As surely as the sun rises, we will be hearing a great deal of fear expressed about Muslim extremism increasing in the wake of Egypt's revolution. What most of us don't understand, and what was not clear at all to me, is the extent to which the extraordinary level of torture in Egyptian prisons under Mubarak's rule gave birth to the far more revolutionary violence of Al Quaeda. Dethroning Mubarak holds great promise for weakening the more unprecedented resorts to violence embodied in Al Quaeda.
The best guide for this understanding that I have read is Lawrence Wright's The Looming Tower. For Americans, I can think of no more important book to read for context of Egypt, Muslim extremism and why we should celebrate this day and have hope for the future.
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