Allam is recurrent media figure in Egypt, but also often used as a pundit on security issues by foreign newspapers. He also has something of a legendary status among Egyptian leftists, who say he was an orchestrator of the Sadat-era campaign to encourage the rise of Islamist groups such as the Gamaa Islamiya in the 1970s to counter the communist and Nasserist left. Personally I think both his knowledge about the current security situation is exaggerated — he is retired after all and I’ve rarely heard him say anything particularly interesting or new — and his role in some grand plan to crush the Egyptian left may be more legend than reality.
Quite aside from whether Habib’s accusation are valid or not, this kind of statement makes you wonder about the settling of accounts that might take place should there be a radical change of regime in the next few years. A lot of people have been complicit in a lot of bad things over the years, things no one knows about officially but many have heard of through Chinese whispers or stories activists and political junkies like to tell. One of the bizarre aspects of Egyptian life at this moment is that while all kinds of extremely serious accusations regularly fly around, there are rarely if ever any consequences. Investigations are not launched, the accused rarely sue for libel, accusations aren’t followed up. Much like the press itself, which shouts in outrage at the top of its lungs but never seems to have an actual impact on things, these allegations seem to exist in a media vacuum entirely disconnected from real life.
This is not the first time the MB make these claims. I myself heard it from several MBs in interviews back in 2002 and 2003.
Allam was the deputy head of State Security police, and has been in the force since the 1950s. It was rumoured he interrogated Sayyed Qutb himself, but according to an interview I had with him in 2003, he denied that, and said he just met him in court.
Allam retired in 1988, so he’s not that in touch with what’s happening now. He’s still good to be interviewed on historical issues that he witnessed himself before his retirement.
What Habib announced was not new, and actually routinely said in public. But his statements gained significance, coz it’s the 25th anniversary of Sadat’s infamous “September Detentions”, and the (opposition and independent) media has been giving wide coverage to anything said about that period of history.
By the way, Al-Masry Al-Youm reported today Allam was filing a lawsuit against Habib over the latter’s accusations.
Re: Allam’s role in countering the Left by unleashing the MB on them: In the same interview I had with him in 2003, he said he had voiced his concerns over that strategy in the 1970s and did not have to do anything with it… I’m not sure I buy that completely. It’s well known fact that he was in charge of the “MB portfolio”, and he was part of the security team that oversaw the Islamists’ activities. Not a single thing the state could have done vis a vis the MB without his consent or fingerprint.
Well, let’s see if he actually goes through with the libel suit… I bet he doesn’t.