My girlfriend was born in Cairo, she grew up there until 1993. They still have the majority of their family and a home there. They're pretty worried they can't through on skype to see if everyone is ok. Her dad wanted us to name our dog Mubarak. Thats how popular he is with her family.
My great dane had an enormous Mubarak at least three times/day...
My girlfriend was born in Cairo, she grew up there until 1993. They still have the majority of their family and a home there. They're pretty worried they can't through on skype to see if everyone is ok. Her dad wanted us to name our dog Mubarak. Thats how popular he is with her family.
What's with naming dogs after Egyptian presidents?
I worked with someone from Iran whose father-in-law was executed by the SAVAK before the revolution; he was a university student during the revolution and everyone was happy, until the new bosses started the same sort of repression. He wound up getting arrested, tortured, mock executed, and then released. That's why he lives here now - couldn't get out fast enough. Poor guy and his wife haven't seen their families (except those that came to visit) in 30 years.
A great people brutally repressed by two consecutive regimes. Sad all around.
Meanwhile, my wife's family is all Egyptian; Mubarak still has the army on his side, which really is the kingmaker here. Very few people actually like or support Hosni, but he was the chief of the Air Force which means he's got the armed forces on his side... for now.
What's appalling is that the US and Canada support this scumbag because he's moderate - so, ignore the egregious human rights violations, the clear ignorance of democracy, the far-more-than-likely kleptocracy, because he is pro-Israel and anti-Iran and anti-Islamist. Disgusting and shameful. How's this dirtbag any better than Saddam was? Or Assad in Syria?
(oh, and Mubarak also means Blessed, so perhaps that's why the poster above's father-in-law wanted to name his dog that --- it's not just because of old Uncle Hosni).
I worked with someone from Iran whose father-in-law was executed by the SAVAK before the revolution; he was a university student during the revolution and everyone was happy, until the new bosses started the same sort of repression. He wound up getting arrested, tortured, mock executed, and then released. That's why he lives here now - couldn't get out fast enough. Poor guy and his wife haven't seen their families (except those that came to visit) in 30 years.
A great people brutally repressed by two consecutive regimes. Sad all around.
Meanwhile, my wife's family is all Egyptian; Mubarak still has the army on his side, which really is the kingmaker here. Very few people actually like or support Hosni, but he was the chief of the Air Force which means he's got the armed forces on his side... for now.
What's appalling is that the US and Canada support this scumbag because he's moderate - so, ignore the egregious human rights violations, the clear ignorance of democracy, the far-more-than-likely kleptocracy, because he is pro-Israel and anti-Iran and anti-Islamist. Disgusting and shameful. How's this dirtbag any better than Saddam was? Or Assad in Syria?
(oh, and Mubarak also means Blessed, so perhaps that's why the poster above's father-in-law wanted to name his dog that --- it's not just because of old Uncle Hosni).
The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
While the current leadership is hard to swallow, the great fear is that Egypt installs the Muslim Brotherhood as the leaders of that country and we get another Iran.
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My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
What's appalling is that the US and Canada support this scumbag because he's moderate - so, ignore the egregious human rights violations, the clear ignorance of democracy, the far-more-than-likely kleptocracy, because he is pro-Israel and anti-Iran and anti-Islamist. Disgusting and shameful. How's this dirtbag any better than Saddam was? Or Assad in Syria?
Better the devil you know than the Muslim Brotherhood... If the alternative is a Hamas equivalent, then the domestic policies of Hosni are secondary to power politics. It's a harsh reality, but it has been the way of the world for a long time...
Get an Economist subscription - you'll impress people with your all-around knowledge, and have some solid reading material for those hour-long sojourns on the toilet...
Get an Economist subscription - you'll impress people with your all-around knowledge, and have some solid reading material for those hour-long sojourns on the toilet...
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..the great fear is that Egypt installs the Muslim Brotherhood as the leaders of that country and we get another Iran.
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Originally Posted by VladtheImpaler
Better the devil you know than the Muslim Brotherhood...
The MB might not be as bad as everyone thinks. I saw this article on Yahoo news today. That being said, who knows what happens when they get into power.
What Egypt needs is an HONEST election - if they want to ELECT the MB, that's their right and their choice.
Most of our "allies" in the Middle East are scumbag regimes like these - at least in Egypt under Hosni they're allowed to have an opposition (sort of). Compare that to Kuwait where opposition parties are officially banned by the government.
Wasn't the whole sham in Iraq chalked up to "freedom in the Middle East"? Disgusting that we in the West put up with this two-faced attitude. No wonder people hate the West!
The MB might not be as bad as everyone thinks. I saw this article on Yahoo news today. That being said, who knows what happens when they get into power.
They are a hard group to trust, while they as a group have renounced violence, there are some weird ties to former members who have moved on to Al Queda, Hammas and other terrorist groups. The main reason to really not want them in power in Egypt is that they would lose a goverment in that region thats not anti-Isreal and replace it with one that is.
Quote:
Originally Posted by billybob123
What Egypt needs is an HONEST election - if they want to ELECT the MB, that's their right and their choice.
Sure but its not going to happen for multiple reasons, and none of those link back to Western Powers. The Government in place won't let it happen. And if elections did happen and the results were disliked by some of the more violent groups in the region or by the Army you have a sudden civil war.
Quote:
Originally Posted by billybob123
Most of our "allies" in the Middle East are scumbag regimes like these - at least in Egypt under Hosni they're allowed to have an opposition (sort of). Compare that to Kuwait where opposition parties are officially banned by the government.
I agree, but its the type of government that your going to deal with throughout that region its not exclusive to Egypt. As much as we want it to be, Western Style Democracies would probably never truly survive for long.
Quote:
Originally Posted by billybob123
Wasn't the whole sham in Iraq chalked up to "freedom in the Middle East"? Disgusting that we in the West put up with this two-faced attitude. No wonder people hate the West!
If the American's had a proper end game and could have prevented the insurgency they would have never left. The ultimate end goal was to have American Forces and American Aircraft with permanent basing that could threaten nations like Iran. When the Insurgency started in Iraq, the strategy chained to "Lets get the f%%k out of here"
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My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Egypt is a predominantly Muslim country with Islam as its state religion. The percentage of the adherents of various religions is a controversial topic in Egypt, with different sources citing different figures. Around 90% are identified as Muslim.
A significant number of Muslim Egyptians also follow native Sufiorders, and there is a minority of Shi'a. Islam plays a central role in the lives of most Egyptian Muslims. The Adhan (Islamic call to prayer) is heard five times a day, and has the informal effect of regulating the pace of everything from business to media and entertainment.Cairo is famous for its numerous mosqueminarets and is justifiably dubbed "the city of 1,000 minarets".Cairo also comprises a significant number of church towers.
According to the constitution of Egypt, any new legislation must at least implicitly agree with Islamic law; however, the constitution bans political parties with a religious agenda.
Bolded is the part I don't understand. How can a political party called the Muslim Brotherhood even exist in Egypt?
On the issue of women and gender the Muslim Brotherhood interprets Islam conservatively. Its founder called for "a campaign against ostentation in dress and loose behavior," "segregation of male and female students," a separate curriculum for girls, and "the prohibition of dancing and other such pastimes..."
