Have Islamists infiltrated the Obama administration?

Why is the US silent in the face of blatantly anti-democratic moves by Morsy?

By TAWFIK HAMID
Morsy swears in Minister (R370) (photo credit: REUTERS)
Morsy swears in Minister (R370)
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Rep. Michele Bachmann has raised questions about possible ties between the family of Huma Abdein, a top aide to Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, and the Muslim Brotherhood. Bachmann has called for an inquiry into a potential Muslim Brotherhood infiltration within the Obama administration.
Many people may condemn the idea of accusing a person of dubious motives based solely on a familial connection with the Muslim Brotherhood. However, it is still fair to evaluate the decisions of the Obama administration and to examine if they maintain a certain bias towards some Islamist groups.  
After the removal of former president Hosni Mubarak, the US administration released several statements to support “democracy” in Egypt. One of the basic foundations of democracy is the Rule of Law. But the recent decision of President Mohammad Morsy to cancel the constitutional declaration of the country is undeniably the most undemocratic step that has taken place in Egypt since the beginning of the revolution.
This decision did not only break Egypt’s current constitutional declaration, it also contradicts a basic principle of democracy in the separation of powers. Effectively, Morsy has now transferred both legislative and law enforcement capabilities into his own hands. This is no better—and could even be worse—than the situation during the Mubarak era in which the latter was heavily criticized by pro-democracy activists for having control over all of the country’s powers.
The question that must be raised then, is why the pro-democracy champions of the Obama administration, who in the past were very critical of the military for delaying the democratic process in Egypt, did not speak out at all against the recent decision of Morsy do disregard the Rule of Law and break the constitutional declaration that rules the country. From a legal standpoint, Morsy’s decision has meant that he has actually delegitimized himself as president, on account of breaking the oath that he made before the supreme constitutional court to respect the country’s law and constitution. According to the constitutional declaration, Morsy does not have the right to change or remove military leaders and neither does he have the right to control all legislative powers.
Prior to Morsy’s unilateral decision, the balance of powers that was in existence was actually beneficial to the country because it diluted the power of the Islamists with secular powers. This acted as the sole guarantee that if another revolution against the Islamists was to occur, the secular military would be able to side with the population and protect them. Sadly, this can no longer be the case since the new law enforcement and military leaders selected by Morsy are far more Islamic than secular.
Be that as it may, if the people of Egypt decide to revolt against the Islamists – as indeed, many were planning to do later this month – the pro-Islamic leaders of the police and the military who are appointed by Morsy are extremely likely to support the Islamic president against the population.
Additionally, the recent decision of the Islamist government to replace the secular moguls of Egypt’s official newspapers by Islamists was followed by the suppression of publishing articles written by well-known secular writers who dared critique the Islamist president, including Youssof Al-Queed and Abla Elrewini. Pressure to silence the privately owned non-Islamist media is also mounting.
Morsy’s anti-democratic decisions regarding the media will not only allow him to have absolute power, it will also deprive the population from a vital mechanism that can assist in removing the Islamists from power should they choose to revolt against them. 
Now it is up to the Obama administration to explain their silence in the face of Morsy’s actions. A further question must also be raised, namely, would the US have remained silent if it had been the military that broke the law and removed the Islamists from power? The US must be taken to task for its double standards regarding the power in Egypt.  
The writer is an Islamic thinker and reformer, and a one-time Islamic extremist from Egypt. He was a member of the terrorist organization JI with Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri, who later became the second-in-command of al-Qaida. He is currently a senior fellow and chairman of the study of Islamic radicalism at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies. www.tawfikhamid.com