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Sayyid Qutb in Egyptian prison
The topic of the Muslim Brotherhood’s place in Egypt is always a contentious issue, especially for the Egyptian government. Since the 1930s, the Brotherhood has served as the regime’s main opposition, capable of massing considerable popular support. As a result, the Brotherhood has undergone considerable changes, adapting to the political realities of Egypt and trying to ensure their survival but also grow as an organization. [Read more...]
Saudi Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faysal (Photo: Hassan Ammar/Agence France Presse/Getty Images)
In recent BBC news article, the Saudis are reported, according to WikiLeaks, to have presented a plan to U.S. diplomat David Satterfield, senior U.S. diplomat and Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Saud al-Faysal.
The plan, taken from this embassy cable, called for an Arab army to be deployed in and around Beirut following the takeover of certain sectors of the city by Hizbullah members (which they later willingly vacated). While the Arab army took over control of the city, to “maintain order” (emphasis mine), a NATO force would provide air and naval support against Hizbullah. While the cable does not explicitly say so, it seems to insinuate that this NATO support would aim to destroy Hizbullah and wipe out all their forces. [Read more...]
Think back to Obama’s speech in Cairo on June 4, 2009.
In it, he claimed to want a “new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world; one based upon mutual interest and mutual respect; and one based upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive, and need not be in competition.” He said that he would not follow the same policies as his predecessors, stating that “America is not – and never will be – at war with Islam.” He also exclaimed that the United States would pursue those violent extremists who would harm the American people, continue the fight against al-Qaeda and end the American presence in Iraq by 2012. He also called on both the Israelis and Palestinians to end their fight, and claimed that both were legitimate peoples in search of peace.
[Read more...]
The most recent Arab summit took place in Doha, Qatar on March 30 and 31 of this year. According to the Jerusalem Post, it was scheduled to run two days, but due to the lack of progress, it stopped after one day (a not uncommon occurrence at Arab summits).
While the fact that an Arab summit occurred in itself does not seem newsworthy, as these are now yearly events, what occured was. For one, it seems to have escaped notice, with little international press attention. For example, while in the past the Arab summit would have received at least some attention in the premier sections of the Israeli press, it even seemed to slip by their watch. Hence, it almost seems as though it didn’t occur. [Read more...]
In a strange twist of events, Egypt and Hezbollah have recently been at odds with each other, following the discovery of Hezbollah plots to subvert the Egyptian government and possibly overthrow the Egyptian regime. The following links detail these developments:
An interesting development to say the least. While Egypt and Hamas have a tense relationship, as seen in such things as their unwillingness to open the border crossings between themselves and the Gaza Strip and their general unwillingness to put any pressure on Israel to lift the blockade of Gaza, now Egypt and Hezbollah appear to be in open conflict. While Egypt has never been a strong supporter of any radical Islamist group (even against Israel) due to its own internal difficulties with the Muslim Brotherhood, it never seems to have had open hostility with other groups.
It seems this could be for a variety of reasons. The first was mentioned above–the problems with the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. The Egyptian government has always had problems with extremist Muslim groups, dating to the days of Nasser, and it could be that they think that showing any favoritism to such a group and allowing it to operate with Egyptian support would further encourage the Muslim Brotherhood.
On the other hand, this could be part of a larger Hezbollah gripe against Egypt. For a number of weeks now, they have had an ongoing argument, with Egypt calling Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah a “monkey sheikh.” Hezbollah, meanwhile, has been smarting about Egypt’s lack of action during the recent war in Gaza, leveling considerable criticism at them. Thus, this could also been seen as Hezbollah potentially leveling the score with the Egyptians.
What this means for the future remains to be seen. Either way, it seems like a new chapter in the relationship between Egypt and the radical Islamist groups.
Welcome to my new blog. I hope you’ll enjoy my posts and join in the discussion in the comments.