We're getting a good look into the soul of Islam in Egypt, huh? Why no democracies in Islam? Look at Egypt! The new military-appointed cabinet was announced late today: there were liberals, technocrats, women, Christians. Not one Islamist, no one from the Muslim Brotherhood.
What do you need to make a democracy work? Tolerance. Certainly, tolerance. The ability to compromise. Big time, you need the ability to compromise. Even "liberal" Egyptians are intolerant and uncompromising, they were the biggest supporters of the coup! It's okay. We, we Americans, we-the-liberal-democratic world should be saying to the Egyptian people it's okay to be intolerant and uncompromising. We should be tolerant of the intolerant Egyptian people, just like we are at home, unless they pose a clear and present danger to safety. The Egyptian people, like the people at Revolution Books in New York City, do not pose a clear and present danger to America. We leave the people at Rev Books alone, we just should leave the Egyptian people alone. They are figuring this out in their own Islamic Egyptian way and Islam is not tolerant or compromising. Egypt is not going to have a democracy. That's okay too. There are other ways in which popular will is manifest. My God, have not the continuous protests of the last two and one-half years been manifestations of popular will? The current government is certainly not as reflective of popular will as was the Morsi democracy. The current government has a lot of support though and, like the Morsi government, is purely Egyptian-made. The Obamas should call a coup a coup, call a law a law, call a Muslim Egyptian a Muslim Egyptian and move on. No more aid, leave it to the Egyptian people to figure out the kind of society they want. They will do it. We will deal with that "New Egypt" just fine: with caution, respect, some friendship, some distaste. Let Egypt be Egyptian, we can deal with it.
What do you need to make a democracy work? Tolerance. Certainly, tolerance. The ability to compromise. Big time, you need the ability to compromise. Even "liberal" Egyptians are intolerant and uncompromising, they were the biggest supporters of the coup! It's okay. We, we Americans, we-the-liberal-democratic world should be saying to the Egyptian people it's okay to be intolerant and uncompromising. We should be tolerant of the intolerant Egyptian people, just like we are at home, unless they pose a clear and present danger to safety. The Egyptian people, like the people at Revolution Books in New York City, do not pose a clear and present danger to America. We leave the people at Rev Books alone, we just should leave the Egyptian people alone. They are figuring this out in their own Islamic Egyptian way and Islam is not tolerant or compromising. Egypt is not going to have a democracy. That's okay too. There are other ways in which popular will is manifest. My God, have not the continuous protests of the last two and one-half years been manifestations of popular will? The current government is certainly not as reflective of popular will as was the Morsi democracy. The current government has a lot of support though and, like the Morsi government, is purely Egyptian-made. The Obamas should call a coup a coup, call a law a law, call a Muslim Egyptian a Muslim Egyptian and move on. No more aid, leave it to the Egyptian people to figure out the kind of society they want. They will do it. We will deal with that "New Egypt" just fine: with caution, respect, some friendship, some distaste. Let Egypt be Egyptian, we can deal with it.
