America's talks with the Muslim Brotherhood: A mistake?

The Obama administration will engage with Egypt's influential Islamic group. Will that help keep the movement in check, or seal its rise to power?

A member of the Muslim Brotherhood speaks at a news conference: The United States will engage in "limited contacts" with the powerful Egyptian political group.
(Image credit: REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed)

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the U.S. will begin engaging in "limited contacts" with Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamic movement that was outlawed under Hosni Mubarak, but has emerged as a powerful political force since his downfall. Clinton said the U.S. would press Muslim Brotherhood leaders on the importance of non-violence and respect for minority and women's rights. Critics of the Obama administration say the move will only increase the power of religious extremists. Will opening ties with the Muslim Brotherhood do more harm than good? (Watch Hillary Clinton's comments.)

We are legitimizing the enemy: The Obama administration is making a terrible mistake, says Jonathan S. Tobin at Commentary. It's sending Egypt and the world the message that we have "no problem with the Brotherhood’s bid for more influence," even though it's a "militant anti-Western group" that wants to destroy our ally, Israel. The Muslim Brotherhood isn't trying to participate in the Arab Spring, but exploit it to install Islamist rule in the world's most populous Arab nation.

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