It is profoundly disconcerting to read media reports of the unseemly competition
between the US and Western governments to curry favor with the Muslim
Brotherhood in the wake of its electoral victory in Egypt. There are chilling
parallels between such behavior and the disastrous European policy of appeasing
the Nazis which paved the way for World War II.
What those attempting to
embrace the Muslim Brotherhood fail to comprehend is that this organization
represents one of the most fanatical and dangerous of the radical Islamist
groups in the region, with a dark record of violence and terrorism imbedded in
its DNA. It is rabidly anti-Western, anti-Christian and anti-Semitic, is
committed to imposing sharia law and a global caliphate – and willing to employ
any means to further its objectives.
To this day, the Brotherhood credo
remains: “Allah is our objective, the Koran is our constitution, the Prophet is
our leader, jihad is our way and death for the sake of Allah is the highest of
our aspirations.”
In Brotherhood eyes Osama bin Laden was a “sheikh” and
they condemned the US for assassinating him. A few weeks ago the current
Brotherhood leader, Muhammad al-Badi, proclaimed that the genocidal Hamas, which
the Brotherhood spawned, should be regarded as a role model for Islamic
piety.
If the terms evil and criminal have any meaning, they would surely
apply to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Today, aware of the desperate need for
US and Western economic support, it tactically moves into a duplicitous “stealth
jihad” mode, speaking with a forked tongue and feeding the foreign media with
self-portraits of moderation that are totally divorced from reality.
It
reassures Western politicians and media that it will adhere to all prior
international treaties. But its deceitfulness is exemplified by subsequent
announcements that as the peace treaty with Israel was never endorsed by the
people, it must be submitted to a referendum. The Muslim Brotherhood to this day
repeatedly vows that it will never recognize a Jewish state and fully endorses
the murderous policies of Hamas.
DESPITE ALL this, the US administration,
mindlessly seeking a rationale to engage with the Brotherhood, has welcomed the
“democratic” elections in Egypt, stressing the need to respect the will of the
people while disregarding the radical Islamic and fascist nature of the
Brotherhood.
According to
The New York Times, the administration is
promoting the line that the Brotherhood seeks to “build a modern democracy that
will respect individual freedoms, free markets and international commitments,
including Egypt’s treaty with Israel.” Some apologists even go to the absurd
lengths of describing the Brotherhood as the Middle East equivalent of the
European Christian Democrats.
They also seem to forget that no Islamic
regime has ever voluntarily relinquished power. They refuse to face the reality
that, akin to Hamas in Gaza and the Nazis in Germany, both of which gained a
parliamentary majority in their respective elections, once in power the
Brotherhood will destroy the opposition, impose sharia law and intensify the
persecution of Christian Copts and all infidels. In the course of time they
could make Mubarak’s autocracy seem like a liberal paradise.
Foreign
Relations Committee Chair Senator John Kerry, who formerly described Syrian
dictator Bashar Assad’s regime as “reform-minded” and enthusiastically supported
“engaging” Iran, is not renowned for excessive wisdom in his observations
concerning the Middle East. Now, in relation to the Brotherhood, he says that
“the US needs to deal with the new reality... and it needs to step up its game”
and “figure out how to deal with democratic governments that don’t espouse every
policy or value you have.” He even suggested that the Obama administration
should emulate President Reagan’s policy of “outreach” to the Soviet
Union. Yet Reagan continuously assailed the undemocratic behavior of the
Soviet Union, repeatedly referring to it as the “Evil Empire.” His tough
approach was a major factor in the ultimate collapse of Communism.
Even
more staggering were recent reports in the Indian media alleging that the Obama
administration is employing Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the Brotherhood’s spiritual
leader, as an intermediary to mediate in secret talks with the Taliban. This
evil man, previously denied entry into the UK and the US, openly supports the
global caliphate, issued a fatwa (Islamic religious ruling) in 2003 calling on
the faithful to kill US troops in Iraq, and endorses Hamas and suicide bombings
(which he describes as “martyrdom in the name of God”). He praised Hitler for
carrying out the will of Allah by implementing the Holocaust and now prays for
Allah to kill all Jews, saying “count their numbers and kill them down to the
last one... do not spare a single one.” For the US to have direct dealings with
such a person is mind-boggling.
CLEARLY, THE West is obliged to retain
diplomatic relations with a radical Islamic Egyptian government, as it does with
other dictatorships and tyrannies. But it must not provide it with an
imprimatur to oppress its citizens or deny their human rights. The
concern is that despite the disastrous outcome of the previous US efforts to
“engage” with the Iranians and Syrians, the Obama administration seems once
again bent on a path of appeasing the Brotherhood which will undoubtedly only
embolden them to promote global jihad even more aggressively. In doing
so, the US will once again be abandoning its allies – the more moderate Arab
states and Israel.
To make matters worse, the State Department appears to
be ingratiating itself with the Brotherhood by condemning the Egyptian military
for not stepping aside sooner and handing over the reins of power to the
Brotherhood.
One would obviously not expect the US administration to feel
more enamored with the Egyptian military than we are, but to take sides in such
a situation and support the “democrats” – the Islamic fascists – is surely
madness. Despite our distaste for the military, it probably represents the only
barrier against Egypt becoming a fanatical Islamic dictatorship.
Needless
to say, this has major implications for us. We may soon discover that the Obama
administration is obliged to further distance itself from Israel in the US
national interest of appeasing the Islamists.
There are chilling
parallels today with the late 1930s, when Czechoslovakia was pressured to make
way for “peace and stability.” We must remind the world that appeasing the Nazis
had the opposite effect and merely empowered Hitler, encouraging him to make
additional demands which culminated in war.
We were then very fortunate
to have a leader of the caliber of Winston Churchill, whose determination
ultimately brought about the downfall of Nazism and prevented the total collapse
of Western civilization.
Alas, President Obama is no Churchill and if he
considers it expedient even now, before the elections, to grovel to Islamic
fascists, we have even greater grounds for concern as to what he is likely to do
if reelected.
These issues should be considered now before it is too
late, and every effort made to convince Americans of the folly of appeasing
radical Islamic groups.
The writer’s website can be viewed at
www.wordfromjerusalem.com. He may be contacted at
ileibler@netvision.net.il