August 2013
Egypt's Democracy is Mission Impossible
Editor:
San Francisco Chronicle
August 16, 2013
President Obama has condemned the violence between the Egyptian military and the Muslim Brotherhood's supporters in the streets. He has said that America expects the Egyptians to:
o stop the violence;
o resolve their differences by being inclusive of all parties; and
o respect ethnic, religious, and gender human rights.
How can the Muslim Brotherhood respect ethnic, religious, and gender human rights when those values are emphatically denied by their ideology? How can Egypt be all-inclusive in a democracy when one of the parties scorns all democratic institutions except for getting elected?
Would we permit an Aryan Brotherhood party to participate in a democratic election in our own country? If not, why are we demanding that of Egypt? This is mission impossible.
Laina Farhat-Holzman, Ph. D.
Aptos, California
San Francisco Chronicle
August 16, 2013
President Obama has condemned the violence between the Egyptian military and the Muslim Brotherhood's supporters in the streets. He has said that America expects the Egyptians to:
o stop the violence;
o resolve their differences by being inclusive of all parties; and
o respect ethnic, religious, and gender human rights.
How can the Muslim Brotherhood respect ethnic, religious, and gender human rights when those values are emphatically denied by their ideology? How can Egypt be all-inclusive in a democracy when one of the parties scorns all democratic institutions except for getting elected?
Would we permit an Aryan Brotherhood party to participate in a democratic election in our own country? If not, why are we demanding that of Egypt? This is mission impossible.
Laina Farhat-Holzman, Ph. D.
Aptos, California