We have been musing on the Obama administration’s handling of the events transpiring in Egypt. Many of us would like to believe that Barack Obama is genuinely incompetent as has been suggested, but what if it’s something else? What if things are going precisely the way Barack Obama wants them to go? This is the basis for an an interesting article by Victor Sharpe over at American Thinker.
My fear is that Obama is not naïve at all, but he instead knows only too well what he is doing, for he is eagerly promoting Islamic power in the world while diminishing the West and Israel, however much innocent blood will flow as a result.
Sharpe believes, as I do, that the Muslim Brotherhood will eventually seize control of Egypt and Egypt will become the next Iran.
Inevitably, sooner or later, the Muslim Brotherhood will take power, usher in a barbaric Islamist power in Egypt that will control the Suez Canal, and show no mercy to its own people or its perceived foes.
Sharpe notes that Lebanon has fallen to Islamists and Jordan is likely next to succumb. Sharpe also sees the hand of George Soros via the International Crisis Group, of which Mohammed ElBaradei is a member.
Upon Mubarak’s departure, it was assumed that Vice President Omar Suleiman would take control, but he has made it known that Mohamed Hussein Tantawi (there’s that middle name again) would be the leader of a new military council. US diplomats have described Tantawi as “aged and change-resistant.” He is also described as being uncomfortable with the US’ focus on fighting terrorism and “resistant to political and economic reform.” And someone not happy with the loss of central power.
Yet if there is change in Egypt, it may not be what the West would like to see.
In July of last year, the University of Maryland commissioned Zogby to poll the people of Egypt. Here are a few of their findings:
* 85% of Egyptians hold an unfavorable attitude toward the U.S.
* 87% of Egyptians have no confidence in the U.S.
* 92% of Egyptians believe the U.S. is one of two nations that is the greatest threat to them (the other nation the Egyptian people hate is Israel)
* 52% of Egyptians hold an unfavorable opinion of American people
* 65% of Egyptians believe that Islamic clergy must play a greater role in the Egyptian political system
* 79% percent of Egyptians believe that it would be positive if Iran is able to acquire nuclear weapons
A Pew Research Center Global Attitudes Project poll conducted last year revealed the conflict between religion and democracy in Egypt and this is the fly in the ointment of freedom.
– 84% favor the death penalty for apostasy
– 90% believe in freedom of religion
– 59% would choose fundamentalists over modernizers
– 82% support stoning for adulterers
– 54% believe suicide bombing can be justified
– 82% have an unfavorable view of the United States (despite all the Obama apologies)
While George Bush actively encouraged democratic efforts in Egypt, Barack Obama cut off funding for those efforts.
“No matter what was said in private, or how forcefully, the public message sent by the Obama administration over the past two years was that democracy and human rights in Egypt was not a top priority,” Kessler writes. “When given the opportunity to use the biggest megaphone in the world–the voice of the president of the United States–the words were whispered, if said at all.”
The poll information is critical. Egyptians may claim to want democracy but the majority would choose fundamentalists to run the government and the vast majority favor killing those who would leave Islam. Some semblance of a democracy might even briefly appear in Egypt within months but ironically the democracy that offers freedom of choice might see the choice of a fundamentalist government and the end of freedom of choice and certainly the end of many human rights. It will be intriguing to see how the Obama administration handles it.
Back to Byron York:
Muslim opinion of Obama, who made outreach to Muslims a top priority and traveled to Cairo in June 2009 to address the Islamic world, has also dropped.
Then again, maybe Obama is trying to get back into their good graces by helping to build a global Islamic world.
DrJohn has been a health care professional for more than 30 years. In addition to clinical practice he has done extensive research and has published widely with over 70 original articles and abstracts in the peer-reviewed literature. DrJohn is well known in his field and has lectured on every continent except for Antarctica. He has been married to the same wonderful lady for over 30 years and has three kids- two sons, both of whom are attorneys and one daughter on her way into the field of education.
DrJohn was brought up with the concept that one can do well if one is prepared to work hard but nothing in life is guaranteed.
Except for liberals being foolish.
Thank you joetote, and you as well.