Islamist movement much stronger than in Tunisia
Tunisia has a good chance (for democracy and liberalism) because of its strong middle class and weak Islamist movement. In Egypt, numbers in the latest Pew poll show: 30% like Hizbullah (66% don’t). 49% are favorable toward Hamas (48% are negative); and 20% smile (72% frown) at al-Qaida.
"Roughly speaking, one-fifth of Egyptians applaud the most extreme Islamist terrorist group, while around one-third back revolutionary Islamists abroad. This doesn’t tell us what proportion of Egyptians want an Islamist government at home, but it is an indicator.
In Egypt, 82% want stoning for those who commit adultery; 77% would like to see whippings and hands cut off for robbery; 84% favor the death penalty for a Muslim who changes his religion.
Asked if they supported “modernizers” or “Islamists,” only 27% said modernizers, while 59% said Islamists.
Is this meaningless? Last December 20, I wrote that these “horrifying figures in Egypt... one day might be cited to explain an Islamist revolution there... What this analysis also shows is that a future Islamist revolution in Egypt and Jordan is quite possible."