“Feraman” is a Turkish word which means a political decree issued by the Sultan.

After the military coup of 1969, it took Muammar Gaddafi eight long years before he dared to assume all the legislative, executive and judicial powers in Libya. It came in his infamous Declaration of the Authority of the People in March 1977. On the other hand, the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt had no such qualms when they issued a similar decree which they called a Constitutional Declaration only five months after assuming power.

The Democratic Party in Libya never doubted the tyrannical nature of the Muslim Brotherhood but it admits it did not expect them to be in such a hurry. However, we must admit that they were true to their totalitarian creed and to their total disregard of all those who do not share their misguided interpretation of Islam.

Since its inception in the 1920s, the Muslim Brotherhood fought tooth and nail against the values and practices of democracy falsely in the name of Islam. They are a dictatorial organization which believes that all religious and political powers must be invested in the person of their leader, the Murshid. According to them, he should enjoy all the sweeping powers of the Caliphs and the Sultans used to possess. In their delusions they seek to resurrect the Khilafa – an Islamic superstate – with its seat of power in Cairo rather than in Istanbul.

Terms such as nation-state, democracy, human rights, rule of law, pluralism, separation of powers, accountability and transparency have no place in the lexicon of the Muslim Brotherhood. They believe these Western concepts should be shunned as a mark of Islamic purity.

The Egyptian people understand that the Brotherhood is intent on a total control of the Egyptian state and not merely the government. This is why the people are unequivocally demanding the downfall of the state of the Brotherhood. It is no longer an issue of the constitutional declaration or a referendum on the constitution.

The Democratic Party in Libya views the Muslim Brotherhood as a fascist cult which uses religion to further its lust for power and money. The Muslim Brotherhood party and its derivatives are heavily subsidized by Gulf money to subvert the long overdue rise of democracy in the region. We firmly support the Egyptian people’s quest to get rid of its evil menace and pray for a free and democratic Egypt.

Ahmed Shebani is Founder of The Democratic Party in Libya. Read other articles by Ahmed.