What the West Can Do in #Egypt to Stymie the #Muslim Brotherhood

by Michael Armanious

It’s all over but the shouting. The Muslim Brotherhood is going to dominate the political life of Egypt at least for the next few years.
That’s the result of the referendum vote that took place on March 19. Voters approved by a wide margin — 77 percent — a plan for the country to elect a new parliament and a new president by September. Aside from the largely discredited National Democratic Party (NDP) associated with the Mubarak regime (whose headquarters were demolished during the Jan. 25 revolution), the only organization with the capacity to run a nation-wide campaign is the Muslim Brotherhood.
The Brotherhood’s political skills should not be discounted. In the weeks prior to the referendum, the organization told Egyptians that a yes vote was a vote for God and that a vote against it was a vote for Satan. To make matters worse, voters were told that a vote against the referendum was a sign that one was a Christian, and therefore, not fully loyal to Egypt. Given the hostility directed at Egypt’s Coptic Christian minority, the message was clear — the only people who voted against the referendum were enemies of Egypt and ultimately, of Islam itself.

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