Sometimes, democracy can bring about a worse tyranny. The majority can install a government that is oppressive of minorities. Without a real desire to limit the power of the majority and an iron clad agreement to do so such as a constitution with required judicial oversight, democracies may become more oppressive of minority rights than even some of the worst despotic monarchies.

Free elections result in the will of the majority of voters coming to pass. If the will of the majority is to assure rights and liberties for all, things are going to be just fine. If the will of the majority is to seek revenge against the minority that previously ruled, things are going to be very bad for the minority. If the will of the majority is to impose draconian religious restrictions, if you are not part of that majority and not interested in living under such restrictions, you might not like majority rule.

The situation in many countries in the Middle East today is as follows:

A nationalist, sometimes fascist, ruling party supported by a minority of the overall population, but which controls the military, is headed by a dictatorial leader. These nationalists face Political Islamist groups of substantial size.

Political Islamist groups are those seeking to install sharia law as the law of the land as opposed to modern civil (secular) laws. They also seek to coordinate their efforts across national boundaries in an effort to create a larger Arab led Islamic entity, sometimes called the “Islamic Caliphate.” Political Islamists often harbor dreams of restoring Islamic empires of the past and reclaiming for Islam lands lost to Western powers or to Western ideals.

A relative minority in most of the nations in the Arab world favors secular democratic principles and fewer still favor those principles in such a way that they would be willing to fight and die in order to protect the rights of hated minorities.

In the conflicts going on in most of the nations where unrest is found today, democratic protesters relatively few in number, are being backed by political Islamists who hope that by joining with the democratic protesters they might be able to overcome the rule of the nationalists. For those interested in freedom and democracy following the fall of nationalist governments, this should be of grave concern because the combination of democratic protesters and political Islamists working together will lead to the political Islamists coming to power and simply installing a different set of anti-democratic laws and oppressive rules.

The vital idea to note is that a modern democracy requires that the majority be willing to fight and die in order to protect the rights of hated minorities. No nation failing this test may call itself a free nation. Tyranny of the majority is still tyranny.

The only way to avoid a tyrannical alternative to the nationalists dictatorships currently ruling in many Arab states is for the nationalists to work with those seeking democratic reforms and for the two of them to create together a free society that values and protects the rights of minorities.

Failing this, nations will simply move from one form of despotism to another, suffering and violence will continue, and the Arab world will continue to deteriorate further down a path of hopelessness and hatred.

“What’s really annoying about the whole thing is that together with us at the border crossing was a group of post-army youngsters with IDF training t-shirts who were so obviously Israeli citizens. They didn’t give them any hard time, while with us they insisted.”

Ew, Jew cooties!

England’s little problem: The most popular name for newborn babies in England and Wales in 2009? Mohammed, in its myriad ways of spelling. Next came Oliver. Now, it’s not really a problem until some of those Mohammeds go into the British jihadi mosques and get radicalized. You know, the mosques that the Brits refuse to do anything about, even after 7/7?

Worst. Excuse. Ever. Islamic Jihad says that the reason the Turkish Mavi Mumbleton activists posed in terrorist uniforms and weapons is because PIJ is trying to keep them alive until they get out of Gaza. They’re protecting them, presumably from the IDF. Even better excuse: PIJ says the photos were just “souvenirs.” You know, like the way you can dress up in Wild West costumes when you visit some American tourist spots? Well, this is just like that. Visit Gaza, dress like a terrorist! Oooooh! Scary! Just in time for Halloween.

Israel’s partners in peace—yeah, right: The Palestinians presented Mahmoud Abbas with a stone model of the state of Palestine. It looks exactly like the State of Israel, but without Israel on it. But the Palestinians are the ones who want peace, not the Israelis. Just ask anyone.

With the expulsion, Israel risked doing further damage to an image already tarnished by what is often perceived as a lack of tolerance for criticism. Israel has banned other pro-Palestinian activists from entering the country, including 81-year-old Jewish-American linguist Noam Chomsky in May. The government later said that was a mistake.

Miserable Maiiread will be giving a press conference in Ireland next week. Count on the AP to run the anti-Israel propaganda on all outlets. The AP hidden slogan: If it’s Jews, its news.

Um… Duh! Congrats to the Iranians for their keen grasp of the obvious. The headline is so obvious it’s laughable: Iran claims computer worm is Western plot. And the press conference was a laff-riot. Get a load of this:

“These methods won’t help stop or delay nuclear activities in our country,” he added.

Sure. Because Bushehr went online as planned. Oh. Wait. No, it didn’t. [snicker]

The cold peace with Egypt: Say, remember that sneak attack on Israel carried out by Egypt on Yom Kippur in 1973? Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak says that was the happiest day of his life. Does that sound to you like the thoughts of a man who is glad that the state of Israel is his next-door neighbor?

The cold peace with Jordan: Say, remember that “moderate” state next door to Israel? The one that’s now about half-Palestinian? The one that’s at peace? Well, King Hussein is postponing appointing a new ambassador to Israel. For the third time. Does that sound to you like the act of a man who is glad that the state of Israel is his next-door neighbor?

IHH flotilla alert: The jihadis are setting up the next anti-Israel flotilla to be bigger and more violent than before. Watch this space.

In other words, Israel is hoping to force Hamas to the negotiating table with the same or increased demands for the release of terrorists with blood on their hands so that Israel can release them and gain Shalit’s release.

However Nadav Shragai notes that releasing terrorists doesn’t always build confidence the way Israel would like.

According to an informal estimate by Israeli security bodies, about 50 percent of the terrorists freed for any reason whatsoever returned to the path of terror, either as perpetrator, planner, or accomplice. In the terror acts committed by these freed terrorists, hundreds of Israelis were murdered, and thousands were wounded.

Israel freed 400 Palestinian prisoners and five other prisoners in return for Elhanan Tannenbaum, who was held captive by Hizbullah, and for the bodies of three soldiers kidnapped on Mount Dov. According to Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman Tzahi Hanegbi, from the date of the deal on January 29, 2004, until April 17, 2007, those freed in the deal had murdered 35 Israelis.

Something to keep in mind when recalling that Jordan last week released terrorists who had been transferred from Israel last year. The reason: Israel’s deal with Hezbollah to free Samir Kuntar put pressure on the Jordanian government to release the terrorists early.

In reaction to the early Jordanian release of the terrorists, Daled Amos asks:

I guess it would be too much to ask that in the interests of goodwill the Jordanians don’t celebrate and honor murderers of Israelis?

Except the record shows that releasing terrorists strengthens the extremists. So yes, it is asking too much.

Crossposted on Soccer Dad.

Jordan said on Thursday it summoned the Israeli ambassador to protest against plans for excavation and construction work near the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, Jerusalem’s most volatile holy site.

“Foreign Minister Salah Bashir summoned the Israeli ambassador this week to officially inform him that Jordan rejects such illegal measures,” said MP Mohammed Abu Hdeib, head of the lower house of parliament’s committee on international affairs, after meeting Bashir on Thursday.

Really? Jordan objects to such “illegal measures”? And yet, Jordan had no such objections when it was using Jewish cemetery headstones to pave roads, knocking down synagogues that had stood for centuries, and letting the al-Aqsa Mosque fall into disrepair.

Funny how the Jordanians only find their voices about this when they’re not the ones doing the digging. And Israel has never deliberately destroyed Muslim holy sites. So we really have no comparison to speak of.

You know, I really want to tell Jordan to do something extremely disgusting, but I think I’ll just leave this post with a G rating. (“Eat [censored] and die” was what I was thinking, actually.)

Do you view Iran as the No. 1 threat in this region?

I think the lack of peace [between Israel and the Palestinians] is the major threat. I don’t see the ability of creating a two-state solution beyond 2008, 2009. [And] I think this is really the last chance. If this fails, I think this is going to be the major threat for the Middle East: Are we going to go for another 60 years of “fortress Israel” or are we going to have a neighborhood where Israel is actually incorporated? That is our major challenge, and I am very concerned that the clock is ticking and that the door is closing on all of us.

But aren’t you concerned that Iran is a threat both to your country and to other countries in the region?

Iran poses issues to certain countries, although I have noticed over the past month or so that the dynamics have changed quite dramatically and for the first time, I think maybe I can say that Iran is less of a threat. But if the peace process doesn’t move forward, then I think that extremism will continue to advance over the moderate stands that a lot of countries take. We’ve reached a crossroads and I’m not too sure what direction we’re heading in.

Iran is a concern to “certain countries” but apparently not to Jordan.

But then later, even while still spouting the same pieties about the peace process, he allows that he is indeed concerned with Iran.

I remember a couple of years ago, you warned against the danger posed by Iran to moderate Arab regimes. Aren’t Iran and Syria the big winners today in this region?

If we look at what happened in Lebanon two months ago [when Hezbollah routed government forces in street fighting to win major political concessions], I think the perception here is that that round was won by Iran and her proxies. We just have to be careful as to what happens in Round Two. Again, this is why I am so concerned about the peace process.

Why didn’t anyone help the government of Lebanon?

I’m just as shocked and surprised as you. The sad part is we have to be very careful. The lack of a peace process affects America’s credibility in this part of the world. If we don’t really show some wins on the ground, American influence and prestige will be dramatically diminished.

(emphases mine)

What does he have to be careful about? That he might find himself the next Arab leader under the thumb or Iran?

There is a lot of extremism in the Arab/Muslim world. That’s what accounts for tensions in the Middle East. Until moderates like Abdullah face up to this there won’t be peace. Pushing the United States to push Israel to make dangerous concessions will just strengthen the extremists. It won’t bring peace.

Crossposted on Soccer Dad.