Mubarak and his two predecessors have for decades practiced steam control. They give jihadists -- particularly the Muslim Brotherhood -- as much leeway as they can to satisfy them, but rein them in when they get too close actually to taking power. And so the pendulum swings again. "Egypt to quash Islamic militant groups - Mubarak," by Marwa Awad for Reuters, January 24 (thanks to all who sent this in):
CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's president said on Sunday his security forces would quash Islamist groups threatening stability in Egypt and the region, highlighting worries about al Qaeda building up strength in places such as Yemen.President Hosni Mubarak also defended building a barrier on the Gaza border, saying it would stop militants crossing. The move has drawn criticism from inside Egypt and other Arabs who say Cairo is colluding with Israel to blockade the Palestinians.
Egyptian security have made a series of arrests in recent months of suspected members of outlawed Islamist groups, raising concerns about a resurgence of militancy in a country that fought an Islamist rebellion the 1990s.
"We live in a difficult region and a world fraught with tension ... witnessing an expansion of instability across the world from Afghanistan to Pakistan and in Iran and Iraq and Yemen and Somalia and Sudan," Mubarak said in a speech.
He said the security forces would "continue fiercely confronting the terrorism and extremism ... for the security of the nation and citizens."
The rise of al Qaeda-linked militants in countries like Yemen and Somalia has prompted analysts to shine a spotlight on Egypt, the home of al Qaeda's No. 2 Ayman Zawahri and other leading Islamist thinkers over the decades.
Mubarak, speaking live on television, said there was a "widening circle of Salafi ideology and groups and their false claims to declare people as infidels and to terrorize innocent people and disturb social stability of the nation."
He did not name any groups but one group associated with an interpretation of Salafi teaching and calling itself Takfir wa Hijra, kidnapped and killed the Egyptian minister of religious endowments in 1977. The leader was later hanged.
Salafi Muslims believe they must follow strictly the practices of Prophet Mohammad and his closest companions....
Mubarak will attempt to crush anything or anyone which/who is injurious to his health or to the health of his family. And that's where it ends.
Yawn.
Mubarak's Cairo speach at least shows a better understanding of jihad than Obama's Cairo speach.
You're right, Wellington. The lead of the article said it all: Mubarak "would quash Islamist groups threatening stability in Egypt." That is, he won't quash them in general, just quash the ones threatening his power.
Robert I thought for moment I was going to see that infamous contradictory statement at the end of your title to this article "NO WAIT".
Mubarak is known for playing on the Egyptian public's fears of Islamism to forward his own power--they are valuable to him as a political tool so I doubt this will amount to anything.
Mubarak has been saying that for the last 30 years.However he has been enabling the Muslim extremists by doing nothing.
Egypt is very close to becoming another Sudan or Yemen.
"Egypt's Mubarak promises to crush jihad groups" -- headline
I imagine this must have been one of the boxes Mubarak had to check in Egypt's annual application to the U.S. to renew the jizya. By now it must be an automatic thing with him.