status of women<\/a>\u00a0in “democratic” Athens would have made the Taliban proud, women in “authoritarian” Sparta reportedly enjoyed a much higher level of equality. Thus the Athenian Plato, one of history’s greatest minds, eschewed democracy, opting for a so-called “philosopher king” to provide for the good of the people.<\/p>\nIn short, as with all forms of governance, democracy is a means to an end: based on whether that end is good (freedom) or bad (tyranny) should be the ultimate measure of its worth.<\/p>\n
Recent examples of “people-power” \u2014 literally,\u00a0demos-kratia\u00a0<\/em>\u2014 giving rise to fascistic governments are many: the Palestinians elected the terrorist organization Hamas to lead their government in 2006; Islamists were poised to take over in Algeria thanks to free elections in1991. Most famously, the Shah of Iran, whose monarchy was culturally and socially liberal, was overthrown by the people, who brought the Khomeini and tyranny to power in 1979.<\/p>\nEnter Egypt. For starters, what we are witnessing is a popular revolt. But now that the people have gotten what they want \u2014 the overthrow of Mubarak \u2014 will “people-power” also lead to a more liberal, secular, and pluralistic society? Theoretically, it is possible: many Egyptians, Christians and Muslims, would welcome a freer society. Despite al-Jazeera’s and the Iranian media’s propaganda \u2014 which some in the West follow hook-line-and-sinker \u2014 the majority of Egyptians protesting are not doing so to see sharia law implemented, but rather for mundane reasons: food and jobs.<\/p>\n
That said, the Muslim Brotherhood does pose a very real threat; moreover, itdoes<\/em>\u00a0want strict sharia implemented. If the people help see it to power, Egypt will become considerably more fascistic. Yet this does not mean that most Egyptians are Islamists. While some are, others go along with the Brotherhood for the ostensible benefits, while being indifferent to the group’s ideological agenda. After all, Hamas’ famous strategy of endearing the Palestinians to it by providing for their needs was learned directly from its parent organization: Egypt’s Brotherhood.<\/p>\nIn a way, this is not unlike Western democracies: people can vote based on their immediate needs, emotions, misinformation, or even sheer propaganda \u2014 and get more than they bargained for. Yet Western democracies have built-in safeguards, for example, a constitution, rule of law, and a separate judiciary. But what if all of these are built on Islamist principles, agreed to by the majority? The constitution, law, and judiciary of a government can all be built atop sharia (the word sharia simply means “the way” of Muslim society). After all, part of the Brotherhood’s by now infamous slogan is that “the Koran is our Constitution”; likewise, Iran has a “constitutional government” \u2014 based on sharia jurisprudence.<\/p>\n
In short, America needs to stop praising democracy \u2014 a means \u2014 and start supporting freedom and universal rights \u2014 the desired end. If that end can best be achieved by, say, a “philosopher-king,” as opposed to popular support, so be it; if that end can be achieved by supporting secularists while “undemocratically” suppressing Islamists, so be it. Rather than offer lip service to any specific mode of governance, the US should support whoever and whatever form of government is best positioned to provide the boons regularly conflated with democracy.<\/p>\n
Such an approach would have an added bonus: it would fend off the ubiquitous charge \u2014 emanating from the ivory towers of academia to the Arab street \u2014 that America is hypocritical for befriending and supporting dictators even as it constantly sings paeans to democracy.<\/p>\n
\n
\u00a92011 Raymond Ibrahim<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Raymond Ibrahim Hudson New York That democracy equates freedom is axiomatic in the West. Say the word “democracy” and images of a free, pluralistic, and secular society come to mind.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[118,227,117],"tags":[12,1034,635,1035,1069,480,1078,1060,1016,58],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p466Sb-Zo","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3823,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/dumbing-democracy-down\/","url_meta":{"origin":3806,"position":0},"title":"Dumbing Democracy Down","author":"victorhanson","date":"February 20, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"by Bruce S. Thornton Advancing a Free Society Many in the west are interpreting the demonstrations in Egypt against Hosni Mubarak as populist expressions of \u201caspirations for a democratic future,\u201d as a spokesman for British Prime Minister David Cameron put it. So too President Obama, who spoke of the \u201cuniversal\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Bruce S. Thornton"","block_context":{"text":"Bruce S. Thornton","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/ahref=\/index.php\/categories\/angry-reader\/categorylink\/a\/our-contributors\/bruce-s-thornton\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1671,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/tunisian-election-and-the-read-to-caliphate\/","url_meta":{"origin":3806,"position":1},"title":"Tunisian Election and the Read to Caliphate","author":"victorhanson","date":"October 29, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"by Raymond Ibrahim Jihad Watch Tunisia, where the 2011 Arab uprisings began, remains an ominous model for where these uprisings will end. The nation's first round of elections are in, and, as expected, the Islamist party, al-Nahda, won by a landslide, gaining over\u00a040% of the seats\u00a0in the national constituent assembly.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Islam"","block_context":{"text":"Islam","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/ahref=\/index.php\/categories\/angry-reader\/categorylink\/a\/the-world\/the-middle-east\/islam\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3848,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/why-the-egyptian-revolution-can-be-the-best-or-worst-thing-to-happen\/","url_meta":{"origin":3806,"position":2},"title":"Why the Egyptian Revolution Can Be the Best or Worst Thing to Happen","author":"victorhanson","date":"February 5, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"by Raymond Ibrahim NRO's\u00a0The Corner It is clear that the media and its host of analysts are split in two camps on the Egyptian revolution: one that sees it as a wonderful expression of \"people-power\" that, left alone, will naturally culminate into some sort of pluralistic democracy, and another that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Egypt"","block_context":{"text":"Egypt","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/ahref=\/index.php\/categories\/angry-reader\/categorylink\/a\/the-world\/the-middle-east\/egypt\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3825,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/not-a-time-for-wishful-thinking-about-egypt\/","url_meta":{"origin":3806,"position":3},"title":"Not a Time for Wishful Thinking about Egypt","author":"victorhanson","date":"February 18, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"by Bruce S. Thornton Advancing a Free Society The fall of Egyptian strongman Hosni Mubarak has occasioned all manner of democracy happy-talk in the West. From the Democratic White House to the neo-con\u00a0Weekly Standard, it is bliss to be alive at the moment that democracy is finally emerging in the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Egypt"","block_context":{"text":"Egypt","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/ahref=\/index.php\/categories\/angry-reader\/categorylink\/a\/the-world\/the-middle-east\/egypt\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3844,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/clueless-on-cario\/","url_meta":{"origin":3806,"position":4},"title":"Clueless on Cario","author":"victorhanson","date":"February 8, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"by Victor Davis Hanson PJ Media My Three-week Victory, Your Seven-year Mess It is difficult trying to figure out what the left\u2019s position is on democracy and the Middle East. Here\u2019s a brief effort. Once upon a time, a number of prominent liberals \u2014 among them Thomas Friedman, Fareed Zakaria,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Egypt"","block_context":{"text":"Egypt","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/ahref=\/index.php\/categories\/angry-reader\/categorylink\/a\/the-world\/the-middle-east\/egypt\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":994,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/when-elections-fail-jihad\/","url_meta":{"origin":3806,"position":5},"title":"When Elections Fail, Jihad","author":"victorhanson","date":"January 31, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"by Raymond Ibrahim Jihad Watch The Obama administration supports \"democracy\" and \"self determination\" in the Middle East \u2014 two euphemisms that, in the real world, refer to \"mob-rule\" and \"Islamic radicalization,\" respectively. Yet, as\u00a0Jimmy Carter\u00a0recently put it: \"I don't have any problem with that [an \"Islamist victory\" in Egypt], and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Islam"","block_context":{"text":"Islam","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/ahref=\/index.php\/categories\/angry-reader\/categorylink\/a\/the-world\/the-middle-east\/islam\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3806"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3806"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3806\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3807,"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3806\/revisions\/3807"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3806"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3806"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3806"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}