Brutal, violent Islamism rising in mideast, not democracy
YnetNews writes about how we can't count democracy coming to the middle east where Islam dominates:
Many festive words had been written and uttered this past month in respect to “democracy” and “popular uprisings.” We were told about the downfall of Middle Eastern tyrants as if this is the 1989 Eastern Europe. A more realistic view may seek new democracies yet discover anarchy, death, aggressive rulers and radical political Islam waiting to take over.And what might that be? Just more of the savage same, no more, no less. It's the mideast becoming overrun with blackness.
There is not even one beginning of democracy in any of the “revolutions” we are seeing around us.
People are talking about Facebook and Twitter, yet in practice we have violent tribes competing for oil, as is the case in Libya, vengeful sects like in Bahrain, hostile regions that seek to disengage in Yemen, as well as wounded military establishments and severe violence.
[...]
If there is one change in Egypt, it has to do with the blunt emergence of the Muslim Brotherhood, which mocks democracy. The Islamists are already feeling like the state’s future masters.
The provocative return of the Egyptian Khomeini, Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi, was meant to grant this revolution a face and an identity; an Islamist identity. Qaradawi was the one who issued the call for Israel’s destruction last week in his appearance before hundreds of thousands (and possibly millions) of Egyptians in Tahrir Square. He opposes the United States and the Shiites, and is of course in favor of a religious Islamic regime in Egypt. This is a grave blow to anyone who thought that Egypt is moving towards democracy; it is also a sign of things to come.
Yup. Revolutionaries tend by natural to be extreme and radical. We should worry and Barry Rubin has pointed out there is no strong liberal party in any Arab country - even those with relatively open political systems like Lebanon, Iraq and Kuwait.
And in the wings the Islamists are waiting to take over. They already, in form of Hezbollah, control Lebanon. We have much to fear. The Arab uprisings on balance will likely result in more autocracy - this time of the Islamist variant.
People like to believe that progress and freedom will produce moderate and reasonable people. History stands as a powerful refutation of this fallacy. We would do best to heed it.
Posted by
NormanF |
2/26/2011 06:15:00 PM