Nasser, who reined from 1954-1970, ran Egypt without much opposition. Many wonder why his regime was not widely opposed, and Wickham has the answer. "Repression, Redistribution, and re-socialization" she says were the key ideas of keeping opposition away (pg21). Nasser repressed any groups who disagreed with him by banning all opposition groups, and by monitoring places these groups would frequent. Though at first the Muslim Brotherhood was not banned, as it was a religious, not political group, Nasser saw their dissent for his regime, and sent it underground. For over ten years, Nasser was able to catch most of the resistance before it could grow.
In order to stop more members from joining the resistance groups, Nasser focused on the younger generation. He realized that the middle and lower middle classes were the most likely candidates to join opposition groups, so he gave more attention to them. Nasser increased education opportunities by lowering or removing the cost to attend school. He even enacted a law that would grant all university grads a government job. A government job was the quickest way to increase one's social standing, so many took the opportunity to better themselves. Thus, the youth of Egypt sought a higher education to ameliorate their lives, and supported Nasser. Because so many went to school, Nasser used schools to teach students about socialism. By re-socializing students in school, many allowed Nasser's regime to continue unopposed.
By the late 60s, educated young adults could not find a good job. Nasser had tried to employ everyone, thus, government jobs lost the esteem they once had. Many people had to work multiple jobs to make enough money for their family. The youth began to revolt, and by 1973, an uprising occurred. The regime of Nasser ended.
All while this is occurring, Islamic groups were increasing power. Islamists probably gained power through the ballots because Islam as a political power had been slowly gaining popularity through the years. The Muslim Brotherhood has been around for almost a hundred years; even when it was underground, the group had been gaining support. Eventually, the people of Egypt were sick with the previous regimes, and they wanted a change they could trust. It must seem comforting to some to have a government ruled by one's religion. This is because religion is a constant in one's life, so a religious government would most likely be stable and free from corruption, unlike the militant groups whom one could not trust.
It is strange to think about Nassar's regime in a good way, but we must recognize that his tactics were tricky and, up to a certain point, successful. I agree with you when speaking about Islamic groups gaining power today. I think that a lot of groups are trusted because they have that religious link with the people, a link that allows them to gain the trust and loyalty of the people. It is something familiar and traditional for all parties involved. However, I don't think that these types of institutions will last long. Like Nassar's regime, different civilian groups will form their own ideas and learn from their experiences that they have differing views than that of the Islamic group. In addition, Western ideas increasingly play greater role in society in the MENA region, and all are subjected to these ideas. Is religion still as present in society as it once was? I think it is becoming less and less present--in some areas, of course.
ReplyDeleteWhile I do agree that these nations might one day separate from their religious tendencies, I do not see this happening in the near future. While some countries like Egypt are working on creating a functional democratic society, others are no where close. Religious governments seem to be a necessary intermediate between the two, as I think it is important for a people to feel comfortable with their government. However, it seems like some nations are becoming more religious, perhaps to separate themselves from Western ideas. Many believe that Western society is trying to erase Arab and Muslim culture from the MENA region, which seems somewhat accurate. Eventually, as you do mention, the people may decide to separate religion from the government.
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