By Isaac Yetiv, Ph.D.
LA JOLLA, California– The first free elections in the history of Egypt have produced a parliament dominated by a majority of radical Islamists , and a president who emerged from the ranks of the fundamentalist Islamist “Muslim Brotherhood” movement.
It is said that “Revolutions are started by intellectuals, carried out by fanatics, and the fruits harvested by rogues.” This was clearly illustrated in Egypt: The massive demonstrations in Tahrir Square were the work of students, merchants, and an assortment of other groups. The Muslim Brotherhood did not join the people; they wanted first to see how it turned out. But with the exile of their nemesis, Hosni Mubarak, they found their courage and jumped on the wagon. Even then, in order not to frighten the people, they “promised” NOT to seek a majority in the Parliament , and NOT to field candidates for the presidency. We now know that they broke both promises.
Some experts, and the Obama administration, accepted and even reinforced the subterfuge of the Brotherhood and their false and calculated modesty.They rationalized that the Muslim Brotherhood
controlled only 25 to 30 percent of the population and thus, couldn’t win the elections, even less the presidency. We now know they were wrong on both counts.
In an article I wrote in February of 2011, I related similar events in the Middle-East that brought to power well-organized radical Islamists minorities, all aided and abetted by the U.S. government:
.- In 1978-79 President Carter worked hard to convince the Shah of Iran to make concessions and give in to the Islamists, which led to the fall of the Shah and the advent of the Islamist regime of the mullahs. We know the consequences.
.-In 2006, Bush II sent his Secretary of state Condoleeza Rice to Israel to force PM Sharon to allow the participation of Hamas in the Palestinian elections . Hamas WON the elections, and now it rules a radical islamist Gazastan from which it launched thousands of rockets against southern Israel, killing hundreds of civilians and causing two bloody wars, and making peace impossible.
.- More recently, the US “advised” Lebanon to allow Hizballah to participate in the elections while remaining a heavily armed military organization, in fact a-state-within-a-state. Today Hizballah is the real power in a new puppet government whose strings are pulled by Syria and Iran.
Elections alone, without the essential institutions, do not a “democracy” make. As I showed here, both Democrat and Republican presidents have “midwifed” these heinous regimes “for the sake of democracy.” They meant well but, as Karl Kraus remarked, ” the opposite of good policy is good intentions.” Obama differs from his predecessors in the sense that he wished for the results; these were not for him, as they were for his predecessors,”unintended consequences.” The following facts, which the main-stream media wouldn’t broadcast, support my assertions:
.-In his Cairo speech following his election, Obama insisted on having representatives of the Muslim Brotherhood in the audience. He said that “we should reexamine our relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood… and listen to them ; they are part of the Egyptian people…and should participate.., all voices should be heard.” Other members of his administration made similar declarations. His then spokesman, Robert Gibbs, said that the future Egyptian government should include ” a host of NON-SECULAR actors…” meaning the Muslim Brotherhood.
.- Today, after these fateful Egyptian elections, it was reported that Obama and his staff were “relieved” when they heard the news that Mohamed Morsi , leader of the Muslim Brotherhood ,had won the presidential elections, and they boasted and congratulated themselves for cynically “throwing Mubarak under the bus.”
.- Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and White House spokesman defended the Muslim Brotherhood as “peaceful and committed to non-violence.”
.- The State Department gave a visa to a certain Hani Noureddine, a member of the terrorist group, El Gama’a Islamiya, now associated with the Brotherhood. He was welcomed here, and apparently made many “demands, including the release of the infamous “blind seikh” Abderrahman, a co-member of Gama’a ,now in a US prison. He may still be granted his wish.
.- The mother of the Chief of staff (or deputy Chief of staff) of Hillary Clinton ,Saleeha Abedin , is a member of the women’s division of the Muslim Brotherhood, alongside Mohamed Morsi’s wife.
.- It was reported that Hillary transferred a check for 1.5 billion dollars to Egypt after the victory of the Muslim Brotherhood (It is hard to believe it since the purse strings are under the control of the U.S.Congress where there have been voices demanding not to do so.)
Post-victory declarations by Morsi and his acolytes are not encouraging. They talk about establishing Sharia law, the totalitarian and supremacist Islamic doctrine a la Iran .They talk about abolishing the peace treaty with Israel with alarming terms, although camouflaged to soothe American ears and not jeopardize the 2.1 billion dollar annual stipend.
Morsi spoke about a rapprochement and stronger ties with the Iranian regime , promising them that the peace agreement with Israel will be reconsidered, In another interview, he said that “the agreement will be observed IF Israel ceases its aggression and injustice … to the Palestinians.”
Other Muslim Brotherhood members still call Israel “the Zionist entity of killers and vampires.”
In the meantime, the hitherto powerful army has dissolved the newly elected parliament , and a constitution has yet to be written and approved . Morsi’s rule is inhibited, and Tahrir Square is
re-visited by tens of thousands of rioters demanding that the army relinquishes power, and the army ordered its soldiers to shoot to kill if the demonstrations become violent.
There is a danger of civil war, and many believe that the army remains the only guarantor of peace and stability, the best friend of the United States, the only power that can prevent the establishment of Sharia law and preserve the peace treaty with the Jewish state.
And, as the worst blunder of all, the spokesmen of the White House and the State Department have just called on the Egyptian army to relinquish power to …the Muslim Brotherhood.
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Yetiv is a lecturer and freelance writer based in La Jolla. He may be contacted at isaac.yetiv@sdjewishworld.com
Yetiv is a lecturer and freelance writer based in La Jolla. He may be contacted at isaac.yetiv@sdjewishworld.com