The Egyptian Islamic parties who seem to have an insurmountable lead in the Egyptian elections have said that they plan to push for a stricter Islamic religious code. This means Shariah law and the end to democracy, women’s rights, minority issues and much more.
The Egyptian Coptic Christian minority and all secular political parties will be persecuted or banished to the wilderness. There will be no thought of social or political freedoms that were the rallying cry of the street demonstrations only weeks ago.
Preliminary vote count indicates that 62% of those eligible voted. The preliminary results give the Muslim Brotherhood 40% and the ultraconservative Islamic Nour Party, who preach jihad, gets 30% of the vote. This has given impetus to a movement whose ideology is far removed from Western constitutionalism.
The Islamic Nour Party are ultraconservative Islamists, called Salafis, many of whom see most popular entertainment as sinful and reject women’s participation in public life.
Something like this was predictable and predicted by many of us who knew that the Muslim Brotherhood was the most organized and rich with finance to get out their vote.
With the recent pronouncements coming out of the Administration it would seem to indicate that they did not have a clue as to the potential ramifications of a radical Islamic state evolving along the lines of Iran and the future of an Islamic caliphate form Morocco to Iran.Islamists have formed governments in Tunisia and Morocco.
It would seem that Islamists are positioned for a major role in post-Qaddafi Libya as well. But it is the victory in Egypt — the largest and once the most influential Arab state that has the potential to upend the established order across the Middle East.
The future of Egypt would seem to be far from the former traditions of personal freedom, private enterprise, and the separation of civic and religious authority.
