Monday, July 29, 2013

#1272 Pipes blog at NRO: "What to Want in Egypt"

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What to Want in Egypt

by Daniel Pipes
July 29, 2013
Cross-posted from National Review Online, The Corner

http://www.danielpipes.org/blog/2013/07/what-to-want-in-egypt

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In the aftermath of the coup d'état in Egypt, a consensus has emerged, to cite an anonymous Obama administration official, that "Trying to break the neck of the [Muslim] Brotherhood is not going to be good for Egypt or for the region."
The thinking behind this view is that (1) it's better to have Islamists in the political process than violently rebelling and (2) participating in civil society has the potential to tame Islamists, making them see the benefits of democracy and turning them into just another interest group.
May I vociferously disagree?

Yes, we do indeed want to break the brotherhood's neck because that is good for Egypt, the region, and (not least) ourselves. Both the above assumptions are wrong. (1) Islamists can do more damage within the political process than outside it. To put it graphically, I worry more about a Turkey, with elected Islamists in charge, than Syria, where they are engaged in a civil war to attain power. (2) Islamists have a history of using the political process for their own ends, and not of being tamed by it: see Mohamed Morsi's year in power for one clear example.
No tolerance for the intolerant. Just as fascists and communists are not legitimate players in a democracy, neither are Islamists. No matter how smooth talking, they remain autocrats who disregard the popular will. Better that they be excluded entirely from participatory politics. (July 29, 2013)

Related Topics: Egypt, Radical Islam This text may be reposted or forwarded so long as it is presented as an integral whole with complete and accurate information provided about its author, date, place of publication, and original URL.

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