A Lesson From Egypt

It has always been a tough argument for me to convince some people that  Political Islamism and Islam are not synonymous. One is a political ideology with carefully selected aspects of Islamic traditions and Qu’ranic attributions to justify almost anything. Like most totalitarian movements, it largely relies on fear and violence but is able to reshape itself for temporary reasons. So it was with the Muslim Brotherhood. It has an 80 year history of violence and intolerance, yet when the Muslim Brotherhood came to power in Egypt, the perennial apologists for radicalized Islamic movements, mostly found among  left-wing academia and the “neo Arabists” of the West forecast a gradual moderation.

The Obama regime, as usual, relied upon these “experts” and the “Obama Effect.” Based upon the rapturous reception Obama received in from Cairo speech of  2009, he ,as usual in his massive egotism, assumed that not being Bush and using a few islamic phrases and Arabic words would precipitate a new era of Arab-American relations. Carried along by the first Egyptian revolution and fall of Mubarak, the Obama team also placed their bets on the Islamic movement. Never  mind the embedded misogyny, medieval thinking, intolerance toward religious minorities, and general lack of tools to manage an economy.

This poster has been widely exchanged on social media by Egyptians.

This poster has been widely exchanged on social media by Egyptians.

So the clueless Obama team continued to support Islamist movements in Egypt, and in Syria. So what is the big lesson of the Egyptian second revolution. The  more educated elements of  the Muslim community of Egypt recognizes the threat to a civilized society presented by a cancerous political Islamist movement. The “experts” in the West and apologists apparently still do not. This is evidenced by the  liberal blather over “a democratically ” elected government being overturned by a military coup.  Indeed It was a coup, and the Morsi government was elected more or less democratically elected). Nevertheless it was becoming clear that this was the beginning of a “one man, one vote, one time, scenario. Morsi was moving to Islamize Egypt and a large percentage of people rose against that process. The incompetence of the Obama foreign service was typified  by the  vacuous remarks on several occasions by our ambassador in Egypt, Anne Patterson.

What come next I’m not sure. The problems have just begun, The Islamists have a loyal following in Egypt and they are financially supported by wealthy Sunni businessmen around the world, as well as the Qatari government with billions of dollars.

Click to watch a joke video showing an Egyptian man humiliating Obama, also exchanged by supporters of the Egyptian army on Facebook

* The caption underneath the video reads in Arabic “The Egyptian people’s response to Obama’s interferences”.

About Tex

Retired artillery colonel, many years in a number of positions in the Arab world. Graduate of the US Military Academy and the American University of Beirut. MA in Arab studies from the American University in Beirut along with 18 years as Middle East Seminar Director at the JFK Special Warfare Center and School, Served in Vietnam with 1st Inf Division, Assignments in Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt, plus service with Trucial Oman Scouts in the Persian Gulf. Traveled to every Arab country on the map including Iraq, Syria, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco.
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