It is impossible to ignore the comments of the Alautdinov brothers, Ildar and Shamil, about the ruler of Egypt, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, during a meeting that one of them had the opportunity to attend as part of an international conference held in Egypt.
It should be noted that although this article will comment on their words, it is not so much about them or the «Russian Muslim clergy» they represent. The problem is much deeper and more serious, but we will discuss that at the end.
Let’s start with some quotes from the head of the Muslim Spiritual Administration in Moscow, Ildar Alautdinov, from his brief conversation with the chairman of the Council of Ulema of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Russia, Shamil Alautdinov.
Ildar Alautdinov, who was «incredibly impressed» by the meeting with Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, said, «I was shocked that he cried. When he listened to the verses of the Koran, when he listened to the Hadith, tears ran down his cheeks.»
He talked about how el-Sisi «sympathizes with what is happening in Yemen, in Iraq,» to the point of locking himself in a room, staying alone and crying. According to him, el-Sisi cares deeply about the question of «who you are in life, how truthful you are, how you fulfill the obligations you take on».
And from all this he concludes (or expresses his conclusion, essentially expressing his solidarity with him) that «Egypt is very lucky to have such a president,» to which the Chairman of the Council of Ulema of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Russia, Shamil Alautdinov, exclaims, «Masha Allah!»
It is difficult to comment on this, but we must. It is difficult because, on the one hand, it seems that a person is telling what he saw with his own eyes, and these are things that a believing person does not want to mock, such as someone who cries while listening to Qur’anic verses and hadiths, or worries about the fate of fellow Muslims. It would be very touching if Ildar Khasrat, for example, talked about one of his parishioners or some helpless person who repents to Allah for things he can no longer change. But, Subhan Allah, how can we judge a man by his words alone, or even by his tears, a man who has been ruling a Muslim country of one hundred million people since 2013 and has done so in complete contradiction to these words?
«…how truthful are you, how do you fulfill the obligations you took upon yourself?» shouts a man who was the Minister of Defense under the universally elected President Mohammed Morsi, a pious ruler and a hafiz of the Koran, but treacherously betrayed him, overthrew him, imprisoned and tortured him, his son and thousands of other Egyptians.
The one who orphaned and widowed thousands of Egyptian Muslims and deprived them of their parents, sheds crocodile tears for the Muslims of Yemen and Iraq. The one who imposed a blockade on the Muslim sector of Gaza, condemning them to starvation, separation from loved ones across the border, humiliation and torture, sheds tears for them.
«When the coronavirus struck, I read many different verses and I understood that as president I was not only protecting myself but also protecting my country and relying on the Almighty who gave us a way out,» said the head of state, from whom was required not only to read verses but also to take concrete measures to protect the country from this disaster. Last month, Amnesty International informed the media that the Egyptian authorities do not have a clear strategy to fight the coronavirus, and in particular have failed to vaccinate the poor, overcrowded areas that make up a significant part of the country, as well as the prisons, which are overcrowded due to the ongoing political repression of the regime that established itself by brute force and is still clinging to it.
But the situation with the coronavirus is only a reflection of the regime’s Potemkin village policy, which has one «reality» for its dear guests (whether tourists or foreign muftis who fall for its words) and another for ordinary people. Even from a purely pragmatic point of view, the Sisi regime is a failure in economic policy and in solving the urgent problems of Egyptians.
If we talk about religion, he is known for his fight against Koranic verses that bring tears to Ildar Alautdinov’s eyes and pressure on the apolitical Al-Azhar, not to mention the repression against the «Muslim Brotherhood»*. But at the same time, he is actively promoting the cult of the pharaohs in Egypt, much to the delight of Islamophobes around the world.
In foreign policy, Sisi is known for the blockade of Gaza and support for Israel in provocations against the Palestinian cause (including support for the Dahlan project), support for Haftar in Libya, and support for Greece against Turkey.
So in what sense was Egypt lucky with its president, Ildar Khasrat?! Because he cried in front of you and uttered some beautiful phrases?! And here we come to the important question that was announced for discussion. Yesterday, some of our brothers, in righteous anger, raised the question of the support given by official Russian Muslim figures to tyrants and persecutors of Muslims. And there is certainly a problem with that. But in this case we see another problem, because when you watch the conversation between the Alautdinov brothers, you get the feeling that they are sincerely saying what they think, influenced by the words they heard and the atmosphere they found themselves in.
This is no less serious a problem — the problem of the short-sightedness and lack of discernment of not just one or two, but many Muslim figures, not only in Russia. It is the problem that sincere Islamic activists are often deceived or manipulated by fraudsters or manipulators who only need to say «Assalamu alaikum» to them, refer to some Islamic authority, quote verses or hadiths, especially if they can shed tears at the same time.
No, we are not advocating coldness and paranoia. Any Muslim we do not know should be given a presumption of trust, and demonstrated religious feelings should be taken as sincere. However, politicians, especially rulers, should not be judged by their words and tears, but by their deeds — especially those that lead to the tears of their subjects, and not the tears of compassion.
In a well-known hadith of Amr ibn al-As about the qualities of the Romans (Europeans), it is mentioned that they are «the most distant from the injustice of their rulers». But is it not the case that there are few Europeans today who would be happy with a dictator simply because he cried while reading the Bible, or thought about the oppressed and insulted, etc.? Europeans have long been accustomed to judge their own leaders by their actions, and that is why they are the most secure against their injustice. By the way, isn’t it the same «consciousness» and rationality that the «trillionaires» teach from Islam? But where does it always go when it comes to rulers?
Finally, we do not deny that even a tyrannical ruler can change himself and his policies with the help of Allah. And we want these changes to happen peacefully in Egypt, without endangering the country’s millions. But these changes must be manifested in actions, and if we are talking about el-Sisi, then in actions on his part, especially since he has all the possibilities to do so. And those religious figures who were impressed by el-Sisi’s emotional display, if they also want good for him, should call him to it, especially since, according to Ildar Khasrat’s words, he offered to discuss everything freely with them. But we did not hear their calls to release Muslim political prisoners, to change the policy of fear in the country to a policy of reconciliation, or to call for cooperation with Muslim peoples and countries rather than with their enemies.
Instead, we heard their enthusiasm for the noodles hanging from their ears. But this is not what we all need.
* — banned in Russia