Posted in 2014. Today, the political line up probably looks a bit different!
"The Muslim Brotherhood
in the Obama Administration" is a short pamphlet exposing real or
percieved Muslim Brotherhood (Ikhwan) operators in the upper echelons of the
U.S. administration. The foremost is supposedly Huma Abedin, a long-time aide
to Hillary Clinton. As far as I understand, no direct evidence exists to link
Abedin to the Ikhwan, and the claim is widely regarded as a crazy conspiracy
theory. Note, by the way, that Abedin, a supposed Muslim fundamentalist, is
married to a Jew, something prohibited by traditional Islam!
But sure, I don't doubt that the Muslim Brotherhood has supporters with access to high-ranking U.S. establishment figures. Of course they do. The United States and other Western governments have long supported the "moderate", conservative wing of Muslim fundamentalism as an antidote to Soviet Communism, secular Arab nationalism and openly radical Muslim fundamentalism á la Iran. The U.S.-Saudi alliance is an obvious example. American support for Zia ul-Haq's Pakistan and the Mujahedeen in Afghanistan (including one Osama bin-Laden) are others. When the Arab Spring strengthened the Muslim Brotherhood and similar groups across the Middle East, the United States swiftly decided to support the Ikhwan in both Egypt and Syria. Note also the stealth "Islamization" (fundamentalization) of NATO member Turkey.
Hillary Clinton's pro-Ikhwan actions are simply the most recent expressions of a long-standing U.S. policy, not the direct result of Muslim Brotherhood infiltration and subterfuge. This would be true even if Abedin turns out to be a deep undercover Ikhwan mole (which I strongly doubt). This context is always lacking in publications associated with David Horowitz' "Freedom Center", no doubt because Horowitz really supports the Republican wing of the U.S. political establishment, who are just as implicated as everyone else. It seems that the Huma Abedin allegations are the conservative version of the popular liberal urban legend that Bush II and Wolfowitz started the Iraqi war due to inspiration from one Leo Strauss...
For a sarcastic commentary on the entire fracas, see "Bachmann: Muslim Brotherhood secret agent?" by Juan Cole, available on the web. While I wouldn't agree with Cole on everything (I mean, the guy claims that the Ikhwan isn't a terrorist organization!), his article does show that Mideast politics are, ahem, pretty complicated...
Let he (or she) who is without sin cast the first stone!
But sure, I don't doubt that the Muslim Brotherhood has supporters with access to high-ranking U.S. establishment figures. Of course they do. The United States and other Western governments have long supported the "moderate", conservative wing of Muslim fundamentalism as an antidote to Soviet Communism, secular Arab nationalism and openly radical Muslim fundamentalism á la Iran. The U.S.-Saudi alliance is an obvious example. American support for Zia ul-Haq's Pakistan and the Mujahedeen in Afghanistan (including one Osama bin-Laden) are others. When the Arab Spring strengthened the Muslim Brotherhood and similar groups across the Middle East, the United States swiftly decided to support the Ikhwan in both Egypt and Syria. Note also the stealth "Islamization" (fundamentalization) of NATO member Turkey.
Hillary Clinton's pro-Ikhwan actions are simply the most recent expressions of a long-standing U.S. policy, not the direct result of Muslim Brotherhood infiltration and subterfuge. This would be true even if Abedin turns out to be a deep undercover Ikhwan mole (which I strongly doubt). This context is always lacking in publications associated with David Horowitz' "Freedom Center", no doubt because Horowitz really supports the Republican wing of the U.S. political establishment, who are just as implicated as everyone else. It seems that the Huma Abedin allegations are the conservative version of the popular liberal urban legend that Bush II and Wolfowitz started the Iraqi war due to inspiration from one Leo Strauss...
For a sarcastic commentary on the entire fracas, see "Bachmann: Muslim Brotherhood secret agent?" by Juan Cole, available on the web. While I wouldn't agree with Cole on everything (I mean, the guy claims that the Ikhwan isn't a terrorist organization!), his article does show that Mideast politics are, ahem, pretty complicated...
Let he (or she) who is without sin cast the first stone!
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