The "Real" Barrier to Egyptian Democracy

Submitted by Freud101 (United States), Feb 11, 2011 at 21:39

They are celebrating in the streets of Cairo now and I wish the Egyptian people well. Before long they will probably notice that nothing has really changed for the better. Then they will realize that their actual problem is the same as it always has been....the Jews! Mubarak's dilemma was that he had whittled the Egyptian Jews down to such a tiny number that not very many of the Egyptians (probably no more than 30 or 40 percent) could be convinced that the handful of poor, elderly Jews left in Egypt could possibly be to blame for all of Egypt's troubles. And because Mubarak supported the peace treaty with Israel (if only under continued pressure from Washington), he could hardly blame the Israelis. So he had no Jew card to play.

I think he tried to play the Christian card by bashing the Copt's. Somehow that does not work as well and I'm not sure why. To an outsider like me it seems that the Islamists get their jollies from bashing and killing Christians just as much as from doing the same to the Jews. Sometimes it appears that they like it even more. But Christian hating just does not seem to promote Islamic political stability as well as Jew hating. It is enjoyable to them while they do it but it does not satisfy. Now that Mubarak has gone the Egyptian street can find it's way back to Jew and Israel bashing in solidarity with the rest of the Middle East Islamist street.

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".