Muslim Brotherhood Wins in Egypt

Nadene Goldfoot

I remember Obama thinking that there was nothing alarming if the Muslim Brotherhood would win in a democratic election in Egypt , and that would be so much better than Mubarak's leadership.  I didn't, knowing what they stood for.  Their creed is not of a nice peaceful religion like Christianity or Judaism, but of hatred for all Jews everywhere.  (Read Stand With Us- list on Muslim Brotherhood).  His father and step-father may have been Muslims, but he himself had to have not been appraised about the goals of this group-to destroy Israel and kill all Jews everywhere.  It isn't a lot of hot steam, either.  They believe it so much that there is a fatwa out on us. 

80% of the Egyptians voted in the first round of their new parliamentary elections and voted them in.  I might add that many Egyptians do not read or write.  They had to depend on pictures in order to vote.  Therefore, they are not as informed as our people who can but probably don't vet the candidates they are voting for very well. Unfortunaely, their reputation is that they have been the best organized of all the parties.   The political front group is called "The Democratic Alliance for Egypt."  They won at least 45% of the vote with another 20-25% for the Islamic Bloc, arm of the Salafists, who have created several parties.  One is the Hizb al-Noor.    The Salafists practice a puritanical form of Islam alien to Egypt.  Both parties have the same Islamist ideology with hatred of Israel and the USA,  and we Americans have been shelling out how many billions to them?  

Simon Wiesenthal's Center brings out that the Muslim Brotherhood is an enemy of democracy and peace.  They have an obsession of anti-Jewish conspiracy theories.  I believe it is them that even claims that a recent shark was Jewish, and I'm talking about the kind that swims in oceans with fins.   The Brotherhood is not democratic at all.  Look at how they treat women and their Coptic Christian minority. 

The Muslim Brotherhood is Egypt's Moderate party!  Heaven help them and us.  The Salafists, coming in 2nd with lots of power are the autocrats.  "All the while, Salafists will inject Egypt’s public space with a Saudi form of rigid, outdated, and intolerant Islam." from Husain at CNN. 

simon wiesenthal Center enewsletter@wiesenthal.com What the Muslim Brotherhood's Victory in Egypt Means:  New SVVC Report
http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2011/11/16/husain-the-rise-of-intolerant-salafists-in-egypt/
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=49315
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/150167#.TtSdYGHbyjR  12/2/11

Defending Avigdor Leiberman, Israel's New Foreign Minister

by Tamar Boussi 

The last two weeks, of the Israeli election, I followed Avigdor Leiberman as he was obviously as important as the "top three" candidates that the media had determined should be followed and reported on. After listening to Leiberman in several different venues, then asking him a question regarding his purported "racism", I carefully read the platform of Yisrael Beitanu. I want to issue the following challenge. Show me where, in Mr. Leiberman’s writings, speeches or party platform he is a "hate mongering" extremist or a "racist" as he has been accused by one or the other of the above named.

First of all, the party platform in brief:
No negotiations with terrorists
Overthrow Hamas
Citizenship should be linked to loyalty to the state and its principles. (Remember there are two Arab parties who the Knesset voted to not allow to run in this election because their platforms call for the destruction of the state of Israel and replacement with a Palestinian state. The Supreme Court ruled they must be allowed to run) Americans elected to public office must take an oath of allegiance as well as new citizens. Nowhere does Leiberman call for only Arabs or any other singled out group.to be loyal to the state.

Legal residents who have served in the IDF or have done National Service will get preferential treatment when applying to Universities, receiving public service benefits and allocation of state owned land grants. (This applies to all sections of the population, not only Jews)The U.S. GI bill of rights comes to mind)
A coalition should be formed to change the system of elections to a more workable system, perhaps modeled after the American system.

A bill will be presented to allow civil union as well as religious marriage.
A special cabinet level position to encourage aliyah and integration of new immigrants from Europe and the U.S. due to the sharp rise in anti-semitism.
Remove the restrictions on the importation and sale of pork products.
Loosen Sabbath restrictions on commerce.
Some of these planks may be disagreeable, but which ones are right wing extremist and which are racist and in what way?

My question to Mr Leiberman on the borders was answered realistically and constructively. Borders are usually described as an issue in solving the disagreements between the parties in this part of the world. The idea of moving borders so most Arabs live together and will govern themselves autonomously and most heavily Jewish populated areas accrue to Israel, is basic idea behind the borders set by the UN partition. This would insure that no one is moved out of their homes. Israel is not the U.S. and the Middle East is not the Americas. How people live here is different in that cultural, religious and ethnic differences cause people to prefer living together in their own communities, in order to maintain those differences. While Arabs can live freely in Israel, Jews cannot live in Arab territories—why is that?

In an interview with the Jerusalem Post, Leiberman stated he has two basic commitments, first the Security of Israel, second, prosperity for the Palestinians. He is a supporter of a two state solution and in fact believes this is the only way to solve the issue of security for Israel and prosperity for the Palestinians.
American Jews may support the Zionist enterprise or not, but to attempt to pressure the government of a sovereign state to form a government, that is contrary to the wishes of the voters, in this case, by delegitimizing one of its leaders is not their province. To quote the embattled Dutch film maker Geert Wilders, "Thanks to Israeli parents who see their children go off to join the army and lie awake at night worrying, parents in Europe and America can sleep well and have pleasant dreams, unaware of the dangers looming."

Demonizing those with whom we may disagree is not helpful, democratic or wise. While we can all read between the lines and determine that we know what another person thinks, but this is mind reading when there is no evidence to support it.