Richard Bulliet: Egypt and Al-Qaeda
[Richard Bulliet is Professor of History at Columbia University and author of Islam: The View from the Edge and The Case for Islamo-Christian Civilization.]
An effective transition to democracy in Egypt will strike a powerful blow against al-Qaeda. A democratic Egypt with the Muslim Brotherhood participating in a pluralistic electoral system will offer disaffected Muslim youth a viable alternative to terrorism and anarchy. Helping toward the achievement of this goal should therefore be an urgent priority for the entire international community.
Jihadist ideology distinguishes between the near enemy and the far enemy. It identifies the near enemy as the oppressive governments that have long prevailed in a dozen Middle Eastern and North African countries. These governments suppress popular yearnings for democracy and employ harsh measures in quelling every form of Islamic political aspiration, from the terrorist fringe to the mainstream democratic Islamist parties....
Read entire article at Middle East Online
An effective transition to democracy in Egypt will strike a powerful blow against al-Qaeda. A democratic Egypt with the Muslim Brotherhood participating in a pluralistic electoral system will offer disaffected Muslim youth a viable alternative to terrorism and anarchy. Helping toward the achievement of this goal should therefore be an urgent priority for the entire international community.
Jihadist ideology distinguishes between the near enemy and the far enemy. It identifies the near enemy as the oppressive governments that have long prevailed in a dozen Middle Eastern and North African countries. These governments suppress popular yearnings for democracy and employ harsh measures in quelling every form of Islamic political aspiration, from the terrorist fringe to the mainstream democratic Islamist parties....