Many Americans were surprised to see the speed with which the Egyptian military removed President Morsi from office in Cairo and, of course, there are conflicting reports about the reason and outcome. What we do know is there were more than a million joyous Egyptians in Tahrir Square in Cairo cheering the Army's action. Large crowds were also seen in other cities in the country.
I think the subject is worthy of discussion since Egypt is the most populous of the Muslim countries and stability, or lack thereof, has far reaching ramifications for the rest of the world. After all, it is the home for the Muslim Brotherhood, a group that has routinely stated its hatred for Christianity and all things Western.
What has happened in the last year is the election of a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood to the Presidency. It was a democratic election, but democracy can also bring with it many problems if it is not carefully handled, and this is what led to Morsi's downfall. When the new Constitution was written, it did not protect the rights of all persons clearly and Morsi decided to run the democratically-elected government by decree rather than consent. This meant that the Shia Muslims, a minority, as well as the Coptic Christians, about 10% of the population, became victims of serious discrimination at best and torture and murder at the worst. Morsi even publicly made statements condemning them, thereby tacitly approving detestable actions.
Additionally, the economic situation in Egypt went from bad to worse; serious food shortages quickly surfaced and unemployment became grave. This created strong animosity and, coupled with the violent treatment of citizen's at the hand of Morsi supporters, the most stable force in the country, the Army, decided to act.
Now I'm not in favor of military rule by any means, but I also am not in favor of democracy without some restraints on majority action. This is exactly why here in America our Founders were smart enough to set up a government as a democratic republic, not a pure democracy. The majority has a right to govern but not to trample on the rights of the minority. These rights are clearly spelled out in the Constitution.
What will happen in Egypt in the end I surely don't know, but I do know this: to allow Morsi to continue to rule as a tyrant with the violence he supported and condoned was worse than his predecessor. And, sadly, I think our government in Washington created part of the problem. Sometimes our nation just needs to stay quiet and let others decided for themselves. We are not the ruler of the world and now we have lost much of our respect by our actions or, in other cases, lack thereof.
Americans, we also need to stay informed on what is happening right here in our own country. Our Constitution is being trampled daily and it doesn't seem like many in Washington even care. We are largely responsible since we have become weak and eager to find the easy answer to all problems and that's not the way life works. Freedom requires free men to work hard to maintain it. Failure might result in something like Egypt or even worse. Be vigilant, be peaceful, but always be ready and stand for God and the Constitution. Never falter in this worthy effort.
God, be with the good people of Egypt and be with us here in America. Render our hearts open to Thee and our actions moral and true always. Amen.
I think the subject is worthy of discussion since Egypt is the most populous of the Muslim countries and stability, or lack thereof, has far reaching ramifications for the rest of the world. After all, it is the home for the Muslim Brotherhood, a group that has routinely stated its hatred for Christianity and all things Western.
What has happened in the last year is the election of a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood to the Presidency. It was a democratic election, but democracy can also bring with it many problems if it is not carefully handled, and this is what led to Morsi's downfall. When the new Constitution was written, it did not protect the rights of all persons clearly and Morsi decided to run the democratically-elected government by decree rather than consent. This meant that the Shia Muslims, a minority, as well as the Coptic Christians, about 10% of the population, became victims of serious discrimination at best and torture and murder at the worst. Morsi even publicly made statements condemning them, thereby tacitly approving detestable actions.
Additionally, the economic situation in Egypt went from bad to worse; serious food shortages quickly surfaced and unemployment became grave. This created strong animosity and, coupled with the violent treatment of citizen's at the hand of Morsi supporters, the most stable force in the country, the Army, decided to act.
Now I'm not in favor of military rule by any means, but I also am not in favor of democracy without some restraints on majority action. This is exactly why here in America our Founders were smart enough to set up a government as a democratic republic, not a pure democracy. The majority has a right to govern but not to trample on the rights of the minority. These rights are clearly spelled out in the Constitution.
What will happen in Egypt in the end I surely don't know, but I do know this: to allow Morsi to continue to rule as a tyrant with the violence he supported and condoned was worse than his predecessor. And, sadly, I think our government in Washington created part of the problem. Sometimes our nation just needs to stay quiet and let others decided for themselves. We are not the ruler of the world and now we have lost much of our respect by our actions or, in other cases, lack thereof.
Americans, we also need to stay informed on what is happening right here in our own country. Our Constitution is being trampled daily and it doesn't seem like many in Washington even care. We are largely responsible since we have become weak and eager to find the easy answer to all problems and that's not the way life works. Freedom requires free men to work hard to maintain it. Failure might result in something like Egypt or even worse. Be vigilant, be peaceful, but always be ready and stand for God and the Constitution. Never falter in this worthy effort.
God, be with the good people of Egypt and be with us here in America. Render our hearts open to Thee and our actions moral and true always. Amen.
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