CharlesRabb

Iraq is a case in point: a democracy in name only, far from liberal, and a place where people are routinely murdered for being homosexual. The second phase of the Arab uprising is well into its stride. This is the complex internal struggle within societies where religious beliefs, social mores, tribal links, and guns are currently far more powerful forces than “Western” ideals of e******y, freedom of expression, and universal suffrage. The Arab countries are beset by prejudices, indeed hatreds, of which average Westerners know so little that they tend not to believe them even if they are laid out in print before their eyes. We are aware of our own prejudices, which are legion, but often seem to turn a blind eye to those in the Middle East.

In their naïveté, many think that these incitements to murder are not widespread and must be seen in the context of the Arabic language, which can be given to flights of rhetoric. This signals their lack of understanding of the “Arab street,” the role of the mainstream Arab media, and a refusal to understand that when people who are full of hatred say something, they mean it.

In Egypt, the liberals never had a chance. Nor do they now. This is not because the people of the region are radical; it is because if you are hungry and frightened, and you are offered either bread and security or the concept of democracy, the choice is not difficult. In impoverished societies with few accountable institutions, power rests with gangs disguised as “m*****a” and “political parties.” While they fight for power, sometimes cheered on by naive Western sympathizers, many innocent people die.
Look at Libya, Syria, Yemen, Iraq, and possibly other countries it will be that way for years to come.