Democracy does not take hold overnight because free elections do not necessarily equal democracy.
Hitler came to power through an election, then became a dictator. Hamas came to power in Gaza through free elections in 2006, and there has been no election since, only an obsession with destroying Israel. This has destroyed the livelihood and freedom of Gazans.
Were free elections to take place in Cairo, the results could portend a new, free and peaceful Middle East. But they could also mimic Hamas: no democracy. Egypts Muslim Brotherhood could win enough votes either to win the election or to control a ruling coalition. Then, democracy would be bent to the purpose of spreading terrorism and destroying Israel. Bad as Mubarak has been for the Egyptian people, a new Egyptian democracy of this sort would not be a gain for the Egyptian people, but would be a loss for stability and security in the region.
Read Tehilla Goldberg’s related column
The operative phrase in watching the end of the Mubarak dictatorship in Egypt is: Be careful what you pray for.
Egypt needs a democracy that respects international agreements, grants civil rights, affirms separation of church and state, allows freedom of religion, i.e., freedom to convert to or from any religion. Free elections are just one element in a democracy, and not necessarily one that guarantees it.
Copyright © 2011 by the Intermountain Jewish News
