You can also peruse Tahrir Square in Cairo, where as many as a million Egyptians turned out for the triumphant — dare we say Khomeini-esque — return to the homeland of Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi. He is the sharia compass of the Muslim Brotherhood and, for that matter, millions of Muslims the world over.
As John Rosenthal has been reporting at Pajamas, the anti-Mubarak protesters whom the mainstream media and the Obama administration paint as the vanguard of “democracy,” continue to display visceral contempt for Israel and Jews. “Hence,” Mr. Rosenthal observes, “the numerous portraits of Mubarak with a Star of David scrawled on his face or forehead,” and claims that the deposed Egyptian president was an Israeli “agent” or “spy” against Egypt. It’s shocking, I know, that no one in the legacy media seems particularly interested in these facts and images, but Rosenthal provides them.
Enter Sheikh Qaradawi. The 84-year-old cleric has previously called for the destruction of Israel, endorsed suicide bombing even by women, and expressed a longing to die fighting in the jihad against the Zionist entity. As Robert Spencer recounted at FPM Wednesday in a neat summary of Qaradawi’s views, the sheikh explained in a 2009 sermon that “throughout history, Allah has imposed upon the [Jews] people who would punish them for their corruption. The last punishment was carried out by Hitler.” Yes, according to Qaradawi, it was Allah who decided to sic Hitler on the Jews. The sheikh further implored Allah to “take this oppressive, Jewish, Zionist band of people. Oh Allah, do not spare a single one of them. Oh Allah, count their numbers and kill them, down to the very last one.”
These views are widely known and shared in Egypt, where Qaradawi was hailed as a conquering hero at today’s massive Juma observance. He fired up the crowd with calls for the conquest of Jerusalem. No transcript yet, but MEMRI has this report.
Three cheers for “democracy”!
Well, Democracy did give us Hitler, so there must be a few kinks in that machine.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWell that's why Democracy just on its own means nothing. It's a mechanism.
Jonah Goldberg had a very good column today about just that.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIsrael may have jumped the shark
Like a loved relative gone wrong, the Israel we love needs an intervention. Israel's extremist right-wing party has subverted all peace plans. They're international lawbreakers and bad faith actors. A metaphor: two argue about dividing a pizza while one side gulps huge parts. They're burning their bridges of international favor, legitimacy, and negotiating trust.
I want a peaceful and fair Levant.
The Israeli right-wingers reject a viable two-state solution; essentially wanting a one-state of Israel. Who else wants a one-state solution? Iran, recognizing that a singular state will have a Palestinian majority. Israel cannot remain a democracy in a one-state solution; the Jewish will be outnumbered.
Wikileaks revealed that Israel hasn't any intention of good-faith negotiations, and the USA shamefully enables it all. Dividing the main Palestinian areas is illegal, but worse, it enabled HAMAS. We pushed for Palestinian elections, and HAMAS won – which we then dismissed.
The reform/rebellion sweeping the Middle East could endanger Israel – replacing governments that have either declared peace or have been bought off by us. The new authorities may not respond to our bribes or Israeli bull. Israel may soon regret not having made a peace agreement in the recent past. Or now!
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseC'mon! This guy is just like Gandhi, not like Khomeini, though of course the NYT back in '79 said that was the same thing.
Boy, am I mixed up...
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseMany of us will be saying "I told you so" on this subject, but it won't be any fun.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThe parallels with Iran 1979-80 become more striking with each passing day. Conclusions: 1. Obama will =Carter 2. Israel must prepare now to militarily confront and defeat a powerful islamic fundamentalist army on its very borders.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseA longing to die fighting...not bloody likely. The 84 year old has always been happy to send others to die for "His" cause. But don't look for phoney's like him to go "die" fighting.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbusePerhaps the editor over there at The Weekly Standard would like to "revise and extend his remarks" as they say up on Capitol Hill.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIt was not hard to see this one coming.
The one hope is the Egyptian army.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI am a loyal and avid reader of NRO, but I have to say, there has been an appalling dearth of reporting on what the hell is gonna happen in Wisconsin. I mean, what is the end game? Can Walker win this, or, do the cowardly Dems hold sway?
I know the folks here at NRO support Walker, as do I, but for God's sake, can someone please tell us what the hell is the probable outcome from all this?
Thanks.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThe Palestinians are the most fashionable excuse for Jew-hating. If their situation were remedied, the Jew-haters would find another excuse to hate Jews. Someone is always willing to come up with a new reason to hate Jews when the old ones get tired and threadbare.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThere's one thing about the swastika: if it's on your sign, it's really on your sleeve.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseRegardless what one thinks of Islam or Muslim democracy, it is healthy for a society to select its political leadership based on a system consisting of periodic, competitive, multi-party elections with a free exchange of constrasting ideas.
At least in a "Muslim democracy" people can debate among themselves the issues that they are concerned about. If a majority of the people conclude that they do not like the direction their nation is taking, they can defeat incumbent politicians.
The original US Constitution did not prohibit slavery. Yet most Americans believe that the ratification of that Constitution was a step forward for liberty and democracy.
So, while "Muslim democracy" is not likely to protect the human rights of non-Muslims, unlike dictatorship, democracy does at least provide a mechanisim in which a free exchange of ideas can take place and the people can choose among those contrasting ideas.
We should not only hope that democracy comes to Egypt, Iran and Jordan, we should wish that democracy spreads to Russia and China as well.
If you look at history you will see that the United States has fought its wars against dictatorships, not democracies. The Soviet Union was a dictatorship. Hitler was a dictator. Ho Chi Mihn was a dictator.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAs a moderate Muslim, I find it shameful to hear Qardawi who is at the core of Fatwas and islamists ideals.
He uses verses of Koran to say that the jews will face three majors disasters before they get destroyed. One is during Pharao times, second under Hitler then he cheers islamists to go bring on the third time through Jihad.
Islamists spent a long time on Holocaust denial, and it did not work for them so they flipped the switch and now claiming the Hitler was acting on God's order.
I try to expose Qaradwi every chance I get on my daily blog moderatemuslimspeaksout.However, I know that he is hero in Muslim'seye even mainstream Muslims.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThe legacy media failure to report events as they are and in full truth looks today to be as much cowardice as propoganda. With the huge crowds now surging for Qaradawi, the truth of the revolt is evident and even feared by our western media. They were trying to pretend it was something else and, as "journalists," they've made it worse by their denials. Too much of this informaiton would "refudiate" their cause, their methods and themselves.
This is the fire spreading through the Middle East. There is no question in Obama's mind about this. He has begun to sacrifice the Jews in hope that it stops somewhere there and he is not forced to do anything against Islam itself. But it is the world that burns with jihad fueled by blind resentment. I am no muslim, but this is what it is. At least speak truth to this dark power.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"The 84-year-old cleric has...expressed a longing to die fighting in the jihad against the Zionist entity."
Since he's made it to age 84, it sounds like he's been able to keep those longings for jihad martyrdom well under control.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAndy McCarthy, how about offering some solutions rather than just beating on that fear drum? So this guy is a creep, and the Muslim Brotherhood poses a real threat. And? What do you propose the U.S. do about it? Anything? Nothing? What is your suggestion?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseYou might be pessimistic about Egyptian democracy, but the bottom line is, What's the alternative? Mubarek is 83, and the people of Egypt were not going to tolerate a rigged election to cover for a dynastic succession.
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