-OpEd-
CAIRO — Egypt was celebrating the end of Ramadan this year amid increasingly dire economic, social and humanitarian conditions. Waves of soaring prices have crushed Egyptians, pushing many of them into poverty. That is mainly due to government policies aimed at cutting spending on public services and subsidies.
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In this context, charitable work is important. It embodies social solidarity, attempts to alleviate suffering and bridges the gap between what the state should provide and actually does provide.
Islamic and Christian religious institutions lead this type of charitable work directly or through their affiliated bodies and associations. They help poor families meet their needs through providing cash or in-kind assistance.
Even in secular countries, the role of religious institutions is no longer limited to matters of faith, theology and religious services. In poor countries, the charitable work of religious institutions is badly needed to help keep people afloat, complementing the minimum health, education and other public services they received from the government.
But such institutions often find themselves the crosshairs of secular and civil movements that view their growing charitable role as evidence of the decline of civil state institutions or that fear the spread of radical religious movements and their associated conservative cultural and social pattern.
Eventually, it degrades freedoms, as people find themselves prisoners who follow the directions of the entities that provide services.
The Egyptian dilemma
A further dilemma in Egypt is that charitable religious institutions support the government’s economic policies and its repercussions through their activities and their leaders’ statements. And the government has long used religious institutions to justify and pass its policies — whether the Socialist policies of former President Gamal Abdel Nasser, or the open capitalist policies of his successor, Anwar Sadat.
Today, this trend is strongly evident with economic issues, some of which are a matter of controversy and disagreement. Religious institutions are usually supportive of government policies and hold the weaker party and the people responsible for these crises. They completely ignore those who have actually caused such crises.
Religious institutions — Al-Azhar University, the Endowment ministry and Dar Al-Ifta, Egypt’s Islamic advisory, justiciary and governmental body — as well as the Orthodox, Catholic and Evangelical churches have played roles in supporting current economic policies.
They have collected donations for some government funds and called on Egyptians to be satisfied with the status quo. Their speeches and statements on the soaring prices make clear their view and interpretation of the problem. They agree that the current crisis is caused by the monopoly of merchants who stocked goods to increase the prices, and is, therefore, a problem created by the people.
That is analysis is deficient, incorrect and misleading.
Where are the state institutions?
That analysis excludes the state’s role in setting the economic policies and in monitoring markets to ensure competition and prevent monopolies. The state also has a responsibility to mitigate the repercussions and help people overcome their effects.
Whoever exploits people’s circumstances, monopolizes goods, and sells them at exaggerated prices has committed a forbidden act.
In a document on the future of Egypt, Al-Azhar stressed the importance of “implementing the jurisprudence of priorities in achieving development and social justice, and eliminating unemployment in a way that unleashes society’s energies and creativity in the economic aspects and social programs.”
But statements by Al-Azhar officials have contradicted that document. They support the government’s policies and view that the crisis is caused by the monopoly of goods by merchants. The Grand Imam of al-Azhar, Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayeb, has warned merchants that “monopolizing goods and raising prices is a great crime that ruins people’s lives and livelihoods.”
In the same vein, a fatwa from Dar Al-Iftaa said that “whoever exploits people’s circumstances, monopolizes goods, and sells them at exaggerated prices has committed a forbidden act, due to the harm resulting from his exploitation of people’s need for such goods.”
Coptic Pope
The Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria has also defended the government’s political and economic orientations. He believes that the government’s construction of a New Administrative Capital is evidence of that the state is successfully confronting poverty and that causes of the crisis are external.
Egypt is big and resources are limited.
“Egypt is a country with a large population and its resources are limited, and there are challenges around us in all aspects that the Egyptian state faces, as we are connected to the entire world,” Tawadros said.
The charitable services provided by religious institutions are necessary in this hard time, and should be provided to all Egyptians and non-Egyptians in Egypt no matter their religion or political views or affiliations. These services should be linked to temporary economic and social conditions, because the state should address these challenges and provide solutions to help improve Egyptians’ living conditions.
As religious institutions are not able to criticize the government policies, they should not justify its failure or promote policies of impoverishment.
