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The West Must Be Wary of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood

(Guardian-UK) Benny Morris - Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood is playing a canny political game - and its objective - let no one doubt this - is to take power. For now, the Brotherhood will be satisfied with toppling the hated Mubarak regime. But once the election campaigning gets underway, we will see the country awash with Muslim Brotherhood activists and placards, broadcasts and sermons; perhaps even a measure of intimidation and violence. The Brotherhood's aim is to take over the state through the democratic process, and is likely, as one of its first acts, to annul Egypt's 1979 peace treaty with Israel. It is possible that the movement will follow the model of Turkey's Islamists and try to follow democratic norms, but it is more likely, given its own history, that the Brotherhood will follow the model of Iran and the Gaza Hamas. Both have employed extreme violence to crush their potential and real rivals to maintain power. The Brotherhood is anything if not patient. It has looked to take over, and "purify," Egypt since the movement's foundation by Hassan al-Banna in 1928. Given the power of its enemies and the state's institutions, the movement's leadership has traditionally advocated a non-violent route to power. But observers in the West should not delude themselves. This is not a movement for which democracy has any appeal, worth or value. Its leaders see democratic processes merely as means to an end, an end that includes an end to democracy.
2011-02-04 08:57:31
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