North Africa for Dummies81513.rtf
Let’s pretend for a moment that the United States has been superimposed on North Africa. Let’s picture Morocco on the African west coast as California, Tunisia as Illinois on the Lakes, and Cairo as New York City or Philadelphia.
Morocco is a complete success story for Islam and the West. It is the best kept secret from the last century: an Islamic monarchy that combines French republicanism into a dynamic nation which uses the French language for business and academia and the Arabic language for domestic and family life. Tangiers is their San Francisco and Casablanca is their Los Angeles. Twenty years
ago a police chief, facing a re-election battle in Tangier, announced that “I will arrest every underage prostitute and deliver her to the doorstep of her mother.” This utterance could not have been made anywhere in Middle East Islam except possibly Turkey. But it speaks volumes about the existence of tolerance and diversity in Morocco. Ride in a spotless and pristine rail coach to Casablanca which is a boomtown. Go to the medina and prowl the alleys in safety. Lonely for
other Americans? Visit the Casablanca USO club, a World War 2 leftover, and chat with the retirees.
Tunisia is almost halfway to the North African East Coast. It is also politically halfway to Egypt. Tunisia does have an Islamic democracy composed of “religious moderates.” The problem is this government allows merchants, street vendors, and women to be beaten up by Salafists for the crime of “blasphemy.”
Tunisian “Islamic brotherhood” government abuses were not studied by our recent Senatorial delegation to Egypt. But they have not been lost on the leadership of the Egyptian Army. Before we recommend that their Army release more Brotherhood “political prisoners,” our Congress should study the misrule of “Islamic democracy” in Tunisia.