Egyptian Women’s Rights Activist Iqbal Baraka Slams the Muslim Brotherhood for Hypocrisy: They Have Learned from Turkish PM Erdogan, an "Extremely Despicable" and "Dangerous" Man

Interviewer: What about the implementation of the Turkish model in Egypt? As you know, the religious movement rules in Turkey, yet the world is dazzled by the Turkish model. Do you think this model is possible in Egypt?

Iqbal Baraka: I am not dazzled by the Turkish model at all. Allow me to disagree with you. I feel that Erdoğan is an extremely despicable man, who tries to have his cake and eat it. He portrays himself to the world as someone who is not an Islamist, and who does not want a religious state, while his political party is a religious party…

Interviewer: But Turkish society enjoys full liberties. Every citizen can do whatever he likes – from the religious perspective, as well as politically and socially.

Iqbal Baraka: But there is ban on religious political parties, and he is making all efforts to abolish this article in the constitution. He wants the religious parties to support him. Erdoğan is a dangerous man. By the way, the West is onto him. There are politicians and analysts in the West, who see and understand everything. Erdoğan conducted an all-out campaign to restore the hijab to Turkish universities, and his wife wears the hijab.

Interviewer: Do you think that the choice of a Copt as the vice president of their party is a form of propaganda, or of concealing their true beliefs?

Iqbal Baraka: Of course. They are liars. In their platform, they said that they would not allow a Copt to rule Egypt. Of course we kicked up a fuss following this, and I was the first to respond to them on the basis of the Islam and the shari'a they said: "no to a woman and n to a Copt." They have no right to deny anybody the opportunity to rule Egypt, and to prevent him from having political aspirations. They have no right. What kind of party is this, which says: "Those can, and these cannot"? How can a nation of 85 million be ruled in such a naïve way? The mixing of the sexes at university is a must. I reiterate: It is a must, because it prepares young men and women for life. Fortunately, the Egyptians by nature object to such things. Even at the lowest levels, not just the intellectuals, the secular, and so on…

Interviewer: We are always inclined to the middle of the road.

Iqbal Baraka: The middle of the road is Egypt's soul. Egypt does not like extremism. Let me tell you an historical anecdote. When the Fatimids ruled Egypt, they made it Shiite for I don't know how long. The day after they left, all the Egyptians became Sunni again. Women have fought for the liberation of Egyptian women. But now, the Muslim Brotherhood, whose members are the enemies of women, and who see nothing good in women, and who try to hide women under chairs and behind screens, so they won't be seen, and who dress her up in a niqab or a hijab if she absolutely must leave the house… These people will ultimately win seats in parliament. Why? Because they have "holy money," and they are well organized. They take a woman and make her a candidate, even if she doesn't want to, and has nothing to do with politics. She has been brought up to believe that her role is to stay at home, and to take care of her husband and her children. All of a sudden, she is thrown into the political fray, and money is spent on her. It is very likely that in the future parliament, three-quarters of the members will be women wearing the hijab, and seven-eighths will be women wearing the niqab, and they will be defending the freedom of women, the freedom of Egyptians. How can that be?!

Interviewer: Did you get a response from the Salafis?

Iqbal Baraka: The Salafis do not dare to talk back to me, because they know that my religious education is ten times better than theirs. I do not support the niqab. I am in favor of abolishing it completely, because it is a ruse used by thieves and thugs to carry out more crimes. People do a disservice to this great religion by assuming that they can force a woman, created by Allah, to hide behind an ugly black curtain this way. This is a despicable thing, which is meaningless. We must fight it in the clearest and bravest manner. There is no niqab in Islam, and it must be banned in Egypt by law.