Egypt: A Democratic Example Would Pound ‘A Stake Through the Heart of Al-Qaeda’

The World

Lawrence Wright, a staff writer at the New Yorker, and author of The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda & the Road to 9/11, argues that the Muslim Brotherhood and al-Qaeda are very much at odds in contemporary Egypt.

He says in the opinion of Ayman al-Zawahiri, the current leader of al-Qaeda, “the Brothers have walked away from the original idea of the Muslim Brotherhood, which was that God’s law takes precedence over man’s law.”

He says al-Qaeda is “fighting for its life,” and that “the main thing that can put a stake through its heart is a successful democratic experience in Egypt.”

“If the Muslim Brothers can demonstrate responsible leadership in Egypt that is tolerant and progressive, that will be the end of al-Qaeda,” Wright argues.

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