The Real Threat Is the Military, Not the Islamists: Egyptian Human Rights Activist

Atef Said

The web-site of the “socialist, feminist, anti-racist organization” Solidarity has posted an interview with Egyptian human rights activist and lawyer Atef Said, currently completing a PhD at the University of Michigan.

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Said lays out his view of the progress of the revolution, in which SCAF (which he describes in fairly monolithic terms) is clearly the greatest obstacle:

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Since February 11, SCAF has proven to be working against the revolution. An Egyptian critic described the current situation as a half coup d’état and half revolution. It is half coup d’état in the sense that the military is showing that it wants to control the future of Egypt, and to limit this beautiful and powerful revolution into a superficial change, one controlled by a military regime. And it is half a revolution, in the sense that no significant social and economic changes have occurred for the benefit of the majority of Egyptian people.

He dismisses concerns over the Muslim Brotherhood’s electoral gains and, while less happy about the Salafist showing, emphasizes:

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My view is that whoever is elected is better than the army, which has proven to be the leading force of the counterrevolution, working with the support of Saudi Arabia and the United States. Their purpose was to crush — not simply slow — the reform process. So I say that any elected body is better than SCAF staying in power.

You can read the full interview here.