November 30, 2005
Reuters

Egyptian Islamists Blame America for Poll Abuses

by Amil Khan

ALEXANDRIA, Egypt -- Young men prevented from voting in the slums of Egypt's second city say U.S. support for their government has added to their mistrust of a country already deeply unpopular in the Arab world.

The United States, criticised by Arabs for invading Iraq and supporting Israel, says it favours greater democracy and respect for human rights in the Arab world but has delivered only mild protests about abuses in elections in Egypt, where Islamist candidates have eclipsed the secularists favoured in Washington.

When Egyptian riot police pushed youngsters away from polling stations in a Muslim Brotherhood stronghold in the Nile Delta town of Damanhour at the weekend, youngsters picked up spent teargas canisters and found them marked "Made in USA". . . .

FULL TEXT

Tweet
Follow @wisdomfund

Rory McCarthy, " Muslim Brotherhood finds voice at the ballot box despite Mubarak crackdown: Arrests, attacks and evidence of vote-rigging as government feels heat of opposition," Guardian, November 24, 2005

"Egypt judges reject election results," Aljazeera, November 28, 2005

[Thousands of would-be voters in strongholds of the banned Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's largest Islamic party, found their access to polling booths cut off by lines of armed police yesterday, leading to angry confrontations.--Daniel Howden, "Egyptian police fire on opposition voters," Independent, December 2, 2005]

Patrick J. Buchanan, "Idealism vs. Realism in Egypt," Antiwar.com, December 14, 2005

[Mr. Nour is back in prison, having been deprived by fraud of his parliamentary seat.--Editorial: "Stand With Ayman Nour," Washington Post, December 23, 2005]

Hala Mustafa, "Ending the Silent War in Egypt," Washington Post, December 24, 2005