Champions of freedom and democracy, the US and the West, have once again shown their true colours of deceit, deception and hypocrisy as they fully supported the Sisi-led coup, without once thinking of the impact this could have on the democratically-elected government. Not once did they think to denounce the unhealthy military takeover. The Sisi-backed regime has, in fact, been applauded and endowed with a generous ‘aid’ package from the US of $1.3 billion and $5 billion from Saudi Arabia.
By providing unconditional support to the secular Egyptian Army, the West made it clear that ‘democracy’ in its ‘true’ essence, or ‘their version’ of it, is liberal, secular and has to be void of any Islamic influence. If, on the other hand, an Islamist regime is democratically elected, any action taken by the armed forces of that country to uproot the elected government is welcomed and not categorised as a ‘military coup or takeover’, but, in fact, as just the wish of ‘the people’. The massacre involved, and still taking place, should not be taken seriously as it is part of the ‘transition’ process. On top of that, the military government should be welcomed with financial aid for the ‘betterment of the people’ and the ‘strengthening of democracy’.
I firmly believe that in current times, this is the most naked, brute and raw expression of the double standards sported by the West towards its Muslim counterparts. Ironically, if now Mursi supporters turn to arms, they will be labelled terrorists, who are challenging the writ of the government, and on this account, any action from the Egyptian Army will be endorsed by the West as legal and in the name of tackling terrorism.
The Egyptian Army has already committed to holding ‘free and fair’ elections in the near future but how will this happen if the majority population voted for the Islamic regime not too long ago? Will their opinions change completely in favour of secularists or will these ‘free and fair’ elections be influenced, dare I say ‘rigged’?
If that is the case, I do believe that the West will welcome the elected government with open arms, regardless of the opinion of the people afterwards. The Egyptians will be congratulated on the restoration of democracy and the Muslim Brotherhood will once again resume the role of the opposition. Any protests against the new secular government will be condemned and once again, the world will become a superficially peaceful place — in line with the West’s standard of democracy. Congratulations in advance.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 20th, 2013.
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Liberals don't support democracy where the government of Muslims is elected or have a chance to be elected through democratic system. Algeria is the biggest example in the early nineties where the government was toppled just because the Islamist were elected similar we are witnessing in Afghanistan that the liberals have never talked about elections since they know that the Taliban will win by overwhelming majority.
Because the Muslim Brotherhood is a organization which calls for the achieving a privileged status for muslims and reducing non-muslims to dhimmitude, no matter how much they act the victim fact remains that they are religio facists that do not believe in the equality of all people. The goal of reaching a society that promotes inequality and discriminates on the basis of superstitious faith is a goal so odious that no fair minded person can accept this.
Because of this they would rather side with the army against these superstitious fasists.
A democracy without the freedom to adultery, alcohol and night clubs and women in scant costumes is no democracy hence for them Morsi could be a threat to their "freedom" they enjoy under military dictators
Majoritarianism without individual rights is known as: Tyrrany.
Conservative majorities do exist in this world and have existed in this world. The nascent trend towards liberalism is a result of excess materialism combined with the breakdown of the family unit in recent times.
That doyeene of democracy Secretary of State Madeline Albright once famously remarked that the death of half a million Iraqi children was a small price to pay for democracy. The Americans have killed more than three times the number of Iraqis than Saddam ever did, for the sake of democracy. Libya devastated, the ink on the oil contracts with the western oil companies dried faster than the blood on Gaddafi's battered and abused body. Coming out of the closet now these very guardians of democracy have admitted to overthrowing an elected prime minister of Iran. Without prejudice they follow this pattern all over the world, remember Allende and Pinochet, and the role of another infandous Secretary of State, a criminal Henry Kissenger. Now these champions are arming and funding the very people in Syria it accuses of starting the war on terror. One can go on ad nauseum, but what is the point, an empire is always right. Hallelujah.
Champions of freedom and democracy, the US and the West, have once again shown their true colours of deceit, deception and hypocrisy. A least they have two standards. one for their own people and one for out of their country specially for non europeans. What about Saudi and other oil rich countries have to support army in Egypt( 5 billion dollars) and pay JI and other taliban and taliban supporters. By the way USA is guardian of holy land also! does author know?
@Np: Its a joke which is currently doing the rounds in Egypt
Religion has no place in today's politics. Whoever understands this will be able to run a successful democracy.
Dear Author,
Why most of the self proclaimed custodians of Islam have too much expectation from Aamirika but don't expect the same from mighty rich Ummah countries like Saudi Arabia and UAE ??
Liberals are against those extremists who want to come to power in democratic way but want to rule like Taliban.
George W Bush's popularity in '07 and '08 had hit the teens, for good reason: daily killings of US soldiers overseas and the great recession. Did the US Army overthrow him and install a serving general in the White House on the pretext that he was incompetent? The so-called 'intolerant' ones are not MB but the corrupt, greedy generals and their masters in Washington. The generals could see their gravy train would one day come to a screeching halt if MB is allowed to continue. Also, how come the gas lines and power shortages suddenly disappeared the day after the coup? This demonstrates a conspiracy between the army, bureaucracy and elites. Anyway, looking to the future, Obama and Sisi must be smoking hash if they believe that in the long run things will be back to normal, peaceful, and the way they were under Mubarak. The blowback for this impunity will inevitably come, and in the not-so-distant future.
I wish people of Egypt and the Author know the difference between democracy and theocracy sooner the better.Religion in politics means bloodshed so it's there.Both military and Mullah are responsible for this massacre.Let peace prevail in Egypt and military Janta make sure that real democracy work.
Why are you not asking the same question to the autocratic Arab regimes? Why those champions of Islam are silent on Egyptian Massacre? Why Fasadeen are pouring in Syria but not in Egypt?
Amazing comments of some fools in favor of Army. Ok lets suppose there was no democracy in Egypt before Army step-in. Do u think the recent massacre is the solution and justifiable act?
All these arguments being made about how Morsi's government wasnt a "real democracy" because of suppression of individual freedoms and oppressive tendencies of the state can be made about Obama's US. The targeting of whistleblowers and the press... the use of the IRS to target the opposition... the ridiculously high incarceration rates... the use of torture... detention without trial... mass surveillance....
And yet, nobody is waiting for the US Army to remove him. The people will deal with him as they see fit in the next election.
Just want to repeat what the liberal said;
"Potential aid from USA: $1.3 Billion (6 paragraphs of hatred) Potential aid from Saudi Arabia: $5 Billion (5 words) Kya ye ‘conservative’ ka khula tazaad nahin"
It is always the west that is at fault, never these islamist.
@James: Mubarak lost power after ruling for 30 years. Sadat was killed due to peace deal with Israel. Nothing o with his stand on MB. and what about Nasser, who died a natural death and is still highly respected? Was he a fan of MB?
Seems the author is more against liberals than for democracy in Egypt. Many liberals have condemned what happened in Egypt, and they didn't bring down Morsi. It was Egyptian army that did that. And Why is MB burning churches??
Question: Why are liberals not supporting democracy in Egypt? Answer: Because there was no democracy in Egypt. There was only Hypocrisy.............
Sadat tried to destroy the Muslim Brotherhood,failed and paid with his life.Mubarak tried and lost power.Morsi destroyed the Muslim Brotherhood in one year.
One thing about democracy should be clear.It is not just majority rule.Democracy also ensures Guaranteed rights for minorities, Respect of individual freedom, and separation of state and religion. If you take them away it is no longer western Democracy. When Islamist come in power they think that now they have absolute right to make Any changes they want.If they want to turn any country into a theocratic Islamic state say so openly from the beginning and don't hide under guise of democracy. in democracy you can not mix religion and state
There are larger Interests at work, none lesser than the security of Israel, for the US and west. Their own interest supersede other considerations, and why not, there are no permanent friends only permanent interests. Something Pakistan would do well to remember. As for all those Morsi bashers, they would do well to decide democracy or dictatorship. The Egyptian army never loosened their control and never allowed the nascent democratic process to take root. Chaos and aritficial shortages were created to sow discord and show incompetence of the newly elected regime, which had taken the US by surprise. A coup is a coup, so why does the US shy away from calling it one ? Now we hear Mr. Mubarak will soon be released. Anecdotal references to one or two acquaintances does not a policy make. Western funds and saboteurs were hard at work to make the MB fail, just like in Algeria and just like the murders of scientists in Iran. Shia majority in Bahrain are being ruthlessly suppressed, why is the west silent, all the Arab monarchies are ruthless dictatorial regimes, why is the world silent on promoting democracy there. Self interest, oil and access to oil routes and compliant rulers. Libya, Iraq and now Syria all part of the new World Order. Read General Wesley Clark's interview 2011, where this plan was exposed to him. Afghanistan and Pakistan were next in line. They rule through satraps and pro consuls and even our so called elected rulers can't wait to rush over and supplicants themsels to these agents the custodians of religion and slaves of mammon.
Potential aid from USA: $1.3 Billion (6 paragraphs of hatred) Potential aid from Saudi Arabia: $5 Billion (5 words)
Kya ye 'conservative' ka khula tazaad nahin
What does the author have to say about Pakistani soldiers going to Bahrain to crush the democratic movement by the Shia majority?
What about KSA's role in this whole mess?
Why is it the job of Western countries to sort out the mess in Egypt? You have also been very quiet about the role of Saudi Arabia in this mess. And how can any liberal support Mursi's actions was when in his regime Copts and Shias were systematically oppressed, supreme xpurt judges dismissed and stuffed with his support? We're the tens of thousands people who were protesting against Mursi sent there by the West?
The liberals are also against the oppression unleashed by the army but surely there is nothing to support in the actions of Mursi's supporters as they go around burning churches?
But the army did what armies in the third world do... take their dictation from outside. Imagine the response had a pro-West govt been toppled like this. The US would not have been falling over themselves to say "This was not a coup". God knows what a coup is supposed to look like!
William Hague would not be going around saying O well, lets move on.
Let's all grow up and learn to call a spade a spade!
Of course, thats not to say that conservatives are angels, but conservative get a bad rap over here anyway so theres little need to point that out...
And the people talking about how the MB was getting unpopular and losing support and whatnot... yes.., thats how democracy works... if they lose support, they lose the next election.
Because like everyone else... Liberals hail democracy while it affords them power and furthers their agenda. Otherwise, they are more than happy to stand aside and let principles take a back seat... Essentially, most of them are hypocrites!
Its amazing to read that recent events in Egypt have revealed West's double standards in regards to democracy. The West in general and U.S.A. in particular have supported Saudi Arabian and other Middle Eastern Monarchies in every move to kill democracy even before its birth and most of us and I hope author too had not been annoyed about those abortions.
@Author:
Let me ask you first; do you support a liberal system where all citizens are equal? Then how come you are not complaining about Pakistani system before jumping to Egypt? Don’t be a political opportunist.
Why are liberals not supporting democracy in Egypt?
For the same reasons that 'Liberals' do not support Blasphemy Laws, Elimination of Minorities including Shias and Garlanding of Mumtaz Qadri in Pakistan.
Learn more about the issues and arguments involved and write this piece again.
PS- I think you wanted to know why 'Liberals' are not supporting Mursi'? This is a fundamentally different question.
Why are liberals not supporting democracy in Egypt?
Because Egypt was not a 'Democracy' for the following reasons.
A. Although the MB had narrowly won by mustering 51 percent of the support, its decision-making manifested that it was adamantly intolerant of the other 49 percent.
B. The constitution that was drafted by the MB is a prime example of such bigotry.
C. Although the constitution was approved through a referendum, with a mere 33 percent participation rate, prior to that it was steamrolled through the constituent assembly and no efforts were made to reach a consensus.
D. Sunni Islamic values were made the cornerstone of the constitution.
E. Moreover, women’s and religious minorities’ rights were not protected and were left to religious interpretation.
F. Morsi’s overbearing actions such as preventing the judiciary from functioning independently and the removal of the military’s top brass under the garb of cleansing the country of the remnants of Mubarak’s regime were not received well.
G. He was seen as an Islamist dictator and not as the liberator of Egypt, as he would have hoped.
In short- Democracy involves protection of rights of all citizens, specially minorities, not only the majority.
Perhaps you need to learn a bit about ' Majoritarianism' too.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majoritarianism
I hope this clarified the issue for you.
Very good points made there. Excellent article
It seems that ET is running out of people who can write for them. That's why they are publishing blogs in opinion section. @ET, I can write weekly once for you.
Pakistani intellectuals are so out of touch. I have at least 3 Egyptian colleagues in my office and they think Muslim Botherhood was worse than Mubarak. They echo exactly what millions others in Egypt sounds like who are totally against Muslim botherhood since they showed their real colors after coming to power. Just because "Islam" is too important in Pakistan does not mean it is the same case every other Muslin majority country. In other parts of world, economy, welfare and equal treatment for every one is still priority. Also Egyptian army is not as radicalized as Pakistan army.
Because Democracy in the 3rd world is an excuse for the politicians to do corruption at a massive scale. All you have to do is look at the last 5 years in Pakistan for proof.