The Arab Winter

[Something completely different]

"They are the same heritics who attacked the holy prophet in Mekka"

Is one of the rallying crys demonstarters in egypt screamed towards those prostesting against the current egyptian president Mursi.

Who had to take enormous amounts of police protection at last fridays prayers in Kairo.

Last week the egyptian president signed a ruleing which gives him the power to decide over every single amendment within the constitution, aswell as the power to overrule decisions made by the egyption high court and the egyptian parlament.

The current president of egypt now has the exact same amount of total power - as the pre revolution Mubarak had.

The secular parts of egyptian sociaty went out on the streets to protest throughout the past weeks. The muslim brotherhood, a organisation which hasn`t started and initialy didn`t eaven support the revolution of 2011 has come to power in most importent sectors of sociaty, controling not only the presidential office and having a majority in parlament, but also being leader figures in most other egyptian institutions including the press.

And again, like a dejavu from the Mubarak era, journalists w´have been beaten up.

The number harasments of women has risen aswell as harasments of people who publicly critizise the regime. The economy is crumbling under mismanagement and the muslim brotherhood is cudling up with ultra orthodox salafists to gain their support for further actions.

Including figures who publicly demand the expulsion of non muslims and the destruction of "heathen symbols" such as the pyramids and the sphynx.

It is a trend which seems to be going on within every nation captured by the arab spring.

Only in Lybia, where recently a ultraconservative cleric from egypt had to abort his preachings - due to the angry reaction by the public, do things seem to go into a different direction.

The majority of the Lybians prefer a secular form of state and have rejected attempts by the muslim brotherhood to bring their version of political islam into their country.
Gaddafis 30 years in which he inforced a form of islam seemed to have left their mark on the lybian people.
Which is probably one reason why the current parlament is drafting a secular constitution and salafists are suppressed and their criminal actions investigated.

In Jemen where the former president Salech supported redical islamist preachers for centuries, sharia law hasn`t been called out by the goverment - but is inforced by the various different tribes.
Being the poorest arab nation - radical islamism has found fertile ground in this nation.

Tunisia is probably the most secular of all arab nations. After Hamid Jabali`s Nahda party was elected into office after the revolution, he promissed to be a moderat islamist who would`t interduce sharia and protect Tunisisas secularism. But the Tunisian goverment oftern undertakes nothing to prevent salafists from attacking and harasing secularists aswell as moderat muslims, artists, feminists and intelectuals.

What dou you think of recent developments surrounding the outcome of the arab spring?

[Minimalist]

I refuse to believe that anyone realistically thought anything different would come out of those Arab uprisings.

That dickhead Bush thought all he had to do was get rid of Saddam Hussein and Iraq would turn into fucking Switzerland. What he did was let the genie out of the bottle. This shit will fuck us up for a century... unless we figure out a way to wean ourselves off of oil. Then they can go fuck themselves.

[Dee Dee Ramone]

I totally disagree minimalist. The history of the middle east is full of western involvement, not one I am proud of.

Mubarak, how could the free world support a dictator for years and years? The same with khadaffi, saoudi arabia, idiot bashar al assad etc. Those people destroyed their countries and we allowed or helped them doing it. Genocide is coming in the 2010's, that's for sure.

---

Who draw the map in the middle east anyway?

[Something completely different]

the west never supported bashar al assad.

he is russia`s bitch.

[Dee Dee Ramone]

the west never supported bashar al assad.

he is russia`s bitch.

Correct ofcourse. But seeing pictures like these, I do understand why a big part of the middle east hates us;






I am not sure if pictures of those people's atrocities are highly appreciated by my fellow board members.

[Minimalist]

We have a long history of supporting dictators. Dictators provide order. Its all we ever want.

[Dee Dee Ramone]

We have a long history of supporting dictators. Dictators provide order. Its all we ever want.

Why not nuke those people?

[Jackalope]

We have a long history of supporting dictators. Dictators provide order. Its all we ever want.

Why not nuke those people?

Seriously?

[Dee Dee Ramone]

Why not nuke those people?

Seriously?

No.

[jonb]

Periods of turmoil, followed by strict dictatorship is the only alternative to compromise, and it seems less and less people not just in the middle east, want to be so weak, they would actually seek compromise.