Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak has been diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer, and is not expected to live beyond a year. After that, the uneasy equilibrium of Egyptian politics could be violently disrupted, with the possibility for escalation in the Middle East and beyond. The Islamic supremacist Muslim Brotherhood, from which sprang both Hamas and Al-Qaeda, could attempt to seize Mubarak’s death as an opportunity to try to take power in Egypt. Mubarak’s son Gamal, however, appears to be determined not to let that happen. It is by no means beyond the realm of possibility that armed conflict could result – conflict that could be the deadly match in the Middle East’s tinderbox.
Officially, the Muslim Brotherhood is banned in Egypt, but its candidates often run in elections as independents – winning one-fifth of the seats in the 2005 parliamentary elections. Since the presidency of Gamel Abdel Nasser (1956-1970), the Egyptian government has practiced steam control with the Brotherhood, looking the other way as the group terrorized Coptic Christians and enforced Islamic strictures upon the Egyptian populace, but cracking down when the Brotherhood showed signs of growing powerful enough actually to seize power. Shortly before he was assassinated by members of another Islamic supremacist group that was enraged by his peace treaty with Israel, Nasser’s successor Anwar Sadat not only released all the Brotherhood political prisoners who had been languishing in Egyptian prisons, but also promised the Brotherhood that Sharia would be fully implemented in Egypt.
The Islamization of Egypt has been proceeding steadily for decades. While in the 1960s women wearing hijabs were rare on the streets of Cairo, now it is rare to see a woman not wearing one; the Brotherhood’s societal and cultural influence has long outstripped its direct political reach, and shows no sign of abating. Nonetheless, nearly thirty years after Sadat’s promise, the Brotherhood is still waiting for that full implementation of Sharia. Mubarak’s son and heir apparent, Gamal Mubarak, said in a July 2008 interview that “religion” was one of the “most important components” of Egyptian society and culture.” Yet he maintained that Egypt’s “constitution formally prohibits confessional political parties and the use of religion in political discourse.” He added, in clear reference to the Brotherhood and allied Islamic supremacist groups:
But this is not enough. During the last months, these groups have been trying to take advantage of the difficulties our country is going through. By multiplying anti-Western references, they are building barriers between the different cultures. They are destroying the bridges between the Eastern and Western worlds that the past generations had so much trouble building. That is the worst thing that could happen.
Gamal Mubarak’s remedy for this growing Brotherhood influence involved “audacious leaders who are able to prepare their country for the future and implement some reforms even when they are unpopular. Such a leader must be brave enough to remain faithful to his convictions, despite all opposition.”
Islamists will take Egypt and that's for sure.
No president can really solve Egypts problems, which are to deph and complicated. Maybe if he could relay on the west (?) or any other strong foreign force, but there is no one at this moment. On the opposite, Islamist are gaining more and more international power.
Maybe if he'll act as the worse of the dictators, but even so the way to reconciliate the ppl will be religious in some way, probably anti west(?) and for sure anti Israelic.
Anyway, I bet Islamist will take Egypt.
It is absolutely in the interests of the United States and its allies, most importantly Israel, that the religious fundamentalists do not gain political control of Egypt. The country would be even more of a police state. Moreover, the Middle East likely would be thrown into total war.
Egypt, remember, is a nation with 80 million people — far more than Iraq and Afghanistan put together. It can afford heavy military losses. A radically Islamicized Egyptian society, with its youth aggressively mobilized (i.e., brainwashed), would effectively end any prospect for peace and possibly Israel's very existence.
Herein lies the main folly with regard to Bush's idealistic 'Democracy for the Muslim World' project: Regardless of how repugnant the current dictators of the Muslim world might be, given free and open elections, the winners would likely be equally corrupt, equally undemocratic, far more Islamic, and definitely more hostile to the West than the current regimes, as evidenced by election results in Iraq and Gaza.
Mubarak is a pretty bad guy, but their are even worse people in Egypt.
Actually, Mubarak is about the best you can expect in the Middle East without Islam completely taking over. At least he believes in building bridges to the West, while the alternative believes in forcing the West to submit to the authority of Islam.
Anyway, the future of Egypt will be very interesting to watch in the not too distant future, which is very scary considering how incompetent our State Department is.
Agreed. BTW, I once heard that Egypt is the single largest recipient of foreign aid. Anyone know if that is still true?
Egypt being a poor nation has made some headway with ties to the West, however
to keep the peace they have not cracked down on the Muslim Brotherhood, which
is worrysome as this group is out to destroy everything that is not Islam. War is
most likley the outcome of Mubarak's death, Gamal may be moving behind the
scenes to put the fear of his military assassination squads on the minds of
militant leaders. Who knows, maybe a war will cleanse most of the Muslim Bros.,
fro the scene, Israel has enough to deal with as does America without Islam boiling
over in Egypt. American aid can not be a factor with Obama in Office and without the
threat of its loss, the Brotherhood may have a real edge…………………..William
Why was my comment deleted, there was nothing in it that was out of line with
normal comments???????????????? William
Also it was deleted almost instantaniously with my submital……………there was no
time for anyone to read it no less consider it as something needing deletion.
What gives…………
Whoever has the tongue of the imam in their pocket has the support of the people. A billion backward Muslims cannot understand the Koran and must depend on their Imam to make sense out of it. Mohammad can sound sweeter than Jesus with a bribed Imam decoding an impossible to understand Koran.
From Karokoram Moncler lucie star pop Mountains to Milan street corner, the soft goose down feather jacket has become the classics which each fashion moist person's closet must have. The MONCLER down clothing eternal graceful makings, are the modern fashionable windvane absolutely, has won general populations' welcome, no matter is the international giant star, the adventurer or is the ordinary hobby fashion people very much likes. Sarah Jiexika card Parker, Tangmukelusi, Jacqueline Lin Kennedy and the Arand dragon's International organization also has Macdanna with Patric Germany west, Maliyakaili, is willing Iraqi Wister, with flower bud Hana graph TOPPERS, Moncler Hooded Coat and so on numerous Hollywood giant stars, is the moncler faithful bean or sweet potato Moncler quincy black starch noodles; Each Moncler jacket is the compatible any individual style carries on Moncler Piumini the design definition. Since 1952, moncler has been the indisputable feather emperor obviously.