The media establishment often refer to so called “moderate” Arab regimes such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia. But what does “moderate” actually mean here? The truth is that there’s nothing remotely “moderate” about these governments that oppress and torture their people. They are only “moderate” in the sense that they are not openly hostile towards Israel.
Take the Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak. He imprisons his political opponents, tortures his citizens, and cheats in national elections. In the last election he won with 88.9% of the vote. For this he is bestowed the honor of being a “moderate” Arab leader. Yes, this is how the establishment makes moral judgements.
Saudi Arabia is another good example. In that country women can’t even drive cars. In contrast, women in Iran drive cars and are allowed to shop, vote, and hold jobs. There’s still a lot of inequality, but it’s not nearly as bad as in Saudi Arabia. In fact, a Saudi Arabian girl was recently sentenced to two hundred lashes. The crime? She was raped.
But you’d never hear about that in the media. Instead we are told that Iranians are an oppressed people who need to be “liberated.” Iranians aren’t “moderate” enough, while Saudi Arabians are. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The truth, however, takes the backseat before we start the next war.
