"Secular" Muslim Brotherhood?

Every so often you come across a quote that stops you in your tracks. I came across one made last week by James Clapper, Director of U.S. National Intelligence. Last Thursday at a Worldwide Threat Assessment Intelligence Committee Hearing he claimed the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood is a "largely secular" organization which has "eschewed violence." You can view his comments on YouTube.

So who is James Clapper, and what role does the Director of National Intelligence play in our government? According to its official website, "The Director of National Intelligence (DNI) serves as the head of the Intelligence Community (IC), overseeing and directing the implementation of the National Intelligence Program and acting as the principal advisor to the President, the National Security Council, and the Homeland Security Council for intelligence matters related to the national security."

Unfortunately, the assessment of the Muslim Brotherhood given by the Director of National Intelligence is just not true. In their own bylaws, listed on their official website, the Muslim Brotherhood states that their purpose is to "establish Allah's law in the land by achieving the spiritual goals of Islam and the true religion."

Sounds religious to me!

In fairness to Mr. Clapper, there are times when we all misspeak. I hope this is one of those times for him, because it's hard to to imagine how anyone could view the Muslim Brotherhood as secular based on their own statement of purpose.

Freedom...or Firestorm?

Will the current events unfolding in Egypt lead to democracy...or to even greater repression? Right now it's hard to tell, but I'm concerned about the participation of the Muslim Brotherhood in the uprising. One real danger is that the current situation could by hijacked by this group and used to promote their vision of establishing a fundamentalist Islamic state.

While those in the West compare the current events in the Middle East to the fall of the Iron Curtain, I see parallels to the fall of the Shah of Iran and his replacement by an Islamic republic. The revolution in Iran brought repression, not democracy, and it produced a country that has become one of the leading exporters of terrorism worldwide.

Pray for our government leaders and ask God to help them make wise decisions in how they respond the situation. And pray for the believers (national and foreign) in Egypt and in the other troubled areas. Ask God to keep them safe, and ask Him to help them be effective witnesses for Him in a very dark and chaotic time.