World Threats

Several experts are pointing out very worrisome polls of Egyptians that show how much support the Islamists will have in a post-Mubarak country:

From Dr. Barry Rubin:

In Egypt, 30 percent like Hizballah (66 percent don’t). 49 percent are favorable toward Hamas (48 percent are negative); and 20 percent smile (72 percent 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 percent want stoning for those who commit adultery; 77 percent would like to see whippings and hands cut off for robbery; and 84 percent favor the death penalty for any Muslim who changes his religion.

Asked if they supported “modernizers” or “Islamists” only 27 percent said modernizers while 59 percent said Islamists:

From Clare Lopez:

Alarmingly, a 2010 Pew Research Center survey found that a lot of Egyptians apparently share that vision. Among Egyptians polled, there was nearly unanimous (95%) support for a large role for Islam in politics as well as 75% approval for the savage hudud punishments stipulated in shariah: death by stoning for adulterers, whippings and amputation for theft and other crimes, and a mandatory death penalty for apostasy from Islam.

Click here for the poll. The only good news I saw it was that 59 percent feel democracy is the best form of government, but that term means different things to different people and the Muslim Brotherhood often fights in its name. 22 percent say sometimes a non-democracy is preferable and 16 percent say it doesn’t matter to them.