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Arab democracy: Islamists win big in Bahrain elections

posted at 1:34 pm on November 26, 2006 by Allahpundit
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The vote was split entirely between Sunni and Shiite fundamentalists. Not a single seat went to a secular liberal, although four have a shot in the runoffs.

The religious sweep in Bahrain mirrored results of elections in Iraq, Egypt and Palestinian territories, where Muslim hard-liners have made inroads. The vote was watched closely by neighboring Arab countries planning similar steps toward democracy or dealing with their own Shiite populations clamoring for power.

“It looks like our parliament will be dominated by people who see themselves only as Sunnis or Shiites,” said Fowad Shihab, a political science professor at Bahrain University. “These are the same Islamists that are gaining control across the Arab world.”

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The Islamicist believe they are winning all over the globe

And they are right.

William Amos on November 26, 2006 at 1:37 PM

What would Kent Brockman say?

Kent Brockman: I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: democracy just doesn’t work.

Kent Brockman: I, for one, welcome our new islamic overlords.

Kent Brockman: The results are in: for Islamic overlords, one hundred percent; and for Joe Quimby, one percent. And we remind you there is a one percent margin of error.

Kent Brockman: Just miles from your doorstep, hundreds of men are given weapons and trained to kill. The government calls it the Army, but a more alarmist name would be… Islamic overlords.

lorien1973 on November 26, 2006 at 1:45 PM

Our best hope for the Middle East, it seems, is that different factions of Islam will keep divided and fighting amongst themselves.

If the Shi’a and Sunni branches ever learn to get along, we are in for a much worse situation than the gloomy one we are now facing.

It seems that modern civilization is not in the near future of these people, as long as the more radical elements are the only voices being heard. If there is a “moderate Muslim population”, they are by their silence condemning their own future to a violent and backward-looking existence.

hillbillyjim on November 26, 2006 at 1:51 PM

If you look at this through the scope of the New World Order; is having Islamists everywhere a bad thing? NWO types want a world with no borders, no countries, just a world government. Islamists do not define themselves by country, but by religion. Seems like they fit into the mold of the NWO types quite nicely.

*takes off his tinfoil hat now*

lorien1973 on November 26, 2006 at 1:52 PM

If, every sunday at church you got hammered with who to vote for. A secular liberal wouldn’t stand a chance.
That kind of influence is just that much greater in an Islamic country.

American style freedom of religion is great, if you want it or dare vote for it.
Democracy is for the strong and moral individual not the intimmidated masses.

Speakup on November 26, 2006 at 2:14 PM

The days keep getting darker.

JammieWearingFool on November 26, 2006 at 2:55 PM

“These are the same Islamists that are gaining control across the Arab world.”

Then DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT Muslims! STAND UP and start FIGHTING FOR YOUR FUTURE. Confront the Islamists! We are WAITING …and I suspect we will be waiting a very long time. Until then, Thank God for the USA Armed Forces. They are the World’s best Hope right now!

labwrs on November 26, 2006 at 3:31 PM

How ironic that they’d *vote* for the very same people who say democracy is un-islamic. “Plan B” just keeps lookin’ better and better all the time.

Tony737 on November 26, 2006 at 3:48 PM

As long as it isn’t one man, one vote, one time then this is a blip in time. Elected governments are responsive to the needs of the people or they are voted out. The majority everywhere want peace and prosperity. If they want a religious country good for them. It’s their choice and as long as they can vote that government out if they don’t perform there won’t be a problem.

Patrick H on November 26, 2006 at 4:05 PM

Why have we elected a party that supports islamic governments but despises christians to their core?

dougless on November 26, 2006 at 4:12 PM

Oy is right!
And this was our one chance to root for liberals.

CanaryinaCoalMine on November 26, 2006 at 4:24 PM

Al Jazeera, both the Arabic and English version, expressed great happiness and said that it looks for even more support now.

Entelechy on November 26, 2006 at 4:49 PM

That’d be a shame; they’ve been pushing the tourist angle quite hard lately, even constructing a $150+ million grand prix circuit. Be a pity if it all went to waste because no tourists wanted to go there..

Reaps on November 26, 2006 at 5:22 PM

This is probably what most of Europe will look like in 10-20 years…

rmgraha on November 26, 2006 at 5:48 PM

The AP story says:MANAMA, Bahrain. I thought it was “Mahna Mahna.”
Bwhahahahahah. That was a cute spoof.

auspatriotman on November 26, 2006 at 7:05 PM

I think it’s pretty obvious now that I should be worried for my sister who’s assigned over there…

But this shouldn’t suprise me. It’s continuing off the Al Qaeda Book of World Domination by 2020 (not a joke)… While I still believe Islamofascism still does not have a chance of hell in winning, I worry a bit more that victory for the civilized world at the end of the War on Islamofascism/Terrorism / WWIII would come at a hefty price.

Cutty S. on November 27, 2006 at 2:00 AM

I fear, as I’ve stated before, it will get a lot uglier before it begins to look any better.

Zorro on November 27, 2006 at 6:35 AM

The surprise is that anyone is surprised. If you caught George Will piece in Newsweek–may have been last week’s?–about the war in Iraq, you probably remember the last, eloquent and tragic, line:

“For what?”

Bingo.

honora on November 27, 2006 at 11:06 AM

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