- Why aren’t the media reporting on this in the USA?
Ataturk, the founder of Turkish democracy, used the Turkish Army to enforce a secular democracy on an Islamic polity. Egypt, so far, does not have an Ataturk. The revolution was not led by the army, but by democratic actgivists … secular and islamic …, but bith beieving they represent the people. These leaders, however, fear that Egypt’s ruling generals are working to perpetuate their hold on power.
The revultionaries, secularists and islamicists, want the military subject to the popular government. A proposal from the governing military council would shield the armed forces from civiliam oversight, and give the generals a veto over legislation dealing with military affairs. The measure also is designed to curtail the likely influence by Islamist lawmakers over the writing of a new constitution … exactly tole that the Atatrurks army olayed after his coup.
Egypt’s best known reform proponent, Mohamed ElBaradei, decried the document as “distorted” and demanded its withdrawal.
“There is a difference between a civilian democratic state that guarantees
man’s basic rights and military guardianship,” he said.
The Islamic fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood, the country’s largest and most powerful political group, is leading the opposition to the document, saying it usurped the “people’s will.”
“This route goes against the will of the people, and will lead to another
revolution,” said Saad el-Katatni, spokesman of the Brotherhood’s Freedom and
Justice party. “We call on the people of Egypt to reject the document to protect
their rights.”