{"id":107809,"date":"2013-07-05T12:03:09","date_gmt":"2013-07-05T16:03:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/getreligion\/?p=107809"},"modified":"2013-07-05T12:15:00","modified_gmt":"2013-07-05T16:15:00","slug":"watching-for-the-ghosts-in-news-from-egypt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/getreligion\/2013\/07\/watching-for-the-ghosts-in-news-from-egypt\/","title":{"rendered":"Watching for ghosts in the news flashes from Egypt"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

<\/iframe>\n<\/p>A few journalistic thoughts while I continue to watch the waves of news coverage rolling in from Egypt:<\/p>\n* Over the past decade or two<\/strong>, I have attended a number of conferences and seminars with scholars and mainstream journalists \u2014 Christians and Muslims \u2014 who work in Islamic cultures. Most of our conversations have centered on freedom of the press, but it\u2019s hard to talk about freedom of expression in one part of life without getting into others, such as the protection of religious minorities.<\/p>\nHere is how I would sum up the main point I have heard from these journalists over the years: In the end, it doesn\u2019t matter what your constitution says about your rights if the police will not step in and stop rioters from killing people and burning either newsrooms or religious sanctuaries. Take your pick.<\/p>\n* Until the Pew pollsters<\/strong> come up with new data, I will continue to point GetReligion readers toward <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/getreligion\/2013\/07\/theres-more-to-egypts-pain-than-secularism-vs-religion\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\">those 2011 Pew Research Center numbers<\/a> indicating, among other things (care of one of my Scripps Howard columns):<\/p>\n<blockquote>\u201cEgyptians hold diverse views about religion. \u2026 About six-in-ten (62%) think laws should strictly follow the teachings of the Quran. However, only 31% of Egyptian Muslims say they sympathize with Islamic fundamentalists, while nearly the same number (30%) say they sympathize with those who disagree with the fundamentalists, and 26% have mixed views on this question.\u201d<\/p>\nMeanwhile, on two other crucial questions: \u201cRelatively few (39%) give high priority to women having the same rights as men. \u2026 Overall, just 36% think it is very important that Coptic Christians and other religious minorities are able to freely practice their religions.\u201d<\/p>\nSo while only 31 percent sympathize with \u201cfundamentalist\u201d Muslims, 60-plus percent decline to give high priority to equal rights for women and 62 percent believe Egypt\u2019s laws should STRICTLY follow the Quran.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n* Why do those numbers matter so much?<\/strong> When you look at what Egyptians say in polls and at the ballot box, it\u2019s pretty clear that \u2014 when it comes to desires for an Islamic state of some kind \u2014 the military leaders (religious views never stated) just acted against the will of a majority of Egyptians. However, they may have acted in the economic interests of the nation by favoring the more tolerant views of the more secular and moderate urban elites. Think tourism. Think international ties.<\/p>\nWe are back to an old, old question: Is it possible, in a land in which the majority of voters hunger for Islamic law, to defend the rights of religious minorities and secular liberals without the help of a military that is willing to oppress and jail Islamists? Think about that as you watch the unfolding campaign against President Mohamed Morsi and his followers.<\/p>\n* This leads me to note<\/strong> that, in the early coverage of the coup, The Los Angeles Times<\/em> \u2014 a newspaper I have lashed on a regular basis lately for weak coverage in the Middle East \u2014 had the best short <a href=\"http:\/\/www.latimes.com\/news\/nationworld\/world\/middleeast\/la-fg-egypt-morsi-20130704,0,5033651.story\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">summary of key religious elements<\/a> of the unfolding events. Want to see that?<\/p>\n<\/p>\nWhat is the key action taken by military chief Gen. Abdul-Fattah el-Sisi that was almost certainly missing from stories in your local newspapers, as well as in early reports from elite American newspapers and television operations?<\/p>\n<blockquote>The opposition had accused Morsi and the Brotherhood of one-dimensional vision to create an Islamic state at the expense of fixing the country\u2019s many ills, including poverty, power outages, plummeting foreign reserves, rising crime and dwindling tourism. \u2026<\/p>\nThe military, for decades one of Egypt\u2019s most respected institutions, ruled the country from Mubarak\u2019s ouster in 2011 until Morsi was inaugurated. But it was accused in that time of mass arrests and civil rights violations. It has said it does not want to return to power. To make its point, and show the face of an inclusive Egypt, Sisi invited Nobel laureate and opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei and Coptic Christian Pope Tawadros II to stand beside him during his national address.<\/p>\nElBaradei\u2019s appearance next to Sisi was a stark example of how much the political atmosphere has changed. ElBaradei, like other activists, was a fierce critic of military rule. But he was selected to represent the opposition in talks with the army and agreed on a coalition government after assurances that the country would be in the hands of civilians.<\/p><\/blockquote>\nIn other words, the military has the strong support of urban, pro-Western elites and oppressed religious minorities. But to build a coalition representing all of Egypt, it will need the support of some traditional Muslims, yet traditional Muslims who do not want to vote in a truly Islamic state. When has that not been the ultimate issue in Egypt (and elsewhere)?<\/p>\n* Or will there be a civil war<\/strong> or sweeping acts of terrorism on behalf of the Islamists who have seen their democratic, ballot-box victory nullified? The New York Times<\/em>, in second-day coverage, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2013\/07\/04\/world\/europe\/for-egypts-islamists-confusion-and-fear-amid-celebration.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20130704&pagewanted=print%20\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">offered this haunting passage<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote>In a tent nearby, a man who called himself Abu Mohamed said any coup would have consequences, hinting at the danger facing Egypt as Islamists saw their political gains thwarted, and some considered violence to regain their rights.<\/p>\n\u201cThere will be a strong reaction,\u201d Abu Mohamed said, as he ate his breakfast and his friends warned against speaking too frankly. \u201cIt is either the ballot box, or the bullet box.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\nAnd in the streets, Islamists faced the armed military:<\/p>\n<blockquote>At the protest, the army was the villain, for daring to challenge not just the president, but Egypt\u2019s new civilian authority. Half an hour later, when the army descended, the balance of power between Egypt\u2019s two most powerful forces, the military and the Islamists, was tested.<\/p>\nThe confrontation was awkward and explosive. Protesters met the armored vehicles as they arrived, and shoved the commanding officer who had drawn his pistol. Soldiers fired their weapons in the air. A protester lifted his shirt, daring soldiers to shoot.<\/p>\nThen it calmed, as some protesters, desperate for an ally, tried to bring the soldiers to their side. \u201cTake care of Egypt!\u201d one man said. Some of the soldiers were distracted by the pleas, and seemed torn. Then the commander spoke, saying the army was there to protect the protest.<\/p>\n\u201cI will not fire,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t want to go to hell.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\nYes, in the end, will the police or the military stop a riot?<\/p>\n* A final thought:<\/strong> As I have stressed many times here at GetReligion, try to remember \u2014 as you read coverage from Egypt \u2014 the practical realities facing reporters there. How safe is it for reporters to travel, right now, outside Cairo and urban areas that tend, for obvious reasons, to lean away from the majority of Egyptian voters? When noting gaps in coverage, it\u2019s important to pay attention to which news organizations are paying attention to the religious elements of these stories at all.<\/p>\nFor example, most stories mention threats to tourism. What\u2019s that all about? What are the practical, street-level actions taken by Morsi and his supporters (and Islamists much more extreme than the Muslim Brotherhood) that are linked to that? How is that affecting the economy?<\/p>\nMany journalists have paid close attention to the affairs of the young \u201csecular\u201d activists (religious views often unknown), yet appear to be blind when it comes to trends in Egypt that are affecting Coptic Christians, Muslim sects, Jews and others in minority groups.<\/p>\nSo ponder this: Coptic Orthodox leaders are normally very cautious, after centuries of oppression, when it comes to picking fights with Egypt\u2019s rulers. Were there events this time, other than the new Islamic constitution, that prodded Pope Tawadros II to step forward this time?<\/p>\nStay tuned. Please help us find the best coverage of what is happening in Egypt.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A few journalistic thoughts while I continue to watch the waves of news coverage rolling in from Egypt: * Over the past decade or two, I have attended a number of conferences and seminars with scholars and mainstream journalists \u2014 Christians and Muslims \u2014 who work in Islamic cultures. Most of our conversations have centered […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":610,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35,7,63,56,3,24,19],"tags":[1911,209,176,547,15473,211],"class_list":["post-107809","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-islam","category-journalism","category-middle-east","category-orthodoxy","category-politics","category-world","category-world-religions","tag-democracy","tag-egypt","tag-human-rights","tag-islamists","tag-religious-liberty","tag-sharia"],"yoast_head":"\n<title>Watching for ghosts in the news flashes from Egypt<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A few journalistic thoughts while I continue to watch the waves of news coverage rolling in from Egypt: * Over the past decade or two, I have attended a\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/getreligion\/2013\/07\/watching-for-the-ghosts-in-news-from-egypt\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Watching for ghosts in the news flashes from Egypt\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A few journalistic thoughts while I continue to watch the waves of news coverage rolling in from Egypt: * Over the past decade or two, I have attended a\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/getreligion\/2013\/07\/watching-for-the-ghosts-in-news-from-egypt\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"GetReligion\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-07-05T16:03:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2013-07-05T16:15:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"tmatt\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"tmatt\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/getreligion\/2013\/07\/watching-for-the-ghosts-in-news-from-egypt\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/getreligion\/2013\/07\/watching-for-the-ghosts-in-news-from-egypt\/\",\"name\":\"Watching for ghosts in the news flashes from Egypt\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/getreligion\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2013-07-05T16:03:09+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2013-07-05T16:15:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/getreligion\/#\/schema\/person\/76ce2260a572ff41a28fb285de9350f1\"},\"description\":\"A few journalistic thoughts while I continue to watch the waves of news coverage rolling in from Egypt: * Over the past decade or two, I have attended a\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/getreligion\/2013\/07\/watching-for-the-ghosts-in-news-from-egypt\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/getreligion\/2013\/07\/watching-for-the-ghosts-in-news-from-egypt\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/getreligion\/2013\/07\/watching-for-the-ghosts-in-news-from-egypt\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/getreligion\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Watching for ghosts in the news flashes from Egypt\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/getreligion\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/getreligion\/\",\"name\":\"GetReligion\",\"description\":\""The press . . . just doesn't get religion." - 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