Readers' corner
Repel radicals
Sir-- Democracy must never be allowed by the Egyptian military to be exploited by Islamist radicals to seize power in Egypt. For the military and anyone with common sense knows, once in power all future mechanisms of democracy will be forever dismissed once the Islamists are in power. The cooler heads of the Egyptian military should prevail by not allowing any Islamist radicals or former corrupt officials of the Mubarak regime from taking office. Then the citizens of Egypt will have some sanity with the final list of acceptable candidates. While I am disappointed that the Mubarak VP was kicked out, I am glad to see that the Egyptian authorities aren't interested in handing Egypt over to radical Islam.
Mohamed Ibrahim
Cairo
Egypt
Allowances made
Sir-- If Egypt wants to join the international community and to see foreign tourists return, it would be wise to take this rare opportunity to become a secular and pluralist state even if it means putting limits on democracy. The military as well as some Egyptian elite are trying to salvage whatever they can before the catastrophe strikes, even by reverting to undemocratic means. Egypt should be prevented from becoming an Islamist religious state. It can do this by choosing a symbolic presidential figure who is accepted and respected by the international community.
Emily Harris
Pennsylvania
USA
Power Brothers
Sir-- If the Brotherhood and their Islamist allies won enough of the parliamentary vote to control 70 per cent of the legislature, then they have the democratic right to use the power that they have legitimately won. Imagine if the Republican or Democratic Party in the US controlled 70 per cent of Congress. Do you think they would play nice, or would they institute programmes that would get their opponents across the aisle up in arms and out into the streets?
Robin Osborne
Washington
USA
Staged Spring
Sir-- This whole Arab Spring seems to be a setup so that the most radical elements get in to power then after a while start a war with Israel. There is a concentrated effort to manipulate political unrest in the Middle East and install radical Islamist regimes and the US administration has abetted this. This will only further inflame the Middle East and make a multi-power regional war likely. What kind of foreign policy is this?
Azmy Youssef
Michigan
USA
Foreign mother in America
Sir-- Hazem Abu Ismail is out of the race because his mother holds foreign nationality. Who does this remind you of? I certainly wish we could do this in the US.
Sharon Becker
Washington
USA
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