Egypt, Islam, and the Will of the People.
As the people of the United States watch the events unfolding in Egypt this week, several issues arose that, if fully realized, can turn the US away from the perilous course it is on.
It is important not to over draw any parallel between the US and Egypt. However there are some rather universal truths here that could help the people of the US to regain their footing and learn to stand against corrupting forces in their country as the Egyptian people did in theirs.
In the US there is still a frail structure of Democratic institutions. All we have to do is re-inhabit those structures. But there are other issues of promise that can be seen from the events in Egypt.
1. Islam is not necessarily the Boogie Man that the people of the US are being led to believe it is. The people of the US have always been susceptible to buying into a false Boogie Man and then allowing that to distract them while internal forces mute and diminish their hard won freedoms and rights.
Egypt is an Islamic country with a secular government, just as the US a Christian country with a secular government. The people of the US want Islamic Governments to be secular while at the same time they are running toward a theological Government. This contradiction must be resolved in the US. Various sectors of the US have blatantly used theological or "Moral" issues to blind people to the real issues and choices they needed to make for their own good.
A Prime example is the reelection of George Bush in 2004. One of the major issues was the failure of US policy in Iraq, namely the War. If that had been the issue, we would have had President Kerry sworn in on January of 2005.
That did not happen and the war drug on for four more years until the corruption of the Party in Power could no longer be disguised in distractions like Gay Marriage. The Republican disinformation machine made moral issues seem more pressing the bankruptcy of our economy as well as our souls by continuing a War that was noting but destructive to the US. A large enough segment of our electorate was duped by their Religious Leaders to vote for Bush to stop "Moral Decay" in the US.
We did not win the War and we soon will have Gay Marriage in some form.
2. One of the things that the Founding Fathers attempted in writing the Constitution was to keep power from being held by a single group of people. It was hard for them to foresee a time when money held by a small group of people would in such quantity to erase the intent of the Constitution by purchasing people do this group of people's will and bidding.
That is now the case. We have a functional Dictatorship of the Wealthy disguised as a Democracy. That was the case also in Egypt.(and elsewhere around the world)
Democracy has become a Shell that conceals authoritarian aspirations.
3. Just as in India in the early 1900's and the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950's and 60's, the Egyptian Revolution was a peaceful revolution. This undercuts another misconception of Islam that has been perpetuated by the same forces that seeks to "own" the Government of the US. Muslims are not a violent people. People of all faiths and political beliefs have urges toward violence.
I can not imagine a more violent action than those against the Iraqi people. Violence in the streets of Iraq, violence in the prisons of Iraq, and violence against people merely suspected of being aligned with "Terrorists". The latter was not confined to the citizens of Iraq and took place in many countries across the world in a program of secret "Renditions" many of which took place in Egypt by the corrupt regime of Mubarak.
Violence is justified only when no other option is available and when the threat is so dangerous and immediate that there is no other option. That was not the case in any of the major Actions of Violence the US has engaged in since the end of WWII. It was certainly not true in Iraq.
While we praise the people of Egypt for their rejection of Dictatorship hidden in a democratic shell, we need to be a bit introspective and begin to turn away from the forces that allow us to yield without a fight the Freedoms and Rights so bravely fought for throughout our History.
It is important not to over draw any parallel between the US and Egypt. However there are some rather universal truths here that could help the people of the US to regain their footing and learn to stand against corrupting forces in their country as the Egyptian people did in theirs.
In the US there is still a frail structure of Democratic institutions. All we have to do is re-inhabit those structures. But there are other issues of promise that can be seen from the events in Egypt.
1. Islam is not necessarily the Boogie Man that the people of the US are being led to believe it is. The people of the US have always been susceptible to buying into a false Boogie Man and then allowing that to distract them while internal forces mute and diminish their hard won freedoms and rights.
Egypt is an Islamic country with a secular government, just as the US a Christian country with a secular government. The people of the US want Islamic Governments to be secular while at the same time they are running toward a theological Government. This contradiction must be resolved in the US. Various sectors of the US have blatantly used theological or "Moral" issues to blind people to the real issues and choices they needed to make for their own good.
A Prime example is the reelection of George Bush in 2004. One of the major issues was the failure of US policy in Iraq, namely the War. If that had been the issue, we would have had President Kerry sworn in on January of 2005.
That did not happen and the war drug on for four more years until the corruption of the Party in Power could no longer be disguised in distractions like Gay Marriage. The Republican disinformation machine made moral issues seem more pressing the bankruptcy of our economy as well as our souls by continuing a War that was noting but destructive to the US. A large enough segment of our electorate was duped by their Religious Leaders to vote for Bush to stop "Moral Decay" in the US.
We did not win the War and we soon will have Gay Marriage in some form.
2. One of the things that the Founding Fathers attempted in writing the Constitution was to keep power from being held by a single group of people. It was hard for them to foresee a time when money held by a small group of people would in such quantity to erase the intent of the Constitution by purchasing people do this group of people's will and bidding.
That is now the case. We have a functional Dictatorship of the Wealthy disguised as a Democracy. That was the case also in Egypt.(and elsewhere around the world)
Democracy has become a Shell that conceals authoritarian aspirations.
3. Just as in India in the early 1900's and the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950's and 60's, the Egyptian Revolution was a peaceful revolution. This undercuts another misconception of Islam that has been perpetuated by the same forces that seeks to "own" the Government of the US. Muslims are not a violent people. People of all faiths and political beliefs have urges toward violence.
I can not imagine a more violent action than those against the Iraqi people. Violence in the streets of Iraq, violence in the prisons of Iraq, and violence against people merely suspected of being aligned with "Terrorists". The latter was not confined to the citizens of Iraq and took place in many countries across the world in a program of secret "Renditions" many of which took place in Egypt by the corrupt regime of Mubarak.
Violence is justified only when no other option is available and when the threat is so dangerous and immediate that there is no other option. That was not the case in any of the major Actions of Violence the US has engaged in since the end of WWII. It was certainly not true in Iraq.
While we praise the people of Egypt for their rejection of Dictatorship hidden in a democratic shell, we need to be a bit introspective and begin to turn away from the forces that allow us to yield without a fight the Freedoms and Rights so bravely fought for throughout our History.
posted by Roy at 9:46 AM
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