Posted by
ApolloSpeaks on Monday, February 14, 2011 12:38:56 PM
Two brutal, corrupt and equally sinful Egyptian dictators.
The one loved the other hated by their people.
'Don't fear Robespierre and the Jacobins,' said Thomas Paine and Thomas Jefferson. 'They represent the same spirit of 1776 that drove the American Revolution to victory and freedom.'
'Don't fear Lenin and the Bolsheviks,' said John Dewey, John Reed and other progressive intellectuals. 'They have a masterplan (Socialism) for the perfection of Democracy and to make the brotherhood of man a reality.'
'Don't fear KhomeIni and the mullahs,' said Jimmy Carter, Andrew Young and others on the Left. 'They're religious saints- Moslem Mother Teresas and Mahatma Gandhis-leading an oppressed people to the promised land of freedom, equality and human rights.
And now we are hearing similar nonsense about the Moslem Brotherhood in revolutionary Egypt. Nonsense that range from the Brothers being a reformed and largely secular peace loving group of social progressives to being radical extremists with so little influence inside Egypt that the odds are hugely against them taking control.
But as with the French, Russian and Iranian revolutions the euphoria of the moment is blinding many on the Left and Right to the power of the Brotherhood and the facts on the ground about the character of the Egyptian people. Truth is the vast majority of Egyptians not only hated Hosni Mubarak personally (for reasons explained below) they hated the secular values and pro-Western foreign policy that governed his regime. They hated the barriers he set up between Mosque and State and the exclusion of clerics and religious groups from the political life of the country. They hated the peace he kept for thirty years with secular, democratic, Jewish Israel; and hated his opposition to Ahmadenijad and Iran's dangerous ambition to be a nuclear armed state. In fact, the anti-Western, anti-American, Holocaust denying repressive Ahmadinejad* is far more popular with the "freedom loving" Egyptian people than Hosni Mubarak. Why? Because Ahmadinejad like most Egyptians are hostile to the West and share a similar Islamic supremacist (Brotherhood) world view of imperial caliphate restoration.
*See Ahmadinejad Hero - Arabs see a hero in Iran leader - Los Angeles Times
The truth about the Egyptian people is utterly shocking and will immediately cure anyone with the shallow, rosy outlook that a liberal, secular, pluralistic, America-friendly democracy will rise from the ruins of Mubarak's regime. Such an Egypt isn't possible at this time in history. Either the military betraying the people's trust and keeping power will maintain its friendly relations with America, Israel and the West; or honoring its pledge to hold elections an Islamic/Arabist democracy such as exists in Gaza will be voted into being-an Egypt joining Hamas and reviving its jihad against Israel, America and the West.
BILL O'REILLY ON MUBARAK THE BAD
Friday night my jaw dropped as I heard a self-righteous, nonsensical Bill O'Reilly sounding off about Mubarak being a "bad guy" and deserving his fate. He was sounding off about his corrupt, oppressive and brutal regime and his billions socked away in Switzerland and elsewhere. WHAT A CLUELESS PINHEAD! O'Reilly is oblivious to the fact that his notion of a "bad guy" isn't shared by most Egyptians, nor for that matter are his Western democratic values. Indeed, by O'Reilly"s standard Gamal Abdel Nasser, Egypt's despot for 14 years, was a "bad guy," a very "bad guy," as much a corrupt, oppressive and brutal tyrant as Mubarak who, like Mubarak, filled Egypt's jails with tortured political prisoners. Yet Nasser, unlike Mubarak, was immensely popular with his people, as well as with the Arab street. In fact, most Egyptians and Arabs wept when Nasser died and millions turned out for his funeral. But these same Egyptians were bitter with Mubarak for thirty years and wanted him gone or dead. Why? Because unlike the corrupt, brutal, oppressive Nasser the non-ideological Mubarak failed to make them proud: proud to be Arab; proud to be Egyptian; proud to be Moslem; proud to have the truth. Oppression, brutality and corruption in a ruler are okay with Egyptians so long as he does them honor and makes them proud.
THE PROPHET MOHAMMED AND NASSER
Indeed, the most loved, revered and emulated autocrat in Arab history, the Prophet Mohammed, was a corrupt, brutal, oppressive dictator-a mass murdering, terrorist, thieving, intolerant, power mad thug; despite his terrible atrocities and crimes-designed to advance the power and glory of Islam-Mohammed is considered the ideal ruler and human being by most Egyptians and Arabs. In fact, any Egyptian leader who emulates Mohammed, who rages against infidels or goes to war with them (as Nasser did with Israel in 1967), will be praised and honored as a hero by the people even if he loses and brings much suffering and hardship upon them.
THE ABANDONMENT OF NASSERISM
In the era following the signing of the Camp David Accords Anwar Sadat and Hosni Mubarak turned away from the Nasser model of leadership, turned away from Mohammed, turned away from pan-Arab Nationalism and imperial Islamic values. These two moderate leaders were seen as selling out to the enemy (to Israel and the infidel West) and they paid a bitter price for their betrayal: the one was gunned down and the other run out of town bringing a 30 year reign to a humiliating end. Only a strong pro-Arab, pro-Moslem Nasser-like leader (or an Egyptian Ahmadenijad) could win the hearts and minds of Egypt's masses and govern them. This is the type of leader most Egyptians crave, the leader that has the most meaning for them, and the leader they are likely to get if the army makes good on its pledge to hold elections. That this likely outcome will be disastrous for US/Egyptian relations and the peace and security of this country and the Middle East goes without saying.
THE BROTHERHOOD
But returning to the Brotherhood, Sadat abandoning Nassarism and Mubarak following suit created an ideological vacuum in Egypt that the Brotherhood tried to fill; and it appears that they succeeded to a large degree. Indeed, the vast majority of Egyptians, at least two-thirds (according to Pew and Zogby) agree with the Brother's radical Islamist agenda to desecularize or de-Mubarakize Egypt. Agreeing with the Brethren a majority of Egyptians want to tear down the wall separating Mosque and State and replace Egypt's Western penal code with harsh and pitiless Islamic justice (the justice executed by the Prophet Mohammed): beheadings, stonings, whippings, amputations for adultry, theft, homosexuality, apostasy, blasphemy etc. True, normative Islam is fundamentalism and fundamentalism is true Islam. Most Egyptians, like most Moslems region-wide, regard the Koran as the absolute, inerrant, literal truth of God and will only respect leaders who emulate Mohammed's rule-promising a lot more influence of Islam in government-and Nasser's proud anti-Western Arabism. In short, a democratically elected leader will likely be a disaster for US/Egyptian relations and the peace of the region.
In sum, Egyptians yearn for a charismatic, visionary leader like Gamal Nasser; a leader who will repair their national self-image and self-respect after more than 30 years of betrayal and neglect. A leader who loves Allah, Islam and the Arab race God's chosen people to save mankind with the truth. And that means a leader other than a moderate Anwar Sadat and Hosni Mubarak.
Late Iraqi Dictator Saddam Hussein brandishing a Browning GP pistol at a political rally.
Postscript: Saddam Hussein and the Egyptian People
Why is it that the "democracy loving" Egyptian people who rose up boldly against Mubarak hate the US for toppling the evil regime of Saddam Hussein and bringing democracy to Iraq-something I will never regret supporting? Because Saddam made them proud. Because he stood up to America, the West and the Zionists. Because he had audacity and guts. Because like the Prophet he was a fearless warrior who took great risks. Nevermind that he was many times more brutal, repressive and cruel than Mubarak. Nevermind that he mercilessly crushed every anti-regime revolt even using chemical weapons. These crimes were forgivable to the Egyptian people because Saddam was the successor of Gamal Nasser. Saddam was the last of the great pan-Arab Nationalists. The last great leader in the Arab world who strongly believed in the genetic superiority of the Arab race and its supremacist destiny to conquer the earth-and the poor, backward Egyptian people loved him for it.
Given the mentality of the Egyptian people (briefly explored in this piece) those who think that a post-Mubarak president will be a pro-Western moderate (when this was the flaw that brought Mubarak down) are going to be disappointed. The Egyptian people still have a long way to go before they'll be free of Arabism, Islamism and the 7th century tyrant of Medina.
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