The Alexandria Bombing: Useless and Useful Questions
When Christian worshippers are blown apart by a suicide bomber in Egypt, it is massively significant. This was the first suicide sectarian bombing in Egyptian history. To say that this is simply part of some big dismal tradition in the monolithic Islamic world is to say nothing useful. There may be some general way in which this is true, but to say this sheds about as much light as an appeal to the Second Law of Thermodynamics, which also in some way predicts such an event.
The event signifies a change in Egypt—a very sinister one. Yes, there has been sectarian conflict before, but this attack has novel characteristics, and it takes but a moment of reflection to see that some group is seeking to ignite a civil war in Egypt.
Egypt is not Switzerland—it is poor, authoritarian and corrupt—but it is not now a totalitarian state, nor is it implacably hostile to the West. It is basically friendly, as this region goes. Dramatic instability in the most important country in the Arab world would be catastrophic for the West. And obviously, it would be catastrophic for Egyptians, most of whom are Muslims.
I find it shocking that there is so little serious analysis of this bombing in the Western news. The best coverage of this event--by far--that I found was this treatment on Al Jazeera:
If any Western media outlet is doing reporting like this, I haven’t seen it. Why not? Doesn't a crime of this enormity merit asking these questions?
The questions we should be asking are:
1) Is this connected specifically to attacks on Christians in Iraq?
2) What has been happening in Egyptian society recently to create a ripe environment for such an attack?
3) Have the policies of the Mubarak government (which the United States supports) been kindling these sectarian tensions?
Here are some more questions that strike me as essential. The attack came in the wake of threats by al-Qaeda in Iraq to attack Egypt's Christians. Al Qaeda in Iraq certainly does have the strategic goal of provoking sectarian violence in Egypt, and as Dr. Alia Brahimi notes in the video above, the nature and sophistication of the attack suggests al Qaeda’s involvement.
But she goes on to make a critically important point about the enabling environment in Egypt. Al Qaeda could not have done this without local assistance. And this is key to an ongoing American policy debate with massive ramifications not just for Egypt, not just for the region, but for the entire globe. Here we come back, again, to the nature and role of the Muslim Brotherhood.
The Islamic political movement in Egypt is dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood; it’s not wholly inaccurate to say they’re basically the same thing. To review: The Brotherhood’s presence in Egypt dates from the 1920s. It spawned the entire array of radical political Islamist groups operating today from the Philippines to Northern Virginia. The Global Muslim Brotherhood developed as Muslim Brothers fled Egypt and installed themselves in Europe and the United States. It has struggled for more than 75 years to transform Egypt into an Islamist state. Successive regimes - British, Royal, Nasserite and most recently that of Mubarak – have repressed it ruthlessly.
One of my biggest questions about this bombing is whether it signifies what Barry Rubin predicted last October: a shift in the Brotherhood's activities from "base-building and propaganda" to "revolutionary activities."
In October, the Muslim Brotherhood’s supreme guide, Muhammad Badi', issued a significant policy speech. Rubin understood it as a signal to the movement's followers:
Some of them will engage in terrorist violence as individuals or forming splinter groups; others will redouble their efforts to seize control of their countries and turn them into safe areas for terrorists and instruments for war on the West.
He made several predictions about what this speech heralded, among them:
1. Increased internal conflict in Egypt, the start of a decade-long struggle for power in the Arabic-speaking world's most important country.
2. The likelihood that more Brotherhood supporters in the West will turn to violence and fund-raising for terrorism.
3. The true nature of the radical indoctrination--preparing people for future extremism and terrorism--in the mosques and groups they control.
4. A probable upturn in anti-American terrorist attacks in the Middle East and Europe.
He may very well be right. This is one reason it's essential to figure out exactly who was behind the bombing. It has a certain bearing on the question of whether the Brotherhood should be included in the democratic process, wouldn't you say?
A useful discussion for Americans involves this question: Is the exclusion of the Muslim Brotherhood from the Egyptian political process a mistake, as Dr. Brahimi is implying? Is it serving only to push political Islam underground, further radicalizing and polarizing Egyptian society? What are the alternatives to its exclusion? What should we be encouraging the Mubarak government to do, given that we do have some influence over it?
These are serious question, worthy of debate, and the debate might actually lead somewhere. "Why aren't Muslims protesting?" just isn't worth the time. It's a completely pointless question, especially given that they are.
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Jul '10
Re: The Alexandria Bombing: Useless and Useful Questions
"It is basically friendly, as this region goes."
Gallup's 2008 polling in Egypt showed that only 6% of Egyptians approve of U.S. leadership in the region - among the lowest approval rating of 140 countries surveyed.
Some friends.
Jul '10
Re: The Alexandria Bombing: Useless and Useful Questions
Jul '10
Re: The Alexandria Bombing: Useless and Useful Questions
"Why aren't Muslims protesting?" just isn't worth the time."
With all due respect, I think the majority of the Ricochet community - and most Americans - would strongly disagree with you.
Why try to foreclose discussion?
Re: The Alexandria Bombing: Useless and Useful Questions
Tell you what, Kenneth--why don't you engage just for this thread with what I think are the useful questions? I'm not foreclosing the discussion on other threads. But I think the questions I've raised are ones worth asking. Join me in thinking about them, okay?
Jul '10
Re: The Alexandria Bombing: Useless and Useful Questions
Well, I guess we can agree to disagree on what questions are "worth asking". I believe we are in a clash of civilizations, you prefer not to have that discussion.
Edited on Jan 4, 2011 at 12:19amMay '10
Re: The Alexandria Bombing: Useless and Useful Questions
The failure of the US news media is par for the course. I suppose there is no market for "world" news in the USA. People aren't interested.
The good news, Claire, is that two-bit revolutionaries are impatient people. They always want to shift from base-builidng to "direct action" before the situation warrants it. They have shown their hand and will probably suffer for it.
[Note the contrast with the Chinese. They probably won't make a move until they can win.]
Jan '11
Re: The Alexandria Bombing: Useless and Useful Questions
Hi Ms Berlinski - as they commonly say, "long time listener, first time commentor".
In the end, isn't this about asymmetry? I've been thinking about that for a while since VDH made that observation in another forum.
I don't know if we are currently in a worldwide existential conflict or not - but certainly if there are a minority of Christians in a country, and if you harrass and intimidate the less-than-five-percent and thus instigate emigration or conversion, don't you win? Asymmetric behaviour may be a strategy.
I could diverge into several side conversations, such as the oft quoted state of the US as a "Christian country" - I think it is largely secular honestly. One thing I do note - the "west" - not really such a monolithic entity as such - but - in any case - the west seems to be losing its overly tolerant appeasement and ignorance to radical Islam.
Sigh, it all makes sense in my head, but when I try to put the electrons in order on my computer, it doesn't seem to translate. . . .
Re: The Alexandria Bombing: Useless and Useful Questions
Outstripp, question for you. Last night an American friend suggested to me that Americans would care more about this if it had been Protestants slaughtered, not just Christians. He was very certain of this, but that just sounds absolutely wrong to me. Do you think that's so? I'd hate to believe that.
Jul '10
Re: The Alexandria Bombing: Useless and Useful Questions
The one question you've asked that I can answer is -Why haven't the western media taken notice?-
Basically because they cannot find a way to make this the fault of the United States. And a follow on is it will diminish the meme that all attacks by jihadist muslims on the U.S. are brought on by the actions of the U.S.
May '10
Re: The Alexandria Bombing: Useless and Useful Questions
Speaking as a card-carrying WASP, it doesn't make sense to me. Remember when the US Embassies were bombed in Africa? Did Americans get upset? What happens in foreign countries isn't real to Americans. Anecdotally, when I returned home once after several years abroad, I was having dinner with my family. Someone asked, "What's it like over there?" I started to explain, but within 90 seconds everyone had left the dinner table and were in the other room watching TV.
That taught me a lot. Americans think Singapore is in Japan and they speak Chinese there. When I was in grad school I met someone who doubted they had cars in Singapore.
Somebody said war is nature's way of teaching Americans geography.
May '10
Re: The Alexandria Bombing: Useless and Useful Questions
Lindsay Lohan completing rehab is substantially more important to the western media than an issue they'd actually have to devote some thought and effort to.
It's a sort of dog bites man thing. "Muslim extremists bomb [whoever, wherever]," ho-hum. "Copts bomb Muslims in Egypt," would attract a little more attention. "Nitwit pastor threatens to burn a Koran in Florida," would be an 8-bell alert story that runs 24x7 for a month.
Being of the Protestant persuasion myself, I'm confident that if it were Protestants who were bombed, it would still be ho-hum to the western media, unless one of the Protestants was Lindsay Lohan.
Re: The Alexandria Bombing: Useless and Useful Questions
That taught me a lot. Americans think Singapore is in Japan and they speak Chinese there. When I was in grad school I met someone who doubted they had cars in Singapore.
Somebody said war is nature's way of teaching Americans geography. · Jan 4 at 1:17am
Would anyone like to challenge this characterization of Americans? I want to--simply out of irritated patriotism--but since I'm the one who is lamenting the lack of coverage of this event, I wouldn't have much credibility if I insisted that Outstripp is just flat wrong.
Oct '10
Re: The Alexandria Bombing: Useless and Useful Questions
Claire Berlinski, Ed.
That taught me a lot. Americans think Singapore is in Japan and they speak Chinese there. When I was in grad school I met someone who doubted they had cars in Singapore. · Jan 4 at 1:17am
Would anyone like to challenge this characterization of Americans? · Jan 4 at 2:21am
I'm game.* This is an unfair characterization of Americans. It is a very common characterization of them, all the same. Whether this is down to fear and envy or because there is a grain of truth, or both, I don't really know. In any event, trying to 'characterize' 300 million people is never going to work, even if it is your job when deciding what to print in the newspaper or put on the evening news.
Claire, when you say 'western' media do you mean 'English-speaking'? The French press seemed to be all over the story, although that may be quantity rather than quality. (And, of course, the French have a historical self-image of themselves as guardians of Christian communities in that part of the world.)
* OK, that was more of a contradiction than a challenge...
Re: The Alexandria Bombing: Useless and Useful Questions
Were they? I didn't see anything, but perhaps I wasn't looking in the right places-if you see anything that seems to offer any more insight, would you please post the links?
May '10
Re: The Alexandria Bombing: Useless and Useful Questions
"Would anyone like to challenge this characterization of Americans?"
Only to say it's an ugly and perverse form of vanity.
Oct '10
Re: The Alexandria Bombing: Useless and Useful Questions
Until Egypt finds it's pro-democracy leader like Benazir Bhutto or Cory Aquino to replace Mubarak, I say keep the Muslim Brotherhood out of the political process.
Egypt's civil society should begin creating a strong alternative to the Muslim Brotherhood. So far, they haven't.
Oct '10
Re: The Alexandria Bombing: Useless and Useful Questions
In other news, Mona Eltahawy was on bloggingheads.tv recently talking about confronting the rise of Islamophobia in America.
May '10
Re: The Alexandria Bombing: Useless and Useful Questions
FWIW My wife related that she heard it reported on extensively on Moody Radio, which for those of you not on the Protestant media circuit is a nationwide radio network (of several score stations) operated by Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. Definitely a "Protestant" media outlet.
Sep '10
Re: The Alexandria Bombing: Useless and Useful Questions
Claire Berlinski, Ed.
Were they? I didn't see anything, but perhaps I wasn't looking in the right places-if you see anything that seems to offer any more insight, would you please post the links? · Jan 4 at 4:19am
I read the international editon of the Swiss daily Neue Zürcher Zeitung -- they've done a really good job at covering this. You should (if you read German) check out this piece.
Re: The Alexandria Bombing: Useless and Useful Questions
mesquito: "Would anyone like to challenge this characterization of Americans?"
Only to say it's an ugly and perverse form of vanity. · Jan 4 at 4:52am
I meant more with, say, statistics. I'm genuinely curious to know if there's any way to measure how curious Americans are about other countries compared to, say, the Swedes or the Nigerians. And curious to know why Al Jazeera is covering these events in a way the American media just isn't.