I and the household of the Prophet peace be upon him nominate Abd Al-Fattah Al-Sisi

A headline in one of the newspapers reads: “Sisi has met God twice”. This is a headline that would have shaken Egypt had it been used at a different time about a different man. This is a discourse that bestows upon him (that Sisi) a special form of support.

(Clip of a turbaned man speaking in what appears to be a religious gathering) “I and the household of the Prophet peace be upon him nominate Abd Al-Fattah Al-Sisi. In doing so, we are only obeying Al-Hussein (the grandson of the Prophet himself).

(This is) a discourse of a new type in Egypt. It is causing concern for it surpasses the dividing fine and dangerous lines that separate the glorification of a person as a politician from elevating him to other forbidden (sacred) levels.

(Clip of the preacher Saad Al-Din Al-Hilali speaking before a large crowd of what seems to be an Interior Ministry function): “As God did before send on a mission two men, Moses and Aaron, here came Al-Sisi and Muhammad Ibrahim (the Interior Minister).”

Talking about himself, Sisi says that he possesses a special view of Islam. (clip of Sisi speaking in a recent Egyptian TV interview): “We have presented God in a way that is not befitting for His Almighty Status. This in absolute clarity is (what we have done). This requires from us, and requires, by the way, from all rulers to revise their positions.”

However, in his logic of rejecting the Islamists unveils a stark contradiction having joined hands with some of the mostintolerant and narrow-minded among them (the video shows the leader of Alnoor Salafi political party) at a previous moment necessitated by his personal political interest which he usually packages in religious expression and in weeping.

(A clip of Sisi addressing a groups of Sufi leaders in Egypt and appear to be tearful ): “It is hard for me to see people in agony fearful that life in Egypt might be wrecked. I (would not remain) indifferent. And this would not be doing good. I pray to God that this work will please our Lord.”

Sisi goes to extremes in exhibiting a quasi mystic style of religiosity which in essence is in contrast to the jurisprudential background of some of his allies who disagree over whether Islam is a religion of governance or one of mere rituals. When the matter is to do with turning the public against one’s foes, the second would be the option.And this is what prompted Sisi, as he himself says, to topple an Islamic current from power, which is the same power he has been seeking utilising a religious discourse that no one before him ever resorted to or exploited the way he does.He has described himself as someone who belongs to God’s camp. This is a discourse which critics say surpasses the mere exploitation of religion for material ends to using to justify murder. As for the lack of vision, this is camouflaged by the talk about the given. In this way, people’s poverty is seen as their fate, but neither more nor less. This is the manner in which it is very likely afterwards the accumulation of wealth may too be explained as divinely allocated sustenance.