The Muslim Brotherhood: Islamic Extremists or Moderate Democrats?
In the past few months, two Congressional delegations have met with members of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood.
American policy towards the Muslim Brotherhood (a popular, Egyptian-based Islamic organization that has been officially banned since 1954) has traditionally been one of non-engagement. But with democracy now being talked about as a remedy to many of the problems plaguing the Middle East, many Congressmen are beginning to realize that it’s important to start talking with the Brotherhood. Indeed, if democracy were to take hold in Egypt, the Brotherhood would undoubtedly win a majority of votes.
Is this a bad thing? Need we worry about such an Islamist group coming to power in Egypt?
I discuss this question in a post at Foreign Policy Watch.
3 Responses to “The Muslim Brotherhood: Islamic Extremists or Moderate Democrats?”
I would like to see the Muslim Brotherhood make a clear and public statement of its position regarding al-Qaeda’s war on the United States before I would think a rapprochement appropriate.
Moderate Muslims are the best possible cure for Muslim extremism. But what category the Muslim Brotherhood fits into is at best unclear.
http://www.fas.org/irp/world/para/mb.htm
http://www.nixoncenter.org/publications/LeikenBrookeMB.pdf
http://www.meforum.org/article/687
http://www.adl.org/terrorism/symbols/muslim_brotherhood_1.asp
Having a dialogue is not exactly the same as rapprochment. At this stage, I would think of it as fact finding. Sometimes getting to know an enemy provides insight on how best to fight him.