised by the law, and
shouldn't be allowed to become "a state within the state." El-Awwa has since
announced that he doesn't oppose the right of any Copt to hold the presidency,
or any other high-ranking position in the state, as long as he is the people's
choice.
Women: Again contrary to the hardliners, El-Awwa has said that he respects the
right of women to run for office and to hold high-ranking positions in the
state. He told the Weekly that "women are subjected to great injustice. It is
not just a matter of giving attention to women's causes: what I see is that
women make up half of the society, and they have the same rights and
obligations as men and should be treated from such a perspective. There is no
difference between men and women: efficiency is what matters."
The ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces: El-Awwa has been criticised for
his relationship with the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF),
some commentators arguing that he changed his position criticising the SCAF in
the months following the revolution to one defending it after becoming a member
of the advisory council appointed by the SCAF last November. El-Awwa defends
his position by saying that, "when I agreed with their opinions, I stated it
clearly, and when I disagreed with them concerning the need to set a date for
transferring power to a civilian government and regarding former deputy prime
minister Ali El-Selmi's charter of constitutional principles, I also said so
clearly."
Art and culture: These topics have become major concerns for many liberals and
intellectuals due to the rise of Islamism after the last parliamentary
elections. El-Awwa has stated that if he becomes president, no book will be
confiscated, and the freedom of artists and filmmakers will be guaranteed
unless they break the law. He is personally a fan of old black-and-white
movies, of actors Adel Imam and Ahmed Helmi, and singer Umm Kolthoum.
El-Awwa's support: El-Awwa says he has a good relationship with the Muslim
Brotherhood, even though the group officially supports Mohamed Mursi, its
official candidate. Younger members of the group could give their votes to
El-Awwa, though he faces a tough competitor in Abul-Fotouh. The Wasat Party,
which El-Awwa supported when it broke away from the Muslim Brotherhood in 1995,
has declared that 63 per cent of its members voted for Abul-Fotouh, while 23
per cent went to El-Awwa in support of a presidential candidate. The Salafi
Daawa and Nour Party announced a week ago that their votes would support
Abul-Fotouh.
While El-Awwa is a regular guest on many TV shows, Aisha Abu Zeid, one of his
long-time supporters explained that, "he only has some posters, and no banners
or billboards like others. Money will be a determining factor in the
forthcoming elections, and El-Awwa does not have the financial backing that
others have."
According to Abu Zeid, El-Awwa "has vision, and he has always advocated unity
with other Arab countries, something that no other candidate has talked about.
He has a great respect for all religions and doesn't fear expressing his
opinions, even if he is attacked for it. He doesn't flirt with the media like
other candidates. Due to his calls for calm in a time of political turmoil, he
has been criticised as an advocate for the SCAF."
If El-Awwa wins in the presidential elections, he told the Weekly that his
first act would be to pass a law "fighting hypocrisy and banning congratulatory
advertisements by ministers and officials in praise of the president." He has a
good chance of winning, he believes, as "this is what I feel on my tours and my
meetings with the people."
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