Is Egypt slipping into the dark ages?

[ZedBloke]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20564038
Hopefully it won't but having an islamic dictatorship is not a good start! Anyone got any holidays booked?

[emmie]

the last time this was discussed, with the change of regime, some thought that they would be going backwards not progressing, count me on on that.

[anotheoldgit]

It seems as if it is history reaping itself, then they were called Moors who occupied the whole of the Middle East, the Mediterranean countries of North Africa and the whole of the Iberian Peninsula.

Could Islam be on the march yet again?

[emmie]

did it ever stop?

[mushroom25]

around 20% of the egyptian economy is reliant on tourism and although the country is best known for its antiquities, most tourists are based at the beach resorts of Sharm and Hurghada. if sharia principles were applied to visiting westerners there would undoubtedly be a drop in beach holiday tourism from the west; yet tourism from muslim states is one of the fastest growing areas of the industry. so the introduction of "halal tourism" may not precipitate the predicted inevitable downfall of the egyptian tourist industry; they may well find they can do without western tourist dollars.

[ludwig]

Apparently Morsi's had to award himself these sweeping powers in order to 'protect the revolution'. I wonder if he'll still be there protecting it in 20 years time from some palacial compound.

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

[naomi24]

I fear for the future of Egypt.

[sandyRoe]

Egypt now brings to mind Iran in the early 80s. An American puppet deposed and the prospect of freedom for the people. Instead they got a theocracy foisted on them.

[modeller]

Which Dark Ages are you referring to ?

[zebo]

Is anyone surprised? I couldn't believe the naivity of people who were celebrating the Arab Spring.

[modeller]

fender They will never truly separate because the state needs some mumbo jumbo to boost their power. Russia and China were/are atheist but they turned Communism into a religion. North Korea is another example of brain washing where the leader is claimed to have divine powers. There is no greater power than control of the mind. Primitive peoples use witch doctors and shamen to explain and control their tribes. Modern societies have the clerics .

[seadogg]

Doesn't violent revolution, however well justified, lead to autocratic despotism and counter revolution before things settle down.

[modeller]

zedbloke I'm still waiting for you to tell me which Egyptian Dark Age you are referring to . I spent a few years out there and it would be nice to update my knowledge .

[naomi24]

He didn't say 'Egyptian Dark Ages' - he said 'The Dark Ages', and I think we all know what that means.

[modeller]

Oh yes, but I would still like to know which Dark Ages he is referring to
in the context of Egypt.

[ludwig]

^ Perhaps the future ones that they haven't experienced yet. That's why he said 'slipping into' and not 'going back to'.
Hope this helps.

[ZedBloke]

modeller unless you are extraordinarily unperceptive you well know, the phrase "dark ages", in this context refers, to the general condition of backwardness that religious theocracy and/or dictatorship inevitably leads to. I'm not referring to a specific historical "dark age", does that help?

[jake-the-peg]

Which exact "sweeping new powers" are you worried about?

Do you know?

[ZedBloke]

lets turn it round, would you like the British PM to have the same powers? No? ok which ones would you remove, I trust your judgement, those are the ones I'm talking about.

[ludwig]

// Which exact "sweeping new powers" are you worried about?
Do you know? //

Yes jake, it's the ones mentioned in the first paragraph of this news report, where it says 'sweeping new powers'. The same ones all those protestors in the report are worried about.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20558185