ENTER THE ISLAMISTS

This is the title of an article in the FT today by Roula Khalaf[1]. She, like me, appears to be concerned that the Arab Spring will bring Islamic parties to power who are either extremist, violent or both.

The election in Tunisia this Sunday is expected to see Nahda do well. And in Egypt next month The Muslim Brotherhood is also expected to do well. Both are strongly Islamic with strong support for Palestinians.

But she also warns that even more extreme Islamists, the pro-Saudi Salafists, could also do well and make Nahda and the MB parties of the centre.

This outcome should come as no surprise because the area is predominantly Islamic but has been ruled by leaders who have been servants of the West keeping their population under control through police state repression.

My question is this : why are we spending billions in times of austerity on bringing Islamists of a dubious democratic nature to power now when we deny statehood to the Palestinians?

I suspect the answer, but will await the outcome of the aforementioned elections.

[1] Enter the Islamists : Towards a new order in the Arab world, FT, 20/10/2011