INDEPENDENT ISLAMIC STATES

Egypt

Official Name: Arab Republic of Egypt (EG)

Capital city; : Cairo

Important Cities: Alexandria, Ismailiyya, Asyut, Jize, Port Said, Minya, Aswan, Suez,

                                     Tanta, Dimyat.

Area: 1,001,450 km2

Nüfusu       : 102.896.000[1]

Number of People Per Km2: 103

Ethnicity: Arabs make up about 91 per cent of Egypt's population. 91.5 per cent of Arabs are Muslims and the rest are Christians. The second most important ethnic element is the Copts, who constitute 7% of the population. All Copts are Christians. Copts have their own language.

Language: The official language is Arabic. Almost all of the people speak Arabic. Some small ethnic elements speak their local languages among themselves.

Religion: The official religion is Islam. 91% of the population is Muslim. The remaining population consists of Orthodox Christians of Coptic origin. Almost all of the Muslims are Sunnite, the majority of them are Shafi'i and a significant part of them are Hanafi.

     In Egypt today, the celebrations on the night of Qandil constitute an important aspect of religious-sufistic life. One of the indispensable elements of Sufi life is the numerous shrines and maqams. Some of the widespread orders are as follows: Kâdiriyye, Rifâiyye, Şâzeliyye, Bedeviyye, Burhâniyye. Halvetiyya.

     The churches and synagogues built next to the mosques, each with different architectural features, give an interesting religious texture and mosaic image. The week holiday for Muslims is on Friday, while Christians and Jews have holidays on Saturday and Sunday. Banks are closed on Friday and Saturday.

Geographical Situation: Egypt, one of the northeast African countries, is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea from the north, the Red Sea and Palestine from the east, Sudan from the south, and Libya from the west. The highest place is Mount Katerina (2637 m.) in the Sinai peninsula. The most important river is the Nile. Only 4% of its territory is agricultural area and the rest is desert. A significant part of the arable land is located in the Nile valley.

Mode of Government: Egypt is ostensibly governed by a multi-party democratic system. The country is governed by a constitution promulgated on 11 September 1971. The president, who is the top executive, has broad powers. The president is elected by universal suffrage. However, all presidential elections held after the 1952 coup d'état have been single-candidate elections, and that single candidate has always received more than 90 per cent of the vote. The prime minister is appointed by the president. Legislative power is vested in the 454-member parliament, whose members are elected by universal suffrage. However, since the elections are held by open ballot and secret count, the ruling party receives more than 90 per cent of the votes in each election, even though the majority of the population is against the current system. Opposition parties boycotted the last general elections in 1991 on the grounds that they were not fair and honest. In Egypt, Islamic provisions are applied in special cases such as marriage and divorce, while European laws imported from Europe are applied in trade, punishment and administrative mechanisms. In other words, a mixed legal system is dominant.

Members of International Organisations: It is a member of international organisations such as the UN, OIC[2], Arab League, Organisation of African Unity, IMF, Islamic Development Bank.

Political Parties: National Democratic Party: Batı yanlısı ve laik bir anlayışa sahiptir. Labour (Amal) Party: Daha önce sosyalist çizgide olan bu parti bugün İslâmî bir çizgiyi benimsemiş bulunuyor. Partinin bu çizgiyi benimsemesinde en önemli etken (İhvan-ı Müslimin) Müslüman Kardeşlerin bu partiyle ilişki içine girmesi ve genel başkan İbrahim Şükri’nin bu ilişkiden sonra İslâmî anlayışı bütünüyle kabul etmesi oldu. Çalışma Partisi’nin İslâmî çizgiyi benimsemesinden sonra sosyalist anlayışa bağlı kalmakta ısrar edenler partiden ayrıldılar. Partinin çıkardığı eş-Şa’b (Halk) adlı gazetede Müslüman Kardeşler mensubu birçok yazar da yazı yazıyor. New Wafd Party: Yaşlı siyasetçi Fuad Siracuddin’in liderliğindeki bu parti batıcı, liberal ve laik bir anlayışı savunmaktadır. Ahrar (Freedmen) Party: Mustafa Kâmil Murad’ın liderliğindeki Ahrar Party de Arap milliyetçiliğini ve batıcı, laik anlayışı savunur.

History: Egypt was conquered by the Islamic army under the command of Amr bin As (r.a.) during the reign of Hz. Umar (r.a.) between 639 - 642. After this date, Egypt was ruled by governors under the caliphate until 868. In 868, the administration of Egypt passed into the hands of the Tolunids of Turkish origin. The rule of the Tolunids lasted until 905. After this date, it again passed into the hands of the Abbasids representing the caliphate and remained under their rule until 934. The Fatimids, whose headquarters were in Tunisia before, dominated Egypt and moved their headquarters to Cairo in 973. The Fatimids used various forms of oppression to spread their beliefs everywhere. The Fatimids' reign in Egypt lasted until 1171. At this date, Egypt came under the rule of the Ayyubids founded by Saladin Ayyubi. Ayyubids ruled Egypt until 1250. After this date, Mamluks started to rule Egypt. The Mamluks enabled the Abbasid caliphate to continue its existence in Cairo after Baghdad was occupied by the Mongols. The reign of the Mamluks lasted until the Ottomans conquered Egypt in 1517. When Egypt was conquered by the Ottomans, the caliphate also passed to the Ottoman state. After this date, Egypt started to be ruled by a governor loyal to the Ottoman state, i.e. the caliphate. However, in 1805, Mehmed Ali Pasha of Kavalalı, the governor of Egypt, rebelled against the caliphate and established a semi-independent administration in Egypt. After Mehmed Ali Pasha, people from his family continued to rule Egypt as governors, but in a manner detached from the Porte Ali. During the period when these governors ruled the country, the British entered Egypt through various means and started to have a say in the government in Egypt. In 1914, Egypt was completely occupied by the British. Direct British occupation lasted until 1922. On 15 March 1922, the country was officially granted independence. King Farouk's rule was ended by a military coup d'état on 26 July 1952. After the coup, Major General Mohammed Najib became the head of state. However, two years later, on 25 February 1954, Gamal Abd al-Nasser seized power and removed Najib from office. The Abd al-Nasser era was a period of dictatorship and oppression. Many Muslim scholars and thinkers, especially Abdul-Kadir Udeh and Sayyid Qutb, were executed during his time. The members of the Muslim Brotherhood were the ones who suffered the most from Abd al-Nasser's persecution. Many members of this community were imprisoned and most of them were released from prison only after the death of Abd al-Nasser. Abd al-Nasser advocated an Arab nationalism based on a socialist approach. During Abd al-Nasser's reign, Egypt fought two separate wars and was heavily defeated in both of them. The first of these was the Suez War of 1956. This war broke out after the Egyptian government decided to nationalise the Suez Canal. Upon this decision, Israel attacked Egypt in October 1956 in agreement with Britain and France. It was France and Britain, who had previously used the Suez Canal as they wished, who encouraged Israel to launch such an attack. Acting jointly with Britain and France, Israel occupied the Gaza region and the Sinai peninsula in this attack. However, due to some diplomatic reasons, it withdrew from these occupied territories on 7 March 1957. The second war was the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. The largest Arab-Israeli war was the June 1967 war, also known as the Six Day War. This war began with Israel's attack on Egypt on the morning of 5 June 1967. Israeli aircraft first bombed the airfields in the western part of Egypt over the Mediterranean Sea, destroying about 300 Egyptian military aircraft on the ground in about three hours. It has been suggested that during this attack Israeli aircraft were being resupplied from the American flotilla in the Mediterranean. Immediately afterwards, Israel launched a ground and air offensive against Gaza and the Sinai peninsula. Egyptian soldiers surrendered Gaza and Sinai to Israel without offering any serious resistance to this attack. It is argued that this incident also involved a betrayal by the then Egyptian president Gamal Abdel-Nasser. Egypt was able to regain the Sinai peninsula only with the signing of the Camp David agreement in 1978. After the death of Abd al-Nasser on 28 September 1970, Anwar Sadat assumed the presidency. Anwar Sadat initially followed a somewhat soft policy. He released the people who had been imprisoned by Abd al-Nasser because of their political thoughts. However, he later resorted to persecution and violence. The Camp David agreement, which enabled Egypt to officially recognise Israel and establish diplomatic relations, was signed during the Sadat era. After this agreement, most of the Arab countries cut diplomatic relations with Egypt. However, they resumed them later. Anwar Sadat was assassinated by a soldier on 6 November 1981. Hosni Mubarak was appointed as president after him. Mubarak surpassed Sadat in violence and cruelty. At the end of the great popular uprising called the Arab Spring, which started in February 2011, the Presidency left the administration to the Supreme Military Council. 'Muslim Brotherhood' became the first party in the elections. Hosni Mubarak and his aides were sentenced to heavy penalties in the trials.[3]

Internal Problems: The most important internal problem of Egypt is the public reaction caused by the state terror resulting from the inability of the government to integrate with the people and the political events caused by this reaction. There is a very heavy pressure especially on Islamic communities in Egypt. The fact that some communities respond to this heavy pressure with actual actions causes armed conflicts and violent incidents in the country from time to time. In order to find a legal basis for the state terrorism, the Egyptian government enacted a law called the 'Anti-Terrorism Law' on 16 July 1992. This law gives the security forces the right to arrest anyone they deem suspicious and detain them for six months without a court order. The law also stipulates that those who belong to or sympathise with Islamic communities, which the administration has designated as terrorist organisations, can be sentenced to up to five years of hard labour. The implementation of this law has further complicated the problem. Egyptian security forces organised air raids on Asyut and its surroundings, where Islamic communities are strong, at different times. In addition, some suburbs of the capital Cairo were attacked by large military units. Many people were killed. Again, many people were executed by court decision because of their belonging to Islamic movements.

External Problems: Egypt has a Halayib issue with Sudan. This issue was raised by the Egyptian administration after the Sudanese administration decided to apply Islamic laws in the country. All these problems were raised by Egypt after the Sudanese government adopted an Islamic line.

Islamism in the country: The repression of the Islamic movement began during the British occupation and continued uninterruptedly. State terrorism took the lives of many people of Islamic understanding. Therefore, the Islamic movement in Egypt was not successful enough in attracting the mass base into the actual struggle. Nevertheless, it achieved great success in bringing Islamic understanding to the people. In Egypt, which can be considered as the cradle of the Islamic movement aiming to revive this institution after the abolition of the caliphate and to make Islam dominant in the state, the Muslim Brotherhood is the community with the widest mass base. The founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, which has a highly organised hierarchical structure, is Hasan al-Banna. The Muslim Brotherhood has spread to almost all Arab countries. This organisation also has activities in many European countries. The Muslim Brotherhood does not engage in actual actions. Its activities generally consist of notification and invitation activities. He established some social and commercial organisations. However, the government closed all of them without any justification. Their activities through publications are prevented by the state. After the Muslim Brotherhood, the most prominent and active group is the Tanzim al-Jihad movement, which has adopted the ideas of Prof. Omar Abdurrahman. The members of this community are in favour of a tough struggle against the regime and occasionally engage in armed actions. There is no good hierarchical structure within this community. The other community is the Islamic Community. This community concentrates its activities mainly among university students. One of the leading Islamic communities in Egypt is the Islamic Hidayah Jama'at, led by Hafez Salamah. This organisation focuses more on education and has opened several educational institutions. Some congregations with headquarters outside Egypt, such as Hizbu't-Tahrir and Tabligh, also have activities in Egypt.

Economy: Egyptian economy is based on agriculture, animal husbandry and tourism. Agriculture is mostly carried out in the Nile valley. The share of income from agricultural products and livestock in the gross domestic product is 20 per cent. 40% of the working population is employed in these sectors. Cotton is the main agricultural product produced. In addition, cereals and various vegetables are also produced. Fishing is also common. Some minerals such as iron, phosphate, manganese, zinc and gold ore are mined in Egypt. Some petrol is also produced. Forest products are also utilised to a certain extent. Egypt is a very rich country in terms of historical artefacts. Amr bin As, Hz. Hussein, Sultan Hassan, Ezher, Tulunoğlu, Imam Shafii, Mehmed Ali Pasha mosques and pyramids in Cairo are among the leading historical monuments. There are museums in Cairo where many ancient and Islamic artefacts are exhibited. All these historical riches attract many tourists to Egypt. It closes part of the deficit in its foreign trade with tourism revenues.

Currency: Egyptian Junaï.

National Income per Capita: 3,832 USD[4]

Foreign Trade: The main exports are cotton, textiles, phosphate, manganese and various agricultural products. The main imports are transport vehicles and spare parts, defence equipment, machinery, chemicals, foodstuffs, mining products and petroleum products. The UK and Italy take the first place in foreign trade. Then comes the USA and Israel.

Industry: The leading industrial enterprises are those involved in the production of foodstuffs, soft drinks and cigarettes. Industrial establishments of this nature make up about 28% of all industrial establishments. Textile and leather factories and garment workshops come second. Industrial establishments related to these sectors constitute 18% of all industrial establishments. A significant portion of the cotton produced in Egypt is processed in its own factories. In addition to this, there are industrial organisations related to iron and steel, construction, electrical equipment, production of some mechanical tools, production of metal and earthenware, chemistry, furniture, paper, medicine, plastic etc. sectors. The share of industrial income in the gross domestic product is 20 per cent. About 13% of the working population is employed in the industrial sector.

Energy: Electric energy is obtained 75.5% from thermal power plants and 24.50% from hydroelectric power plants. Annual electricity consumption per capita is 754 kw/hour on average.

Transportation:

Health: Egypt has 1600 hospitals, 33.530 doctors, 6000 dentists, 50.000 nurses. There is one doctor for 1700 people.

Education: Primary education starts at the age of 6 and both primary and secondary education last six years each. There are 15,000 primary schools, 6600 general secondary schools and 550 vocational secondary schools. 75% of primary school children can benefit from this education. There are 14 universities, 6 colleges and 26 research institutes in Egypt. Al-Azhar University, which has a long history, is a symbol of Egypt. However, today this university has lost its former status and level to a great extent. There are educational institutions at all levels within al-Azhar. The rate of university enrolment among young people of university age in Egypt is 20 per cent. 4.2 per cent of those over 25 years of age have higher education. The rate of those who can read and write is 49 per cent.

[1]   www.ticaret.gov.tr(October-2021 Access)

[2]   www.oic-oci.org

[3]    www.enfal.de(October-2021 Access)

[4]    www.ticaret.gov.tr(October-2021 Access)