"Egypt’s climate of intimidation" Washpost

"Foremost among them is the increasing pressure being brought to bear on critical journalists. In recent months at least half a dozen prominent editors, writers and cartoonists have been the targets of criminal investigations, many of them launched by a prosecutor appointed by Mr. Morsi following complaints from the president’s office. The charges range from reporting false news to blasphemy; a cartoonist for the independent Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper was accused of the latter after she published a cartoon depicting Adam and Eve. "  Washpost editorial

-----------------------------------

Even the naifs and appeasers of Islamic authoritarianism in Egypt at the Post are forced to admit now that Mursi's Islamist government is seeking to shut down criticism of his government in the press and broadcast media.  The neocons in the Post editorial board are still trying to make excuses for him but that becomes more difficult all the time.

Leopards do not change their spots.  Mursi and his MB pals as well as their Salafist competition have the same goals as all political Islamists:

1 - Gain absolute power and retain it permanently.

2 - Create a sharia law state, a state in which non-Muslims are tolerated only as second class people and secularists are treated as apostates.

Mursi's government is moving steadily in that direction.  He knows that so long as he does not overtly menace Israel and "makes nice" with naive diplomats, he is safe.

The Mursi definition of "democracy" appears to me to be very like the definition of free will taught to me by a variety of nuns and brothers.  In that semantic world, free will was defined as the freedom to choose to do what the Catholic Church told you to do.  In  Mursi's world view the press is free to support his Islamist program.  pl 

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/egypts-climate-of-intimidation/2013/01/13/3221daa4-5b6b-11e2-9fa9-5fbdc9530eb9_story.html

Comments

[Charles I]

Given the structure of Islam, he's a lot freer to impose his will as handily interpreted by whoever than under many other catechisms. Make a neocon weep.

[JohnH]

Did the Washington Post ever spill any ink about censorship in the Mubarak era, when major media outlets were basically organs of the state?

If Mursi is engaging in censorship, it really comes as no surprise. It means that the new Egyptian leaders are behaving much as the old ones did. Reverting to well established tradition after a "revolution" is something almost as normal as the sun rising every day.

Plus ca change...

[turcopolier]

JohnH

Yes, the previous government controlled the press. Control of the press by an Islamist autocracy is evidently acceptable to you. What happened to your belief in "the revolution?" Are autocrats better for you if they are representative of groups you think acceptable? pl

[Abu Sinan]

Problem is, such a state is going to go after other religious Muslims as well. The MB and the Salafi are not representitive of the majority of Muslims in Egypt or anywhere else, and these people will become targets as well. The only Islam the MB and the Salafi care about is their version. The most extreme will actually pronounce "takfir" on other religious Muslims for not following their particular understanding of issues and for not accepting and following the right scholars.

They are as intolerant towards other Muslims not of their strip as they are of non Muslims. Intolerance of everything and anything not their own is what they are about.

[William R. Cumming]

So are the forces of secularism dead in Egypt?

[Bababk Makkinejad]

No, they are lying low.

[Fred]

Mr. Mursi does not appear to be happy with his fellow Egyptians:

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57566070/egypts-morsi-declares-state-of-emergency/