I feel obliged to repost a very interesting and heartfelt article by the Italian journalist Fiamma Nirenstein, that appeared today on the website of the newspaper "Il Giornale" . Of course I aplogize for the poor translation, but I felt it was the right thing to do.
Obama elephant in the Middle East crystalware.
by Fiamma Nirenstein
The American President Obama should stop messing with the Middle East, should stop to change position twice in two days, on the most serious situations on the table of the world peace: the future of Egypt. He should stop to relate to the absolute good, rather than that of his nation and of the rest of the world, a world that behind the U.S. believes in freedom, free markets, monogamy, women's rights. What is this bullshit? What kind of information is when Mrs. Clinton tells us that "No matter who holds the power (because you never know: maybe Mubarak survives, like this sentence seems to imply), the question is how to respond to the legitimate needs and grievances of the Egyptian people."
Obama elephant in the Middle East crystalware.
by Fiamma Nirenstein
The American President Obama should stop messing with the Middle East, should stop to change position twice in two days, on the most serious situations on the table of the world peace: the future of Egypt. He should stop to relate to the absolute good, rather than that of his nation and of the rest of the world, a world that behind the U.S. believes in freedom, free markets, monogamy, women's rights. What is this bullshit? What kind of information is when Mrs. Clinton tells us that "No matter who holds the power (because you never know: maybe Mubarak survives, like this sentence seems to imply), the question is how to respond to the legitimate needs and grievances of the Egyptian people."
Al very good, but Obama (who let go of his ally, his reference point in the Arab world after several hours of uncertainty) do knows that one of the toughest "complaints" now common in the streets, inveighs against the U.S. same as against Mubarak and Israel as well, and against the Western world in general? Did he know that this great revolution in the streets, that in our view has mainly a social connotation, on the contrary should be measured on a completely different Muslim cultural connotation?
But reality reminds us of the Salafi Jihadist website Al Tawhid Minbar, where the prominent cleric Abu Al Mundhit Shinqiti recommended to participate to the events, explaining: "We are on the verge of a historic stage for the Islamic nation, the fall of the Egyptian regime will be similar to the earthquake 11th of September". The September 11, Mr. President!
But reality reminds us of the Salafi Jihadist website Al Tawhid Minbar, where the prominent cleric Abu Al Mundhit Shinqiti recommended to participate to the events, explaining: "We are on the verge of a historic stage for the Islamic nation, the fall of the Egyptian regime will be similar to the earthquake 11th of September". The September 11, Mr. President!
Obama should listen to the clear suggestion of Al Shinqiti. He should know that at this time between the various forces in the field playing the deal for a government, the Muslim Brotherhood has a prominent role. Does he know that we have already experienced this "democratic" stage with Hezbollah in Lebanon? Does he know that the slogans in the streets are increasingly anti-American and anti-Israeli? The Egyptian mob shouts and writes on the walls: "The United States support the regime, not the people", like they wrote on the largest bridge in Cairo. They wrote to Mubarak: "Traitor, go to Israel!" and "This is the end of all the Jews!".
Obama does not realize what he caused in the Middle East with its acquiescence?, Pretending to help the Lebanese government, he left Hezbollah turn Lebanon into a Syrian-Iranian colony, he has strengthened the power of Assad, a dictator who now says that Syria is stable because it has avoided any peace agreement with Israel. Obama left Turkey chose the Islamist side. He left Israel to the wolves with a variety of schmaltz on some apartments in East Jerusalem, without ever noticing that the Maghreb, Egypt and Jordan were taking fire.
Maybe the democratic revolutions had taken place because Obama, like George Bush, has chosen the path of the dissidents. On the contrary, when democratic dissidents were hundreds of thousands in the streets of Tehran, Obama abandoned them in the lurch. What kind of dissidents are now helping Obama with his stance against the Egyptian leadership? Not for sure people like Saad Eddin Ibrahim or Ayman Nur, desperate Democratics often imprisoned and abandoned by the U.S.. Obama has never seriously tried to help them face the dominance of Mubarak.
Today, it's needless to invoke democracy without having prepared the infrastructure. The transition is not sparing; the election, as it happened with Hamas, often become a very sharp weapon against the people themselves. It would be a good result for Obama, who now swings with human rights, if the power in Egypt is gained by people who for the 59 percent prefer the Islamization, against a 29 percent that would like more the modernization, that is 82 percent for stoning those who commit adultery and whose 84 percent calls for the death penalty for those who change their religion.
Does Obama read the famous "Pew polls"? You should check them, Mr. American president, and stop bowing to the Saudi king in Riyadh as you did, stop bowing to Islam as you did at the University of Al Azhar in Cairo, stop bowing to the status quo in Iran, and to the Egyptian protesters, without trying to inquire into the future.
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