Nasser’s Egypt was built upon the solidity of a one-party
system. His regime controlled all
aspects of Egyptian government and policy.
Historically, this system of government has led to the formation of
opposition towards the ruling party, often considered to be oppressive and
undemocratic. However, Nasser was able
to keep Egypt in a state of peace, without rebellion, much easier than his
fellow autocrats. An obvious reason for
this is the illegalization of opposition parties, anti-party movements, and
political dissidence. Many groups of
opposing beliefs were purged or driven deep underground. Nasser’s regime differs from other one-party
rulers, however, in the way it used reformation to quell protesting as
well. Nasser identified the key
demographic that was prone to opposition, the young, educated, urban lower and
middle classes. These students and
former students were intelligent enough to question their government and
uncomfortable enough to want to. Nasser’s
party poured money into the higher education system, eventually eradicating
tuition and in many cases, all fees associated with university life. Most importantly, he gave every graduate of
university an opportunity to be employed by the government. This transitioned the university campus from
a breeding ground of political dissent into a factory churning out educated party
supporters.
Many
of the opposition parties organizing now in the Middle East and North Africa use
the teachings of Islam as the background of their political platforms. These organizations want their nations to
follow the Quran closely, and use it as a governmental tool. Algeria has seen this historically and in the
present day. When the nation’s first
open elections showed signs that the Islamists would be the nationalist party
that gained its independence, the military shut down the voting process and
took control of the country. Today, the
Islamic party holds the 2nd most seats in the Algerian
parliament. I believe that Islamist
movements have gained support throughout the MENA region because the teachings
and culture of Islam act as a unifying factor to the diverse populations of
these nations. The citizens of nations whose borders were drawn by European imperialists
may have trouble connecting with their citizens as nationalists, but they can
easily relate to each other as Muslims.
To that accord, Islam provides the unity that citizens can embrace.
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