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Egypt Update: Michael Youssef and “the donkeys of the revolution”

5:06pm Friday, 4th February 2011  

Eternity interviews Dr Michael Youssef, an Egyptian evangelist with a Satellite TV ministry across the Middle East. With his audience Michael is the most famous graduate of Sydney's Moore College.

 

Dr Youssef do you think it is feasible for President Mubarak to stay in power?

You would really have to be a prophet to be able to answer that question. Nobody knows. The situation is deteriorating by the hour, not by the day, right now. The deterioration started because of the fact that many of his supporters are saving breath . You may have a million people in Tiriah square (in Cairo) but there are 79 million more Egyptians, many of whom are his supporters.

Now many of Mubarak’s supporters have come on to the streets too and that began the clash between the two groups. Sadly, I am afraid it is not going to end up very well.

Is it likely that the Muslim Brotherhood would get more power?

My biggest fear is that they have been working, plotting, organising, to take power since 1971, when Anwar Sadat released them from prison. They see this (unrest) as an opportunity. The word on the streets is that some of the Muslim Brotherhood are calling the so-called “secular liberals”, who really want democracy and are the ones who really started this whole thing, the “donkeys of the revolution”.

(As we talked, Dr Youssef he was uploading a post on this at michaelyoussef.com)

The Communists used to have a saying for people like that, they used to call them “useful idiots”.

Just like what happened in 1979 (in Iran), the Muslim Brotherhood will use these liberal people who genuinely want democracy. Once they get in and take power God have mercy on all of us.

In one of your blogs you compared Egypt to Iran and the fall of the Shah and you said the West should have supported the Shah. Do you have the same feeling about Mubarack?

Mubarak himself is a man who entered on a mission 30 years ago and that is to survive. I don’t think he has an ideology. Nasser was a socialist. Sadat was a capitalist. Mubarak is sort of inbetween. He said “I want to survive. I am going to do what I think is best for Egypt”.

So for 30 years he went about establishing peace, peace with Israel because that took the Egyptian economy out of war. He built things up. He privatised a lot of companies and banks. The economy grew last year by six and a half per cent which is the envy of any part of the Western world. The unemployment rate is about the same as the United States. So he is doing some good things.

On the other hand he sat on his hands when he saw the Muslim extremists bombing and killing Christians, and made promises and never followed through.

Many of the Christians were really upset that he would not be fair-minded. He  would. He would push on them a little bit and less on some of the Muslim Brotherhood leadership on the other hand.

He was walking a tight rope. But I think it has caught up with him now.

 

 There’s real question with authoritarian governments reaching their end.

 

I think his (Mubarak’s) announcement that he will not run again has pacified a lot of people. Of course the Muslim brotherhood is saying “We don’t just want him not to run, we want him out now”. Because if he goes out now they will have the chance to take power.

But if he waits till September (to step down) he will organise his succession plan in such a way that they will be shut out.

In the past Egyptian presidents have appointed a deputy who has become their successor. Is that what you think Mubarack is trying to do?

No question. He will probably wait a few more months for Omar Suleiyman, who is respected by every side, a military man and the head of the Egyptian equivilent to the CIA. Once he takes power he will be able keep things going on an even keel.

The islamicists, the Brotherhood, do not want this to happen.

Dr Youssef, how should Christians pray?

The Christians are really suffering. I want to appeal to all Christians in Australia to really pray. I have talked to Egyptian Christian leaders in their eighties. They did not open church last Sunday. This is the first time they can remember that happening.

The churches were closed on Sunday because of fear that if people come out of their houses they are not safe. So it is very very dangerous. People are running out of money—the banks are closed and the ATM machines are out of cash. Food is dwindling. Looting is going on. Young people are standing in front of buildings with sticks and knives to protect their possessions.

I am calling there every day. Everyday, things are getting worse.

Updates at michaelyoussef.com with links to cnn and fox interviews on Egypt

 

Dr Michael Youssef will tour Australia in May 2011. Details in the next Eternity.

 

 

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