Month: August 2017

Egypt is passing through a dangerous stage. It has come to a fork in the road many months after the beginning of the great Egyptian revolution, which ended on 11 February. Following that date, groups of the elite took on the task of completing the journey towards realizing the people’s demands, thereby completing the revolution. However, the revolution’s path immediately changed to one of partisan strife, which overtook its greater portion at the expense of the people. Meanwhile, the corrupt regime is attempting to maintain its bases and return to power in a new form. Even following these events at a distance, the people can see the wisdom of God—may he be magnified and exalted during this period of discrimination—as He tears the masks from fraudsters’ faces. In the end, the people saw that everyone must work only for the benefit of the people. They must take control of the revolution to bring about the wisdom of God once again, dispersing the sit-ins so that the leadership of the revolution can be seized from the hands of those who have lost it in an attempt to complete the journey themselves, far from the elites who disappointed our families. This is the first suggestion made by a young revolutionary from the general public. May it be presented to the true revolutionaries so that they can determine their own fate:

• Preparations must be made for permanent headquarters of the Revolution to be established in all public squares so that the revolutionaries can communicate with each other, make decisions, and present them before they are announced.
• All should be invited (the elite media as well as the people, with all its various groups and publics) to determine whether to go down into the square as revolutionaries until the Revolution is complete, remain in their ivory towers with their satellite channels, or side with the remains of the corrupt regime
• At this time, a period has begun in which the revolution is coming together under the slogan “Deny the Self” from these suggestions:

1. A revolutionary (not coalitional) government from among the honorable people of Egypt should be formed. There are plenty of honorable people to choose from. (Names may be suggested for people to choose from, with the knowledge of the revolutionaries of course.) This government would take over management of the country for a period of time not to exceed one year. It would have limited tasks. Among the most important of these tasks:a) Forming revolutionary courts presided over by citizen judges, so that the corrupt may be tried immediatelyb) Imposing safety and stability in the streets of Egypt

   c) Working towards the return of economic stability as quickly as possible

   d) Charging every minister with the task of restructuring his ministry along civil and scientific lines

   e) Forming a special committee to recuperate plundered money both abroad and domestically

   f) Charging every governor with the task of demarcating and reclaiming all of the looted land in his province. This land should be integrated into the public domain, and profits from it may not be used until an elected government takes power.

   g) Charging the Finance Minister with setting a minimum wage, and enforcing this law immediately

   h) Forming a committee of [illegible] and specialists from all fields to accept new ideas, suggestions, projects, and discoveries from scientists and [illegible] to be studied and presented to the coming government.

Along with keeping the Army as the protector of the people and the new leadership

2. The transitional government must not conclude any foreign treaties or undertake any domestic projects with a long duration

3. We must completely focus our efforts on destroying the remaining corruption and preparing for the period of rebuilding.

The thoughtful youth may present any suggestions or opinions regarding the coming transitional period. They will be studied and put into effect.

The servant who owes all to God, the revolutionary from the masses of the people,

Muhammad ‘Awad Qutb

Today, the Popular Committees to Defend the Revolution came together with Egypt’s workers to celebrate the first Labor Day following the January Revolution. Today, workers stood in complete confidence, having embarked on a great revolutionary experience in which they realized their strength and ability learned that their rights can only be wrested back through continued struggle, not by begging for “a favor, Mr. President,” as the regime’s collaborators made us believe for thirty years.

Just as the series of unprecedented labor protests that began at the end of 2006 and engulfed all sectors and a majority of governorates was the introduction to the January Revolution, so the wave of strikes and sit-ins that accompanied the revolution and reached a climax on February 9 and 10 with total civil disobedience was the crushing blow which toppled Mubarak.

Today, workers took their first steps toward organizational independence by founding a number of independent unions. These unions will return union-work to its roots—defending workers’ rights—after the “official” unions were coopted by State Security and the fallen (National Democratic) party.

Likewise, workers began to form their own political party—“The Democratic Workers’ Party”—to be the voice of labor and represent all those who work for a wage in Egypt. This party will be their political pulpit; it will stand up to any policies that are hostile toward workers and the poor, and in these confrontations it will propose the socially just alternative.

But in these moments of celebration and victory, we must not forget that the slogan “social justice” which was raised in the January Revolution has not yet been achieved. 40% of Egyptians are still living under the poverty line, and another 40% at least are struggling for protection so as to not fall below this line, a result of privatization policies, corrupt businessmen, and an exploitative ruling class.

The protests that occurred across the length and breadth of Egypt for the sake of justice and the permanent employment of part-time workers are a war launched against the corruption in every institution. Workers, both men and women, Muslim and Coptic, young and old, participated not making factional demands but demanding rights that were abandoned in the years belonging to the corrupt individuals that robbed the country of millions and of its wealth, and were loath to give us a loaf of bread, medicine, or education.

The Popular Committees to Defend the Revolution—which includes in its ranks workers, employees, professionals, students, and all revolutionaries, and which has spread throughout numerous neighborhoods in Egypt’s governorates—calls on Egypt’s workers to form committees to defend the revolution in all workplaces and join the neighborhood committees to complete the revolution’s goals of freedom and social justice. As the Committees’ founding statement specifies, our goals are as follows:

• A just minimum wage of no less than 1,500 pounds per month, and a maximum not exceeding 15 times the minimum
• The seizure of all factories that were sold under the privatization program and developing them so as to lower the unemployment rate
• The reclamation of all state lands that were taken over by corrupt individuals, and using these lands to house the youth and the residents of slums
• A guarantee of the freedom to demonstrate, sit-in, and strike, and the abolishment of the new laws criminalizing strikes and curtailing freedoms.

Followed by Quotations and Legal Rulings from those Blessed with Knowledge and Exemplary Conduct

Quoted in this Pamphlet:

• Imam al-Awza’i (may God have mercy on him)
• Imam al-Safarini (may God have mercy on him)
• Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyya (may God have mercy on him)
• The Eminent Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn Baz (may God have mercy on him), the official jurist of Saudi lands
• The Eminent Shaykh and Hadith Scholar Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani (may God have mercy on him)
• The Eminent Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Uthaymin (may God have mercy on him)
• The Eminent Shaykh and Hadith Scholar Muqbil ibn Hadi al-Wad’i (may God have mercy on him)
• The Eminent Shaykh Bakr Abu Zayd (may God have mercy on him)

 

In the name of God, the All-Merciful, the Compassionate

All praise is due to God, and may prayers and peace be upon His Messenger (upon whom and whose family may God grant blessings and peace)

Almighty God says: “Cooperate in piety and God-consciousness, and don’t cooperate in sin and animosity, and fear God, for indeed God’s punishment is severe.” (Qur’an 5:2)

The Noble Prophet (may God grant him blessings and peace) said, while interlacing his fingers together, “Muslims are to one another like a building, one part of it strengthening another.” (Al-Bukhari)

My beloved brothers within beloved Egypt and abroad: these are strange times full of strange people. In these days, I have found many non-Muslims and Muslims—reporters, party members, lawyers, and some from al-Azhar—to be ignorant of the greatest call to faith on earth: the Salafi call. And who are the Salafis????

We have oppressors and others wrongfully accused of oppression, we have the argument that it’s all “terrorism and extremism,” and we have people who are either envious of this blessed call or despise it. I’ve implored God, the One, the Alone, for help in explaining the meaning of Salafism, and have quoted the words of the imams and stars of this community from among the Salaf, our righteous predecessors in Islam. I’ve abridged their statements significantly, since this is intended to be a statement and explanation, not a detailed description, focusing on how to define Salafism and what it means to belong to this group. Also addressed: who the Salaf are, what the fundamentals of Salafism are, why we must follow the Salaf, and that Salafism isn’t a vain political party or type of partisanship, which is detestable…nor is it a ground for extremism or whatever other accusations we hear so much of these days…

First of all, Islam has no factions or sects. Rather, it is one unified group, one team, called the People of Prophetic Example and Majority Opinion (Ahl al-Sunna wa-l-Jama’a), the People of Hadith, the Righteous Predecessors… so all the scattered initiatives, political parties, and factions we see today don’t have anything to do with Islam.

Almighty God has said, “Hold fast, all of you, to the rope of God and do not let differences come between you.” (Qur’an 3:103)

God (may He be exalted) has said, “He legislated for you in your way of life what He counciled Noah to do, what We have revealed to you, what we counciled Abraham, Moses, and Jesus to do: establish this way of life, this religion, and don’t let differences come between you regarding it.” (Qur’an 42:13)

It’s reported that Anas ibn Malik said that the Messenger of God (may God bless him and grant him peace) said, “The Israelites broke into 71 sects, and my community will break into 73 sects, all of which are in the Hellfire except one: the community of Majority Opinion” (in Abu Dawud). In another narration he said it was “what my Companions and I are upon.” The hadith is authoritative, as established by al-Albani (may God have mercy on him).

While I was in Tahrir, I got married for the second time

They told me, “One is enough.”

I said, “It is acceptable for me to have the second, as long as she comes first and not second.”

They said, “Of course she is a young and beautiful girl.”

I said, “More beautiful than the full moon

“White as the Huri[1] girls

Her hair is like the light of the sun

Her two eyes are blue like the sky, no clouds in them

Her body is like a date-palm in full fruit

Her tongue says, ‘I testify that there is no god but God

And that Muhammad is God’s prophet, peace and prayers be upon him.’”

They said, “You’ve married Egypt.”

I said, “There is no place among God’s countries sweeter than Egypt, and I have married Egypt

Oh Lord, please let me love Egypt as her people love her.”

They said, “We’ve witnessed the contract.”

I said, “There’s nothing better than her people as witnesses.”

They said, “God save you, and may it be a blessed marriage, blessed by God, most Glorious and High

And His prophet Muhammad, prayers and peace be upon him.

And may peace and the mercy and blessings of God be upon you.”

A president living in palaces, and with him his followers

♫ Egypt’s children are living in slums, under bridges, and on sidewalks

A president who eats what he pleases, and with him his followers

♫ And Egypt’s children eat stale and leftover bread, and no one is okay…

A president who gets medical treatment in Germany, America, and expensive hospitals—he gets treatment, blood transfusions, okay…

♫ And Egypt’s children seek treatment with health insurance, and no one is okay…

A president who summers in Sharm al-Shaykh, brings on winter with his air conditioning and sailboats, living okay…

♫ And Egypt’s children spend winter and summer under bridges and on sidewalks, living in good health, okay…

Who called them street children? ♫         They are Egypt’s children

Sing! Middle class, poor, nonexistent, but living ♫         By the grace of God, most praised and high, the people of Egypt are alive

Oh children of Egypt, love Egypt

♫         Farm, build, and teach your children how to love Egypt

Egypt does not forget her children, and her people keep Egypt in their eyes hearts

Egypt is in the eyes of the whole world         ♫         Egypt has taught the whole world

Egypt is earth, and Egypt is an offering; Egypt is the pyramids, history, and a culture that flourished before the birth of Christ

Egypt is nationhood and law before the birth of Christ

♫ Egypt is history and Egyptian heroes; in her is the Nile from paradise, sent by our Lord

Egypt says: There is no god but God, and Muhammad is His prophet, “peace and prayers be upon him.”

Egypt is illuminated until Judgment Day

May God’s peace, mercy, and blessings be upon you

Signed,

Egypt

The Egyptian people love her

Hani Gawdah Hafiz

A president who loves our Lord and loves Muhammad, peace and prayers be upon him

A president who loves our people, who does not rule them with the Emergency Law or order them around

The president of Egypt is not idle; he takes his people’s money and thinks Egypt and her people are his own personal property.

At the beginning of his term, he said “I will be with you for a year or four,” but he was with us for thirty years, ruling and thinking that he would bequeath to his sons and grandsons the property that was his alone, not his people’s; living in palaces and not with his people; living without seeing his people and their torture, hearing only the words of his accomplices, never seeing the poor, the sick, or those living in the streets; never seeing the mountain that threatens to fall on its unsuspecting people.

Never seeing the lines for subsidized bread, the torture of those lines; they never end because nobody sees them, nobody sees the people’s torture which takes them to the end of the night and beyond, as all the while the people say to him: “Everything’s fine, sir.”

Never seeing the kushary made from dust and pebbles, never eating subsidized bread made from old cigarettes, wood shavings and nails, when his people’s stomachs are not capable of digesting pebbles, cigarettes, wood shavings and nails.

We want a worker to be the president of Egypt, or someone from among the people who loves the Great and Almighty God.

We don’t want the People’s Assembly, Shura Council, or their members to return Egypt to the way it was.

When there’s an election, you can see the members of the People’s Assembly walking on the ground once or maybe twice, with their cars (always the latest models) proceeding in lines behind them. After winning the elections when you’re looking for help, you could kiss their hand for five years without ever encountering any help from them.

They sit in their parliamentary seats and sleep and snore, only waking to ratify deals and shake hands: “Yes sir, I know what to do.” Serving as sovereigns only to say: “Ratified sir, no problem sir.”

A people struggling, knowing their children are in their hands, and his lordship the parliamentarian is sleeping, sleeping in honey.

In the old days, the teachers in Egypt taught and raised their generations to be scholars, experts, leaders, doctors, engineers, and lawyers who praised their lords for their positions.

Teachers today are raising cripples, and he who is with us is not with us. Private lessons are in full force, and those with the highest salaries are living off the blood of their people.

Oh people, an employee’s salary is enough for a family and an apartment, and God help the people who are living well.

Lawyers defend murderers, proving them innocent by using the law, forgetting about the murdered one who put his neck out under the killer’s hand—this is his funeral, his followers take “money, one carat, or two carats, or three”—turns out he doesn’t know that the Lord of all believers sees him and is preparing his recompense. On Judgment Day, he who was murdered will rise up and grab him, saying: “Oppressor, I have eaten your sinful children.”

Mr. President, obey your Lord and take care of your people. When you have done this, the Lord of all believers will be pleased with you, and your first and last will be a paradise from your Lord.

Teach Egypt’s children about religion, science, and history; teach them how to love our Egypt.

Only when you have done this will you be able to make Ibrahim, Muhammad, ‘Umar, ‘Ali, Salah, ‘Abd al-Ghaffar, ‘Abd Allah, ‘Isam, Hani, and any other name the president of Egypt, because what rules Egypt are the Qur’an and the Sunna of Muhammad, God’s peace and prayers be upon him

Only then will Egypt be the most advanced country in the world; only then will her people write the civilization of the next million years.

Arab and Muslim countries and their leaders

May God’s blessing be upon you

Greetings to the leaders and the people

What I unfortunately see today happening in Muslim countries with respect to the leaders’ conduct towards their people

Once upon a time we used to wage war in the name of God and say to the world: “We are Muslims ruled by God’s Qur’an and the Sunna of Muhammad, peace be upon him.” And those who died would be considered martyrs who would go to heaven. And our conquests ended successfully in Egypt and many other countries, thanks be to God.

And now Muslims are killing Muslims, and the worst thing is that those defending Muslims are not from among our people. They say that we are without culture and without religion.

The ruler kills his father, mother, and children along with his people, so by what religion are you ruling your people? Don’t you know that your sovereignty derives from your Lord? How will you face up to him on the Day of Judgment? Won’t he tell you, oh oppressor who went astray from governance, that you won’t escape?

The money is not your money and the land is not your land, nor is the sky your sky or the sea your sea. All of it belongs to God, may his name be glorified.

The devil tells you to rule forever and to pass rule on to your children and grandchildren. In order to provide for your kin, your country and people become a mere inheritance.

You are an individual, but the people are numerous, and among them are many individuals who are better than you… Better that you live with your dear people so that God is satisfied with you than that you be forced to leave and then remain in the dust while people step on you, for from dust you came and to dust you shall return.

People, we are exposed and there is no veil between the Lord and us. We should take heed from the earthquakes in Japan and the hurricanes in the United States. The seas shall be calm for Him who is above them, and the devil has no hold over us as He said: “I will seduce them all except for your true believers,” and he is the one who took Adam and Eve out of Paradise.

Those other, secondary countries unite… We Muslims have a religion which says that uniting gives us strength, for we speak Arabic and we are Arab and Muslim; our countries and our governments are all in trouble, countries that live but have forgotten the unity of all Arabs.

Our countries can, with the help of their investors, sow the lands of all Muslim countries. The yield of their harvests can suffice our Arab and Muslim people, and it will overflow if we import and leave our lands without planting wheat.

Muslim countries have scholars, doctors, engineers, teachers, and investors, and we have only just begun. We are Muslims. Unfortunately, the Arab League doesn’t come together for anything but disagreements, not for Arab or Muslim unity. Thus, self-sufficiency unfortunately becomes impossible to execute.

Arab leaders and Muslims, this is a message from an Arab Egyptian: for the sake of God, you must unite and not separate. Let the Arabs and Muslims love each other. Don’t let passports, borders, and other separations between Muslim countries and Muslims come between us. We must be like buildings constructed close together, holding each other up.

Limit the position of the President of the Republic;

We want it to be parliamentary

 

Like England, oh gentlemen

Where the monarchy is truly noble.

 

And oh sweet ones, we want the presidential palaces

To become hotels that will make millions.

 

A republic, oh you best of men, where no parliamentarian

Serves for more than two terms.

 

Our regime will be socialist,

One that protects our dignity.

 

Enough of capitalism,

Disgrace, shame, and joblessness,

 

We want to get out of the jet

China will make you miserly

 

Where all of our prices are domestic—

Don’t whisper to me and say “global”

 

Where all salaries are equal:

They have a ceiling and a floor

 

Why should one man earn a million

While another begs for a hundred?

The decisive issue for Tahrir Square right now is disarmament. We stand before a bloc of the country that does not want any more dead or wounded. They want the parliamentary and presidential elections to be held on time.

The demand is the following:

–          That committees be formed to oversee the Ministry of Interior (so that peace doesn’t remain in the hands of those who killed our sons), and that further committees be formed to oversee the media and legislation nullifying the political and military rulings, as well as doing away with the state of emergency

The minimum demand, immediately and without delay, is that a new government not be formed unless it adheres to the following points:

1) Regarding the Ministry of Interior: a supreme committee comprised of national, judicial figures that we (the people) choose, name by name, must be formed to administer it

2) Regarding the Ministry of Media: the same thing as the Ministry of Interior is demanded.

3) The formation of a committee along the same lines as those mentioned above, which must approve any legislation the Military Council passes, as well as issue a constitutional declaration accompanying any legislation.

4) An unequivocal end to the Emergency Law.

5) The formation of a committee along the same lines as those mentioned above (i.e., we must approve the members name by name) to be in charge of doing away with the legal cases of political prisoners whose verdicts have already been decided, whether before 25 January 2011, or after that date. The committee will review the cases and release the prisoners, whether civilian or military.

The names of those who comprise these committees must be displayed before the people prior to their publication to prevent the legislation, the police, and the media from remaining in the hands of those who carried out the atrocities of the recent period – not for one more day. This is a serious matter on which we cannot compromise…This is a serious matter on which we cannot compromise… This is a serious matter on which we cannot compromise.

To the Military Council: it is now up to you to save the nation before morning by answering these demands and setting a date for presidential elections – with a decision and not mere talk… It is up to you to investigate who undertook all this killing, and don’t send us the discord of the referendum and the discord of the presidential council.

A Statement and a Road Map for Managing the Crisis

We confirm that the demonstrators in the squares of Egypt represent a broad sector of the Egyptian people. We declare our insistence on transferring power to a civilian authority (parliament and president) elected by April 2012 at the latest, and that any agreements or dialogues occurring between the military council and the political forces that exclude the participation of the revolutionary forces are null and void.

Similarly, we confirm that despite our complete rejection of Field Marshall Tantawi’s speech, we will continue to strive for the nation and its stability, and we seek to solve the nation’s crisis, exiting it and ensuring the country’s safety in the following ways:

First: The military council must respond to the will of the people by returning to its original task of defending national security, and by forming a national salvation government in which the president and his deputies act as part of a presidential council. This council would have complete authority to manage the transitional phase until power is transferred to an elected civilian government (a parliament and a presidency) by April 2012 at the latest.

Second: Court decisions that authorize the arrest of the killers and those who gave orders to open fire on and gas civilians, as well as all of the leaders in the military and police forces who were involved in these events, must be issued immediately. These individuals must then be brought to court, in order to immediately cease acts of violence and its escalation in confrontations with demonstrators in all Tahrir Squares on a republic-wide level. The Ministry of Interior must also be restructured, and its corrupt leaders expelled.

Third: A constitutional declaration authored by the National Salvation government that includes the dates for presidential elections and outlines the relations between the authorities must be issued. This declaration will also nullify the Shura Council.

Fourth: The governmental authorities must be outlined, and the following points seen to:

–          Open an urgent investigation and present all those involved in shedding revolutionary blood before just judicial courts.

–          Hold parliamentary and presidential elections and transfer executive and legislative authority in accordance with the agreed upon dates.

–          Declare and execute a clear security plan to stop the chaos and armed thugs, without infringing on the freedom and dignity of the citizens. Also, restructure the Ministry of the Interior and purge it of its corrupt elements.

–          Restructure the government media and purge it—as well as all other state institutions—of all corrupt elements.

–          Declare short-term economic measures to revive the economy and implement mechanisms to control prices and monitor the markets.

–          Determine a minimum and maximum wage and arrange the revolution’s budget so that the poor are the ones who benefit the most.

–          Immediately cease the implementation of Emergency Law in courts and take all steps necessary to guarantee the freedoms of opinion and expression.

–          Retry the civilians who were previously tried in military courts before civilian judges, and free all political prisoners. We confirm that our revolution continues, and that we will obligate the military council to carry out what we have proposed in this statement until a full transfer of power to an elected civilian government (parliament and president) takes place without tutelage from anyone on the previously agreed upon dates.

Long live a secure, free, and noble Egypt.

Forces of the revolution in the squares of Egypt, in addition to the following revolutionary forces (listed in alphabetical order): 6 April, The Democratic Front, The Union of National Forces, Youth Union of the Revolution, Youth Union of Maspiro, Union of Forces of the Revolution, Protect Your Voice, The Independence of Doctors, The Independence of Universities, Egyptian Coptic Coalition, The Free Islamic Coalition, General Coalition for the Revolution, The Democratic Civilian Alliance, Popular Accord, The Free Revolutionary, The Revolutionary Front to Protect the Egyptian Revolution, The Free Front for Peaceful Change, The Salafi Front, The New Republic, The Salafi Call for Passage, The Defense of the Legitimacy of the Revolution, The Popular Committees in Naja’ Hamadi, The Coordinative Committee, The Executive Council to Defend the Legitimacy of the Revolution, Coalition of Independent Academics, The Coalition of the Righteous Revolutionary, The Coalition of Farmers, The Coalition of Salafi Youth, The Coalition for Supporting the New Muslims, The Coalition of Youth of the Revolution, The Islamic Coalition of Egyptian Youth, The Alliance of Revolutionary Forces, Coalition of Movements for the Awareness of Egypt, The National Independence Current (Movement of the People), Revolutionaries of the Square in Suez, January Revolutionaries for Freedom and Resistance, The Second Revolution of Rage, The Revolution of Rage against the Military, 9-9 Front, The National Salvation Front, Front of the People’s Will, The Association of Our Dreams, Movement of the Egyptian Struggle, Movement of Unity, Youth Movement of the January 25 Revolution, Party of the Egyptian Current, Party of Freedom and Growth, The Party of Civilization, Party of Peace and Growth, Party of Virtue, Party of Promise, Government of the Shadow, The Association of Activists of the Revolution, Youth of the Square in al-Mansoura, Kifaya, We Are All Prisoners, Council of Trustees of the Revolution, Council of Trustees of the Revolution in Alexandria, Forum of the Delta, Institution of Republican Accord and a large number of independent revolutionaries