Muslim brotherhood’s perspective on the civic state and it’s impact on the shape of the state and political system in Egypt

This study aims to discuss the issue of the civil state from the point of view of the Muslim Brotherhood and its impact on the shape of the state and its political regime in Egypt. It attempts to address the extent to which this civil state which is adopted and presented by the Muslim Brotherhood can affect the shape and political regime of Egypt. The Muslim Brotherhood, which is considered one of the most prominent Islamic political movements in Egypt as well as in the Arab world, has been subject to many doubts and questions especially regarding its political and intellectual approach which has long been accused of being very conservative and militant. The Muslim Brotherhood draws its political thought from Islam being a comprehensive religion and system that covers all aspects of life; it considers itself among the Islamic movements that follow the moderate approach. Thanks to its flexibility, the Muslim Brotherhood has been able to survive for more than 8 decades and won in the face of the many internal and external challenges. It also succeeded in co-existing and dealing with the Egyptian and international political reality. Moreover, the Muslim Brotherhood presented the essence of its political and intellectual effort through what has become to be known as the Brotherhood Documents of the civil state project that is based on Islam. They say that Islam has never known what is called the religious state, thus, the civil state that the Brotherhood presented which is based on the values of justice and equality is based on a number of principles such as the principle of citizenship that provides equality among the citizens of the state without discrimination on the basis of race, gender or color. Another principle is the constitutional contractual principle which means that the state is based on a contract between the ruler and the ruled. The principle of parliamentarianism which is considered the most suitable parliamentarian system for the conditions of Egypt where authorities are separated and the prime minister is the one who assumes the responsibility of ruling besides the Parliament. In addition to this, there is the political pluralism principle which reflects the difference in interests and concerns. According to this principle, individuals are free to form parties without any interference from the executive authority. Next is the circulation principle which allows for the circulation of authority among the different political parties, and whereby the political system includes mechanisms that allows for any party to assume authority in a peaceful manner. Furthermore, there is the state institutions principle which means that the anticipated state should be based on institutions not on individuals or parties. The last of the principles is the state of law principle which refers to the state that has a legal sovereignty whereby the constitution is respected by the ruler and the people. This study has been divided into an introduction, four chapters and a conclusion. In the introduction, the researcher included the problem of the study which lies in the extent to which the civil state can affect the shape and political system in Egypt as perceived by the Muslim Brotherhood movement after the revolution. This is done through comparing the political behavior of the Brotherhood after the revolution and its adoption of the civil state concept. The introduction also included the hypotheses of the study. Based on the change that occurred in the Muslim Brotherhood ‘s political discourse which was represented through the Brotherhood’s shift from focusing on establishing an Islamic Caliphate to that of the civil state that is based on the principles of the Islamic Shari’a, the study assumed the ability of the civil state that the Brotherhood presented to affect the shape of the state and its political system in Egypt after the revolution on January 25th. The study also assumes the compatibility between the civil state and the models of the modern civil state and its ability to create a sound democratic life. In the conclusion, the researcher discussed the major results that the study achieved. The researcher emphasized the hypotheses of the study which mention that the civil state that the Muslim Brotherhood presented and adopted has affected the shape and political system of the state in Egypt after the revolution. He also emphasized the compatibility between the civil state and the models of the modern civil state which is able to create a sound democratic life regarding the principles upon which this state is established. Additionally, the researcher also concluded that the civil state which was presented by the Muslim Brotherhood has been successful in answering many questions that have previously been asked especially with respect to the issues of women and the Copts, as well as answering the questions about what is now happening inside the Egyptian political regime.