Party Like its 1979 – Muslim Brotherhood History in the Middle East – In Brief Carter – Obama and Comparative Ideology

Political Cartoon Carter and the Ayatollah from the Press Courier Dec 2, 1979


In an article from the Sarasota Heraldwritten by Jack Anderson in 1979, one finds that the Iranian Crisis was blamed on a Lack of U.S. Intelligence. The root of the uprising involved a group known as the Muslim Brotherhood, and the article points to a growing problem in Egypt where the Brotherhood was forming an alliance with “leftwing” dissidents, just like it did “in Iran”. The end result was a warning to the Carter Administration that Egyptian President Answer Sadat was in trouble. (Sarasota Herald).

Sadat was later assassinated.

The group, the Muslim Brotherhood was founded in 1928, with the following motto: "Allah is our objective. The Prophet is our leader. The Qur'an is our law. Jihad is our way. Dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope. As a political organization they began to fall apart in recent years, however recently have begun to “represent themselves as mainstream, even as they continue to embrace the Brotherhood's radical views and maintain links to terrorists.”(meforoum.org)

What may be most disturbing and enlightening for those following the unrest in Egypt is that:

An important aspect of the Muslim Brotherhood ideology is the sanctioning of Jihad such as the 2004 fatwa issued by Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi making it a religious obligation of Muslims to abduct and kill U.S. citizens in Iraq.

An excellent treatment of the history and specifically the development of this radical movement can be found here www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org

The ties between the Group and Iran’s Supreme Leader are treated here: www.borglobe.com.
Fast forward 2011 – from Politico: “For Barack Obama, Egypt a balancing act”

“The White House tiptoed gingerly toward solidarity with the protesters thronging Egyptian streets on a day of escalating rhetoric that culminated Friday evening with President Barack Obama making a televised appeal to the nation’s leader, Hosni Mubarak, to halt his crackdown and reform the government.
“This moment of volatility has to be turned into a moment of promise,” Obama said, while calling on Mubarak “to refrain from any violence against peaceful protestors.”

(Politico)

History repeats itself:

In the year leading up to the Iranian Revolution, which installed the anti-U.S. Muslim Dictator, Ayatollah Khomeini, the Shah was constantly “pressured” by the Carter Administration to relax his hold on the reigns of the government and release political prisoners.

Of course, the result was the expulsion of the Shah, the return of the radical cleric and the detainment of U.S. hostages up until Ronald Reagan took the Office of the Presidency in 1980.

The U.S. is constantly accused of “propping up” dictators, in nations around the world, nations who otherwise might end up in a position similar to Iran. Although, in an ideal word, democracy (or a republic) would be the preferred government as viewed by most American’s, who enjoy a particularly unique brand. The U.S. model separates the powers of church and state, and the rank and file of the electorate are educated, although there are political differences, they remain somewhat secular in nature. When one views the Middle East, however, one must take into account the differences between the nations, and the level of commitment to religion versus the secular model. It goes without saying that those Middle Eastern nations where commerce and diplomatic ties with the U.S. and Europe are in place for decades, and where Islamic Radicals, such as the Muslim Brotherhood are in place, presents a precarious fine line for U.S. relations.

Under Carter, Sadat lost his life over the peace accord (arranged by Carter) with Israel. The assassin tied to the Muslim Brotherhood. Under Carter, Iran, a former ally of the U.S., saw the return of the Ayatollah (at Carters urging) and the loss of an ally (again at Carters urging), which resulted in an anti-American sentiment, which, the intent and the outcome, of course, were not as Carter had planned. He just lacked the general experience and possibly the ideological fortitude that would have seen him back the Shah, over those “jailed dissidents” of the regime.
Now, as the Muslim Brotherhood has a foothold in every Middle East Nation where the U.S. enjoyed a bit of breathing room with an ally, the Obama administration apparently is following the Carter Model.