THE NEW EGYPT? – AT 8:22 A.M. ET:  We've been following this trend closely.  There was a great deal of rejoicing when Egyptian protesters forced out Hosni Mubarak, an American ally.  There would be a new Egypt, democratic and modern.

But we've seen disturbing trends in recent years that the new Egypt might be worse than the old one.  Fundamentalist groups, which are intensely hostile to the West, are making their move, and there's not much rejoicing:

Officials of the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's leading Islamic group, have called for the establishment of a Saudi-style modesty police to combat "immoral" behavior in public areas in what observers say in another sign of a growing Islamic self-confidence in the post-Mubarak era.

In the political sphere, the Brotherhood led a successful drive to get voters to approve a package of constitutional amendments. On the street level, at least 20 attacks were perpetrated against the tombs of Muslim mystics (suffis), who are the subject of popular veneration but disparaged by Islamic fundamentalists, or salafis. After some initial hesitation, Islamic leaders have publicly praised the revolution.

"This is incredibly worrying to many Egyptians," Maye Kassem, a political scientist at the American University in Cairo (AUC), told The Media Line. "The salafis were always undercover in Egypt and now they are emerging as a political force. They are getting too vocal."

Newly freed from the political strictures of the Mubarak era, Egypt has turned into a battleground between those who envision a liberal, secular state and those who advocate various shades if Islam. The conflict mirrors those taking place elsewhere in the region. In Bahrain, unrest has evolved into a conflict between Sunni- and Shiite Muslims and the US has pulled back from supporting Libyan rebels over concerns they are dominated by Islamists.

COMMENT:  It's the Arab world.  We are separated from it not only by ideology, but by centuries.  This is a once-great civilization that that started to fade long before the pilgrims decided to use their frequent-sailor miles on a trip to Massachusetts.

What is called "the Arab spring" can turn into a bitter winter if the nuts take over, and I'm afraid there's not much we can do about it.

April 4, 2011