My column in Truthdig is out, entitled Fear Not the Muslim Brotherhood Boogeyman
Excerpt:
‘ The hysteria in American media about Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood is not only ignorant and demagogic, it is hypocritical. The United States has actively promoted Muslim Brotherhood branches in other countries when it suited its purposes, including in Afghanistan and Iraq. Moreover, the Turkish and Indonesian cases of democratic transition in the Muslim world should have taught us something about how Muslim fundamentalist parties are themselves transformed in a democratic setting.’
Read the whole thing.
Great & timely piece.
P. S.: If not mistaken, Bin Laden was one; there are so many more.
Can Egypt replicate the Turkish model some insights into the Turkish model
link to todayszaman.com
Prof. Cole:
Enlightening, thank you for the contrast to my congressional “representative”:
“Ileana Ros-Lehtinen on Egypt’s future: Reject the Muslim Brotherhood”
link to miamiherald.typepad.com
Some more history on the MB:
“A Primer on the Muslim Brotherhood”
Adam Serwer February 10, 2011
link to prospect.org
—The Bikemessenger
Interesting point that Muslim fundamentalist parties are themselves transformed in a democratic setting.
And not only Muslims. The Indian RSS, a controversial (to put it mildly) Hindu nationalist organization, has some parallels with the Muslim Brotherhood, even if they presumably despise each other. The RSS does play a significant role in mainstream politics, though it does not field candidates directly.
The Muslim Brotherhood in Kuwait, known as the Islamic Constitutional Movement, also has seats in the National Assembly; among the Islamic groups, they are considered moderate.
You really would think the only choices available, like the street gangs in some films, can be identified by their clothing. Business suits, military uniforms, or jallabas, turbans and tarboushes. If someone has a job to do all that should really matter is that he does it well and is not corrupt.