On 31 March 2011, the Economist has an article entitled "Islam and the Arab revolutions: A golden opportunity?"
From this we learn:
1. The rebels in Libya are people like (A) Sufian bin Qumu, who worked for Osama bin Laden in the Sudan.
(B) Abdel Hakim al-Hisadi, who trained at bin Laden's base in Afghanistan.
2. In the 1980s, Western governments armed and used the jihadis in Afghanistan.
In the mid-1990s they formed the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, to oppose Gaddafi.
3. Egypt and Tunisia have now freed thousands of Islamists.
Libya’s Islamic Fighting Group and Egypt's Jamaat Islamiya both pursued terror campaigns in the 1990s.
The Libyan Islamic Fighting Group has changed its name to the Libyan Islamic Movement, and its 12-member politburo has pledged allegiance to the National Council in Benghazi.
4. There are "disturbing manifestations of the Islamists' rise."
Anwar Mitri is a school administrator in Egypt.
He is a Christian.
On 20 March 2011, Muslim vigilantes in his village arrested him, 'tried' him and lopped off his right ear.
Similar attacks in other parts of Egypt have targeted alcohol stores.
One Moslem was murdered because of alleged apostasy.
A recent rumour that Islamists planned to throw acid at unveiled women led to the evacuation of Christian students from a university dormitory.
In Egypt, Islamic sharia is described as 'the principal source of legislation'.
5. The latest issue of Inspire, the mouthpiece of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), hails the Arab revolutions.
On 28 March 2011, in Yemen, AQAP raided a munitions factory in Yemen.
150 people were killed.
6. Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the 'star preacher' on Al Jazeera, approves of the Western intervention in Libya.
But, he has condemned Bahrain’s democracy activists.
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