In the 1980s, the Arabs were promised their version of “get-rich” capitalism starting with Egypt’s infitah (liberalisation) strategy. In a decade all Arab states moved towards the market economy. But Arab capitalism turned out to be a subterfuge for plunder by a few. Its iconic leader, the Tunisian despot Zine Al Abedine bin Ali, was more Al Capone than Adam Smith.We saw the pictures of Christians defending Muslims as they prayed and Muslims attending the Christian Mass during the demonstrations.
Nationalism, socialism, capitalism and Islamism, all with an Arab prefix, proved to be nothing but different masks for despotic rule. They all failed, and there is no echo of them anywhere in the unfolding revolt. Today the main slogan is: “Freedom, freedom now.” It is the first time in decades that large numbers of Arabs have gathered together without burning the American and Israeli flags or shouting: “Death to the Infidel.”
But then there's this story of one of the masterminds of the revolution being refused opportunity to address the crowds by wicked Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradawi, who's suddenly returned (having been exiled by Mubarak).
The grand opportunist like a thief in the night and in broad daylight bullied his way to address a million Egyptians, urging them to “Protect the revolution and don’t you dare let anyone steal it from you.” Except for him, of course, promising that soon he “will pray on the Jerusalem Al-Aqsa (Temple Mount)” not as a pilgrimage since visiting it is a “shame” and “forbidden by Sharia” so long as Israel exists.And then there's this. Apparently they are chanting, "To Jerusalem we go, martyrs in the millions."
Nina Shea reports on a letter from an Egyptian friend. Al-Qaeda's mastermind, al-Zawahiri, who's Egyptian if memory serves, has written a letter to the Egyptian people calling on them to extinguish the Copts, basically.
