[Vision2020] The Youth-Driven Revolution in the Middle East

[nickgier at roadrunner.com]

Dear Visionaries:

After being glued to CNN for 16 days and reading lots of articles, I finally was able to get my own bead on the revolution in Egypt.  Don't believe Huckabee and Beck that the Muslim Brotherhood is a terrorist organization just like Al Qaeda. Al Qaeda has condemned them as Muslim weenies.

The full version runs over 2600 words and is attached as a PDF file.

I thought I would bring these poll results from the text, because their results are so compelling.

A 2006 University of Maryland survey found that 33 percent of Egyptians were sympathetic to Osama bin Laden only because he confronted the U.S., while only 7 percent supported his goal of establishing world-wide Islamic government. A Pew Research Center poll of Egyptians found that 83 percent of the population would “never” or “rarely” think that suicide bombing of civilians is justified. 

The same University of Maryland poll gave the most shocking results with regard to American views. When asked if attacks on civilians were justified, only 46 percent answered “never.” When American Muslims were separated out, 80 percent answered that they were never justified, about the same figure that Iranians gave in the same poll.

Kudos to those brave souls in Tahrir Square!

Nick

THE YOUTH-DRIVEN (AND FACEBOOK ENABLED) REVOLUTION IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Egypt’s interim leaders have praised the young people in Tahrir Square for taking the country in a new direction, but now they want them to go home. Egyptian security forces initially suppressed the demonstrators killing over 300, but they are now guarding the entrances to the square. The demonstrators locked arms to prevent any more tanks from entering, and some are spending their nights under the American-supplied weapons.

Ann Coulter is dead wrong when she claims that women are playing no part in the revolution. Hundreds of women in secular and traditional dress are among the protesters.  CNN showed one young woman--in a tight sweater and stylish headscarf--leading the chants.

The demonstrators have given no indication that they are Islamic militants. Christians and members of the Muslim Brotherhood—distinctive with their closely cropped hair—stand shoulder-to-shoulder chanting slogans. They hold up each other’s scriptures and have adopted the Cross and the Crescent as the symbol of the revolution.  

After militant beginnings in the 1930s and 40s, the Muslim Brotherhood now serves primarily as a nonviolent social welfare organization. Their membership is about 100,000 in a country of 82 million. Running as independents in the 2005 election, the Brotherhood won 88 seats in the 440-seat Parliament.  

Since 1952 the Muslim Brotherhood has foresworn all violence, and for decades Al Qaeda has criticized them unmercifully for giving up world-wide jihad and the concept of a universal caliphate. Egyptian Ayman al-Zawahri, Osama bin Laden’s right-hand man who was once a member, condemns the Brotherhood as “falsely affiliated with Islam.”

Glenn Beck’s claim that the Brotherhood is a terrorist organization and that they are the same as Al Qaeda is a grotesque distortion. The Economic Times reports that “reformers within the movement have said they would like to see a civil state guided by Islamic mores.”

A 2006 University of Maryland survey found that 33 percent of Egyptians were sympathetic to Osama bin Laden only because he confronted the U.S., while only 7 percent supported his goal of establishing world-wide Islamic government. A Pew Research Center poll of Egyptians found that 83 percent of the population would “never” or “rarely” think that suicide bombing of civilians is justified. 

The same University of Maryland poll gave the most shocking results with regard to American views. When asked if attacks on civilians were justified, only 46 percent answered “never.” When American Muslims were separated out, 80 percent answered that they were never justified, about the same figure that Iranians gave in the same poll.
 
The U.S. allows political parties allied with Christian fundamentalists, so why cannot we allow the participation of religious conservatives in other countries? There are at least 1,000 people in my own town of 22,000 who are led a pastor who does not believe that women should vote and that all Biblical laws should be enforced, including the execution or exile of homosexuals.

Egypt may end up with a government that has the participation of Islamists who may moderate even more with the responsibility of governing.  The new government may well be more supportive of the Palestinian cause and less friendly to Israel. The Egyptian blockade of Gaza is morally indefensible.

The Egyptian military may well lose some of its aid from the U.S., but I view that as a something very positive. (Over $60 billion over thirty was an obscene amount of money, especially when corrupt officials siphon off a good deal of it.) Less military aid may force the new government to keep its peace treaty with Israel. The Israelis and we will simply have to accept the decisions of freely elected Egyptians, who understandably will not tolerate any more outside interference in their affairs.

Finally, I have some personal advise to the brave young people in Tahrir Square. As a former student leader in the anti-Vietnam War movement, I can detect a certain naiveté that we held on our own barricades. Starting in 1965 our group demanded the immediate withdrawal of American troops, but instead we were promised negotiations, which dragged on for years and our forces did not leave until 1975.

One of the groups now negotiating with Vice President Sulieman is called “January 25,” the start date of the protests in Tahrir Square.  The people on the ground, however, say that this group does not represent them.  If this is true, then they should elect their own representatives and demand a seat at the table.  The full effect of their incredible revolution will be lost if they do not take part.

Nick Gier taught philosophy at the University of Idaho for 31 years.  Read all of his columns on Islam at www.home.roadrunner.com/~nickgier/IslamPage.htm.
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: EgyptRevolt.pdf
Type: application/pdf
Size: 49127 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://mailman.fsr.com/pipermail/vision2020/attachments/20110211/7be89154/attachment-0001.pdf