Freedom of Religion versus Freedom of Islam
We value freedom of religion, and hold it as an inviolable right of individuals. The Muslim Brotherhood values freedom of Islam, and holds that religion's "rights" to be inviolate:
-- Death penalty for insulting Islam
-- Death penalty for leaving Islam
-- Death penalty for dishonoring Islam
-- Death by stoning for adulterers by Islamic Shari'a law
-- Amputation of hands for thieves by Islamic Shari'a law
Individual rights (which in their minds means "rights of men") come far below these, and effectively mean "you have some choices in how you will decide to serve Islam." It is the above list that is now, in 2011, receiving overwhelming support among Egyptians. Women's rights under Shari'a are negligible. Schooling, driving, working, are all considered to be corrupting influences, and are denied to them. This is done for their "protection."
Shari'a law looks like a shoe-in for Egypt this year, and is partly in place now unofficially.
These grim Islamic "freedoms" are all what the Muslim Brotherhood advocates, and that package has been collectively accepted as "non-violence" by the West. That's completely independent of their various franchise operations from al Qaida (and its various subfranchises) to Hamas to Hezbollah to many lesser-known but still deadly MB jihadist groups.
Saddam Hussein was the largest supporter of Muslim Brotherhood franchises before we took him out. (One of his favorites was Al Qaida of the Philippines, an area this week holding respectful ceremonies for Usama bin Ladin -- hat tip to
CuteLilDrow.)
More recently, Iran is stepping up to the plate -- and this is richly paying off as now, for the first time in decades, Iran is able to move their warships through the Suez Canal. But even the US is sending aid now to Muslim Brotherhood-controlled distributors.
We like them, it seems; we've called the Muslim Brotherhood, whose motto is "Islam is the Solution," a "moderate" and "secular" group. Think about that. A group that advocates death for insulting Islam is called "secular" by US national security figures. This is in the category of "people unclear on the concept" -- but it is also in the category of "people in charge of our response to threats."
We don't see these developments as a problem. The Muslim Brotherhood is now calling their political party the "Freedom and Justice Party," and apparently that is good enough for the current US administration to offer help. We're ignoring (I hope) the Egyptian border opened to allow attacks on Israel through Gaza, and countless other Iranian/new Egyptian threats. (I say "I hope" because the alternative, that we are doing this despite knowing what they're up to, is a grimly cynical and self-destructive course.)
As Middle Eastern governments topple, it's not clear whether the Muslim Brotherhood or Iranian mullahs will ultimately be in charge. But these are merely two flavors of jihadism. This is what we're dealing with -- not just the US, but the Western/civilized world. As well as moderate Muslims in the affected countries, who are becoming an endangered species and who must keep a low profile.
And somehow, some way, the West must finally accept what is happening as this radical subset becomes the HMFWICs.
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-- Death penalty for insulting Islam
-- Death penalty for leaving Islam
-- Death penalty for dishonoring Islam
-- Death by stoning for adulterers by Islamic Shari'a law
-- Amputation of hands for thieves by Islamic Shari'a law
Individual rights (which in their minds means "rights of men") come far below these, and effectively mean "you have some choices in how you will decide to serve Islam." It is the above list that is now, in 2011, receiving overwhelming support among Egyptians. Women's rights under Shari'a are negligible. Schooling, driving, working, are all considered to be corrupting influences, and are denied to them. This is done for their "protection."
Shari'a law looks like a shoe-in for Egypt this year, and is partly in place now unofficially.
These grim Islamic "freedoms" are all what the Muslim Brotherhood advocates, and that package has been collectively accepted as "non-violence" by the West. That's completely independent of their various franchise operations from al Qaida (and its various subfranchises) to Hamas to Hezbollah to many lesser-known but still deadly MB jihadist groups.
Saddam Hussein was the largest supporter of Muslim Brotherhood franchises before we took him out. (One of his favorites was Al Qaida of the Philippines, an area this week holding respectful ceremonies for Usama bin Ladin -- hat tip to
CuteLilDrow.)
More recently, Iran is stepping up to the plate -- and this is richly paying off as now, for the first time in decades, Iran is able to move their warships through the Suez Canal. But even the US is sending aid now to Muslim Brotherhood-controlled distributors.
We like them, it seems; we've called the Muslim Brotherhood, whose motto is "Islam is the Solution," a "moderate" and "secular" group. Think about that. A group that advocates death for insulting Islam is called "secular" by US national security figures. This is in the category of "people unclear on the concept" -- but it is also in the category of "people in charge of our response to threats."
We don't see these developments as a problem. The Muslim Brotherhood is now calling their political party the "Freedom and Justice Party," and apparently that is good enough for the current US administration to offer help. We're ignoring (I hope) the Egyptian border opened to allow attacks on Israel through Gaza, and countless other Iranian/new Egyptian threats. (I say "I hope" because the alternative, that we are doing this despite knowing what they're up to, is a grimly cynical and self-destructive course.)
As Middle Eastern governments topple, it's not clear whether the Muslim Brotherhood or Iranian mullahs will ultimately be in charge. But these are merely two flavors of jihadism. This is what we're dealing with -- not just the US, but the Western/civilized world. As well as moderate Muslims in the affected countries, who are becoming an endangered species and who must keep a low profile.
And somehow, some way, the West must finally accept what is happening as this radical subset becomes the HMFWICs.
===|==============/ Level Head