The Muslim Brotherhood (evolution, prophecy, Christianity, Christian, Christ)

[Darkdale]

The Muslim Brotherhood

For an outlawed political party, the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt has had an impressive showing in parliamentary elections. The group significantly bolstered its presence in 454-seat parliament and has established itself as the leading opposition group in Egypt --an ascent that looms worrisomely behind President Bush's Greater Middle East Initiative.

The Brotherhood's campaign motto has been "Islam is the solution." In practice, it has much more than a purely religious identity. The group has been pragmatic, politically savvy and adept at establishing grass-root networks that address the terrestrial needs and concerns of Egyptians. The party said it is willing to work with other opposition parties in parliament.

Could you imagine if Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell's 700 Club was a party and they ran on, "Christianity is the Solution"? How nuts do you think liberals in this country would go? You think the libertarians could sit for that? Well, it's happening in Egypt. But there is a problem. The Muslim Brotherhood supposively has renounced violence and is going about gaining power through democratic means. Which tells us something... it may not matter if the Arab World is free and democratic or not... the same people will come to power either way. Well, I suppose as long as they are peaceful, everything will be fine. Except that the ruling party in Saudi Arabia are peaceful and they've been funding radicalism all over the world.

But, something remains clear... The Muslim Brotherhood will define Islam's role in the democratic process in the future. In fact, if they gain power, remain peaceful and produce a good economy, they could be the best thing that ever happened to The West. By creating Democratic Islamic states, they will prove to the terrorists that there are other ways of going about gaining power.

So what about the terrorist organizations that want to run candidates in the Palestinians elections? Have they learned their lesson or are they just trying to use Democracy and violence at the same time?

The United States should quietly befriend the Muslim Brotherhood:

1. Quietly, because if Muslims find out we've befriended the Brotherhood, the Brotherhood will lose support.

2. Any Muslim group that goes about achieving their political goals peacefully and democratically should be supported by the United States.

3. We need to have as much access to the Brotherhood as possible to see whether or not they really are peaceful and to know what their intentions are.

[Nehustan]

I travelled out to Cairo in 1998, shortly after the shootings at Luxor. I was there over the months of July and August, which given my Northern European aclimitisation was a little difficult, and I often found myself snoozing. The Egyptian brothers that I stayed with would laugh and say 'How did the British govern us, when all they can do is sleep???' Some years later I read the book Orientalism by Edward Said, and he may have put forward an answer to this question, which has certain pertinency to the whole Egyptian issue, as Lord Cromer (Said, 1994, p.239) stated, ‘We do not govern Egypt, we only govern the governors of Egypt.’ This is certainly how it appeared to me, on our drive from the airport to the exclusive district of Al Mohandeseen we were to break down, to be encircled by soldiers armed with Kalashnikovs, as quickly as you could have said 'Islamic Revolution'. My stay in El Mohandeseen was pleasant, but then it would be as it was for all intents and purposes a 'western' district with a high standard of life; pizza places, burger restaurants, luxury apartments, oh and on the road I was living was the Cairo's chief of police's residence, which entailed a jeep at each end of the road with 4 or 5 paramilitray policeman, barriers to restrict traffic, and of course nearer the residence young fit looking, and presumably well trained men, in smart clothes, advanced comm systems in their ears, and sparkly new Heckler and Koch sub machine guns. I stayed there for about a month, and had a very pleasant time. During this time I met with some interesting characters, whom I was sure were associated with The Muslim Brotherhood, and I must say they were absolute gentlemen. I actually think that everyone I was associated with during my stay were in some way connected to the Brotherhood. After Al Mohandeseen, I went to stay in Ain Shams, which was in stark contrast to my first residence. There were no roads, the tracks being dust and sand. The buildings tho' functional were what I may politley call a little more rugged. In place of the shining top of the range mercedes (which were not that common) were carts drawn by mules (again not that common), but there was a definate sense of purpose, warmth, and interest in me, at no time did I feel threatened, for without doubt some of the people in the area would have been very able to have dealt with me a westerner brought up in cotton wool had they felt the urge. But they did not, they preferred to treat me as a welcome guest. Ain Shams is known as a fertile area for the Muslim Brotherhood, and not that money is important but let me illustrate something about generosity, I left Cairo two months after arrival with exactly the same money I had arrived with.

I think the more the west thinks it should fear Islam, the more it will have to. A self fullfilling prophecy if you will.

[Ardent Listener]

I would hope we got our guys and maybe gals in the C.I.A. working on this as we speak.