Developments in Tunisia are a welcome news

Submitted by Gopal (United States), Jan 18, 2011 at 02:00

Dear Dr Pipes: The developments in Tunisia constitute a welcome news. What is heartening about these developments is that they were entirely due to a home-grown grassroot movement. The quickness with which the events took place allowed no time to negative forces (Islamist or foreign) to take advantage of the situation. You correctly noted that the detailed, timely, and correct information made available by the Internet played a crucial role in the favorable turn of events.

The three worries about these developmenst that you have outlined (expansion of Islamists' power in Tunisia, expansion of their power in Europe, and the possibility that Islamists in the other middle eastern countries will exploit the current situation to overthrow the regimes in those countries are real and justified. However, I see a big ray of hope.

The revolt against Ben Ali was neither caused by Islamists nor was it done for Islamist causes. The uprising in Tunisia was against unemployment, poverty, and lack of freedom. All legitimate uprisings in the human history are for these and similar reasons. This is a welcome sign.

It is quite possible that Islamists will take advantage of these events in Tunisia and other countries. But I think in the long run Islamists are more likely to lose than win. ( To paraphrase Lincoln) Islamists can fool some people always and all people some of the times but they cannot fool all people all of the time. Getting and inciting a bunch of terrorists against foreign powers and different cultures is easy but creating a grassroot movement supported by majority of people is beyond the reach for fanatics.

I believe that Islamists the world over should be most worried about the events in Tunisia and freedom loving people should be most happy.

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