And the Muslim Brotherhood is poised to take advantage. Note that the CNN reporter here thinks that the demonstrators greeted the troops with "Allahu akbar" because they trust the army more than they trust the police, but it was Mubarak, after all, who called out the army -- as Peter Bouckaert of Human Rights Watch notes. So to assume that anti-Mubarak demonstrators joyfully greeted the army that Mubarak called out against them makes little sense. It is more likely that in this case the "Allahu akbar" chanting is an indication of the Islamic, pro-Sharia, pro-Brotherhood sentiments of the demonstrators, who are fed up with Mubarak's relatively secular Arab nationalism. "Latest Updates on Protests in Egypt," by Robert Mackey in the New York Times, January 28:
CNN has just broadcast video of soldiers on the streets of Cairo. As armored personal carriers arrived outside a state television building, Ben Wedeman of CNN reported that people on the streets shouted "Allahu Akbar" as the troops arrived. Mr. Wedeman suggested that this could be because the nation's army is more trusted than the police. [...]My colleague Anthony Shadid reports from Beirut:
"It has blown up in Egypt," read the front page of Al Akhbar, an influential leftist daily newspaper in Beirut. "Today all eyes are focused on the mosques in the land of Egypt, where the protests are expected to reach their peak."My colleagues Nicholas Kulish and Souad Mekhennet report a remarkable end to two hours of clashes in the city of Alexandria:
"It's clear that the very extensive police force in Egypt is no longer able to control these crowds. There are too many protests in too many places. So now the real danger is that Mubarak might call out the army," said Peter Bouckaert, emergencies director of Human Rights Watch, who observed the street battle in Alexandria Friday. [...]Within the past hour, Jonathan Rugman of Britain's Channel 4 News reported on clashes in Cairo on his Twitter feed:
People running from tear gas in downtown #Cairo old town, riot police reinforcing Freedom Square...More tear gas in central #Cairo crowd chanting a mix of "change change" and "God is great."...
I need some help from anyone knowing Arabic. From what I've read "Allahu Akbar" means "Allah is great", or "Allah is greatest." So I'd like to know the Arabic for "least," so I can shout "Allahu ______."
At present, the best I can do is "Allahu Rabka."
""It has blown up in Egypt,"
A Muslim happy occassion...
[Sac.On] Someone should remind the MB and all these "protestors" that Egypt has a peace treaty with Israel
[Sac.Off]
Israel will not need to be reminded that a "revolutionized" Egypt would place a 1979-Iran clone as its neighbor. Only knuckleheads like Rice and Carter actually believe that words on treaty paper actually mean something. Those of us in the anti-islamization fight know that a non-Muslim can never trust the "word" of Muslims.
Glad to see you starting to weigh in on Egypt, Robert, in this and the following stories. It will probably dominate the news from the ME during the immediate future. The Muslim Brotherhood has weighed in, so expect to see nothing from trouble.
The question is, will out administration pull a Jimmy Carter and support the protesters a la Iran?
Soooo if as you said; " "Allahu akbar" chanting is an indication of the Islamic, pro-Sharia, pro-Brotherhood sentiments of the demonstrators"
then what was the sentiment of the protestors in Iran who were chanting the same thing?
Were they not for the most part trying to liberalize the nation?
and by Iran, I mean the most recent, you know the whole green revolution thing, not the '79 deal.
We knew this was coming.
Do we find any parallels now with Iran and 1979? Unpopular leader in Egypt, street demonstrations there led by religious fanatics, a U.S. president who is a Democrat and emotionally friendly to Islamic religious government. Obama will almost certainly pull a Carter and side with the demonstrators in the name of "Democracy" to help usher in a Muslim Brotherhood-led government in Egypt.
"So to assume that anti-Mubarak demonstrators joyfully greeted the army that Mubarak called out against them makes little sense. "
Everyone knows that like in Tunisia, the army is popular among the masses (BBC live is showing protesters greeting the army in Suez). Jihadwatchers cannot be bothered to inform themselves but you at least should know this since you call yourself a scholar.