Syrian Islamists note West’s hypocrisy in not supporting democracy in Egypt and hope to dispense with democracy

Damage from Syrian Conflict

The abandonment of the democratically elected President Morsi of Egypt is starting to have repercussions amongst various Islamists, including those in Syria:

7 July 2013

Syria’s Islamists Disenchanted with Democracy After Morsi’s Fall

BEIRUT, LEBANON — Syria’s Islamist rebels say the downfall of Egypt’s popularly elected Muslim Brotherhood president has proven that Western nations pushing for democracy will never accept them, and reinforced the view of radicals that a violent power grab is their only resort.

Radical Islamist groups, some of them linked to al-Qaida, have lately been in the ascendancy in Syria’s two-year conflict as the death toll rises above 100,000….

Hardliners in the rebel ranks have long overshadowed the Muslim Brotherhood, a regional movement with a more moderate Islamist brand, and often criticized it for working within the framework of democracy instead of demanding an Islamic state.

“[We] always knew that our rights can only be regained by force and that is why we have chosen the ammunition box instead of the ballot box,” said a statement by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, the local franchise of al-qaida’s international network, published on the day Morsi fell.

“If you want to shake off injustice and create change it can only be done by the sword. We choose to negotiate in the trenches, not in hotels. The conference lights should be turned off,” it said, in an apparent reference to the Western and Gulf Arab-backed meetings for the Syrian opposition’s National Coalition meetings in Istanbul this week.

There, Syria’s own Muslim Brotherhood movement, which has dominated the political representation for the opposition abroad since its inception, also took a hit. For the first time, a non-Brotherhood president was elected, though that was expected even before the collapse of Morsi’s government in Cairo.

Psychological blow

Pro-Assad groups were buoyed by the Egyptian army’s removal of Morsi after millions protested against him. Assad, whose family has ruled Syria for more than four decades, called it “the fall of so-called political Islam”…

But even pro-democracy Syrian activists say Morsi’s fall has undermined their faith in Western and Gulf-Arab backed movements against autocratic leaders such as Assad and Morsi’s predecessor Hosni Mubarak, who ruled Egypt for 30 years.

“Apparently armies in ‘democracies’ can topple presidents elected by the majority? This is a bad sign for revolutions,” said Tareq, an Aleppo-based activist, speaking by Skype.

The Brotherhood’s fall in Egypt will be felt by Syrian activists as more of a psychological blow than a strategic one…

“Whether we supported Syria’s Muslim Brotherhood or not, many Islamist rebels accepted that we might have to work within a civil state. Now, it is clear that world powers and their allies in the region are targeting Islam, first and foremost,” said a rebel called Abu Nidal, from the Mustafa Brigades in Damascus.

“Now the Islamists reject any more of the international community’s political games.” http://www.voanews.com/content/syriaislamists-disenchanted-with-democracy-after-morsi-fall/1696652.html

I have long written that the Muslims want a type of strongman to rise up and lead them. Many of the Islamists do not have any interest in democracy and what has just happened in Egypt will reinforce their view that Islam and democracy do not mix. And they will choose Islam.

The Bible tells of a time when a confederation of territory, currently dominated by Islamic nations, will get together. And that type of confederation is what a major Sunni group called the Muslim Brotherhood is working towards developing. Because the Bible predicts this type of confederation in the end times (see Ezekiel 30:1-8; Daniel 11:40-43), it will come to pass.

Jesus told of a time of sorrows and troubles that precede the Great Tribulation:

7 But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet. 8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows. (Mark 13:7-8)

Notice also that there are troubles and the situation in Egypt is still not settled:

July 7, 2013

An explosion has hit an Egyptian gas pipeline in the lawless Sinai peninsula following a spate of attacks on security checkpoints in recent days, state television and witnesses said.

It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the pipeline blast on Saturday or if the recent attacks were in reaction to the Egyptian army’s overthrow of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi on Wednesday.

The fire caused by the explosion was under control by early Sunday morning, state media reported. http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/egyptian-gas-pipeline-to-jordan-blown-up-1.534269

July 7, 2013

CAIRO — Egypt’s new military-led interim government struggled Sunday to settle a dispute within its fragile coalition over who should lead the next cabinet.

But as Cairo braced for what are expected to be the largest demonstrations in days, no progress was apparent in resolving the political standoff…

The Muslim Brotherhood issued calls from the mosques around Cairo for members to take to the streets and bring the capital to a standstill.

Anti-Morsi groups, based in Tahrir Square, issued pleas on social media urging supporters to turn out in large numbers as they did last week.

The military is expected to create a buffer zone between the two camps to avoid a repeat of the clashes that killed three dozen people on Friday. http://www.latimes.com/news/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-cairo-braces-for-protests-20130707,0,925534.story

Since Syria is one of the countries that will support the final King of the South (Daniel 11:40), and its President Assad is basically on the outs with other Arabic nations, something (like him and his government) will have to change there. Despite occasional governmental military victories, the situation in Syria AND Egypt will change.

Items of possibly related interest may include:

Damascus and Syria in Prophecy Will Bashar Assad hold power as he has it? Does the Bible show that Damascus, the capital of Syria, will be destroyed? What will happen to Syria? Will the Syrians support the final King of the South that the Bible tells will rise up? Which scriptures discuss the rise and fall of an Arabic confederation? Does Islamic prophecy predict the destruction of Syria. This is a YouTube video.
Is There A Future King of the South? Some no longer believe there needs to be. Might Egypt, Islam, Iran, Arabs, or Ethiopia be involved? Might this King be called the Mahdi? What does the Bible say?
The Arab and Islamic World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy The Bible discusses the origins of the Arab world and discusses the Middle East in prophecy. What is ahead for the Middle East and those who follow Islam? What about the Imam Mahdi? What lies ahead for Turkey, Iran, and the other non-Arabic Muslims?
Is There an Islamic Antichrist? Is Joel Richardson correct that the final Antichrist will be Islamic and not European? Find out.
The Muslim Brotherhood and the Rise of the King of the South The Bible tells of the formation of a power of nations that are in the Middle East and North Africa that are part of the final “King of the South” (Daniel 11:40-43) The Muslim Brotherhood wishes to have an Islamic empire with basically the same nations. This YouTube video explains what to expect from such a confederation.
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2013, 2014, or 2015? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000? See also the video Can the Great Tribulation Begin in 2013?