[Financial Times-UK] Roula Khalaf - Only two years ago, political Islam was staging a stunning comeback across the Arab world. In the Palestinian territories, Hamas won the 2006 parliamentary elections, routing the secular and corrupt Fatah. The previous year, Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood gained 20% of parliamentary seats, despite fielding only a limited number of candidates. But as Islamists flexed their political muscle, they heightened the anxiety of the Middle East's autocratic rulers and their Western backers. The backlash has been sweeping.
2008-12-17 06:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive