In "Political Islam Without Oil" (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/11/opinion/friedman-political-islam-without-oil.html?ref=opinion), Friedman writes from Cairo:
"On the peace treaty with Israel, Erian [the vice chairman of the Muslim Brotherhood’s party] said: 'This is the commitment of the state — not any group or party — and we have said we are respecting the commitments of the Egyptian state from the past.' Ultimately, he added, relations with Israel will be determined by how it treats the Palestinians."
No mention by Friedman that the Muslim Brotherhood's deputy leader, Dr. Rashad Bayoumi, earlier this month declared that his party will not recognize Israel “under any circumstances,” and that it intends to put the 1979 peace treaty with Israel, "a criminal enemy," to a referendum (see: http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/01/06/186672.html). This amounts to yet another instance of radical Islamists telling the truth to fellow Muslims, while providing a contrary opinion for gullible Western consumption, all in accordance with the doctrine of taqiyya, which permits Muslims to lie to non-believers (see: http://jgcaesarea.blogspot.com/2011/04/taqiyya-when-lying-is-ordained-from.html).
Friedman concludes:
"They don’t want to blow this chance to lead, yet they want to be true to their Islamic roots, yet they know their supporters elected them to deliver clean government, education and jobs, not mosques."
However, according to the results of a poll conducted by the Pew Research Center in December 2010 (http://pewglobal.org/2010/12/02/muslims-around-the-world-divided-on-hamas-and-hezbollah/), 95% of Egyptian Muslims believe it is "good" that Islam plays a large role in politics.
It would appear that both Thomas Friedman and Nicholas Kristof (see: http://jgcaesarea.blogspot.com/2011/12/nicholas-kristof-joining-dinner-in.html) are intent upon fostering the belief that the hideous progeny of the Tahrir Square rebellion, which so enthralled them, is well-intentioned and benign. Poppycock!
Friedman's misreading of political Islam can't even be termed "naive".
ReplyDeleteHe has his agenda. His persistent mislead of the NY TImes public is serious because there are still people out there who read and heed what he writes.
I'm put in mind of the 50s song about the
"five men from Hindustan to learning much inclined
who went to see the elephant though all of them were blind"...
They could be forgiven for interpreting the elephant according to their other senses. Friedman has all his senses. He is simply devoid of common sense.
As Mr F's Aunt says in Dickens' Little Dorrit:
"You can't make a head and brains out of a brass knob with nothing in it."
Friedman also forgot to mention current anti-Jewish policies on the part of the Egyptian government such as the closing of the Maimonides Synagogue in Cairo, the recent near lynch of Israel's diplomatic staff in Cairo and the ban on Jews making the annual pilgrimage to Rabbi Yaakov Abuhatzeira's grave.
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