Tag Archives: Muslim Brotherhood

Samir Amin on Egypt and America

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Marxist thinker Samir Amin theorized on the fate of the Egyptian Revolution. And he made an interesting point, one that implied more careful thought than I believe we applied:

The main goal of the US after the revolution is to protect its interests by maintaining economic neoliberal policies in the region, Amin says, explaining US support of the Muslim Brotherhood.

“Whether by a semi-democratic state, an Islamic state, a military dictatorship or a dictatorship … these are all tools [for the US] to reach the same goal, which is to guarantee the continuation of neoliberal policies in the region.” Hence, he explains, the US decided to bet on the Islamist group.

“The US bets on all parties, whether democratic, fascist, Islamist or secular, as long as it accepts neoliberal economic policies.”

However, the US decided to bet on the Brotherhood rather than on other groups because they are more capable of implementing neoliberal policies and they have a regionwide organisation that can protect US interests, Amin opined.

 We let things happen in a passive sense rather than hedging on any bets. I only wish we were as deliberate as Mr. Amin believes us to be.

Inquiring Minds Want to Know

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Malala Yousafzai trails Bradley Manning, 22% to 70%, in the Guardian’s POY ’12?

You like to make your morning eggs with a Glock?

Al-Masry Al-Youm (via Al-Monitor) Reports on Muslim Brotherhood Torture Chambers?

The Oklahoma Full Auto Shoot & Trade Show (OFASTS) is full auto? (Hand Salute: ASM)

What big Texas eyes you have?

We have Pentagon Peacocks? (Hand Salute: Kris, thanks!)

That differing Chanukah stories are still argued? (Happy Chanukah to all who celebrate it!)

Someone defaced Quantico’s Iwo Jima Memorial?

Does Egypt Have Buyers’ Remorsi?

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As much as there are heroes in Egypt at the moment, the National Salvation Front could be (perhaps) called that. The Front includes prominent democracy advocate Nobel Peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei, leftist Hamdeen Sabbahi and former Arab League chief Amr Moussa. And let’s not forget the Coptic community. I’ve worked with many Egyptian Coptic folks over the years and they are certainly hardworking and proud:

An Egyptian protester holds a cross and a Quran as he chants anti-Muslim Brotherhood slogans at an opposition rally in Tahrir Square, in Cairo, Egypt.

Meanwhile the Muslim Brotherhood is ordering gangs to roam Cairo, raping women and beating men. Best comment at the above link: I’ll bet Egypt has buyers’ remorsi. I suppose I should not gloat. We just bagged a jihadi over here, named Abdullatif Aldosary.

The Cunning Muslim Bro’s Candidate

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Do you speak Arabic? If so, you would recognize that the Muslim Brotherhood’s Muhammad Khairat el-Shater’s last name (el-Shater) translates as “the sly” or “the cunning.” Khairat, his middle name*, could be a derivative of the word “good” (khiar.) And what is the good, cunning one up to? He possibly may be the Muslim Bro’s presidential candidate:

Muslim Brotherhood presidential candidate Khairat el-Shater, خيرت الشاطر‎

Egyptian military judges dropped convictions against Muslim Brotherhood presidential candidate Khairat el-Shater, clearing the nominee of the nation’s dominant political party to run in the election, the group’s lawyer said.

“We have taken administrative, legal and judicial measures before the military judiciary and based on this, all convictions have been dropped,” Abdel Monem Abdel Maqsoud said in a phone interview in Cairo yesterday.

The Brotherhood said March 31 that el-Shater was its candidate for the presidential election that begins May 23 and May 24, making him one of the favorites to win and potentially increasing tensions between the once-banned group and the generals who currently rule the nation.

Nice Reebok shirt there, Shater. It is smart of be pictured in that sort of garb, it gives the appearance of moderation. And a toothy smile and a wave? Wow, we hit the trifecta: a smile, a wave, and a Reebok shirt!

Facts that make me more nervous about Shater:

-Khairat El-Shater joined the youth wing of the Nasserist Arab Socialist Union at age 16.

-Having become an Islamist dissident, he went into exile in England in 1981. After returning in the mid-1980s, he became an active member of the Muslim Brotherhood. In 1995, he became head of the Brotherhood’s Greater Cairo branch.

Facts that make me less nervous about Shater:

-The Middle East researcher Avi Asher-Schapiro considers El-Shater to be a strong advocate of privatization and free market.

You and your boys have been the unofficial Egyptian opposition party for years, Shater. Now you may get your chance to rule. Good luck. I think you will find it a lot easier to make noise than to lead. . .

* Naming conventions differ between the Middle East and here. What we may consider a first, middle, and last name does not translate directly between cultures. Often a father takes his son’s name and adds Abu to it. As in Abu Ahmed or Father of Ahmed.