Egypt or Israel: Which is democratic?

Hussein Shobokshi

The results of the Egyptian presidential election have been announced and the new president, Mohamed Mursi, has been sworn in. The festive ceremonies for the swearing-in and the handing over of the power from the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, known as SCAF, to the new president were close to a very ideal affair reflecting the heritage of the state of Egypt and the significance of the political institution as well.

Without any exaggeration I can safely say that the entire world was holding its breath as it watched the political events in Egypt reaching the climax. After all, this is the largest Arab nation with a population close to 90 million and surely these events will have an important impact on the entire region.

What is truly historical and significant in the establishment of the only true democracy in the Middle East through this process in Egypt?

For a long time, Arabs were continuously told that Israel was the only democracy in the region, and that deceptive statement was not challenged till now. The exotic version of democracy in Israel is nothing but “exotic” as it institutionally discriminates between the citizens of the country based on religion and race. Israel boasts itself as a “uniquely” Jewish state. Therefore, all of its non-Jewish citizens are considered automatically second-class citizens. This is largely felt among the Muslims, Christians, Druze and Bahais who all hold the Israeli citizenship but have restrictions in enjoying their full political and civic rights.

Egypt’s political transformation with its resounding success provides true hope and a real model for a complete, honest and transparent democracy in the Middle East as the Israeli model is nothing but a racist system that should never be copied or glorified.

The world, especially the Arab world, will be keenly watching how far the Egyptian model will go and how will it succeed.

It is shameful that the models of Arab democracies get all the scrutiny from Western think tanks and the press while they completely ignore the shameful racism that exists in Israel with all the blessings and full political support of Western powers. The Israeli political model is definitely a rejected model that is not welcome not only in the Middle East but also in the entire world.

Now you can refer to Egypt, and not Israel, as the sole democratic model in the Middle East.