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November 17, 2005
Egypt: Muslim Brotherhood Surges Ahead in Elections
Let me state it clearly: I believe the Bush Administration is spectacularly wrong in its promotion of Democracy in Muslim countries. For Democracy to be successful, loving liberty is needed. There aren't too many lovers of liberty in Muslim-majority countries. Our war efforts will falter until we understand the nature of Islam: Muslim Brotherhood makes Egypt poll gains
ISN SECURITY WATCH (17/l1/l05) - Members of Egypt's banned Muslim Brotherhood group have made a surprisingly good showing in the first round of Egyptian parliamentary elections.After a run-off midweek, official results released late on Wednesday showed the Muslim Brotherhood winning 34 seats in the 444-seat parliament, compared to the 19 seats it had in the last legislature.
The ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak won 50 seats, according to Egyptian semi-official Middle East News Agency (MENA).
Parties like the traditional Wafd, however, made a poor showing and failed up to now to win parliamentary seats, whereas leftwing Tagammu won one seat.
The first round of the elections took place in the Greater Cairo area. The second round, which will begin on 20 November, will include such Muslim Brotherhood strongholds as Egypt's second largest city, Alexandria, and the Nile Delta. The third round will take place between 1 December and 7 December.
A note on the story I've linked to: I'm severely dissappointed by an "anonymous Western Diplomat's" characterization of the Muslim Brotherhood as a "moderate non-violent Islamists." The Brotherhood is not peaceful by nature, but semi-peaceful by tactics. In fact, their better-than-expected showing in Cairo may be due to their violent attacks on Christians less than a month ago. I know "Western Diplomats" are contractually obligated to be willfully blind and semi-treasonous, but they don't have to be this treasonous.
Posted by Ruy Diaz at November 17, 2005 2:58 PM
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