A verbal clash erupted between People’s Assembly speaker Saad al-Katatny and Salafi MP Mamdouh Ismail after the latter stood up and made the call for Asr Prayer during Tuesday’s parliamentary session.

Katatny criticized the move and angrily interrupted Ismail, saying that his actions were in violation of parliamentary procedures. Ismail insisted on continuing the call to prayer, and Katatny then threatened him with expulsion from the session.

“You are no more Muslim than any of us,” Katatny said. He went on to tell Ismail there was a mosque in the parliament building in which people can pray.

The incident caused a state of disorder within the session. Freedom and Justice Party MP Al-Sayed Askar responded to Ismail’s, saying, “During the time of the Prophet, peace be upon him, Muslims combined the Thuhr and Asr Prayers when necessary.”

Below is video of the incident. Things really get good around the 1 minute mark, though, the whole is quite entertaining.

Egypt’s Committee of Foreign Relations of the People’s Assembly decided on Monday that it would boycott any parliamentary events and activities if any Israelis official is one of the participants, describing their neighbor as a “Zionist entity.”

This came in response to an inquiry by MP Helal el-Dandarawi concerning the Parliament’s position towards the relations with the Israeli Trade Union and labor associations as well as the Knesset.

Essam el-Erian, chairman of the committee and a member of the Muslim Brotherhood`s Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), said “normalization with the Zionist entity” is rejected unequivocally and this “is the decision of the Egyptian People,” adding that the committee “refuses to participate in any parliamentary or political events that includes the Israeli participation.”

He continued to say that “the question that should be discussed by parliament is if there is an international conference attended by Israelis, should Egyptian MPs withdraw or not?”

Wahid Abdel Meguid, also a member of the committee, called for taking a clear stance on this issue, which is to “boycott any political or parliamentary events attended by Israeli delegations.”

MP Emad Gad stated that despite knowing that normalization is widely rejected, however, “there are international conferences that have to be attended even if Israelis are participating,” adding that “sometimes boycotting is not the right step to take.”

El–Erian said the parliament is not an “official institution that represents the state or government, but it represents the people, who reject normalization with Israel.”

A cold, cold peace.

Reza Aslan: 2011 served as a reminder to us all that no regime can stand up to the will of a people united in the cause of freedom and democracy. In the span of a year, dictatorships in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya fell, and significant political reform was forced upon the governments of Morocco, Jordan, and Oman. Now, as the Arab Spring enters a new year — with revolutions still smoldering in Syria, Bahrain, Yemen, and beyond — there’s one question we should ask: Can religiously inspired parties that have come to political prominence in the aftermath of these popular uprisings transform themselves into responsible members of democratic governments?

Great question, actually. Of course, it’s the answer I’m concerned about. Let’s see where he goes with this.

Pundits and politicians are already ringing the alarm bells. The common refrain you hear in the US: The Middle East is being overrun with religious radicals bent on oppressing women and destroying Israel.

Pundits, politicians, and sharks. Don’t forget sharks. And that does seem to be where we’re headed, not only in Egypt, but also in relatively liberal Tunisia, where Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was greeted with chants of “Kill The Jews!”.

And yet, despite this, there is no shortage of pundits and politicians who worship at the politically-correct altar of wishful thinking, to the zero-sum detriment of critical analysis.

That is nonsense, of course.

Whoa there, professor. Nonsense? There is enough evidence to show that it is anything but nonsensical to be concerned about Islamist-led governments taking over control of country after country in this most volatile of regions.

Nevertheless, there is no doubt that political Islam will be a force in the new, democratic Middle East. And that is a good thing.

Wait, what?

A) Political Islam, in the guise of democratization, is in the process of becoming THE force in the new Middle East, and the only thing democratic about it is that’s the way it will take power.

B) If you care at all about freedom, liberty, peace and all of those wonderful things everyone was predicting during the heady days of Tahrir Square (when the mobs weren’t busy brutally raping female reporters, that is*), here’s the problem with thinking that this is a good thing:

As I wrote in the interview I did with Egypt Today magazine:

“As we saw with the 2006 election of Hamas in Gaza, and their subsequent violent seizure of complete power from Fatah the following year, a single election does not a democracy make (just as having a democracy also doesn’t automatically equal western values). To be “ready” for democracy, you need democratic institutions, tolerance for not just your own voice to be heard, but also those you don’t agree with, acceptance of minorities (for example attacks on Coptic Christians in Egypt increased after the revolution) freedom of the press, an independent judiciary, etc. These institutions don’t get built, and these values don’t get instilled overnight. As understandably impatient as Egyptians are to be free, if this process isn’t handled correctly, the upcoming vote could be the last one they have for a very long time (one man…one vote…one time).”

And isn’t it interesting that after hearing sober-minded analysts proclaim that the young, situationally-liberal groups would be the ones swept into power on a euphoric wave of freedom, sunshine, and puppy kisses, the party line is now, “Well…yes… it seems it is happening as the doom and gloom crowd predicted after all, but it’s all good, so we’re still right and you’re still wrong.”

It is time for these religious parties to stop hiding in the mosque and instead be forced to compete openly in the marketplace of ideas for the votes of a free electorate. After all, what could be more important to a burgeoning democracy than an open debate about the role of religion in society? A few months ago, such talk would have landed you in prison. Today, it is part of the vibrant political debate that is taking place all over the Middle East.

It remains to be seen whether the newly elected Islamist parties in Egypt and Tunisia will moderate their ideologies and focus on the immediate demands of the people who voted them into office. But this much is certain: If they do not — if they spend their time railing about the West instead of creating jobs for the people — they’ll be booted out of office just as quickly as they were voted in.

Wow. This is truly astounding in either its naivete or dishonesty. The Islamists competed in the marketplace of ideas, won the competition (due in part to being the most organized, recognized and well-funded coming into it), and will soon be closing said marketplace to further competition.

This much is certain: By the time you decide that you’re not quite as thrilled with Islamist governance as you thought you might be, you will have handed over the right to boot anyone out of anywhere.

That’s how democracies work. And whether we like it or not, for the first time in decades, neither the aging autocrats in the region nor their American backers have anything to say about it.

This IS how democracies work. Too bad after a single election, Egyptians et al. won’t be living under one.

I don’t think any of what I’m writing is revolutionary or surprising. So much so that even an amateur analyst like myself (as opposed to a professional like Barry Rubin) can see it. It’s the simplest explanation – the Occam’s Razor of Arab Spring analyses.

It should be patently obvious to all, that after waiting decades for their chance at the governmental brass ring, Islamist parties like the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafists, who together just won 71% of the final vote in Egypt, are not looking to hand it over any time soon (especially because the ideology of democracy is diametrically opposed to the ideology of Islamism). And the only ones who can’t see it are the ones who are willfully blinding themselves (or others) in the face of the gathering storm.

* UPDATE: Deja vu all over again: Foreign Woman Attacked in Egypt’s Tahrir Square

While US officials say they do not wish to be photographed with Lieberman, the foreign minister of the only stable country in the Middle East that’s still a reliable US ally, they seem to have no qualms being seen with Muslim Brotherhood leaders.

Below is a photo of Anne Patterson, US ambassador to Egypt, meeting with Mohammad Badie, General Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood, on January 18. On January 11, Deputy Secretary of State William Burns met with Mohammed Morsi, head of the Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party. On January 12, former president Jimmy Carter also met with Badie.

It should be noted that Patterson and Carter are not the only “important” figures to be meeting with Badie lately. In late December, Badie met with Hamas’s Ismail Haniyeh.

And on Saturday night, Hamas’s Khaled Meshal met with Badie and other Brotherhood officials.

While one could focus on the anti-Semitic and anti-Israel articles on the Muslim Brotherhood’s website, in this instance, we’ll focus on Badie himself.

In September 2010, Badie gave a sermon entitled “How Islam Confronts the Oppression and Tyranny.” During the sermon Badie said:

Today the Muslims desperately need a mentality of honor and means of power [that will enable them] to confront global Zionism. [This movement] knows nothing but the language of force, so [the Muslims] must meet iron with iron, and winds with [even more powerful] storms. They crucially need to understand that the improvement and change that the [Muslim] nation seeks can only be attained through jihad and sacrifice and by raising a jihadi generation that pursues death just as the enemies pursue life.

He continued to say that

Resistance is the only solution against the Zio-American arrogance and tyranny, and all we need is for the Arab and Muslim peoples to stand behind it and support it.

In the same speech, Badie declared that “The U.S. is now experiencing the beginning of its end, and is heading towards its demise.”

Avigdor Lieberman is certainly a controversial figure, who has made ill-advised statements, however, those statements pale in comparison, in fact they are in different universes, to those of Mohammad Badie.

Lieberman is the foreign minister of Israel, America’s strongest and most reliable ally in the region, thus US officials should be prepared to meet and take photos with him, especially if they are willing to meet with the anti-Israel and anti-American Muslim Brotherhood.

The Obama administration still has time to schedule a meeting before Lieberman arrives, however, should they refuse to meet with him they will be making a move that will surely cause problems with a key Democratic constituency with which they already have problems.

Update: The US Embassy in Cairo is now boasting about meeting with the Salafi al-Nour party.

.@evanchill .@ZLGold .@LeilaFadel Amb. met with Nour today and Embassy officers have met with them previously #egypt

— US Embassy Cairo (@USEmbassyCairo) January 22, 2012

The dirty little secret you need to know about the whole of the main stream media is this: YOU are the product being sold to the advertisers. Shows are primarily created to please advertisers who pay for them. They need to please you, the audience, just enough to keep you watching. If a show wants to upset an advertiser, it will be stopped. So, lets say, you’re a major news network who derives enormous turnover from drug company advertising. Are you going to be free to run news items that are highly critical of particular drugs? No.

Beck is now different. Last thursday he delved into the Muslim Brotherhood: the whole two hour show was excellent but I can share with you this short clip. The whole of the west is bumbling along pretending that the imminent Muslim Brotherhood takeover in Egypt is not something to worry about. Well they live next door to me and I’m worried. But even worse Beck went into the details of how the Muslim Brotherhood operates freely in the US and its clearly stated goal of bringing down the US constitution.

I don’t think batshit crazy is an exaggeration.

Excerpt:

Esam El-Erian: Can you answer one question? Why don’t we hear about trials for September 11?

MJT: Because the people who did it are dead. They killed themselves in the towers.

Armin Rosen: There was a civilian trial.

Esam El-Erian: Four thousand innocent people were killed, and there has been no trial.

MJT: That’s because the people who did it are dead.

Esam El-Erian: Nobody was put in a cage to face a trial.

MJT: They were on the planes. They blew themselves up in the towers.

Esam El-Erian: No. Who was behind it?

MJT: Osama bin Laden. And we just killed him, too.

Esam El-Erian: We know you have about 600 people in Guantanamo Bay. None of them have faced trials. Why? This is a very big mystery.

MJT: Well, what do you think happened? What’s your theory?

Esam El-Erian: And another 4,000 Americans were killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. You have almost 10,000 innocent Americans killed. Never mind the millions killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. You never put anyone on trial. Who is behind all this? Who made the conspiracy? Is Osama bin Laden alone? Who is behind Osama bin Laden?

Armin Rosen: Who do you think is behind Osama bin Laden?

Esam El-Erian: I want to know!

MJT: What’s your theory?

Esam El-Erian: You have the documents now that Osama bin Laden is dead.

MJT: What’s your theory?

Esam El-Erian: I don’t know.

MJT: You have a theory.

Esam El-Erian: I want to know. That is the question.

MJT: Everybody has a theory. What’s yours?

Esam El-Erian: Why 10,000 Americans killed? Why? Without any investigation.

MJT: Why does it have to be a conspiracy? It really isn’t that complicated.

Esam El-Erian: Is Osama bin Laden alone, or is somebody with him?

MJT: Why does anyone have to be behind Osama bin Laden?

Esam El-Erian: This must be investigated in America! There is this case in the U.K. about hacked telephones. 160 news people were fired.

MJT: [Laughs.] That has nothing to do with Osama bin Laden.

Esam El-Erian: A very old newspaper was closed. There was no drop of blood. If 10,000 Americans don’t expect to have a full investigation about the killings in New York, Iraq, and Afghanistan, we want to know.

MJT: Look, it really isn’t that complicated. Osama bin Laden had some support in Saudi Arabia and from Pakistan’s ISI.

Esam El-Erian: Look, sir. It is not enough that Osama bin Laden admitted in public that he did it. Osama bin Laden can’t do it alone.

MJT: He had some support in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

Esam El-Erian: If you’re saying Saddam Hussein supported him, it’s a lie. Colin Powell said Saddam Hussein had biological weapons, but this was a lie. Colin Powell now regrets this.

We want to know.

MJT: What is it that you don’t know?

Esam El-Erian: You tell me.

MJT: This isn’t complicated.

Esam El-Erian: Yes, it’s complicated. I agree!

MJT: No. It’s not complicated.

Read the whole thing.

“I think the Muslim Brotherhood is not anything to be afraid of in the upcoming (Egyptian) political situation and the evolution I see as most likely..They will be subsumed in the overwhelming demonstration of desire for freedom and true democracy.”

Jimmy Carter, a few weeks before demonstrations against the Shah began, leading to the Iranian revolution the following year.

“Iran, because of the great leadership of the Shah, is an island of stability in one of the more troubled areas of the world.”

Just another reason why 1) we should be very concerned about the Muslim Brotherhood and 2) Carter is truly the Elder of Moron.

Based on this movie.

Following are excerpts from speeches by Arab Islamic leaders expressing solidarity with Gaza, which aired on Al-Manar and Al-Aqsa TV, December 3 and 5, 2008.

Sheik Himam Sa’id, Supreme Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan: Oh noble Gaza, raise your head high. You have made the Muslims raise their heads high. And you, people of Hebron – you are now waging a war against the Jews. You are well-versed in this. We saw how, on a day in 1929, you slaughtered the Jews in Hebron. Today, slaughter them on the land of Hebron. Kill them in Palestine. Arise, oh people of Palestine, all the people of Palestine – arise in defense of your Al-Aqsa Mosque, arise in defense of Nablus and Hebron. Arise and face the [PA] Preventive Security forces. Fear them not, for they are rabbits. They are wolves, so fear them not, oh lions.

Now the Jews are rabbits and the palestinians are lions? I thought the palestinians actually liked rabbits, and were not so keen on lions.

Al-Sharq (QATAR): Azhar Sheikh’s Handshake With Peres Sparks Crisis in Egypt Parliament – The Muslim Brotherhood parliamentary bloc in Egypt Thursday denounced the handshake between the top cleric of al-Azhar, Sheikh Mohammed Tantawi, and Israeli President Shimon Peres during a U.N. General Assembly interfaith meeting in New York this month. The Islamist group said the handshake provokes the sentiments of the Egyptian people and harms the image of al-Azhar, the highest Muslim Sunni authority, at a time when Israel is besieging “our people in the Gaza Strip.” The lawmakers demanded an apology from Tantawi.

The MEMRI blog follows up:

In response to photos published in the Egyptian and Arab press showing Al-Azhar Sheikh Muhammad Sayyed Tantawi shaking hands with Israeli President Shimon Peres, Tantawi stated that he hadn’t known who Peres was and that the handshake was by chance, not intentional.

He added that on this occasion he had shaken the hands of over 20 people all at once, instinctively and with good intentions.

Source: Al-Jarida, Kuwait, December 1, 2008

The shocking photograph is flying through Islamist message boards.

Jew Cooties is of course a horrible disease, and it is communicable, so now Sheikh Tantawi cannot touch anyone else until he goes through a painful decontamination procedure which is a cross between the process used to clean up people exposed to high doses of nuclear radiation, and an exorcism.

Of course, after this scandal, he is now washed up as a leader of Al Azhar. It appears that he might be growing his beard to get a new job as a department store Santa.