Egypt – Religious Uprising, Or Spiritual Motivation?

There are many concerned that Egypt could jump from the frying pan into the political fire. Claims for democracy may finish up as a settlement for an Iranian style theocracy. Both the rulers the Egyptians have had and those they could now get might amount to little more than a different shade of dictatorial rule.

Egyptians are fed up with being controlled and dominated and having no say at all in their future. It is a spiritual fact that all human beings are motivated to seek freedom and to determine the direction of their own lives. To do this means to have the freedom of religion, culture, vocation and movement. This requires two things – a political regime that respects and supports individual choices for prosperity, and enough resources with which to make those choices. Currently, rampant political and social corruption and/or apathy makes that impossible.

Currently, Egypt has neither active politicians that support the principal of encouraging individuals to generate genuine wealth, nor the resources with which to do it. But neither do most Muslim countries. There is no truly democratic country on the planet governed by a Muslim party. It is because religions invariably pursue their own ends that in true democracies religious parties will never be voted into power. The division between church and state is a fundamental principle in most democracies, because just like the division between the state and the judiciary, it is the only way that both can function without incestuous interference of the one by the other.

So what will happen if Egyptians go to the polls? Firstly, most of the Muslim Brotherhood will want the separation of state and religion which is written into the constitution to be abandoned. This brotherhood will come to power legitimately, then a theocracy will result as it did in Iran after the overthrow of the Shah and his authoritarian rule.

If Egyptians are to set themselves up for true democracy, they must create a constitution which legitimizes all freedoms of self-expression and personal empowerment – politically and socially. This is a tall order when the Muslim religion itself does not allow this. If Shia law becomes the law of the country, Egypt will descend into further rules and laws which will limit the freedom of self-expression and remove any motivation at the personal level to work to make Egypt a better country.

True spirituality allows for not only freedoms of religious expression, but also for the freedom of human expressions which do not hurt others. This includes the ability to choose one’s partner, vocation, written and verbal expression, sexual expression, pursuit of interests, sources of knowledge to name but a few. True spirituality is the full expression of who one is, one’s passions, loves, interests, needs and values. This can only occur in an environment of genuine spiritual openness, which Egyptians are struggling to create and the Iranians, to date, have not managed to secure.

Genuine spiritual freedom, like genuine political freedom is rare in the Muslim world, just as it was rare in Britain when kings ruled and had total say over how the church and its members would behave. Genuine democracies in the predominantly Muslim world have been hard fought for, usually with a clear distinction between the role of the state and religions.

So a warning to Egyptians is to ensure that their hard fought freedoms don’t disappear as new dictatorial rulers take the place of those who’ve been ousted. It is easy to know what one doesn’t want and fight hard to get away from that than to identify and move towards one’s dreams. However, in politics as in life in general, there are too few with the vision of the promised land and how to get there, but many who can only focus on what isn’t wanted.

Egyptians are going to have to know exactly what their dreams are asking of them, and fight just as hard to get the constitution that ensures it as they have to escape the one that didn’t. It is much easier running away from what doesn’t work, than working towards what does. When the spiritual needs and motivation are not clearly known, they are likely to be lost in the clamour of disparate voices.

Spiritual freedom requires choices about who you are, want to become, and have passion to do and to be. It requires the ability to express oneself without the constraint of a watch-dog. When that happens, religious rule takes over.

By: jeffery saunders

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Visit www.jefferysaunders.com for numerous articles on personal and spiritual development, including excerpts from his self-improvement book 'The 12 Choices of Winners'. Visit www.couplescounselling4u.co.nz for articles about successful relationships, and ways to change relationship dynamics.Jeff Saunders has taught personal development and trained others in this field for over twenty years. He’s a counsellor, psychotherapist & life coach in private practice.