Egypt Quotes
This quotation of a very popular Muslim cleric illustrates the wide range of political views of Islamic leaders and authorities. Whereas most shun democracy as placing public opinion over the word of God, there are many like al-Qaradawi who have a modernist interpretation of Islam.
Cleopatra was not just a woman ruling between male dynasties, but a brilliant and able politician, tactician, and military leader. She was descended from Alexander the Great’s Macedonian General Ptolomy who inherited Egypt upon Alexander’s death. By all accounts she was an amazing leader irrespective of gender. But she also used her sexuality very powerfully. Her language skill was remarkable; she was actually the first of the line of Ptolemy rulers of Egypt who actually spoke and read Egyptian. Of course she was also fluent in Greek and Latin as well as all the “Barbarian” languages.
Khomeini was a politician as well as a cleric. He was not always consistent depending on his audience. This book was the publication of 17 different speeches with different audiences. Here he opposes all monarchy, but there is little doubt that his main target was the monarchy of Saudi Arabia. In {620335} he suggests that monarchy would be acceptable if the monarch followed Islamic law. Here he leaves no room for monarchies of which there were and are a number in the Muslim world. And at the height of Islam there was a Caliph who not only had absolute rule of ALL Muslim countries, but he was the absolute ruler of the religion. The Caliph and later the Islamic Sultan held more absolute power than any king or Pope ever had. Most of the Islamic fundamentalists claim that they want a return to having a Caliph with absolute power. And even in Iraq today, the “Supreme Leader” exercises more autonomous power, than any monarch or dictator does in his own country.
Egypt, after is Arab Spring ousting of it like time military dictator, suffered through and Islamic government regeime, but after that ended up electing a military strongman again who had little inclination towards democracy and was decidedly fascistic. In November 2013, the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights presented Omran with an award to honor her work and commitment to human rights in Egypt.
Note how the second paragraph nullifies the first of the government declares an emergency. This is a trick that is very common in constitutions.
Water has always been in short supply in the Middle East. For thousands of years in the past water rights and possession was the cause of many conflicts. The rapid increase in fertility and population in the Muslim countries of the Middle East has placed even more stress on the water supply while waste is common. Fortunately Israel and Turkey have developed many techniques of using water efficiently. However, the rest of the Middle Eastern nations are slow to adopt these methods of water conservation, water generation and production, and agriculture that requires much less water than in the past. Politics, religion, and culture can be barriers or facilitators.
She was chiding the Egyptian military who in the Arab Spring, turned on demonstrators and soldiers in the middle of the central square stripped a female demonstrator half naked and beat her badly;
In Egypt and other Arab nations religion is the major source of intolerance. Many Muslims are intolerant of the existence and practice of any other religion. (Unlike in other Islamic nations like Turkey or Indonesia). The Sunni Muslims are at odds with the Shiites. Within those the ultra orthodox fight the more secular Muslims.
It is amazing what explanations religious and biased fanatics can come up with to explain history.
The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood had won the first democratic election, but they proceeded to use their majority to deny rights to others. Massive demonstrations against the government, with the Egyptian military support deposed the Brotherhood President and government. The Brotherhood then took to the streets, demonstrating against the ousting of their elected government. After more than a week of constant demonstrations and the blockage of many streets, the new military appointed government authorized the police to clear the streets. Some of the Brotherhood were armed and killed over 40 police and several hundred demonstrators were also killed with each side blaming the other for “starting” the violence. The vice president was a strong opponent of the Muslim Brotherhood and supported and called for the ousting of their undemocratic, albeit elected, government. However he also supported their right to protest in the streets and condemned the use of force.
He was also the primary planner of the assassination. He was executed for his crime which not only killed Sedat but also a diplomat and a Christian Cleric. Iran named a street in Tehran for Islambouli in 1981 in honor of his “martyrdom.”
Pasha Muhammed Ali was the Ottoman Overlord of Egypt and Syria. He is an unusual example of a leader who was a realist relative to the skills and abilities of his family for succession. His family indeed could not hold Egypt.