IBD: What Egyptians Really Want

[Wrong Direction]

This is concerning. If true, the implications are clear. The next several months are critical. Will Egypt turn into Iran or Jordan? This is a real challenge for the international community, and Obama.

http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article/562840/201102101920/What-Egyptians-Really-Do-Want.htm

According to a major survey conducted last year by the Pew Research Center, adults in Egypt don't crave Western-style democracy, as pundits have blithely trumpeted throughout coverage of the unrest.

Far from it, the vast majority of them want a larger role for Islam in government. This includes making barbaric punishments, such as stoning adulterers and executing apostates, the law of their country. With the ouster of their secular, pro-American leader, they may get their wish.

Among highlights from the Pew poll:

• 49% of Egyptians say Islam plays only a "small role" in public affairs under President Hosni Mubarak, while 95% prefer the religion play a "large role in politics."

• 84% favor the death penalty for people who leave the Muslim faith.

• 82% support stoning adulterers.

• 77% think thieves should have their hands cut off.

• 54% support a law segregating women from men in the workplace.

• 54% believe suicide bombings that kill civilians can be justified.

• Nearly half support the terrorist group Hamas.

• 30% have a favorable opinion of Hezbollah.

• 20% maintain positive views of al-Qaida and Osama bin Laden.

• 82% of Egyptians dislike the U.S. — the highest unfavorable rating among the 18 Muslim nations Pew surveyed.

This empirical evidence refutes the sympathetic narrative broadcast as a continuous loop in the media over the past fortnight. Even after getting beat up by anti-American mobs, CNN's Anderson Cooper portrayed rioters as largely secular yuppies yearning for modernity and the triumph of human rights over martial law.

He and other media elite have it exactly backwards: Egyptians are revolting against Western-style democracy. The Pew poll reveals they do not, in fact, value our principles of individual freedoms, human rights and separation of religion and state.

It is plain they do not want what we want. They want an Islamic theocracy.

[SkinsHokieFan]

Here is the actual poll, which puts a bit more context to this horribly biased article

http://pewglobal.org/2010/12/02/muslims-around-the-world-divided-on-hamas-and-hezbollah/

For example:

"54% believe suicide bombings that kill civilians can be justified."

In actuality

And I am curious why this didn't make the article

[Wrong Direction]

I should have added editorial after IBD, for clarity. My bad. Will read the article to see what you're talking about.

[SkinsHokieFan]

I should have added editorial after IBD, for clarity. My bad. Will read the article to see what you're talking about.

No worries. It is very easy to get caught up in the hysteria from generally right wing sources as to the fact that terrorists will take over Egypt

Will there be more Islam involved in the public sphere? Yes, I can promise that, as most people wish to have it. How that will work out is up to the Egyptians

[Wrong Direction]

Only in Jordan and Egypt do majorities of Muslims say there is no struggle between modernizers and Islamic fundamentalists in their countries. About seven-in-ten (72%) Jordanian Muslims and 61% of Egyptian Muslims offer this opinion; just 20% and 31%, respectively, see a struggle in their countries. In both of these countries, however, Muslims are now more likely than they were in 2009 to say there is a struggle; a year ago, 14% of Muslims in Jordan and 22% in Egypt saw a struggle in their countries.

Among Muslims who see a struggle between modernizers and Islamic fundamentalists, majorities in Lebanon (84%), Turkey (74%), Pakistan (61%) and Indonesia (54%) side with those who want to modernize their countries; a plurality of Jordanian Muslims who say there is a struggle in their country also side with the modernizers (48%). In Egypt and Nigeria, however, most Muslims who see a struggle in their countries say they identify with Islamic fundamentalists (59% and 58%, respectively).

---------- Post added February-11th-2011 at 05:16 PM ----------

No worries. It is very easy to get caught up in the hysteria from generally right wing sources as to the fact that terrorists will take over Egypt

Will there be more Islam involved in the public sphere? Yes, I can promise that, as most people wish to have it. How that will work out is up to the Egyptians

I believe this is a very tenuous moment for America. I don't know enough to make a prediction, but make no mistake that religious powers in the region will work as hard as America to get their side to win an election. The conclusion is unknown, and it's not hysteria to point that out.

[Burgold]

Is it terrible that the title of this thread gave me a Spice Girls' flashback.

[Predicto]

---------- Post added February-11th-2011 at 05:16 PM ----------

I believe this is a very tenuous moment for America. I don't know enough to make a prediction, but make no mistake that religious powers in the region will work as hard as America to get their side to win an election. The conclusion is unknown, and it's not hysteria to point that out.

I agree. But that's not what that editorial did.

[Thiebear]

I'll never understand the fight between Islam and Christianity as they both come from the same origin and expous the same beliefs.

The Christian one had a "new testiment" epiphiny but thats about it.

I was happily shocked to see they see the extremists in the exact same way we see our extremists... Duh! of course they do.

I can see them having the different levels of (Evangelism vs. Catholic vs. Westboro Baptist vs. Methodist vs. HolyRoller vs. Mormon)

Edit: the roundup of the brotherhood says a lot about wanting stability from the Military it seems.

[Wrong Direction]

I agree. But that's not what that editorial did.

Yeah, the editorial went farther for sure. I'm not in panic mode nor am I going nuts on Obama here. At the same time, we have a national interest in the outcome of the election.