As the first anniversary of Mohammed Morsi’s assumption of the Egyptian presidency approaches, it has become evident that the economic and political conditions of the country are dire. While unemployment rises, foreign reserves dwindle and the Egyptian pound dips, two important dynamics appear to be steering the Egyptian political scene.

The first is the apparent Ikhwanization (“Brotherhoodization”) of the state, that is, as Kawa Hassan defines it, the process by which the Muslim Brotherhood “imposes its vision on the state and society by appointing its senior members to positions in state institutions.” As a result, the second feature of the current period is the growing mobilization of the Rebel, or Tamarod, campaign, a petition-based initiative seeking to collect signatures in support of a vote of no confidence in Morsi and which has started to organize mass rallies to take place on June 30. These two activities, and indeed the current state of affairs in general, serve to refute some of the common misperceptions about Morsi’s regime and the Muslim Brotherhood. More important, accurate assessment of them point illustrate the challenges facing Morsi’s opposition.

The most hotly debated question, and source of misperception, about the Morsi regime involves Ikhwanization versus Islamization of the state. The latter refers to the process through which Morsi’s policies are allegedly steadily creating a theocratic state. This view is backed by the hostile rhetoric toward Coptic and women’s rights as well as the rise of sentences for blasphemy and being offensive toward the president. For instance, Ahmed Duma, an activist, was sentenced on June 3 to six months in prison for criticizing Morsi on social networks.

The distinction between Islamization and Ikhwanization and the accompanying discourses is of critical importance, as it is the latter that provides a more accurate and contextual point of analysis of Morsi’s policies. Indeed, a most dangerous practice common among various writers and commentators on Egyptian politics is their use of the two terms interchangeably, thus resulting in misinformed critiques of Morsi and a certain unfounded romanticism of the Mubarak era.