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For Islamists, Dire Lessons on Politics and Power
NY Times. ^ | July 4, 2013 | By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK and BEN HUBBARD

Posted on 07/05/2013 9:49:39 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach

CAIRO — Sheik Mohamed Abu Sidra had watched in exasperation for months as President Mohamed Morsi and the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood bounced from one debilitating political battle to another.

“The Brotherhood went too fast, they tried to take too much,” Sheik Abu Sidra, an influential ultraconservative Islamist in Benghazi, Libya, said Thursday, a day after the Egyptian military deposed and detained Mr. Morsi and began arresting his Brotherhood allies.

But at the same time, Sheik Abu Sidra said, Mr. Morsi’s overthrow had made it far more difficult for him to persuade Benghazi’s Islamist militias to put down their weapons and trust in democracy.

“Do you think I can sell that to the people anymore?” he asked. “I have been saying all along, ‘If you want to build Shariah law, come to elections.’ Now they will just say, ‘Look at Egypt,’ and you don’t need to say anything else.”

From Benghazi to Abu Dhabi, Islamists are drawing lessons from Mr. Morsi’s ouster that could shape political Islam for a generation. For some, it demonstrated the futility of democracy in a world dominated by Western powers and their client states. But others, acknowledging that the takeover accompanied a broad popular backlash, also faulted the leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood for reaching too fast for so many levers of power.

The Brotherhood’s fall is the greatest in an array of setbacks that have halted the once seemingly unstoppable march of political Islam. As they have moved from opposition to establishment, Islamist parties in Turkey, Tunisia and now Egypt have all been caught up in crises over the secular practicalities of governing like power sharing, urban planning, public security or even keeping the lights on.

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: benghazi; egypt; fastandfurious; impeachnow; irs; islam; libya

1 posted on 07/05/2013 9:49:39 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
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To: All
In Cairo:

Morsi Loyalists Clash With Soldiers in Cairo Protests

2 posted on 07/05/2013 10:07:29 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

Arresting the opposition to fast should always be concern of a new dictator, one must proceed at the correct speed. The only weapons we should be giving to these people should be dropped from above.


3 posted on 07/05/2013 10:09:02 AM PDT by spawn44 (MOO)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

It’s hard to have ‘separation of church and state’ when the church is the state...............


4 posted on 07/05/2013 10:09:27 AM PDT by Red Badger (Want to be surprised? Google your own name......Want to have fun? Google your friend's names........)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

In the childlike mind of a leftist, Communists, Islamist, and Dictators are never wrong. They always just move too fast. I guess the NYT is “surprised” again.


5 posted on 07/05/2013 10:12:37 AM PDT by Bryanw92 (Sic semper tyrannis)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
Sheik Abu Sidra, an influential ultraconservative Islamist... [snip] “Do you think I can sell that to the people anymore?” he asked. “I have been saying all along, ‘If you want to build Shariah law, come to elections.’

By who's definition is he "ultraconservative"? The NYT's? So he isn't as blatant as some radical mooselimbs about his desire to see the world covered in islamism. That makes him "ultraconservative"?

Liberalsim is a mental disease and if it is not eradicated it could get us all killed (except the true liberals, who will submit to anyone who might hurt them).

6 posted on 07/05/2013 10:19:48 AM PDT by jeffc (The U.S. media are our enemy)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

This is fascinating and frustrating to me. In the past two years, the Egyptians have had TWO revolutions to overthrow their crappy rulers.

But, in the US, we have had over 5 years to overthrow OUR crappy rulers and we have done nothing. Are we REALLY that apathetic? Are we REALLY so lethargic that we can’t be taken away from American Idol, Survivor, Dancing with the Twits or a televised sports event to unload the worst administration in our history; the worst Congress in history; and, possibly, the worst SCOTUS in history??

Meanwhile, we are watching our country being dragged into the sewer on a daily basis by the ineligible thug in the WH and we won’t do anything about it!!

What a sad commentary about the state of America today. If we start now, we may make it through every national cemetary apologizing to the veterans who gave their lives fighting just so we could come to this point in our history!


7 posted on 07/05/2013 10:24:55 AM PDT by DustyMoment (Congress - another name for the American politburo!!)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

If Muslims had a lick of sense, they’d ask their imams why Allah didn’t step in and save Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood if they were doing his will by installing Sharia law.


8 posted on 07/05/2013 10:25:36 AM PDT by txrefugee
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To: jeffc

Hard line muzzies are leftist by nature and their natural allies in WWII were the national socialist party or NAZIS!

LLS


9 posted on 07/05/2013 10:36:13 AM PDT by LibLieSlayer (FROM MY COLD, DEAD HANDS!)
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To: SJackson; SunkenCiv; Marine_Uncle; TigersEye; onyx; MestaMachine; justa-hairyape; NormsRevenge; ...

fyi


10 posted on 07/05/2013 10:47:49 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

Beware the backlash.

We got through this cycle of “Friday Prayers” without much violence, but there’s always next week...


11 posted on 07/05/2013 11:29:13 AM PDT by lightman (Prosecute the heresies; pity the heretics.)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
I'm bothered by this focus on "democracy." Freedom is more important than democracy. Had the German Army stepped in to get rid of Hitler when he took over, would that have been a blow against democracy? Or a blow for freedom?
12 posted on 07/05/2013 11:37:37 AM PDT by JoeFromSidney ( New book: RESISTANCE TO TYRANNY. Buy from Amazon.)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

Meanwhile in Syria the little lion seems to be gushing with joy as how a Wahabist/Salafiest got the boot.


13 posted on 07/05/2013 12:07:17 PM PDT by Marine_Uncle (Galt level is not far away......)
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To: Marine_Uncle

So ,...now what does Obama do in Syria...?


14 posted on 07/05/2013 12:12:48 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
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To: JoeFromSidney

Good question....we equate them in this country...to our peril with Obama..


15 posted on 07/05/2013 12:14:12 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
RE: "So ,...now what does Obama do in Syria...?"

Most probably continue to ignore the mess they helped create.
Besides. Obama feels such a strong need to save the planet
from that horrible gas called Carbon Dioxide.
His administration hardly has time to worry about world affairs
outside that realm of concern. /sarc
16 posted on 07/05/2013 12:34:31 PM PDT by Marine_Uncle (Galt level is not far away......)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach; AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Berosus; bigheadfred; Bockscar; ColdOne; ...

Thanks Ernest.
"The Brotherhood went too fast, they tried to take too much," Sheik Abu Sidra, an influential ultraconservative Islamist in Benghazi, Libya, said Thursday... But at the same time, Sheik Abu Sidra said, Mr. Morsi’s overthrow had made it far more difficult for him to persuade Benghazi's Islamist militias to put down their weapons and trust in democracy.
Oh yeah, that's the reason. Here's another 'sheik' that we need to put into dirt nap time.


17 posted on 07/05/2013 1:14:00 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (McCain or Romney would have been worse, if you're a dumb ass.)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

For the Sheik, democracy is a means, not an end. As one wag put it: For an Islamist, democracy means ‘one man, one vote, one time’. And indeed, after his election, Morsi made a grab for dictatorial power. He failed, but not for lack of trying.


18 posted on 07/05/2013 2:08:49 PM PDT by pluvmantelo (After Bush & Obama, surely most people agree, the Excutive must be curtailed!)
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