Russian version
A “Moderate” Muslim path is just another road to disaster
- Информация о материале
- Автор: Youssef M. Ibrahim
Jewish World Review March
15, 2007 / 25 Adar, 5766
The historian Bernard Lewis once characterized Muslim fundamentalism's
vision of democracy as: ''one man, one vote, one time."
With this in mind, one reads with amazement a passionate essay describing
the "Moderate Muslim Brotherhood" in the March/April issue of Foreign Affairs,
flagship of the influential Council on Foreign Relations. Its authors argue
that America should talk with the leaders of this vast pan-Arab organization,
whom they conclude believe in some form of democracy.
This is a recurrent theme in forays by well-intentioned scholars and
journalists anxious to find an alternative to a clash of civilization between
the West and Islam. In the past few years, these Lawrence of Arabia explorers
have attempted to show hair-splitting differences between bloody-minded
jihadists such as Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahri — a former top leader
of the Brotherhood — and more docile Brotherhood types, who speak English,
wear suits, and inhabit apartments, not caves. These moderates, the article
states, include some who are "Shakespeare admirers."
Based on dozens of interviews with Ikhwan leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood
in the Arab world and Europe, the Foreign Affairs authors declared that
the Ikhwan movement "would honor democratic processes" once in power —
unlike the Nazis, Bolsheviks, and the Baathists of Iraq and Syria who used
bait and switch tactics.
"The Brotherhood differs from those admonitory precedents; its road
to power is not revolutionary. It depends on winning hearts through gradual
and peaceful Islamizaton," the director of the Immigration and National
Security Program at the Nixon Center, professor Robert Leiken, an expert
on Latin and South America, wrote.
Invariably, these reports reflect an eagerness to make a finding based
on logic rather than on the facts at hand. In a twisted way, they are deeply
condescending of Muslim terrorists who are declared acceptable just because
some say they listen to classical music or read English literature, i.e.,
because they resemble some of their Western interlocutors.
Shakespeare loving and other pandering aside, let us look as some hard
facts.
The Brotherhood dates to the 1920s in Egypt. Any true Middle East scholar
will readily know it spawned the entire array of Muslim radical fundamentalist
organizations operating today from the Philippines to the caves of Tora
Bora. During a long history of mayhem, the Brotherhood leadership over
decades has authorized, glorified, and praised jihad in its official literature.
Not one of its leaders has ever renounced that violence. Indeed, in the
Foreign Affairs essay, Mr. Leiken and his co-author assert that such violence
is authorized but only in "countries and territories occupied by a foreign
power."
This designation included killing Soviets in Afghanistan in the 1980s,
Israelis in the Levant up to now, and, although the question was not asked
of any of the "brothers" interviewed, Americans in Iraq.
There was no need to ask the question. One of the most eminent leaders
of the Ikhwan movement, who appears weekly on Al-Jazeera's "Sharia and
Life" program, is an Egyptian-born, Qatar-resident grand priest, Sheik
Yusuf Al-Qardawi. He has specifically ruled that Americans in Iraq and
Israelis everywhere should be targeted by suicide bombers, who will be
considered martyrs and heroes. Sheik Qardawi was not interviewed for the
article in question, even though he ranks among the top 10 leaders of the
Ikhwan's International ruling councils.
Scholars anxious for a rush dismiss extremist pronouncements by Sheik
Qardawi and others. Indeed, the authors tell us that, in the "Moderate
Muslim Brotherhood," such talk is "the Muslim functional equivalent of
the Christian doctrine of 'just war.'"
Unfortunately, those conducting such flimsy reporting and superficial
scholarship can always turn back and say, "Oops, sorry."
But "sorry" will not do for the thousands, maybe millions, of secularists,
moderate Muslims, Christians, Kurds, Shiites, and other minorities who
will pay the price if Brotherhood-affiliated groups get to rule Egypt,
Jordan, Lebanon, Algeria, and Syria in the next decades with an American
green light.
Splitting hairs by arguing that Osama kills in the name of G-d and
a pie-in-the-sky heavenly caliphate while the more pragmatic Ikhwan are
trying to rule on earth will make little difference to those who will be
in the mass graves.
JWR contributor Youssef M. Ibrahim, a former New York Times Middle
East Correspondent and Wall Street Journal Energy Editor for 25 years,
is a freelance writer based in New York City and Dubai in the United Arab
Emirates.
© 2007, Youssef M. Ibrahim
Russian version
Russian version
An introduction to MAOF
Haim Goldman
Haim Goldman
Dear Friends,
Would you believe that the undersigned has anything in common with
-- Professor Victor Davis Hanson (Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University),
-- Dr Charles Krauthammer, (Washington Post, Time, The Weekly Standard),
-- Caroline Glick (Deputy Managing Editor of the Jerusalem Post),
-- Jonathan Tobin (Executive Editor of the Philadelphia Jewish Exponent).
Amazingly, the editors of the MAOF website decided that the missives of the undersigned are worthy of translation and posting along the articles written by these distinguished authors.
The first letter was published without the consent of the undersigned.
However, after thorough examination of the laudable attitude of MAOF and of the excellent contents of the website, the undersigned had most graciously granted his permission for publication of his missives in both English and Russian.
“Analytical Group MAOF” [1] is an organisation founded about ten years ago by Russian-speaking Jewish intellectuals. The attitude of MAOF is definitely pro-Zionist -- unambiguously and unapologetically.
One of MAOF’s primary purposes is providing information and analysis about Middle-Eastern and world affairs as well as about Israel’s history, values and dilemmas. In addition to extensive publication activity in various media, MAOF also organises excursions and seminars. While the vast majority of the contents of the MAOF website is in Russian, texts originally written in English are provided in the original [2] as well as in Russian.
There are arguably about 250 millions of Russian-speakers worldwide and many of them do not read English. The indisputable motivation for the author’s permission was to grant those millions of disadvantaged people the grand benefit of reading the author’s ruminations. If the author is ever maliciously accused that his tacit motivation for authorising the publication was his craving to be listed along with the above-mentioned distinguished writers, his plea will definitely be “nolo contendere”.
The editors of MAOF expressed their gratitude by granting the undersigned a privilege that no other author got – the opportunity to review and correct the Russian translation before publication. The original letters of the undersigned are at [3] and their Russian version is at [4]. At of today, only two letters are posted but several other letters are pending translation.
You are kindly ENCOURAGED TO RECOMMEND the MAOF website to your friends and colleagues worldwide, particularly those who speak Russian. Those who do not enjoy the benefit of proficiency in the exquisite Russian language can find many thought-provoking and inspiring articles about Middle-Eastern and world affairs in the English section [2].
Sincerely,
Haim Goldman
28.10.2006
REFERENCES:
[1] http://maof.rjews.net
[2] section.php3? sid=37&num=25
[3] authorg.php3? id=2107&type=a
[4] authorg.php3? id=2166&type=a