Islam and democracy in Egypt

Submitted by Abraham46 (Canada), Feb 8, 2011 at 10:35

The Islamic brotherhood was recently described on CBC news by a Muslim spokesperson as a "relatively moderate" movement in Egypt, with no explanation of what "moderate" should mean in Egypt or does mean in the West. Until there is more knowledge about and history of extreme groups in the West in general, and Europe and the U.S. and Canada in particular, there will continue to be confusion. Dr. Pipes does an excellent job and is only one of many Western spokespersons. He fulfills his role by remaining cautiously optimistic in the long run, and by being much more careful in the short run, regarding the modernizing of Islam, likening the challenge to the modernizing of Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular. Change will happen in good ways for Islam only when there are powerful voices, both from outside and inside Islam, voices "of the people and for the people" who aim to and become more knowledgeable and moderate spokespersons for a more modern, more moderate Islam.

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