Muslim Brotherhood

Your recent editorial regarding Egypt ("The revolution betrayed," Dec. 22) refers to "the moderately Islamist Muslim Brotherhood," biggest winner so far in Egypt's parliamentary voting, and to the country's "weak secular and liberal parties. " The secular and liberal parties are weak, if not uniformly secular or liberal, and they evidence strong anti-capitalist and anti-Semitic influences. But what is moderate about the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party so far could be campaign and coalition tactics, not strategy.

Commentators Zainab Choudry and Saqib Ali complain that Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin co-sponsored legislation to extend a visa waiver program to Israel ("Don't let Israel discriminate," April 30). The waiver program currently allows citizens of 37 European and other countries - including Japan, Australia and South Korea - to travel in the United States for up to 90 days without a visa. The writers claim the legislation would let Israel dispense with a "reciprocity" provision so it could "discriminate against Americans based on their ethnicity or religion" - particularly against Arab Americans and Muslim Americans.

CAIRO, Egypt --President Hosni Mubarak has moved to postpone for two years local elections that had been scheduled for April, turning away from a promise made during his recent presidential race to promote democratic practices, Egyptian analysts and political leaders said yesterday. Thousands of local council positions were to be on the ballot. The move was widely seen as an effort to preserve the governing National Democratic Party's monopoly on power as its grip has begun to falter. It was also seen as an effort to block the banned Muslim Brotherhood, which made unprecedented gains in recent parliamentary elections, from promoting an independent candidate for president in 2011.

A plague of locusts swept through Egypt a few weeks ago, an estimated 30 million of the critters. Egyptian officials tried to downplay the phenomenon, hoping to quash any biblical analogies. They noted that locust swarms show up in the spring every now and then. But more earthly indicators suggest that the blighted Egyptian government is in such deep political and economic trouble that perhaps the analogy is apt. Experts and senior government officials worldwide are warning that Egypt's economy is hurtling toward collapse.

Like the ghosts of Shakespeare's Banquo or Dickens' Jacob Marley, the specter of the late commie-hunting congressman from Wisconsin, Joseph McCarthy, will always be with us. It is summoned up today, by some on the left, who use it as a tool to thwart legitimate questions about people and ideologies that seek to destroy America. According to many commentators, the McCarthy spirit has inhabited Minnesota Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann. In several letters to high-ranking government officials, Ms. Bachmann has raised questions about Huma Abedin, a Muslim-American, who is deputy chief of staff to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

CAIRO, Egypt -- Nobody, not even the Muslim Brotherhood's members, expected the semi-underground Islamist group to emerge so powerfully in this fall's Egyptian parliamentary elections. The organization announced yesterday that its candidates had won 88 seats in Parliament, nearly 20 percent of the body's 454 seats, after weeks-long balloting. The victories, which make the Brotherhood a serious force in the legislature, came despite widespread complaints that supporters were attacked with tear gas, bullied and barred from voting.

The chameleon is finally showing his true colors. Since taking office in June, Mohamed Morsi, Egypt's not-so-new president, has been equivocating, trying to balance Egypt's longstanding diplomatic and financial relationship with the West with his true self: a Muslim Brotherhood fundamentalist who is contemptuous of the West, hates Israel and wants to turn Egypt into a fully Islamic state. "He speaks of moderation for the West," Perihan Abou-Zeid, a 28-year-old Egyptian officer for a media-production company in Cairo, told me. "But then when Salafists blow up churches, there are no arrest warrants.

Since it has been determined to be absolutely necessary to overthrow the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, even though Egypt and Israel had managed to co-exist for several decades, the results are now a tragedy ("Islamist wins Egypt presidency," June 25). President Barack Obama was instrumental in supporting this and used the might of theU.S. military to help achieve it. He had to know that the vacuum created would be eventually filled by the Muslim Brotherhood, a virulent anti-Semitic organization, whose stated chief goal is the eradication of Israel and the Jewish people.

The last round of Egypt's parliamentary elections exposed the hollowness of President Hosni Mubarak's pledge to democratically reform the Arab world's most populous country. Last Wednesday, the final day of voting, eight people were killed in skirmishes with police. During voting, which took place over the past month, turnout was a dismal 26 percent. In some areas of the country, police firing rubber bullets or swinging batons met Egyptians who tried to vote. Election observers reported many voting irregularities, and Ayman Nour, a vocal opposition figure who challenged Mr. Mubarak for the presidency, was stuck in jail on dubious charges.

Unfortunately, with the limited experience that Egypt has with democracy, there is a very good chance that we shall see continuing chaos in that nation, spreading throughout the Middle East, a region not noted for listening to the voices of its own people. The results in Iran were devastating, with the initial acceptance of a purported democratic government, destroyed by the accession of Khomeini to power. Fortunately, the religious leaders of Egypt do not have the same following, but with the Muslim Brotherhood a strong factor we may be looking at a theocratic government with no possible conversion to what we consider a democracy.

Now that Hillary Clinton is unemployed, here is a synopsis of world situations she was engaged in and responsible for during her tenure as Secretary of State. China: Officials she upset would not even meet with her the last three years. North Korea: Our attempts to talk with them never commenced and they are now threatening to shoot long-range nuclear missiles at us. Egypt: An ally forever is now run by the Muslim Brotherhood to whom we are now selling sophisticated weaponry.

The images shown on the news media are startling: violence rages on the streets of Cairo while a divided government continues to sow seeds of discord. I have spent some time in Tahrir Square this past week and have seen a very different perspective. I saw no violence, I saw no despair. Instead, I saw a people reclaiming their unique voice for democracy. The situation in Egypt is tense, but the future is bright. What started as a political power grab by President Mohamed Morsi in the shadow of his success ending the Gaza conflict turned into chaos on the streets as rival protesters from opposition groups and government supporters voiced their differing visions for the future of Egypt.

Titillation over David Petraeus and political posturing over Susan Rice aside, here is the most important unasked question: Why did we foster regime change in Libya and Egypt that gave the Muslim Brotherhood control in the latter and produced a gaggle of Islamic militias in the former? Earlier, we forced elections in Lebanon and Palestine that gave Hezbollah control in Lebanon and Hamas the Gaza Strip. Again, why? Replacing the Mubarak government has left the border between Gaza and Egypt more open for weapons deliveries to Hamas, which produced the latest conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.

The chameleon is finally showing his true colors. Since taking office in June, Mohamed Morsi, Egypt's not-so-new president, has been equivocating, trying to balance Egypt's longstanding diplomatic and financial relationship with the West with his true self: a Muslim Brotherhood fundamentalist who is contemptuous of the West, hates Israel and wants to turn Egypt into a fully Islamic state. "He speaks of moderation for the West," Perihan Abou-Zeid, a 28-year-old Egyptian officer for a media-production company in Cairo, told me. "But then when Salafists blow up churches, there are no arrest warrants.

Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s recent column ("The Obama doctrine: Passivity where leadership is needed," Oct. 14) continues to present a flawed ideological position on the Middle East when a heterodox view is in order. We entered the Middle East and North Africa for only one reason: oil. We lost the oil reserves by 1980. Over the last 40 years every administration and Congress has careened from one costly political and military debacle to another in Gaza, Iran, Lebanon, Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Prior to leaving Egypt for the United Nations General Assembly, Egypt's Islamist President Mohamed Morsi told The New York Timesthe United States needs to "fundamentally change" its approach to the Arab world. That includes, he said, showing greater respect for Arab values, as well as helping to build a Palestinian state. Is there an Arab equivalent for the Yiddish word "chutzpah"? It isn't the policies and attitude of the United States toward the Arab world that need changing. It's the attitude and policies of the Arab world that need to change.

Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger has been receiving a great deal of media attention lately as the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee due to the demise of Osama bin Laden ("Ruppersberger: It was bin Laden," May 13). According to the congressman, you would think he pulled the trigger himself. Yet, a close examination of his record on intelligence issues reveals another story. A few weeks ago, Mr. Ruppersberger publicly stated that the radical Muslim Brotherhood has "moderated" its view and deserves to be involved in negotiations in Egypt.

THE TERRORIST attacks in London last week overshadowed a killing in Iraq that was carried out by like-minded people intent on a similar purpose. Ihab al-Sherif, an Egyptian diplomat named to be Cairo's ambassador to Iraq, was murdered - beheaded, his captors proudly claimed - after being kidnapped days earlier. He is but one of hundreds killed in the ruthless insurgency seething through parts of Iraq. The insurgents' systematic attacks primarily focus on civilians and supporters of the U.S.-led occupation; witness Sunday's carnage at an Iraqi military recruiting station where 21 people were killed and at least 34 others wounded.

Like the ghosts of Shakespeare's Banquo or Dickens' Jacob Marley, the specter of the late commie-hunting congressman from Wisconsin, Joseph McCarthy, will always be with us. It is summoned up today, by some on the left, who use it as a tool to thwart legitimate questions about people and ideologies that seek to destroy America. According to many commentators, the McCarthy spirit has inhabited Minnesota Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann. In several letters to high-ranking government officials, Ms. Bachmann has raised questions about Huma Abedin, a Muslim-American, who is deputy chief of staff to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Al Eisner, in his letter, "Egyptian election is tragic" (June 29), has substituted opinion for fact when he calls the Muslim Brotherhood "a virulent anti-Semitic organization. " Anti-Zionist, yes; but he provides no evidence whatsoever that it is anti-Semitic. Mr. Eisner shows no compassion for the Egyptian people who suffered for so many years under the brutal dictatorship of Hosni Mubarak. Instead, his concern is only for Israel and what Egypt's new government might mean for Egyptian/Israel relations and also for U.S./Israel relations.