What’s said is all things Islam have been vilified in the most ignorant and racist way in the U.S. But this is not at all the case in the Middle East. In fact, just the opposite is true. In Egypt today, even the word “secular†is tainted with the connotation of foreign intervention. Egyptians who favor separation of mosque and state are not even using this word. Instead, they are calling for a “civil†government or a government of “civilians.†For example, the Egyptian Federation of Independent Trade Unions calls for building a “national democratic civil state.†Under a secular government, President Hosni Mubarak stole $60 billion from the people of Egypt. His regime signed an agreement with Israel selling them natural gas at rates lower than those paid by Egyptians. This secular government sold off the state-controlled economy to multinational corporations, pleasing Wall Street banks but impoverishing the Egyptian people. And when the people exerted any rights, they were clubbed and jailed. This went on for 30 years.
For more proof look no further than the most secular Arab country of all, Tunisia, where the Islamist Ennahda Party won a plurality of the votes in the elections.
America has no idea whats in store on behalf of the “protestor” in the Middle East. But its about fucking time.
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“The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance; it is the illusion of knowledge.”
What’s said is all things Islam have been vilified in the most ignorant and racist way in the U.S. But this is not at all the case in the Middle East. In fact, just the opposite is true. In Egypt today, even the word “secular†is tainted with the connotation of foreign intervention. Egyptians who favor separation of mosque and state are not even using this word. Instead, they are calling for a “civil†government or a government of “civilians.†For example, the Egyptian Federation of Independent Trade Unions calls for building a “national democratic civil state.†Under a secular government, President Hosni Mubarak stole $60 billion from the people of Egypt. His regime signed an agreement with Israel selling them natural gas at rates lower than those paid by Egyptians. This secular government sold off the state-controlled economy to multinational corporations, pleasing Wall Street banks but impoverishing the Egyptian people. And when the people exerted any rights, they were clubbed and jailed. This went on for 30 years.
For more proof look no further than the most secular Arab country of all, Tunisia, where the Islamist Ennahda Party won a plurality of the votes in the elections.
America has no idea whats in store on behalf of the “protestor” in the Middle East. But its about fucking time.