French Security Expert: To Fight Terrorism We Should Back ‘Egyptian de Gaulle’ el-Sisi

Eric Denécé, a director of the French Center for Intelligence Research (Centre Français de Recherche sur Renseignment, CF2R) think tank, in his latest editorial, apropos last week’s attacks, says that one of the best hopes for combatting terrorism comes to the trans-Atlantic sector from Egypt: “In the face of the obscurantism of mindless terrorists, indoctrinated and manipulated by radical and sectarian imams, serious reason for hope comes to us from Egypt. In effect, President [Abdel Fattah] el-Sisi’s stance needs to be brought to light, his action welcomed and his initiatives supported.”

Denécé continues: “The same day that the weekly Charlie Hebdo was attacked and members of its editorial board massacred, another event of considerable weight—totally unknown about in France—took place in Egypt. President el-Sisi cut short his state visit to Kuwait in order to celebrate Coptic Christmas in Cairo [on Jan. 7].

“This is the first time in the history of Egypt — a state that has always been led by Sunnis — that the head of state had attended a Coptic Midnight Mass. Neither Mubarak, during his 30-year reign, nor his predecessors (Sadat, Nasser, nor King Farouk) had shown such consideration for the Christians of Egypt, who make up more than 20% of the population. On the contrary, the country’s leaders had always treated them as second-class citizens.

“President el-Sisi’s approach is exceptional and marks a true break in the wake of the bloody interlude that Egypt suffered under the regime of the Muslim Brotherhood. At the same time, it is an expression of great courage, of great humanity, and a remarkable sense of policy.

“Some days earlier, on the occasion of the New Year, the Egyptian head of state gave an astounding speech — which also went unnoticed in France — on the necessary challenging of certain Islamic texts.

“On Jan. 1st, at Cairo’s Al-Azhar University (the highest religious authority in the Sunni world), he stated that murders committed in the name of Islam were intolerable. He proposed, before millions of television viewers, that the texts written after the Koran — that is, the hadith and the sunnah — be reviewed by religious clergy in order to make them no longer serve as the basis for terrorist acts. Furthermore, he confirmed that it is inconceivable that 1.6 billion Muslims would want to kill the rest of the 7 billion people on the planet in order to live according to their religion.

“A former director of military intelligence, profoundly attached to his country, faithful to his Muslim creed, President el-Sisi, like most of his co-religionists, is aghast at the violence committed in the name of Islam by Daesh [isis], al-Qaeda, and the Muslim Brotherhood, and the number of victims in their wake. Because of their barbarism, these groups are in the process of provoking a profound debate within and throughout Muslim world, for a massive number of believers are disgusted by this tendency and reject this obscurantist reading of Islam.

“We should welcome the initiatives of the Egyptian head of state, insofar as he appears to be one of those rare men capable of pushing the boundaries in both the Middle East and within the Arab-Muslim world. His compatriots are not mistaken when they characterize him as the ‘Egyptian de Gaulle.’ We must also firmly support his first steps, since obviously all the extremists and radicals that Islam includes are staunchly opposed to him and henceforth treat him as an apostate.”