Morsi's Downfall: A Despot in Reformer's Clothing

There was major confusion over a Facebook post from my new Facebook friend Walid Phares this morning. You may recall Phares is a professor and commentator of global terrorism and Middle Eastern Affairs. He is well published and well noted. 

But back to his post on Morsi this morning. No one seemed to understand what was really happening with Morsi. The fact remains, it’s really quite simple. I’ll lay it out so that it’s digestible.

Democrats believed Morsi was a moderate. Those outside the Democratic party, as well as many Democrats sympathetic to Israel, questioned just how moderate Morsi was; some of his eyebrow-raising statements included the suggestion that the U.S. had a hand in 9/11. But Morsi was really a Muslim Brotherhood puppet who bought into his own hype. He loved himself more than he hated Israel. 

But Morsi’s undoing had more to do with Egyptians wanting a real democracy and less with wanting to swap a secular leader for a religious despot. No one saw the endgame the Muslim Brotherhood had in mind. No one knew it meant hijacking their country. 

While Morsi scores points for being cooperative with the West, honoring the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty (even with some audible sighs), and coordinating security efforts along the border to stop arms smuggling, his efforts in real democracy fell short.

Simply put, Egyptians woke up to a new dictator who didn’t give them the democracy they so desired.

How will Obama fare in this newly ousted dictator fiasco? We’ll have to wait and see. Obama is likely watching and waiting, and will look to his advisers to choose the side he feels will best energize his base and win world appeal.

Is that good for Israel? Hard to tell until we see who the new dictatorial-candidates are, and who their allegiance is to. Considering the most recent Sharia-based Egyptian constitution, one can only imagine who will rise up next.

With tourism in Egypt more than six feet under, is it too late for Egypt to resurrect itself, and be a model of change in the Middle East? The answer depends largely on if Egyptians will support a moderate, business-minded person who wants to resuscitate their country and be on the right side of history. This means breathing life into the darkest, most oxygen-deprived spots in the Middle East.

Revitalizing Egypt requires an immense visionary with colossal intellect and the ability to see a revitalized Middle East instead of slums and open sewage. It requires giving its young, uneducated, jobless masses boundless opportunities, good paying jobs, and advanced educations, bringing the Middle East back to its former glory of coveted philosophers and amazing achievements. 

It requires equal rights and education for women, and shunning and punishing those who shoot, maim, or whip women or girls for wanting an education. 

It requires a good a look in the mirror and someone willing to say no to Sharia law and going backwards in time. It requires a reformer who runs on turning the clock forward instead of dialing it backwards as many anti-Israel Islamists would prefer.

Remember, to truly progress one must love their own more than they hate their enemy. Golda Meir was right: Only through love can a country raise a nation and people to their fullest potential. Hatred and incitement are wildly over-rated.

Jen­nifer Hanin is an Act For Israel founder, journalist, blogger and author of Becom­ing Jew­ish. Follow Jennifer on Twitter.