Obama's Egypt

President Obama was quick to call for the ouster of President Mubarak; so did the Muslim Brotherhood, but both have been slow to say who or what type of government should replace him.  Many others have been similarly quick in their praise for the rioters.


Why do we suddenly favor the tyranny of the violent minority to the democratic process that Egypt already has?  True, Mubarak has acted as an (almost) benevolent dictator who now knows how much a lot of people dislike him.  But there have been pro Mubarak demonstrations as well.  If they are wanting to govern by majority rule, then how do we even know who has the majority opinion?

Through the ballot box, which shows majority opinion through the rule of law.

The rioters have rejected that offer out of hand.  Every time Mubarak talks about the elections they react with more anger and rioting.  Which begs the question of what the real motivation of the rioters is.  If they are just so tired of dealing with President Mubarak and are wanting him to leave, then they are misguided and a little short sighted.  If Mubarak were to step down now, would the rioters be happy to let his vice president take over?  I'd wager not.

If the situation continues, it will likely lead to mob rule, known more vulgarly as "anarchy."  Is that what the demonstrators really want?  Maybe, who knows?  Is that what the rest of the country wants?  They will be the ones who suffer the consequences of this minority of rioters.

Currently If you want to build a church, you have to have Mubarak's approval.  If you are Muslim, you have to practice your religion as interpreted by Mubarak or face the penalties.  One absurd case involved the prosecution of a woman who reported that she was Christian.  According to the Government's interpretation of Sharia law, when her father had a brief conversion to Islam in the 1960's that qualified her as a Muslim, not a Christian.  One Jehovah's Witness was reportedly beaten and his family was threatened unless he agreed to become an informant in the Jehovah's Witness community for the government.

Will people in Egypt be better off if the Muslim Brotherhood gets their way in all of these riots?  They are vehemently anti-Israel and they despise religious freedom.  True, this does reflect polling on what most Egyptians think, but that doesn't make for a safer Egypt.  Most Egyptians believe that adultery should be punished by stoning, thievery by chopping off a hand, and apostatizing from Islam should be punished with death.

Did I mention that the polling says they favor democracy?  It does.  Isn't that nice? A whopping majority of people believe that it is okay to kill someone for leaving Islam so they can carry it out.  Democracy by itself is clearly not the answer.  What would happen to the rest of the population who is Christian, Jewish, or of other religions if the majority can vote to kill, maim, or stone them? What happens to the Muslims who feel that the prevailing practice of Islam isn't quite right, or worse, decide that they want to change religions? 

I know that Mubarak is against bowing to international pressure, and it isn't right to try and pervert someone else's culture, but something is seriously wrong if a religion or a government cannot allow its people the simple freedom of conscience.  Does Allah control people's minds?  I seriously doubt it.  Why should His followers try to enforce mind control by the sword?  And when the government, or religion, tries to control what people think, people still think what they want to. 

Freedom of conscience, and by extension, freedom of religion are basic rights that everyone has, regardless of religion or government.

Millions of people are in danger of losing their security (and possibly their lives) and real human rights as we speak.  Shouldn't President Obama focus on helping protect the innocent and promoting these basic values?