(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - On Monday, Morsi began working on forming a government that he says will represent all Egyptians. Morsi, who quit the Muslim Brotherhood to become the president, is likely to include ministers who will have the support of the Brotherhood election allies. This comes as protests have been going on since the junta dissolved the parliament dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s largest political party, earlier this month. The junta also took control of the state budget and gave itself veto power on a new constitution, making the new president almost powerless through a recent constitutional declaration. We have conducted an interview with Mohammad Ghanem, leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in the UK, to hear his opinion on this issue. The following is a rough transcription of the interview. Q: Dr. Ghanem, why do you think the Muslim Brotherhood, I mean many have said that the Muslim Brotherhood has expected too little in such quick time; that they should have asked for more, they should have been more revolutionary perhaps in their task in order for the president to have enough power in the country? Ghanem: I think the issue here is not what to give and what to take. The issue here, we are considering the whole Egyptian political scene, the whole Egyptian political future and what happened after this election is educational for all the Egyptian people for the region in whole. We had a complete discussion politically, in the media, in legal terms and the result in the president’s election actually it will benefit the whole Egyptians not only one section or another. And even though the Muslim Brotherhood represents a section, a very important section of the Egyptian population but they are working for the Egyptian people, they’re working for Egypt, they’re working for democracy, they’re working for the Muslim world and Arab world, and they’re working for the region. We are not a regional party- no, we are a movement. We are social, we are economical and we are political movement. Then when we participate in any country, in particular Egypt at that time, we’re just pulling the wagon of democracy and what happened in this election is a step forward for democracy for Egypt. We never think politically as give and take. We look at politics as a process and we participate, respect all other parties and work together for Egypt and for the Egyptian people. Q: Do you really think that Mr. Morsi can work with the other parties in order to create a government that can actually do something, make some change in the country with the fact that the military council still has its power almost on everything else? Ghanem: I would tell you something Mariam, Dr. Morsi is the exact fit for that period. He is highly educated. He lived in the democracy of the United Kingdom. He knows inside out how democracy works in Europe. Here he came here and visited us; he is a close friend of ours. He is political-minded and he is always a good listener. He knows what Egypt wants and he has the mental capacity, the intellectual capacity, the political capacity for the position he has got now. I think he is a proper fit for the job he has and he is going to do very well Inshallah (God willing) for the Egyptian people. Q: Dr. Ghanem some other groups perhaps accused the Muslim Brotherhood of excluding other groups especially the Christians and we saw the Christians supporting Ahmed Shafiq. How do you look at that and can Morsi change this perspective? Ghanem: Well since Morsi has become the president of Egypt he has nothing to do with Hizb al-Hurriya wa al-Adala, the Freedom and Justice Party, neither with the Muslim Brotherhood although he is originally from the movement and was the head of the party but as he became the president he has to be in an equal distance to every Egyptian, then he can’t distinguish between one and another. For the claim of all those accusing the Muslim Brotherhood of having this discrimination attitude, it’s completely unfounded. We are Muslim Brotherhood, we respect everybody, and we work with everybody. But because we have a representation more than anybody else people look at us as a dominant party which we are not but this is how the political map in Egypt, we have been struggling with the dictatorship for at least 80 years. That gave us the support of the people. They saw us, they trust us. That looks for others that we are dominating the political life, which we are not. We would love to work with all the sections. We respect all the other parties and opinions and we are willing to work with them. Q: Mr. Zayda (the other guest of the program) mentioned not only the political life but also the business life in economic side. You have a lot of businessmen among the Muslim Brotherhood or somewhat excluding other Egyptian businessmen are willing to work just with foreign sides? Ghanem: Well we cannot deny, that’s we understand Islam as a comprehensive religion which gives you the way to live life in all its aspects. We try as a group to have an overall structure which includes economic and social and political and legal and everything. This is life, this is reality, this is how we understand Islam and this is how we practice Islam. But the idea is having over-sized activity. That is not true. We are very normal, we are in average size of all activities either it is economical or political. Q: Dr. Ghanem we have heard that the military council wants to try and control especially the foreign relations of the country that although we heard from Mr. Morsi that he wants to open up to countries like Iran which has not witnessed of course relations between Egypt and Iran for the last 30 years, do you think that the military council can enforce perhaps who is foreign minister and who is defense minister, issues like that or can Mr. Morsi change the perspective of Egypt outside the country? Ghanem: Well the military and military council and the Egyptian army has played a very important role and significantly have succeeded to bring the country to the position which is in now. But for the army, you cannot deny the army for 60 years is dominating the political activity to withdraw in overnight. The Egyptian army will remain some influence in Egyptian politics for a while until you complete the structure. We are building the structure brick by brick but we hope as the army promised to be as neutral as he can. The influence will remain and there always will be struggle between the elected institution and the president and the army. But I hope they are wise enough and they are sincere enough to work together, to fulfill the political vacuum, to get the constitution, to get the parliament and when you build all these structures I think Egypt will be an open society, a democratic and it will lead the area to better future Inshallah (God willing). Q: How about foreign relations? How do you look at that? I mean is it true, the rumors that perhaps the military council might enforce the names of the foreign and defense ministers? Ghanem: Well foreign relation base in politics is as any other relation in mutual understanding, in mutual benefit but when it comes to foreign [relations] regarding Egypt you get the American, you get the Zionist state, you get the Palestinian. This is the real core of a foreign policy. You cannot deny that America plays a great role politically in the area and you have to respect it but you have to rewrite the relation between Egypt and new Egypt and the United States. You have to rewrite the relationship between the Zionist …[entity] and the Egyptian people. You have to respect the public opinion about their brothers in Palestine. Palestine is a Muslim country and we feel close to those people and we cannot watch them to be tortured and their human rights being violated and stand tied-hand. We have to work on this for the benefit of the area and the stability of the area politically and economically as well. Q: Since you mentioned this, the issue of the Palestinian cause, many say that why did Mr. Morsi not mention this issue in his first speech although the Palestinian people say that they have high aspirations for Mr. Morsi in this regard? Ghanem: Well I think Mr. Morsi is busy with a lot of things in his head at the moment and his schedule cannot be fulfilled for the next month or few months but I am sure the Palestinian issue and the relationship between the Zionist …[entity] and Egypt is in his heart and I think he sleeps thinking about it and once he gets the chance to talk about it, he will be clear, put his policy there for everyone for the benefit of the two nations--Egypt and the Palestinian people.
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