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Sudanese professor rejects accusation that Arab revolutions are instigated by the West

February 17, 2014 at 11:14 pm

A professor of political science at the University of Khartoum has rejected the notion that the Arab revolutions have been instigated by the West, particularly the USA, in order to bring compliant Islamic groups to power. Dr. Tayeb Zein El-Abidine said that the revolutions “represent the popular will of the Arab people”. The success of Islamic parties in Tunisia and Egypt is natural, he added.


Dr. El-Abidine told Quds Press that the newly-elected governments in the region will be an asset for the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and the resistance against the Israeli occupation. “I do not subscribe to conspiracy theories; our people did not go onto the streets and expose themselves to the bullets of the old regimes because America told them to,” he said. “Such claims are unfounded and overlook the fact that ordinary Arabs came onto the streets to demand a free and dignified life; they didn’t need an invitation from Washington.” The professor’s words came as US troops pulled out of Iraq, which he called a defeat.

All governments elected post-revolutions will, he believes, “be loyal to Arab public opinion”‘ and nothing else. “The international community may not get cooperation from the Islamic governments, and they may fail, but one thing is certain: they will support the people of Palestine and Hamas,” he said. “Moreover, a popular revolt may even reach the Palestine of Fatah and Mahmoud Abbas.”

Although Dr. El-Abidine believes that America will continue to back Israel, right or wrong, “in my opinion, the popular revolutions will never prove to be enemies of Palestine and the resistance movements, and will definitely not be supportive of Israel.

The political scientist called for people to be patient before passing judgement on the Islamists in power, especially in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya. “With the exception of the Justice and Development Party in Morocco and the groups in Algeria, none of the Islamist movements have any experience at state level,” he explained. He is, he said, waiting with interest to see how Al-Nahda in Tunisia deal with the everyday issues of Tunisian society.