Political and Religious Histories of Egypt

Political and Religious Histories of Egypt
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Every civilization is developed upon regulations and rules. Looking at the ancient Egypt, government revolved centrally on a single figure (the Pharaoh) who was believed to be a living god. This privilege granted the pharaoh limitless control and power over his subjects. Pharaoh was the ruler of ancient Egypt and was the head of state, and the divine leader representing gods on earth. People therefore worshipped him as a god. Ancient Egypt was a theocratic state because it was ruled by religious authority. Religion and government were intertwined in ancient Egypt. Masoud (2014) explained that government and religion created order in the society, which led to establishment of trade with neighbors, development of taxation, laws, and territorial defense, and construction of temples. The pharaoh was aided by a hierarchy of officials, advisors, administrators, and priests, who had responsibilities for people’s welfare and affairs of the country. Ancient Egypt accomplished such stability because of all levels of the population cooperated.
The modern Egypt is the product of a historically based political and religious culture and of endeavors of its founding leaders (Anwar as Sadat and Gamal Abdul Nasser). The country has been ruled by powerful centralized authority since ancient period, when irrigated agriculture was managed successfully under pharaoh’s authority. Such successful management ascended pharaohs’ powers and thus were considered as absolute god-kings. Such experience created a tendency toward authoritarian government which persisted into the modern era (Masoud, 2014). Though, the modern Egyptian state remained under authoritarian rule, such rule was not unconditionally accepted. Its authority depended on loyalty to certain public expectations.
In the past, Egypt was suppressed by foreign rule for several centuries. It struggled for long to gain its independence and its continued dependency on other nations created a powerful nationalism which developed national legitimacy and consequently influenced the authoritarian state to be accepted in the country. After the Arab invasion during the 70th century A.D, most people expected the country to be ruled based on the community spirit and true faith and in accordance to Islamic norms (Masoud, 2014). Consequently, the country legitimized itself in terms of Islamic norms of justice. In recent years, the political consciousness has spread among citizens and this has put rulers under increasing pressure to accept people’s demands and accommodate the spirit of democratic participation.
The nationalist-reformi...