C.Western Blindness on the Muslim Brotherhood's Extremism is Beyond Ridiculous

Doug Saunders, chief foreign affairs writer for Canada's Globe and Mail, considered the country's best newspaper, writes an article, "Who's Afraid of the Muslim Brotherhood?"

Answer: I am and so is every sensible person.

But I'm also afraid of the Doug Saunders of the world whose blindness is likely to produce disaster. Here's the key section:

"Would the Muslim Brotherhood participate in a government that recognizes Israel and works with Western governments? Their leaders, and informed observers, say yes."

So far I have seen virtually no evidence of any journalist for a major newspaper actually reading (through translation) a single speech of Muslim Brotherhood leaders over the last decade, the Muslim Brotherhood's platform, the proposals that Muslim Brotherhood members of parliament have made, or just about any other documentation.

But what makes this even more crazy is that Saunders piece appeared AFTER the deputy leader of the Muslim Brotherhood PUBLICLY said the group favored abrogating the peace treaty with Israel as one of its main priorities.

This is far worse than even the coverage of the Iranian revolution when many (though proportionately fewer) experts and journalists told us that everything would be just fine.

What's the problem here? Ideology, ignorance, a naive belief that nobody can be radical, wishful thinking, and methodology.

In terms of methodology, anything a Muslim Brotherhood leader or "expert" says to a journalist orally is more important than mountains of articles, speeches, and policy statements made in Arabic.

Journalist: "Are you moderate?"

Muslim Brotherhood leader: "Yes."

Journalist: "That's all I need to know!"

That's not much of an exaggeration. Consider the actual sentence Saunders wrote:

"Would the Muslim Brotherhood participate in a government that recognizes Israel and works with Western governments? Their leaders, and informed observers, say yes."

Yes, and they'd also participate in a government that throws away the peace treaty (even if subtly), opens the door to massive weapons' shipments into the Gaza Strip, and bashes Western interests all over the region. In fact, they will do everything possible to get the government to do that.

There are two other Brotherhood groups in the neighborhood they are likely to support. One is called Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, and the other is called the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood, which they will assist (not necessarily successfully, of course) to overthrow the Jordanian monarchy.

Don't get me wrong, the Brotherhood is cautious and clever. They will not do everything on the first day but proceed carefully and subtly.

As I've said repeatedly, what most worries me is the lack of worry on the part of others. It isn't just that there is a potential calamity but by refusing to recognize that danger these people are making it more likely to happen.

Now, excuse me because I have to go write an article commissioned for me to explain why a revolution in Egypt likely to bring to power a pro-Hamas government is beneficial to the Israel-Palestinian peace process! I will try to explain that the opposite is true.

No, I'm not kidding.

D. Muslim Brotherhood Leader Says Will End Peace Treaty With Israel

Over and over again we have been told that the Muslim Brotherhood is weak, moderate, and is not calling for ending the Egypt-Israel peace treaty. But now Rashad al-Bayoumi, deputy leader of the Brotherhood said in an interview on Japan's NHTV:

"After President Mubarak steps down and a provisional government is formed, there is a need to dissolve the peace treaty with Israel,"

I think we will gradually see how all the other things the journalists and "experts" have told us about the Brotherhood will also be proven wrong.