last blog post

     I think it's interesting that the concept of Islamism arose in very simliar circumstances to the American Revolution. The British were controlling Egypt and "eroding the culture and values" that proper Egyptians are supposed to have. Al Banna noticed this and in response to the British developed "the Muslim Brotherhood" which was meant to be a "religious and non-violent movement" (73) to restore muslim values back to the schools and other key places in Egypt. They were hoping to gain One nation under God, free from British rule. Now where have we heard that before? Under intense persecution some sects of the movement, somewhat inevitably, turned violent, however didn't we as well? American colonists didn't start off with the declaration of independence they started with peaceful (sort of!) assemblies, protests, and boycotts of British rule and after persecution from the British they turned violent. God was a big part of the American revolution as well, after all we were fighting for "unalienable rights endowed by our creator"weren't we? Now 300 years later America has, in truth, become far less religious than it started off to be, but who are we to fault muslim countries for wanting to maintain their religious integrity? Movements like the Muslim Brotherhood appear dangerous to Americans today, because they represent a lifestyle that we try to forget we abandoned. Now of course we have the right to do that if we so please due to our freedom of speech, press, and religion, but countries like Egypt should be allowed to be Islamist countries as well if they so choose. We shouldn't have the right to sit in America and tell them what we think they should and shouldn't do. It is one of their unalienable rights to pursue happiness and if this is the way they choose to do it then so be it. Now when the people actually in Egypt are protesting..... well that's an entirely different matter.