Was it the right thing to do in Egypt?

Was the coup in Egypt the right thing to do?

In a legal setting a coup is an illegal act so it has the impression of being a wrong act. The RUSA invasion of Iraq in 2003 is a perfect example of an illegal military overthrow and is equitable to what is taking place in Egypt.

Now for the other part of Egyptian situation (which the RUSA also leaned so heavily on in 2003) asks this question: When you see a disaster about to take place and you feel it is one that must be stopped before it becomes reality, at what point do you step in to stop that?

Such a question is the very essence of politics and one that will forever remain in the balance of peace, order and good governance. The argument will be framed by the direction, actions, decisions and the projected outcomes if the deposed government had remained in power balanced by the comfort level of the people to agree to such directions. In the case of Egypt the people were very uncomfortable with the direction of the legal government.

The people of Egypt wanted an open society and that reality (as the people of Egypt felt) was eroding very quickly. The direction of the government was seen as more controlling, be more strict in religious doctrine and ultimately less open than what was hoped for. The final act was the redrafting of the Egyptian constitution which reflected a more Islamist society. The people of Egypt were against any overt symbols of constraint.

As the government sought to implement a single religion unto all the people, the people peacefully fought back. Attempts were made to ease the people into an Islamist state yet the government did not understand the gravity of the peoples’ desire for a non-secular state.

The world has seen too many wars caused by religious domination ideology. We have come to a point where spirituality is a personal choice. At this stage we have universal rights which transcend borders and can form the foundations of all societies. Societies rooted in religious settings are slowly becoming extinct. The need for universal equality, law and treatment of individuals is now the reality for our future. We have progressed to the point where the strict adherence to any one religion at the destruction of another is understood as hypocrisy.

Furthermore the context of the region must be understood. The war in Syria can not be discounted, nor the politics of Tunisia, Libya and the lesser knowns such as Baharain, Yemen, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The people of Egypt have seen their future in these countries and that was not very well liked.

The irony here is that mob rule is not wanted yet democracy is mob rule and the mobs have spoken in Egypt three times. Once to kick out Mubarak, Once more to elect Mursi and another to kick Mursi out. Who is next in line for the boot?

Was it the right thing to do in kicking out the government? The people of Egypt thought so. For the rest of us we will debate that for the rest of time. The question that was in the minds of the Egyptian people was, we can avert a disaster if we act now or pay a very heavy toll later? They felt it was best to act now rather than face the possibility of paying later.