Democratic Freedom and Justice

In politics, pragmatism is of vital importance.  Making alliances between unlikely-appearing groups simply represents what politics is all about.  And if and when principles are compromised, and in the process of appealing to the voting public that what is being undertaken makes good practical and diplomatic sense, it hardly matters if there suddenly appear various versions of the 'truth'.

Facts are whatever someone who has an agenda claims them to be.  And if that someone happens to have great authority, so much the better.

The United States, it has recently been pointed out, viewed the Muslim Brotherhood with suspicion, as a group that has been involved in discreditable activities, only because their former ally in Egypt, President Hosni Mubarak viewed them with such great hostility.  Great enough to incarcerate them and tamp down their activities.

Which activities did include, just incidentally, an inspired offshoot of the Brotherhood assassinating his predecessor, President Anwar Sadat.

Well, times evolve, and now that the Arab Spring has removed Hosni Mubarak and the Muslim Brotherhood, through its Freedom and Justice party is in the political ascendancy, alongside an even more fundamentally Islamist Salafist party, why then, one must reach out to 'understand' more fully the plans and values expressed by an entity imperfectly understood.

Evidently, it is imperfectly understood by the current administration in the United States that the Muslim Brotherhood spawned the terrorist group Hamas.  Difficult to equate them with sinister motives, in any event, because they have embraced 'democracy', and their party is named, is it not, for 'freedom' and 'justice'?

It is also misunderstood that branches of the Muslim Brotherhood patiently await their opportunity in Syria, in Jordan and wherever (including the United States and Canada) their opportunities may arise.  It is misunderstood by those in great authority that Islam approves of Muslims speaking outright lies to those considered enemies of Islam, for the greater purpose of achieving inroads on behalf of Islam.

For the Muslim Brotherhood, as for the Salafists, the imposition of Sharia law is the starting point.

Speak to members of the Muslim Brotherhood to achieve an understanding of their agenda?  Trusting that they have every intention of speaking to truth.  As, for example, the humble truth that they had no interest in, nor intention of running a candidate for the presidency of Egypt?  That had as much resonance as the Brotherhood's stated intention not to monopolize activities in Tahrir Square, leaving it to young Egyptian secular liberals to passionately and innocently enough do their work for them.

Now Khairat Al-Shater, former high-ranking, second-in-command Muslim Brotherhood elite is their !surprise! candidate for the presidency.  And he has now candidly admitted that the introduction of sharia law would represent his "first and final" objective on winning the May and June elections.  The Interior Ministry will be reformed under his tutelage, as payback for their suppression of the Muslim Brotherhood's aspirations for far too long.

"Sharia was and will always be my first and final project and objective."  He assured a meeting of the Religious Association for Rights and Reform, as a member.  And he would personally see to it that a special entity to aid parliament in responding to that need for Egypt, would be established.

So that's all right, that's progress, is it not?  Stating clearly and simply for the audience in the Middle East and Egypt in particular that will most surely elect this Brotherhood presidential candidate.  To the dismay of those whose aspirations led the Arab Spring to its celebrated success.  Which has now left them in a rather dismal state of depression.  They and the Coptic Christians who fear now they have nowhere left to turn.

That traditional $1.3-billion in annual military aid out of the U.S. treasury remains assured.  As American and other officials have nicely lined up to become acquainted with Brotherhood officials.  Brotherhood representatives in fact have met with officials from the American National Security Agency.  Isn't that delightfully ironic?  Muslim Brotherhood meeting with the U.S. National Security Agency....

"In the aftermath of Egypt's revolution, we have broadened our engagement to include new and emerging political parties and actors.  Because it is a fact that Egypt's political landscape has changed and the actors have become more diverse and our engagement reflects that."  White House Press Secretary Jay Carney