On Islamism and the “Arab Spring” in Tunisia

To the gentle reader,

There have been some recent news reports coming out of Tunisia that Islamic fundamentalists are trying to hijack the revolution in that country.  From this distance, naturally, it is difficult to tell what is truth and what is exaggeration or simple falsehood.  Nevertheless, the possibility that the supposed revolutions in Muslim countries always leave open the possibility of a repetition of the Iranian revolution of 1979, in which an oppressive regime was overthrown by a relatively reasonable, democratic movement which was in turn overthrown by an Islamic fundamentalist regime.  I believe that it was Lenin who drew the distinction between those who begin revolutions and those who end revolutions.

Interestingly, I have not seen any mention of this phenomenon in the American news media.  Certainly the question of who rules Tunisia is essentially an issue for Tunisians, but given the threat that Islam and Islamism present to western civilization (taking the long view, let us remember that all of North Africa, Asia Minor, and the Middle East were once Christian) this is something that we should keep an eye on.

– John F. Fay