Looking for Moderate Islamists Posted by Shadi Hamid

The debate over whether to engage with Islamists will continue, although it appears something of a consensus may be emerging. Whatever side you're on, it's worth keeping an eye on the new generation of Islamists for whom 9/11 was a defining moment almost as much as it was for many of us here in the U.S., if perhaps for somewhat different reasons. One of the more prominent of this emerging group is Ibrahim El Houdaiby, the grandson of former Muslim Brotherhood general guide Hasan el-Houdaiby. I got to know Houdaiby two summers ago in Egypt, when I was interviewing many of the Brotherhood's leaders. Unlike the MB's older generation, Houdaiby speaks (and writes) excellent English, and did his undergraduate degree at the American University in Cairo (one of the few remaining strongholds of the Egyptian secular elite).

I remember the first time I met him at a cafe near Tahrir Square. As I walked in, he was talking to two young women (Western researchers themselves) in his usual, animated way, about politics, religion, and philosophy. Houdaiby was smiling and seemed to be enjoying himself, which may not seem like a big deal except that Islamists tend to interact with members of the opposite sex in a rather stilted, formal manner. This, itself, cast an impression. I could tell he was different. And, indeed, he is, as his slew of recent opeds would suggest. Houdaiby has apparently been on a tear, getting his views out to quite a diverse audience. To my knowledge, he is the first Muslim Brotherhood member to publish in the Forward, which struck me as a big deal when it happened (Oren Rawls, the Forward's opinion editor, thought so too). In an organization long defined by a culture of obedience, here you had Houdaiby openly criticizing - in an American Jewish newspaper no less - his own leader, General Guide Mahdi Akef, for his troubling attitudes towards women. It wasn't revolutionary, but it was something.

Houdaiby has also been an outspoken proponent of an official U.S.-Islamist dialogue. Where many other Islamists are afraid to be associated with the U.S., Houdaiby is of a different mind, as he makes clear in this op-ed. If you're concerned that he's just pandering to Western audiences, you can find out for yourself by reading his personal blog in Arabic.

Comments

[Don Bacon]

Doing anything at all with Islamists is made more difficult by people like Senator Lieberman: “I’m proud to say that the tide has turned in Iraq and we’re winning that war,” Lieberman said. “And if we don’t let down our troops, they’re going to bring home a victory that will protect us here at home from today’s threat — totalitarian terrorist Islamism that’s trying to take our liberty from us.”

Did he have autocratic dictators Mubarak, Abdallah, Assad and Musharraf in mind? Probably not. Ahmadinejad, the feckless Iranian target of the US? Then whom? The guy in the cave? He's never challenged to define "today's threat".

In fact, Lieberman is quite comfortable supporting Islamic tyrants so long as they can be bought regarding Israel. HRC would be no better.

I'm afraid that Houdaiby would be locked up in a second if Lieberman (a representative of the US today) snapped his fingers.

[Don Bacon]

news reort:
Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, has said he opposes any interference in his country's affairs from abroad.

His comments came during a speech to close his ruling party's annual conference in which he also called on his government to do more to address the problems of Egypt's poor.

"We protect Egypt's sovereignty and independence and reject any pressure and conditions, and we refuse any interference in our affairs," Mubarak told 6,000 delegates from his National Democratic Party (NDP) in Cairo on Tuesday.

The president's comments are an apparent reference to proposed US legislation to cut the country's aid unless it stops committing human-rights abuses.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/8F58F515-12B0-4C8B-83FA-3E6AABB3EA2D.htm