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THE LEFTIST/MARXIST/ISLAMIST ALLIANCE ALIGNS AGAINST JERUSALEM
By David J. Jonsson
Family Security Matters, NJ
http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/global.php?i d=1385060
Oct 22 2007
The Impact of U.S. Support of Democracy in the Middle East The United
States sees itself as a beacon for democratic values, but Iranian and
Arab reformers say its policies in the Middle East too frequently
belie its ideals, making U.S. support for their cause a damaging
liability. Repressive governments in the region, whether close allies
or sworn foes of the United States, often exploit anti-American
sentiment to accuse homegrown liberals of being stooges peddling a
U.S.-Israeli agenda. Islamist movements do the same.
The relationship of the United States with Ethiopia represents a case
in point as Barney Jopson reports in the Financial Times of October
10: Dismissive Ethiopia tests US indulgence.
"Following the attacks of September 11 2001, the administration of
President George W. Bush forged an anti-terror pact with Addis Ababa.
It was predicated on Ethiopia's formidable military and intelligence
capabilities and its position as a Christian-led country surrounded
by Muslim and Arab states."
"But the relationship has begun to resemble many of Washington's
alliances with troublesome client regimes, based mostly on geopolitical
interest. Ethiopia, which received $283m (£139m, $200m) of military
and humanitarian aid from Washington this year, looks increasingly
like Pakistan or Egypt: an awkward bedfellow that the U.S. has to
support for security goals but one that pursues its own, sometimes
brutal, agenda regardless of American pressure."
"When the US objects to Ethiopian policies - such as a crackdown
on political opponents that killed scores of people in 2005 and a
scorched-earth campaign against separatist insurgents this year -
it is ignored. When America gives implicit acquiescence - as it did
over the Christmas invasion of Somalia and Ethiopia's bitter border
dispute with Eritrea - the US goes through the motions of diplomatic
pressure and claims to have been rebuffed.
But the wisdom of the alliance is now under scrutiny, particularly
since the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives passed a
bill last week that would force Ethiopia to improve democracy and
human rights or risk losing substantial aid.
Events in Turkey are also very disturbing. Turkey is one of the
allies of the U.S. and NATO. Incirlik air base in southern Turkey
is a major cargo hub for U.S. and allied military forces in Iraq
and Afghanistan. Turkey's Mediterranean port of Iskenderun is also
used to ferry goods to American troops. Earlier this week a court
in Istanbul has found two Turkish-Armenian journalists guilty of
"insulting Turkishness" for reprinting an interview that referred to
the mass killing of Ottoman Armenians by Turks in 1915 as genocide.
The ruling came one day after the Foreign Affairs Committee of the
US Congress approved a resolution that recognizes the killings as
genocide, infuriating Ankara, which denies any such thing.
Rebels from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), fighting for
an independent homeland in southeastern Turkey, said on Friday they
are moving back into Turkey from northern Iraq.
The rebels also warned in a statement that they will target Turkey's
ruling AK Party and main opposition CHP.
The announcement comes as Turkey's government prepares to seek
permission from parliament to carry out a cross-border offensive
against an estimated 3,000 rebels it says are based in northern Iraq.
Turkey, the United States and the European Union consider the PKK a
terrorist organization.
Iran sees this situation as an opportunity to further strengthen its
regional position and has teamed up with Turkey to assist in removing a
force of 5000 PUK soldiers from the area where Iran abuts Iraq in the
Qandil Mountains. According to several news and intelligence sources
they already have positioned troops some 7-8 km inside Iraq and have
begun shelling the mountain hideouts. The situation for Turkey offers
some big incentives. Not only do they get help in spanking the PUK,
but have made it known that they have their eye on Kirkuk, an Iraqi
city in the area that produces 40% of Iraq's oil output, and that
Turkey had made claim to before.
For its part Iran also sees a chance grab a chunk of Northern Iraq
for itself. In addition Iran wants to destroy forward intelligence
positions the Israelis may have secretly placed among the Kurds to
help them receive the earliest possible warning of an Iranian attack
on Israel.
Knocking out these posts would give the Iranians two significant
victories against the Israelis within the span of just a few months,
the war in Lebanon being the other. The loss of this intelligence
would no doubt reduce the possibility for a successful US-Israeli
attack against Iran, too. Russian and Iranian intelligence experts
are both predicting such an attack before the end of 2006.
Many observers believe it's already too late to stop the Turkey-Iran
initiative. The question is whether it will blossom into yet another
Mid-East war pitting the US, Iraq, and Israel against Iran, Turkey,
and possibly Syria.
Students of prophecy should follow these developments closely. Turkey
is felt by most to be a modern component along with Armenia of the
Beth Togarmah mentioned in Ezekiel 38:6. Beth means house in Hebrew.
Togarmah was a son of Gomer. The Armenians of today call themselves
the House of Togarmah. The Turks (but not the Kurds, who are the
ancient Medes of Media-Persia fame) are also included.
As long as Turkey is aligned with the west Ezekiel 38 can't happen.
Bringing Turkey into the Moslem alliance against Israel would remove
one more roadblock to its fulfillment.
Egyptian Support for Democracy?
The Egyptian government supports the evolution of democracy in Egypt
in its rhetoric but continues to quash it in practice, reported a
Freedom House study released on October 1. The narrative and scores
from Countries at the Crossroads 2007 for Egypt are available online
in English and Arabic.
"The pattern of events in Egypt over the past two years indicates
an effort on the part of the government not only to retreat from
promised reforms, but to further impose a repressive system," said
Thomas O. Melia, deputy executive director of Freedom House. "Given
Egypt's substantial influence on the rest of the region, the failure
of President Mubarak to implement meaningful reforms in terms of its
citizens' political and civil liberties is particularly disappointing."
The freedom of political parties and independent NGOs is becoming
increasingly restricted, and the right to assembly is regularly
violated, despite the Egyptian constitution's recognition of
this right. Security forces frequently crack down on opposition
demonstrations, and arrest and even torture of participants is common.
A Dilemma is Faced by Supporters of Freedom A serious dilemma arises
because the last remaining opposition party in Egypt is the Muslim
Brotherhood after imprisoning or prodding into exile Egypt's leading
secular opposition activists. This has resulted in the government
using detentions and legal changes to neutralize the country's last
surviving major political movement, the Muslim Brotherhood. The result
is the support of the Muslim Brotherhood by the activist NGOs.
"Tyranny has reached unprecedented limits from any previous regime,"
said Mohammed Mahdi Akef, the supreme guide, or highest leader, of
the Brotherhood, which the government has outlawed for decades but
allowed to operate within narrow limits. "This is insane tyranny."
As Dr. Rachel Ehrenfeld wrote for the American Thinker on April 20,
2000 in the article The Muslim Brotherhood's Duping of America:
"Neither the State Department nor the White House commented after
U.S. House Majority Leader Stanley Hoyer met in Egypt with the Muslim
Brotherhood's parliamentarian leader, Mohammed Saad el-Katatni. Hoyer
and el-Katani discussed recent developments in the Middle East,
and the "Brotherhood's vision."
This meeting took place just one day after the conclusion of the
Muslim Brotherhood 5th Cairo Conference: The International Campaign
Against US & Zionist Occupation, in which delegations from Hizbollah
and Hamas took part. The participants cheered as Muslim Brotherhood
General Guide Muhammad Mahdi 'Akef declared, "the devil Bush and his
allies were now the ones sowing terror and aggression.
As the SocialistWorkeronline describes the conference in the article:
Activists to meet at 5th Cairo Conference: "Egyptian opposition
activists are calling on anti-war groups and unions to send delegates
to the 5th Cairo Conference, 29 March-1 April, 2007. Over the last
five years the Cairo Conference has brought together delegates from
the international anti-war movement, trade unions, radical parties
and the national liberation movements. It has defined the debate on
resistance in the heart of the Arab world." For more information go
to Stop the War Coalition Online
Egyptian officials point to the group's high level of organization
and violent past, and insist it remains the most dangerous force in
Egypt. "The Muslim Brotherhood represents the framework for future
violence," said Mohamed Abdel-Fattah Omar, a lawmaker from the ruling
party and a former head of the state security apparatus.
In August and September, police raided the homes and meetings of
Brotherhood leaders, putting behind bars five of the 12 officials
in the group's decision-making guidance council. Two have since been
released for health reasons.
Despite the ban, the Brotherhood has provided clinics, youth camps and
other services that have won the organization support among the poor
and provided a civic model for the armed Islamic movements Hezbollah
and Hamas. The Brotherhood draws support among Egypt's middle class
through its strong presence in technical and professional unions.
The government is also writing its crackdown into law. Constitutional
changes pushed through by the government after the Brotherhood's
strong showing in 2005 shut out its members in upper house elections
this June. Next year, the government promises to present a new
anti-terrorism code that the Brotherhood expects to be used for
further crackdowns against it.
Egyptians cite U.S. pressure in 2005 as the stimulus for a short-lived
flourishing of democratic opposition. That year, President Bush
challenged Egypt in his State of the Union address "to show the way
toward democracy in the Middle East." Since making peace with Israel
in 1979, Egypt has been the No. 2 recipient of U.S. foreign aid.
Mubarak allowed other candidates to challenge his 2005 reelection
bid. Egypt's fragmented secular opposition groups made tentative
alliances with one another, and with the Brotherhood.
By 2006, with Hamas's victory in Palestinian elections leading U.S.
officials to have second thoughts about democracy in the Middle East,
and the U.S. military presence in Iraq growing ever more troubled,
American priorities in the Middle East shifted again, from promoting
democracy to maintaining allies.
Egypt is a police-and army-dominated modern Arab security state
achieving brisk economic reforms, high growth rates, and massive
job expansion in a manner that other Arab countries can only envy,
however these are without attempting any serious political reform.
This has occurred, as we continue to grapple with the enigma of an
entire region of nearly 300 million Arabs who have not been able to
achieve or sustain a single breakthrough to credible democracy.
Impact of the Possible Fall of the Mubarak Government There is no
apparent chain of command or democratic institutions that would
facilitate the transfer of power to the next president and hence
the possible fall of the Mubarak government could send shock waves
throughout the globe; Commentators suggest unnerving scenarios such
as would an ambitious general stage another coup or even would Egypt
witness another Khomeini-style revolution?
On the world arena, nothing is more disturbing to political analysts,
policymakers and stockowners in the U.S. and Western capitals than
waking up one day to the breaking news coming from the Middle East
that one of the long assumed allies has been toppled. The fall could
be by a coup or a popular uprising of angry masses creating chaos,
panic and uncertainty in international markets.
The U.S. Supports Egypt as an Ally Egypt, as a currently secular
Islamic country is looked upon as a key ally of the U.S and West
against radical Islam. Egypt and Jordan are the only countries having
signed "peace accords" with Israel. Egypt plays an important role
in the potential negotiations on the Israel-Palestine process. The
U.S. currently provides extensive military aid to Israel and Egypt
and is currently planning to provide additional weapon systems to
Egypt. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will visit Egypt for
talks with President Hosni Mubarak on October 16 as a part of a Middle
East tour that will include the Palestinian territories, Israel and
Jordan ahead of a peace summit in the United States next month.
The U.S. is Providing Additional Weapons to Egypt The Defense Security
Cooperation Agency notified Congress earlier this month of a possible
Foreign Military Sale to Egypt of STINGER Block 1 Missiles as well
as associated equipment and services. "Egypt will use the STINGER
missiles to upgrade its air defense capability" - that's air defense
for mobile forces. That Egypt keeps practicing moving those mobile
forces towards Israel's border is apparently not a concern. This
proposed sale ostensibly will contribute to the foreign policy and
national security of the United States by helping to improve the
security of a friendly country that has been and continues to be an
important force for political stability and economic progress in the
Middle East.
Door is Open for Revolution in Egypt The current situation in Egypt
is setting the stage for a revolution, coup, and even potentially
the full takeover of the government by the fundamentalist Islamist
Muslim Brotherhood.
The Mubarak's regime has grown very unpopular and detested by many
if not most Egyptians. The disparities between the super-poor and
the super-rich are widening everyday. Prices of basic food items and
commodities are skyrocketing. This situation manifested itself in an
angry, restless, anxious and irrational behavior that reflected on
Egyptian society witnessing a high wave of violent crimes: such as
rape, murder of spouses, parents and children, a high rate of divorce,
drug use, white collar crimes, road rage, embezzlement, military
service desertion, domestic violence and countless other crimes.
The large population of young educated, jobless, unmarried youth is
alienated and getting more frustrated and angry everyday and provide
the fodder for revolution.
The Significance of the US-hosted Middle East summit in Annapolis The
summit is expected to be held in Annapolis in November. The sides have
begun work on a joint statement to be presented at the conference's
opening. The events in Egypt will have a major impact on the newly
reinitiated Middle East negotiations.
The key question is where exactly the parties are determined to set
their so-called "red lines," their nonnegotiable bedrock stands, on the
three fundamental final-status issues expected to be under discussion:
· The territorial issue (the borders between Israel and a future
Palestinian state, and the impact this will have on West Bank
settlements);
· The status of Jerusalem, including those holy places on and
adjacent to the Temple Mount; and
· The so-called "right of return" for Palestinian "refugees" (the
term itself is debatable) living outside Israel and the Palestinian
areas.
Indeed, if anyone drew a red line over Jerusalem in 2000, it was Yasser
Arafat, who adamantly refused even to consider a compromise on the
Old City and its Temple Mount, most notoriously denying the Jewish
historical connection to the site and rejecting a Clinton proposal
that Israel enjoy a bare-minimum symbolic sovereignty "underneath"
the Mount.
The Temple Mount The status and impact is most pronounced on the issue
to be addressed at the Summit is the future of the Temple Mount. This
issue has an impact on Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
The Temple Mount also known as the Noble Sanctuary is a religious
site in the Old City of Jerusalem.
The Temple Mount is the holiest site for Judaism. The Jewish Temple
in Jerusalem stood there: the First Temple (built c. 967 BCE,
destroyed c. 586 BCE by the Babylonians), and the Second Temple
(rebuilt c. 516 BCE, destroyed in the siege of Jerusalem by the
Romans in 70 CE). According to a commonly held belief in Judaism,
it is to be the site of the final Third Temple, to be rebuilt with
the coming of the Jewish Messiah.
Among the Christian events occurring at the Second Temple during the
life of Jesus are those recorded in Mark 12:41 - Mark 13:9
And he sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the multitude
putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums.
And a poor widow came, and put in two copper coins, which make a
penny. And he called his disciples to him, and said to them, "Truly,
I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are
contributing to the treasury. For they all contributed out of their
abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had,
her whole living." MK: 1241-44 (RSV)
And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him,
"Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!"
And Jesus said to him, "Do you see these great buildings? There will
not be left here one stone upon another, that will not be thrown
down." And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple,
Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, "Tell us,
when will this be, and what will be the sign when these things are
all to be accomplished?" And Jesus began to say to them, "Take heed
that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name, saying,
'I am he!' and they will lead many astray. And when you hear of wars
and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but
the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom
against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places, there
will be famines; this is but the beginning of the birth-pangs. "But
take heed to yourselves; for they will deliver you up to councils; and
you will be beaten in synagogues; and you will stand before governors
and kings for my sake, to bear testimony before them. Mark 13:1-9 (RSV)
This is a significant passage as in 70 C.E. the Temple was destroyed.
Jesus went on to prophesy of events to occur.
Known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, it is also the site of two
major Muslim religious shrines, the Dome of the Rock (built c. 690)
and Al-Aqsa Mosque (built c. 710).
The Temple Mount is traditionally regarded by Muslims as the third
most important Islamic holy site, after Mecca and Medina. The primary
reason for its importance is the Muslim belief that in 621, Muhammad
arrived there after a miraculous nocturnal journey aboard the winged
steed named Buraq, to take a brief tour of heaven with the Archangel
Gabriel. This happened according to the Qur'an during Muhammad's time
in Mecca, years before Muslims conquered Jerusalem (638).
It is one of the most contested religious sites in the world. Under
the Jordanian rule of Eastern Jerusalem between 1948 and 1967,
Jews were forbidden from entering the Old City. Both Israel and the
Palestinian Authority claim sovereignty over the site, which remains
a key issue in the Arab-Israeli conflict. The Israeli government has
granted management of the site to a Muslim Council (Waqf).
Islam maintains that there never was any such thing as the Holy Temple
standing on the Temple Mount. For years a concentrated effort was
made to obliterate any vestige of evidence from the site.
There is much more at stake here than simply the destruction of
precious remnants of the Holy Temple. It has become clear that the
abandonment of the Temple Mount to total Muslim control has been
promised by Israel and is guaranteed to figure prominently in any
eventual treaty or agreement which may be occur during or following
the Annapolis Summit.
# #
FamilySecurityMatters.org Contributing Editor David J. Jonsson is
the author of Clash of Ideologies -The Making of the Christian and
Islamic Worlds, (Xulon Press 2005.) His new book: Islamic Economics
and the Final Jihad: The Muslim Brotherhood to the Leftist/Marxist
- Islamist Alliance (Salem Communications May 30, 2006) and can be
reached at: [email protected] read full author bio here
If you are a reporter or producer who is interested in receiving
more information about this writer or this article, please email your
request to [email protected].
Note -- The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author
and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, views, and/or philosophy
of The Family Security Foundation, Inc.
--Boundary_(ID_t6sxaAdjJxZ5ygyaZa2wOA)--
By David J. Jonsson
Family Security Matters, NJ
http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/global.php?i d=1385060
Oct 22 2007
The Impact of U.S. Support of Democracy in the Middle East The United
States sees itself as a beacon for democratic values, but Iranian and
Arab reformers say its policies in the Middle East too frequently
belie its ideals, making U.S. support for their cause a damaging
liability. Repressive governments in the region, whether close allies
or sworn foes of the United States, often exploit anti-American
sentiment to accuse homegrown liberals of being stooges peddling a
U.S.-Israeli agenda. Islamist movements do the same.
The relationship of the United States with Ethiopia represents a case
in point as Barney Jopson reports in the Financial Times of October
10: Dismissive Ethiopia tests US indulgence.
"Following the attacks of September 11 2001, the administration of
President George W. Bush forged an anti-terror pact with Addis Ababa.
It was predicated on Ethiopia's formidable military and intelligence
capabilities and its position as a Christian-led country surrounded
by Muslim and Arab states."
"But the relationship has begun to resemble many of Washington's
alliances with troublesome client regimes, based mostly on geopolitical
interest. Ethiopia, which received $283m (£139m, $200m) of military
and humanitarian aid from Washington this year, looks increasingly
like Pakistan or Egypt: an awkward bedfellow that the U.S. has to
support for security goals but one that pursues its own, sometimes
brutal, agenda regardless of American pressure."
"When the US objects to Ethiopian policies - such as a crackdown
on political opponents that killed scores of people in 2005 and a
scorched-earth campaign against separatist insurgents this year -
it is ignored. When America gives implicit acquiescence - as it did
over the Christmas invasion of Somalia and Ethiopia's bitter border
dispute with Eritrea - the US goes through the motions of diplomatic
pressure and claims to have been rebuffed.
But the wisdom of the alliance is now under scrutiny, particularly
since the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives passed a
bill last week that would force Ethiopia to improve democracy and
human rights or risk losing substantial aid.
Events in Turkey are also very disturbing. Turkey is one of the
allies of the U.S. and NATO. Incirlik air base in southern Turkey
is a major cargo hub for U.S. and allied military forces in Iraq
and Afghanistan. Turkey's Mediterranean port of Iskenderun is also
used to ferry goods to American troops. Earlier this week a court
in Istanbul has found two Turkish-Armenian journalists guilty of
"insulting Turkishness" for reprinting an interview that referred to
the mass killing of Ottoman Armenians by Turks in 1915 as genocide.
The ruling came one day after the Foreign Affairs Committee of the
US Congress approved a resolution that recognizes the killings as
genocide, infuriating Ankara, which denies any such thing.
Rebels from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), fighting for
an independent homeland in southeastern Turkey, said on Friday they
are moving back into Turkey from northern Iraq.
The rebels also warned in a statement that they will target Turkey's
ruling AK Party and main opposition CHP.
The announcement comes as Turkey's government prepares to seek
permission from parliament to carry out a cross-border offensive
against an estimated 3,000 rebels it says are based in northern Iraq.
Turkey, the United States and the European Union consider the PKK a
terrorist organization.
Iran sees this situation as an opportunity to further strengthen its
regional position and has teamed up with Turkey to assist in removing a
force of 5000 PUK soldiers from the area where Iran abuts Iraq in the
Qandil Mountains. According to several news and intelligence sources
they already have positioned troops some 7-8 km inside Iraq and have
begun shelling the mountain hideouts. The situation for Turkey offers
some big incentives. Not only do they get help in spanking the PUK,
but have made it known that they have their eye on Kirkuk, an Iraqi
city in the area that produces 40% of Iraq's oil output, and that
Turkey had made claim to before.
For its part Iran also sees a chance grab a chunk of Northern Iraq
for itself. In addition Iran wants to destroy forward intelligence
positions the Israelis may have secretly placed among the Kurds to
help them receive the earliest possible warning of an Iranian attack
on Israel.
Knocking out these posts would give the Iranians two significant
victories against the Israelis within the span of just a few months,
the war in Lebanon being the other. The loss of this intelligence
would no doubt reduce the possibility for a successful US-Israeli
attack against Iran, too. Russian and Iranian intelligence experts
are both predicting such an attack before the end of 2006.
Many observers believe it's already too late to stop the Turkey-Iran
initiative. The question is whether it will blossom into yet another
Mid-East war pitting the US, Iraq, and Israel against Iran, Turkey,
and possibly Syria.
Students of prophecy should follow these developments closely. Turkey
is felt by most to be a modern component along with Armenia of the
Beth Togarmah mentioned in Ezekiel 38:6. Beth means house in Hebrew.
Togarmah was a son of Gomer. The Armenians of today call themselves
the House of Togarmah. The Turks (but not the Kurds, who are the
ancient Medes of Media-Persia fame) are also included.
As long as Turkey is aligned with the west Ezekiel 38 can't happen.
Bringing Turkey into the Moslem alliance against Israel would remove
one more roadblock to its fulfillment.
Egyptian Support for Democracy?
The Egyptian government supports the evolution of democracy in Egypt
in its rhetoric but continues to quash it in practice, reported a
Freedom House study released on October 1. The narrative and scores
from Countries at the Crossroads 2007 for Egypt are available online
in English and Arabic.
"The pattern of events in Egypt over the past two years indicates
an effort on the part of the government not only to retreat from
promised reforms, but to further impose a repressive system," said
Thomas O. Melia, deputy executive director of Freedom House. "Given
Egypt's substantial influence on the rest of the region, the failure
of President Mubarak to implement meaningful reforms in terms of its
citizens' political and civil liberties is particularly disappointing."
The freedom of political parties and independent NGOs is becoming
increasingly restricted, and the right to assembly is regularly
violated, despite the Egyptian constitution's recognition of
this right. Security forces frequently crack down on opposition
demonstrations, and arrest and even torture of participants is common.
A Dilemma is Faced by Supporters of Freedom A serious dilemma arises
because the last remaining opposition party in Egypt is the Muslim
Brotherhood after imprisoning or prodding into exile Egypt's leading
secular opposition activists. This has resulted in the government
using detentions and legal changes to neutralize the country's last
surviving major political movement, the Muslim Brotherhood. The result
is the support of the Muslim Brotherhood by the activist NGOs.
"Tyranny has reached unprecedented limits from any previous regime,"
said Mohammed Mahdi Akef, the supreme guide, or highest leader, of
the Brotherhood, which the government has outlawed for decades but
allowed to operate within narrow limits. "This is insane tyranny."
As Dr. Rachel Ehrenfeld wrote for the American Thinker on April 20,
2000 in the article The Muslim Brotherhood's Duping of America:
"Neither the State Department nor the White House commented after
U.S. House Majority Leader Stanley Hoyer met in Egypt with the Muslim
Brotherhood's parliamentarian leader, Mohammed Saad el-Katatni. Hoyer
and el-Katani discussed recent developments in the Middle East,
and the "Brotherhood's vision."
This meeting took place just one day after the conclusion of the
Muslim Brotherhood 5th Cairo Conference: The International Campaign
Against US & Zionist Occupation, in which delegations from Hizbollah
and Hamas took part. The participants cheered as Muslim Brotherhood
General Guide Muhammad Mahdi 'Akef declared, "the devil Bush and his
allies were now the ones sowing terror and aggression.
As the SocialistWorkeronline describes the conference in the article:
Activists to meet at 5th Cairo Conference: "Egyptian opposition
activists are calling on anti-war groups and unions to send delegates
to the 5th Cairo Conference, 29 March-1 April, 2007. Over the last
five years the Cairo Conference has brought together delegates from
the international anti-war movement, trade unions, radical parties
and the national liberation movements. It has defined the debate on
resistance in the heart of the Arab world." For more information go
to Stop the War Coalition Online
Egyptian officials point to the group's high level of organization
and violent past, and insist it remains the most dangerous force in
Egypt. "The Muslim Brotherhood represents the framework for future
violence," said Mohamed Abdel-Fattah Omar, a lawmaker from the ruling
party and a former head of the state security apparatus.
In August and September, police raided the homes and meetings of
Brotherhood leaders, putting behind bars five of the 12 officials
in the group's decision-making guidance council. Two have since been
released for health reasons.
Despite the ban, the Brotherhood has provided clinics, youth camps and
other services that have won the organization support among the poor
and provided a civic model for the armed Islamic movements Hezbollah
and Hamas. The Brotherhood draws support among Egypt's middle class
through its strong presence in technical and professional unions.
The government is also writing its crackdown into law. Constitutional
changes pushed through by the government after the Brotherhood's
strong showing in 2005 shut out its members in upper house elections
this June. Next year, the government promises to present a new
anti-terrorism code that the Brotherhood expects to be used for
further crackdowns against it.
Egyptians cite U.S. pressure in 2005 as the stimulus for a short-lived
flourishing of democratic opposition. That year, President Bush
challenged Egypt in his State of the Union address "to show the way
toward democracy in the Middle East." Since making peace with Israel
in 1979, Egypt has been the No. 2 recipient of U.S. foreign aid.
Mubarak allowed other candidates to challenge his 2005 reelection
bid. Egypt's fragmented secular opposition groups made tentative
alliances with one another, and with the Brotherhood.
By 2006, with Hamas's victory in Palestinian elections leading U.S.
officials to have second thoughts about democracy in the Middle East,
and the U.S. military presence in Iraq growing ever more troubled,
American priorities in the Middle East shifted again, from promoting
democracy to maintaining allies.
Egypt is a police-and army-dominated modern Arab security state
achieving brisk economic reforms, high growth rates, and massive
job expansion in a manner that other Arab countries can only envy,
however these are without attempting any serious political reform.
This has occurred, as we continue to grapple with the enigma of an
entire region of nearly 300 million Arabs who have not been able to
achieve or sustain a single breakthrough to credible democracy.
Impact of the Possible Fall of the Mubarak Government There is no
apparent chain of command or democratic institutions that would
facilitate the transfer of power to the next president and hence
the possible fall of the Mubarak government could send shock waves
throughout the globe; Commentators suggest unnerving scenarios such
as would an ambitious general stage another coup or even would Egypt
witness another Khomeini-style revolution?
On the world arena, nothing is more disturbing to political analysts,
policymakers and stockowners in the U.S. and Western capitals than
waking up one day to the breaking news coming from the Middle East
that one of the long assumed allies has been toppled. The fall could
be by a coup or a popular uprising of angry masses creating chaos,
panic and uncertainty in international markets.
The U.S. Supports Egypt as an Ally Egypt, as a currently secular
Islamic country is looked upon as a key ally of the U.S and West
against radical Islam. Egypt and Jordan are the only countries having
signed "peace accords" with Israel. Egypt plays an important role
in the potential negotiations on the Israel-Palestine process. The
U.S. currently provides extensive military aid to Israel and Egypt
and is currently planning to provide additional weapon systems to
Egypt. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will visit Egypt for
talks with President Hosni Mubarak on October 16 as a part of a Middle
East tour that will include the Palestinian territories, Israel and
Jordan ahead of a peace summit in the United States next month.
The U.S. is Providing Additional Weapons to Egypt The Defense Security
Cooperation Agency notified Congress earlier this month of a possible
Foreign Military Sale to Egypt of STINGER Block 1 Missiles as well
as associated equipment and services. "Egypt will use the STINGER
missiles to upgrade its air defense capability" - that's air defense
for mobile forces. That Egypt keeps practicing moving those mobile
forces towards Israel's border is apparently not a concern. This
proposed sale ostensibly will contribute to the foreign policy and
national security of the United States by helping to improve the
security of a friendly country that has been and continues to be an
important force for political stability and economic progress in the
Middle East.
Door is Open for Revolution in Egypt The current situation in Egypt
is setting the stage for a revolution, coup, and even potentially
the full takeover of the government by the fundamentalist Islamist
Muslim Brotherhood.
The Mubarak's regime has grown very unpopular and detested by many
if not most Egyptians. The disparities between the super-poor and
the super-rich are widening everyday. Prices of basic food items and
commodities are skyrocketing. This situation manifested itself in an
angry, restless, anxious and irrational behavior that reflected on
Egyptian society witnessing a high wave of violent crimes: such as
rape, murder of spouses, parents and children, a high rate of divorce,
drug use, white collar crimes, road rage, embezzlement, military
service desertion, domestic violence and countless other crimes.
The large population of young educated, jobless, unmarried youth is
alienated and getting more frustrated and angry everyday and provide
the fodder for revolution.
The Significance of the US-hosted Middle East summit in Annapolis The
summit is expected to be held in Annapolis in November. The sides have
begun work on a joint statement to be presented at the conference's
opening. The events in Egypt will have a major impact on the newly
reinitiated Middle East negotiations.
The key question is where exactly the parties are determined to set
their so-called "red lines," their nonnegotiable bedrock stands, on the
three fundamental final-status issues expected to be under discussion:
· The territorial issue (the borders between Israel and a future
Palestinian state, and the impact this will have on West Bank
settlements);
· The status of Jerusalem, including those holy places on and
adjacent to the Temple Mount; and
· The so-called "right of return" for Palestinian "refugees" (the
term itself is debatable) living outside Israel and the Palestinian
areas.
Indeed, if anyone drew a red line over Jerusalem in 2000, it was Yasser
Arafat, who adamantly refused even to consider a compromise on the
Old City and its Temple Mount, most notoriously denying the Jewish
historical connection to the site and rejecting a Clinton proposal
that Israel enjoy a bare-minimum symbolic sovereignty "underneath"
the Mount.
The Temple Mount The status and impact is most pronounced on the issue
to be addressed at the Summit is the future of the Temple Mount. This
issue has an impact on Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
The Temple Mount also known as the Noble Sanctuary is a religious
site in the Old City of Jerusalem.
The Temple Mount is the holiest site for Judaism. The Jewish Temple
in Jerusalem stood there: the First Temple (built c. 967 BCE,
destroyed c. 586 BCE by the Babylonians), and the Second Temple
(rebuilt c. 516 BCE, destroyed in the siege of Jerusalem by the
Romans in 70 CE). According to a commonly held belief in Judaism,
it is to be the site of the final Third Temple, to be rebuilt with
the coming of the Jewish Messiah.
Among the Christian events occurring at the Second Temple during the
life of Jesus are those recorded in Mark 12:41 - Mark 13:9
And he sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the multitude
putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums.
And a poor widow came, and put in two copper coins, which make a
penny. And he called his disciples to him, and said to them, "Truly,
I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are
contributing to the treasury. For they all contributed out of their
abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had,
her whole living." MK: 1241-44 (RSV)
And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him,
"Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!"
And Jesus said to him, "Do you see these great buildings? There will
not be left here one stone upon another, that will not be thrown
down." And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple,
Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, "Tell us,
when will this be, and what will be the sign when these things are
all to be accomplished?" And Jesus began to say to them, "Take heed
that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name, saying,
'I am he!' and they will lead many astray. And when you hear of wars
and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but
the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom
against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places, there
will be famines; this is but the beginning of the birth-pangs. "But
take heed to yourselves; for they will deliver you up to councils; and
you will be beaten in synagogues; and you will stand before governors
and kings for my sake, to bear testimony before them. Mark 13:1-9 (RSV)
This is a significant passage as in 70 C.E. the Temple was destroyed.
Jesus went on to prophesy of events to occur.
Known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, it is also the site of two
major Muslim religious shrines, the Dome of the Rock (built c. 690)
and Al-Aqsa Mosque (built c. 710).
The Temple Mount is traditionally regarded by Muslims as the third
most important Islamic holy site, after Mecca and Medina. The primary
reason for its importance is the Muslim belief that in 621, Muhammad
arrived there after a miraculous nocturnal journey aboard the winged
steed named Buraq, to take a brief tour of heaven with the Archangel
Gabriel. This happened according to the Qur'an during Muhammad's time
in Mecca, years before Muslims conquered Jerusalem (638).
It is one of the most contested religious sites in the world. Under
the Jordanian rule of Eastern Jerusalem between 1948 and 1967,
Jews were forbidden from entering the Old City. Both Israel and the
Palestinian Authority claim sovereignty over the site, which remains
a key issue in the Arab-Israeli conflict. The Israeli government has
granted management of the site to a Muslim Council (Waqf).
Islam maintains that there never was any such thing as the Holy Temple
standing on the Temple Mount. For years a concentrated effort was
made to obliterate any vestige of evidence from the site.
There is much more at stake here than simply the destruction of
precious remnants of the Holy Temple. It has become clear that the
abandonment of the Temple Mount to total Muslim control has been
promised by Israel and is guaranteed to figure prominently in any
eventual treaty or agreement which may be occur during or following
the Annapolis Summit.
# #
FamilySecurityMatters.org Contributing Editor David J. Jonsson is
the author of Clash of Ideologies -The Making of the Christian and
Islamic Worlds, (Xulon Press 2005.) His new book: Islamic Economics
and the Final Jihad: The Muslim Brotherhood to the Leftist/Marxist
- Islamist Alliance (Salem Communications May 30, 2006) and can be
reached at: [email protected] read full author bio here
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Note -- The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author
and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, views, and/or philosophy
of The Family Security Foundation, Inc.
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