One year after the revolutions in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt it is clear that the Muslim Brotherhood is poised to become the driving force in Middle Eastern politics. Many people in the West are convinced this is the worst possible outcome of the Arab spring – which some commentators have already nicknamed the “Arab winter”. Living in Cairo I follow the Tunisian and Egyptian elections during the day. At night I watch debates and results from the GOP primaries. And frankly, I wonder: is the rhetoric of the MB all that different from the one I can witness in the primaries?
On their website the Muslim Brotherhood call themselves “a group established to promote development, progress and advancement based on Islamic references”. They remain very much unclear on what these Islamic references exactly are, and how they will base their politics on them. The Brothers insist that they will not impose anything on anyone. At most they want to convince their compatriots that living along Islamic principles is preferable. It’s noteworthy that this stance is actually less far reaching than the thirty year old part of article two of the Egyptian constitution – introduced by Hosni Mubarak – which says that “sharia is a principal source of legislation”.
When I talk to leading figures of the Brotherhood in Tunisia or Egypt, they seem to agree on a few principles. They want to fix the economy and fight against corruption. I have not heard one of them utter the words ‘islam’ or ‘muslim’. In fact, the Brotherhood vision as written down by Mohamed Morsi, the leader of the Freedom and Justice Party (the Egyptian political wing of the Brotherhood), could have been the program of almost any centrist party in the world. Of course, this is precisely what makes the West suspicious. Is what we see what we will get?
We seem almost relieved to hear that at least one Brotherhood candidate lives up to the caricature of extremism: she was campaigning on a platform of ‘sin-free holidays’ in Egypt. Westerners, she posits, are already drinking enough at home and will enjoy two weeks of alcohol – and bikini-free vacations. In the same vein, it’s almost reassuring that Hamas is referring to the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood as their “mother movement”, because it provides proof for an international conspiracy against Israel. And didn’t the movement officially declare that it wants to ‘discourage less ethical movies’, because ‘experts suggest that pornography desensitizes men sexually’?
But then the word ‘desensitize’ suddenly rings a bell. Didn’t Michelle Bachmann warn for The Lion King as “normalization of gayness through desensitization? Didn’t Rick Santorum talk about a conscious effort on the part of the left to influence the curriculum to desensitize America to what American values are? It’s not the only strange opinion the GOP primaries have telecast. What about Rick Perry saying that Turkey is ruled by Muslim fundamentalists and should be kicked out of NATO? Newt Gingrich went on record saying the Palestinians are an invented people. I wonder how the world would react if an Arab politician called the Israelis an invented people?
And then I remember that day in 2005 when I followed the campaign of House Representative Robert Aderholt in the North of Alabama. I was surprised when, in those dry counties of the Bible belt, I heard the sentence that I hear so often in Egypt today: sorry, but we serve no alcohol, sir. Alderholt’s main fight was trying to display the Ten Commandments in every public building. When quizzed about it, he quoted Reagan who apparently once said that “we might come closer to balancing the budget if all of us live closer to the Ten Commandments and the Golden Rule”.
For a European, it’s almost incomprehensible how politics and religion intermingle in US elections. The Republican aversion against the very essence of the European social welfare state puzzles me. Also, the consensus between GOP candidates that the US needs to bomb Iran seemed to confirm the European cliché that American politicians are addicted to the drumbeat of war.
But although I can’t understand the GOP on an emotional level, I’m not afraid of them. It’s clear to me that however unfathomable their politics are, they believe in the process of democracy. Maybe the Muslim Brotherhood is just like the Republican Party in that regard. They might be hard to understand, but still be democrats. I hope that if once in power the Republicans will deliver less of what they say. And I hope the Brotherhood will not deliver more than what they promise. But I do think that, just like the United States, Egypt should have the right to have a democratic, religious conservative party.
#1 by Victor on February 23, 2012 - 7:33 pm
Muslim countries deserve the right to democracy, but they should also remember that democracy is not only no panacea, but also a threat to individual liberty.
The United States:
1) has more religious diversity, even among Christians;
2) is a truly federal state, with a national government that is not that strong on social issues, which allows progressive parts of the country to experiment with social liberalisation;
3) has a very strong tradition of judicial independence and judicial protection of individual rights against democratic usurpations;
4) is not a majoritarian democracy;
5) even with all the above:
a-had to undergo a civil war to free its black population from slavery;
b-took more than a century to recognize women´s right to vote;
c-took more than a century to allow poor people to vote;
d-took more than a century and a half to protect blacks´right to vote;
e-is still struggling with abortion, gay rights and fundamental issues of separation of church and state and religious freedom.
The history of the other great democracy, England, is much the same.
Liberal Democracy is rather new in both western civilization and the rest of the world. Religious freedom is an even more recent development.
It is almost inevitable that there will be strong setbacks in the newly democratizing Muslim countries, specially if they adopt majoritarian rule.
Just like the Bible can be a source of inspiration for social principles in the West, Sharia can be used in Muslim countries. As long as fundamental freedoms are protected, the use of scripture in individual relations and the celebration of cultural heritage can remain.
The challenge for the EU and the US in dealing with the Arab Spring is to not push for more change than societies can swallow, while at the same time making sure the democratic tendency toward authoritarianism and enforced homogeneity can be channelled constructively.
#2 by Alan on February 25, 2012 - 2:25 am
Just to clear things up: Equating elections with democracy should not be done. Even totalitarian societies have elections (e.g. USSR, People’s Republic of China), but those are to vote powerless politicians into toy parliaments.
As for the Muslim Brotherhood, has everyone forgotten their history—from fighting against the Allies in WWII to assassinating Anwar Sadat? Equating them with the Party of Lincoln is reprehensible, with all due respect.
And as for the social welfare state, it’s destroyed the family (the basic unit of society) not only in Europe but America and everywhere else it’s been instituted. The family is the basic unit of society; without it, any society will crumble.
#3 by Marcel on February 26, 2012 - 2:06 am
Exactly, elections do not equal democracy. The old Soviet ‘Duma’ had zero legitimacy because there was no such thing as ‘the Soviet people’. Same holds true for the ‘European Parliament’ as there is no such thing as ‘the European people’.
Its the argument always trotted out by the EU-philes, ‘but… but… there are elections’ and ‘you can vote for your own government, which can then appoint the European Kommissar/Commissioner to the Politburo/Commission’. But where’s the logic in that?
I did not approve of a Soviet Union style EU to be built on top of our national government, nor did I approve taking powers from our elected national parliament and giving it to comrade Barroso’s Politburo. And neither did any other co-national.
And the hateful concept of religion must be banned for good.
#4 by Josef Straka on February 26, 2012 - 2:10 pm
More than Marcel said. I did not aprove rule by secret societies like:Bilderbergs, Freemasons,Club of Rome, Propaganda 2, illuminati, and even gnostic Jesuits- Barroso studied at private jesuit university Georgetown. One of his allumni Billy Clinton started all this financial mess by nulification of Glass-Steagal act which started derivatives and CDS grow into Tulipmania crash.
One fears that Italy has had its come-uppance. Way back in February 1997, in the run-up to the launch of the single currency, its then prime minister, Romano Prodi, went to Germany and rather rashly said: “We see our future in Europe. I don’t know if that is the case in Germany.” He even added: “Last year Germany was a model. This year Germany is a disaster. I would expect stronger leadership from Germany.”
EU’s Prodi Admits Leaders Knew Euro Would Cause Ruin but Hoped Political Union Would Follow
The Flowers that Launched the Euro … To mark the anniversary of the arrival of the euro in the form of notes and coins, euronews spoke with Romano Prodi, who in 2002 was President of the European Commission …. Prodi: “Well, the difficult moments were predictable. When we created the euro, my objection, as an economist (and I talked about it with Kohl and with all the heads of government) was: how can we have a common currency without shared financial, economical and political pillars? The wise answer was: for the moment we’ve made this leap forward. The rest will follow … Then instead came the Europe of fear: fear of China, fear of immigrants, fear of globalisation. So it was clear that this crisis would arrive. But the euro is so important, it’s so convenient for everyone — especially Germany — that I’ve no doubt that the euro won’t just survive, but it will be one of the landmarks for the world economy.” – euronews
Andrew Alexander Believes The Euro Is A Conspiracy
As things stand now, you can’t really peg, as Alexander says, the PIIGS to the Euro because that is like pegging them to a gold standard. They would have a better chance at it if they were using their own currencies. They may not be able to afford buying stuff from Germany, but they would give the Germans a great vacation for the money!
So, I look at the Eurozone as being very predatory. The lending came from the big banks in the north. The PIIGS are like homeowners in the US, up to their eyeballs in debt. Homeowners in the US with any sense walk away from their toxic loans. Time the PIIGS did the same thing.
If the Eurozone cannot afford their highly leveraged banks then I admit this is a big problem! Each country will probably have to take each bank’s insolvency as they arise.
But the issue is the union. It appears that Germany and France are being predatory in threatening no bailouts for the PIIGS but rather a focus on the banks. That is like the US government bailing out the banks but not the homeowners. That ruins trust in the banking system. If banks from one country to the next cannot trust each other, how can these countries trust each other?
The Eurozone was a conspiracy to attempt the impossible, or it is just like our bank problems, a big scam. The bankers made the money for their handlers who are living it up. All the while, the politicians are trying to fix a leaky faucet with a screwdriver. Alexander doesn’t think they have the tools either.
So who’s conspiracy is it? Orange/Hanover/Hohenzollern/Windsor/Coburg-Gotha aristocratic dynasty. As on both world wars they make huge profit. This dynasty controled: Bristish throne,Germany,Netherland,France and USA. 38 US presidents belongs to this dynasty. EU is their business and siphoning money all arround into theirs strongolds.
Ok. What has with this Muslim brotherhood? Muslim brotherhood was created during crusades to holly land by templars. Here is gr8 book explained from A 2 Z.
http://www.terrorism-illuminati.com/
I recomend my followers 2 read:
As author James Rickards argues in his new book, Currency Wars: The Making of the Next Global Crisis, QE is an “exercise in deception” that offers little chance of promoting long-term economic recovery. Worse, it has left the dollar highly vulnerable to speculation and, ultimately, a cataclysmic crash.(There is similar book Currency War, bestseller in China by my bro who worked on Wall Street).
I also recommend: The War for Wealth, by Gabor Steingart. The West is distracted, says Gabor Steingart. We, and America in particular, are focused on the wrong things. “World history isn’t being written in Afghanistan, Baghdad, or Tehran,” he writes, “but in Shanghai. The fateful word confronting our generation is not terror, but globalisation… The war for wealth, the bitter struggle for a share of affluence, and the related struggle over political and cultural dominance in the world, are the real conflicts of our day.”
Cards R on table. Please, read all this stuff and let me know if I or those authors were somewhere wrong. Thanx folx
I also recomend:
#5 by Arseven on February 26, 2012 - 2:34 pm
One must remember that if “religion and religious beliefs” are left to the individual’s conscience and not having to displaye it publicly , then there will not be any confusion or conflict. Remember that for a person who prefers to keep his beliefs between himself and hic creator, seeing women wear a turban may be “acts of offensiveness” and vice versa! Tolerance of this diversity is actually what makes democracy work. So I think the Muslim Brothrhood may follow Turkey’s AKP example. However even there the danger now is eventually stereo-typing the population (like in Iran – i.e. dress code!). Thank god that there is a significant size of the population in Turkey who will not give in to such politically motivated actions!
Another example of so called “voting” is – money talks, especially in the USA. If it happened in other countries, those who “run the country” in the USA would call “the calling in of favours” corruption but not so in the USA!
#6 by Josef Straka on February 26, 2012 - 2:58 pm
Book: Grand Theft Pentagon :Tales of Corruption and Profiteering in the War on Terror.
Grand Theft Pentagon tells the scandalous story of how some of the world’s mightiest and must ruthless corporations exploited the tragic events of 9/11 to make billions upon billions in the form of government contracts with the connivance of the Bush administration. In a riveting work of investigative reporting, JEFFREY ST. CLAIR shines a merciless searchlight into some of the murkiest corners of the Pentagon, exposing the sweatheart deals between the defense department and its favorite coterie contractors: Boeing, Bechtel, Halliburton and the Carlyle Group.
http://www.counterpunch.org/2005/11/05/grand-theft-pentagon/
Missing Iraq money may have been stolen, auditors say
U.S. Defense officials still cannot say what happened to $6.6 billion, sent by the planeload in cash and intended for Iraq’s reconstruction after the start of the war.
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jun/13/world/la-fg-missing-billions-20110613
2b honest with ye, there is some 20 blion dollars missing.
Muslim brohood and Al Kaida is gr8 business. Lotta money in pocket. But stil did not help to recover toxic derivatives and CDS
#7 by Dr. Bahram Mobasheri on February 27, 2012 - 5:29 am
You are right, unfortunately for Arab spring, there are not much differences between US Republican Party or UK Conservatives with Muslim Brotherhood. They are working under very simillar principals, both socially and economically. The only difference that I can point out is unlike US and UK, Muslim Brotherhood not yet corrupted by corporate culture and corporate politics, because they never had a chance to govern before, but just give them a bit time, it is just matter of time, they will prove that they can follow footsteps of their US and UK brothers in corruption as well.
#8 by Wim Roffel on February 27, 2012 - 3:31 pm
The Republicans are not violently trying to enforce their convictions. And they aren’t funded by Wahabi oil sheikhs who try to export their medieval convictions.
#9 by Victor on February 27, 2012 - 5:50 pm
You don´t follow American politics that much it seems. Ever heard of the Koch brothers? Have you listened to Rick Santorum in the last few weeks?
#10 by Tomas on March 1, 2012 - 4:54 pm
This article and the logic it represents is not very impressive. Judeo-Christian values gave us parliamentary democracy and human rights. There is yet to appear one Islamic state which can provide the same.
#11 by Marcel on March 5, 2012 - 10:56 pm
Greco-Roman culture gave us democracy and rights, not religion. Religion tried everything it could to stop liberty from being introduced, or women’s rights, or gay rights etc…
In their core, christianity, judaism and islam are all similarly intolerant and supremacist.
#12 by Igor on March 12, 2012 - 11:01 am
Oh dear, I wonder if the author of the article reads Arab. I hope he doesn’t, because if he does, than he is writing this article in bad faith. And if he doesn’t then he should speak not only to people from the Muslim Brotherhood, but also with secularists, and ask them to explain to him what the Brotherhood writes in their Arab version. The Arab and the English versions of their site is, to my knowledge, very much different.
Second thing is that the Republicans are not bombing mosques in the US. Even if a minority would like to do something like that, the overwhelming majority of the Republicans does not want to forbid other religions. The diversity, even within Christian sects, makes it very hard (if not impossible). Last but not least, the fact that American society is very diverse, and the political scenario is split in two, contributes to moderate Republicans even more.
On the contrary, progressive forces in all Muslim countries are a declining minority (even Tunisia, to my surprise, is falling into Islamism) and in Egypt, the religious forces are largely dominant. The fact that moderate and secularists are essentially Christians doesn’t help much, and gives very little hope: the Muslim majority is proportionally far more radical than the country itself.
#13 by Seguros on May 23, 2012 - 2:45 am
Good Work ! Thanks for posting!