Tourism is already tanking. People will stay home and watch a DVD about Egypt if they fear harassment and abuse if they visit, even if they have no intention of hitting the beaches or bars. They’ll hit the beach somewhere that hasn’t been known inflict virginity tests on female detainees. Like Key West. Dar al-Margarita, […]
Egypt’s Salafists: No Coptic president of Egypt
Not that anyone is surprised to hear that from the Salafists. But everyone is surprised at their showing in the election. They were widely described as a marginal Tiny Minority of Extremists. With the Muslim Brotherhood’s Kiss Freedom and Justice Goodbye Party, the Salafists’ al-Nour party will be writing the next constitution. A democracy is […]
Egypt’s Islamic supremacists could soon challenge military
Recently when asked who would emerge on top in Egypt, I said, “The Muslim Brotherhood.” Another analyst of political Islam on the contemporary scene said, “The military.” The showdown is coming soon. “Egypt’s Islamists could soon challenge generals,” by Leila Fadel in the Washington Post, January 4: CAIRO “” The dominant showing by the Muslim […]
Islam’s Slave-Soldiers Return to Egypt
In Stonegate Institute (via RaymondIbrahim.com) I discuss some of the parallels between Egypt’s ruling military and the Mamluks — military slaves who usurped power in Egypt for centuries, exercising a form of brutality against the people that has returned: The myths of a “patriotic” or “altruistic” Egyptian military carefully protecting the “rights” of its citizenry””the […]
Spencer: Requiem for the Third See of Christendom
In the Catholic magazine Crisis this morning, I provide some historical background on the embattled and courageous Coptic Church of Egypt: Egypt today is the site of a persecution of the Church on a scale unseen in Western Europe since the darkest days of the French Revolution; the Coptic Church is fighting for its life […]
“Arab Spring” fuelling rise of discrimination and violence against Christians
I tried to tell you. “Christians face waves of persecution: Arab Spring has partly fuelled rise of discrimination and violence against Jesus’s followers,” by Harry Sterling for the Vancouver Sun, January 2: …According to reports, Christians are being increasingly harassed, intimidated and even subjected to persecution and violence, including murder, in a number of foreign […]
“Supreme Guide” of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood reiterates that caliphate is its goal
That is, if it can avoid collapsing on itself in corruption, infighting, and economic ruin after more than one generation. The whole fantasy depends on a philosopher king, a special kind of tyrant with the right combination of an iron fist and personality cult, and that is only for one man’s lifetime. The experiment will […]
Egypt: Islamic preacher calls for government ministry for “promotion of virtue”
Once again, wherever Sharia experiences renewed interest, the observable effect is that tolerance decreases and harassment increases, and morality policing is a cheap, easy way for a government to look busy and shore up its Islamic credentials while reminding the public who’s boss. It is a diversion from larger issues that a real, functioning government […]
Egypt: Salafists refrain from New Year’s greetings to Copts
We already knew there would be no Christmas greetings from them. This is the shape of things to come in Egypt. The Tiny Minority of Extremists always seems to turn out less tiny than advertised, and the Salafists have scored between a quarter and a third of the vote so far, depending on the report. […]
Egypt: Divisions emerge between Islamic parties
The existence of disagreements is well known, but what remains to be seen is how it will affect governance and the crafting of Egypt’s next constitution. A Sharia regime carries a perpetual element of instability in that, as even Imam Rauf knows, Sharia is a package deal. There can always be more of it, and […]