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No, Nasser was an example of a more secular period

Reader comment on item: Understanding Islam
in response to reader comment: Nasser is your example of a good secular leader?

Submitted by sara (United States), Jun 22, 2012 at 20:03

You are reading too much in to my example. I was illustrating that Nasser was secular, that is all. The problem with today's Islamists is that hatred of the West and Israel are the cornerstone of their foreign policy. We have seen many dictators use the tactic of uniting people in hatred against Israel to deflect the focus from their corrupt rule, and the Islamists will do the same in spades. The assumption seems to be that corrupt despots treat their citizens inherently worse than islamists would /do. It is an unfortunate fact that hate motivated violence is an essential part of Islamism by definition. So how would we assume that an Islamist government would not undertake aggression? It is expected of them! How many missiles have been fired into Israel over the past week? Even more reason to keep people distracted and looking outside when they are being restricted socially and otherwise.

see this piece: Sinai's Emergence as a Strategic Threat to Israel Michael Herzog

http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/sinais-emergence-as-a-strategic-threat-to-israel

Mubarak and the military were doing their best to keep the Islamists in check and they failed due to a fallout between themselves. Don't you think it is pretty awful that all of these countries have the choice of either a dictator type or Islamists? No democratic option whatsoever. Why do you think that is? And what of Islamist run KSA? Does the government have to be officially Islamist to impose the consequences of Sharia? There are plenty of Islamists groups sanctioned or tolerated by more secular governments.

So in theory, I agree with you that it doesn't matter who is governing them, but the reality is that it does affect us, as in the Iran example I mentioned and the missile increases to Israel. The nature of the rulers determines the tactics and strategies we implement.

Submitting....

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Reader comments (17) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
5Islam is more primitive than medieval [190 words]EmilyJun 27, 2012 14:55196754
5Well answered -Islam is changing to the worse [123 words]Michael Hanni MorcosJun 13, 2012 12:25196314
8The liberal age revisited [266 words]dhimmi no moreJun 13, 2012 08:30196303
6Those days are gone [208 words]Michael Hanni MorcosJun 14, 2012 11:34196303
We never had Egypt to lose [76 words]SchillsJun 20, 2012 20:31196303
Islamic Liberalism will make a comeback [40 words]SchillsJun 20, 2012 20:35196303
1Until? perhaps you meant to say Unless? [273 words]saraJun 21, 2012 17:27196303
3Main Problem in Main street [80 words]Michael Hanni MorcosJun 21, 2012 18:28196303
So how will you determine when Egyptians can rule themselves? [167 words]SchillsJun 21, 2012 19:01196303
4Sad reality to try to convey [438 words]saraJun 21, 2012 19:29196303
Nasser is your example of a good secular leader? [271 words]SchillsJun 22, 2012 16:25196303
Islamist government [129 words]steveNJun 22, 2012 16:47196303
1No, Nasser was an example of a more secular period [304 words]saraJun 22, 2012 20:03196303
Democratic Islamists are more desirable than secular despots [95 words]SchillsJun 23, 2012 15:28196303
3tablighee nonsense [34 words]dhimmi no moreJun 26, 2012 06:56196303
2Debate About Are Islam and Democracy compatible [63 words]saraJun 26, 2012 17:55196303
4No Democracy in Islam [70 words]dhimmi no moreJun 27, 2012 17:57196303

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