[Where he was recently travelling and might still be]
http://www.juancole.com/2011/07/top-developments-in-the-arab-spring.html
Top Developments in the Arab Spring this Weekend
Posted on 07/30/2011 by Juan
As usual, Friday was a big day for the popular Arab reform movements
that are challenging dictatorial governments.
<snip>
4. The Egyptian Left has been on a roll since July 8, starting back up
the Tahrir protests and forcing the government to move more
aggressively in trying former regime figures and out-of-control police,
and in switching out about half the cabinet, replacing Establishment
figures with persons more sympathetic too or even deriving from the
ranks of the protesters. The Muslim fundamentalists were upset by this
growing leftist influence, backed by labor activists and youth groups
sympathetic to them, and so threatened to stage a big rally on July 29
in favor of implementing Islamic law. They were afraid in part that the
Supreme Command of the Armed Forces, the real power behind the civilian
cabinet of PM Essam Sharaf, will issue "guiding principles" for the
drafting of the constitution, scheduled to begin this winter after
elections. These "guiding principles" could forestall any Islamization
of the constitution. The Wasat Party mediated a deal to avoid a clash
at Tahrir Square, and it was decided that some 30 parties and
organizations would hold a joint demonstration for mutually agreed-upon
goals. The Freedom and Justice Party of the Muslim Brotherhood, which
represents itself as the modern face of Muslim politics, largely abided
by the agreement. But Salafis, who are a recognizable subculture in
Egypt, did not. Salafi men tend to wear white, Saudi-style robes,
checkered kaffiyas or head scarves, and large beards, often with no
moustaches. The Salafis want an Islamic state and a hard line
interpretation of shariah, and on Friday they said so loudly. The
Salafis are a tiny group in Egypt, and they are widely seen to have
behaved badly, even by other Muslim parties like the Muslim
Brotherhood. In fact, the Salafis put a scare into women, middle class
people, Coptic Christians, and youth on Friday that almost certainly
hurt the chances of the Muslim Brotherhood in the upcoming elections,
at least in urban areas. That is, the true significance of Friday's
events is the opposite of that you see in a lot of today's headlines in
the Western press, about Muslim politics coming to the fore. More like
Muslim politics behaves like a boor.
<end excerpt>
Michael