Have you heard the latest Glenn Beck conspiracy theory? This link will take you to an article discussing the statements made by Glenn Beck on his radio and television programs. He stated:
Groups from the hardcore socialist and communist left and extreme Islamists will work together because of the common enemy, Israel.
Groups from the hardcore socialist and communist left and extreme Islamists will work together because of the common enemy, Capitalism and the Western way of life.
Groups from the hardcore socialist and communist left and extreme Islamists will work together to overturn relative stability because in the status quo, they are ostracized from power and the mainstream in most of the world.
The New York Times (2/10/11) gave Glenn a Birthday present by outlining the “unusual bonds” formed during the Egyptian revolt. They said, in part: “In the process many have formed some unusual bonds that reflect the singularly non-ideological character of the Egyptian youth revolt, which encompasses liberals, socialists and members of the Muslim Brotherhood.
The assumption that most people seemed to make while discussing the Egyptian revolt was that it was a “pro-Democracy” movement. The people just want the rule of dictator Hosni Mubarak brought to an end and have more freedom. Hosni Mubarak is indeed a monster if reports of his actions are accurate (and I believe that they probably are) but what facts do we have to make the assumption that the end game of the demonstrations is Democracy and Freedom?
Do we know who organized the demonstrations? They were obviously well planned and coordinated. The uprising did not seem “spontaneous” to me. To determine what the goals of the demonstrators one has to look at who was involved in organizing the uprising. Is the Muslim Brotherhood in search of a Democracy or are they interested interested in forming an Islamic State? I guess to assess their goals you would have to look closely at their writings, statements, and videos to develop a clear picture of their world view; how it views itself and defines its mission. Jihad is the Way is the last of a five volume work The Laws of Da’wa by Mustafa Mashhur, who headed the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt from 1996-2002. They detail the Brotherhood’s objectives of advancing the global conquest of Islam and reestablishing the Islamic Caliphate, the public and private duties of jihad and the struggle Muslims must wage against Israel. That doesn’t sound like Democracy to me. (Please go to the link Jihad is the Way…above for a more complete translation.) Many, including our Director of National Intelligence, have commented on the Muslim Brotherhood, calling them “moderate,” “peaceful,” and “democratic” organization.
Media personalities have stated that the Muslim Brotherhood “have matured politically.“ Former President Jimmy Carter says, “We have nothing to fear from the Muslim Brotherhood.” Secretary of State Clinton cautiously welcomed the Muslim Brotherhood into the discussions. Her stated goal, however, was a peaceful transition and to facilitate “free and fair elections.” From what I read about the Muslim Brotherhood I don’t find that free and fair elections is one of their stated goals.
How about the radical left? The Workers World Party discusses the Egyptian revolution via a powerpoint presentation that can be found at the New Zeal blog site. Please take the time to view the two video’s at this site. Worker’s World Party: Workers and Oppressed Peoples of the World Unite…..sounds like a radical leftist slogan to me. Do the people in these videos make valid points about the atrocities of Mubarak and Suleimam? There seems to be evidence that they do. Did the US participate in Extraordinary Rendition, whereby individuals were transferred to other nations? Yes. Did the US knowingly transfer terror suspects to nations that practice torture? In 2006, according to Condolezza Rice, then Secretary of State, the US does not transfer people to places where it is known they will be tortured. If the US has made mistakes we will have to face that, but more to the point of this post, the people in these videos make it pretty clear that “US Imperialism,” “Capitalism,” and “Israel” are targets labeled for destruction. This may sound familiar to you at this point…oh, yeah, it’s that crazy conspiracy theory.
So how do we evaluate the outcomes of this “cry for Democracy” in Egypt? There is a great article by Charles Krauthammer titled From Freedom Agenda to Freedom Doctrine. In it he states what the US needs: “We need a foreign policy that not only supports freedom in the abstract but is guided by long-range practical principles to achieve it.”
Evaluation also depends of the “competition of ideas” as stated recently by Donald Rumsfeld: “The thing that was on the backside of that however is that there’s something about our country that we’re reluctant to engage in a competition of ideas in government. We are up against a vicious enemy, the radical Islamists are there, they intend to try to create a caliphate in this world and fundamentally alter the nature of nation states, and we’re reluctant to engage in the competition of ideas and point out what they really are and how vicious they are. This current administration is even afraid to say the word Islamist. And we need to fight. We need to be willing to say what it is and be willing to tackle it.”
One of the issues raised by Glenn Beck in his commentary on the revolution in Egypt was that the endgame for the radical Islamists was the establishment of a global Caliphate. I’ll let you do your own research on the folks that decried this as “crazy” and “fear mongering.” It won’t be difficult to find. You may, however, wish to visit khilafah.com. Khilafah is the Arabic word for Caliphate. You may be particularly interested in reading their CIA’s 20/20 Vision for the Future Caliphate is Short-Sighted.
In which it states:
“The attachment to individualism has led the West to grossly underestimate the penetration of Islamic thoughts and sentiments in the Muslim countries, and also to miscalculate the wide spread support for the re-establishment of the Caliphate. Another point of contention in the report is the claim that the emergence of the Caliphate will not cause the regimes in Muslim countries to collapse one after the other – the domino effect.”
Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Bahrain, and a few more are experiencing demonstrations. Dominoes? You might say that. Are they in search of Democracy and freedom? Only time will tell, however, we might want to keep these questions in mind:
Are there positive/negative changes in the way Egypt and other countries deal with US?
Are there positive/negative changes in the way Egypt and other countries deal with Israel?
Do we see Egyptian and other politicians expressing extreme Islamic rhetoric?
Do we see human rights violations increase or decrease?
Is the government increasing or decreasing the rights of women?
Is the government increasing or decreasing the rights of religious minorities?
In a partial answer to these questions it will be important for you to understand Google executive, Wael Ghonim’s role in the uprising and his treatment when the ousting of Mubarak was achieved. He was not permitted to speak. Who spoke? Yusuf al Qaradawi, the influential Muslim cleric that has been called “the voice of the Muslim Brotherhood.” In the past this individual has praised Hitler’s treatment of the Jews. He has also stated that Islam will once again conquer Europe. There are quite a few videos at Youtube on Qaradawi, some of them ostensibly demonstrating “Islamic tolerance” for others who hold different religious beliefs. My question is this: “How do you dismiss his statements praising Hitler and:
“I’d like to say that the only thing I hope for is that as my life approaches its end, Allah will give me an opportunity to go to the land of Jihad and resistance, even if in a wheelchair. I will shoot Allah’s enemies, the Jews, and they will throw a bomb at me, and thus, I will seal my life with martyrdom. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds. Allah’s mercy and blessings upon you.”)
Tell me….how do you dismiss so much evidence that some of these people seek the destruction of Israel and the US and the establishment of a global Caliphate and instead call them secular, moderate, and peaceful. HOW?
Finally it is of great importance that you understand that our Founders rejected a direct Democracy because it was seen as leading to mob rule; the best organized group gets to oppress the weaker groups. So the biggest and best organized “mob” gets to rule. Our Founders selected a Constitutional Republic for many reasons. One of those was their knowledge of what a direct Democracy can bring. Freedom from dictators is a worthy goal. The question is what will replace those dictatorships?
Recommended reading:
Why We Cannot Rule Out an Egyptian Reign of Terror (foreignpolicy.com)
Unions Aligned with Egypt Protesters? (glennbeck.com)
Communist Party of Australia on Egyptian Revolution: Socialistic not Islamic (newzeal.blogspot.com)
Shariah: The Threat to America (The American Thinker); which includes a link to Frank Gaffney’s Center for Security Policy’s website where you can get a copy of the full report referenced in the article. Think Progress presents Frank Gaffney’s claims as “Radical Right Wing Agenda” but offers no evidence that I could find demonstrating that the Muslim Brotherhood is other than Frank Gaffney presents.
David Horowitz speaks at CPAC This is a video of David Horowitz’s keynote address at this year’s CPAC, speaking about the Muslim Brotherhood and its connections and influence in the U.S.
Communist Leader on the Tunisian Revolution (newzeal.blogspot.com)
The Red Green Alliance (Israel Matzav)
Egypt Exposes Obama Doctrine Happy Talk (The Heritage Foundation)
Soros, The Youth, High Tech, and the Fundamental Change that is Revolution (newzeal.blogspot.com)
The Real Roots of Political Islam (newzeal.blogspot.com)
Troubling indications emerging out of Egypt (renewamerica.com)
Think Soros has Nothing to do With Egypt? (Enemy of the State)
Alan West on how to Defeat Radical Islam (newzeal.blogspot.com)
Rise of Islam Conference in Illinois (2009) (marbiesblog@wordpress.com)
American Islamic Forum for Democracy (Dr. Zhudi Jasser a moderate Muslim speaks out)
Muslim Scholar Says Islam will Conquer Europe and the World
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